September 21, 2015

The Drexel University School of Public Health welcomed 15 new bachelor’s degree majors, 123 new master’s students and 9 new doctoral students during Welcome Week in September with an exciting series of programs and events.

Faculty, staff and current students were among the panelists and presenters to help new students acclimate to Drexel University.  Students had opportunities to roam the City of Philadelphia through a Mural Arts Tour & Scavenger Hunt; meet & greet faculty, staff, and students at the School, centers, initiatives and institutes at Drexel, and even get a few laughs at a comedy show led by Michael Yudell, PhD, MPH, Interim Chair and Associate Professor of Community Health and Prevention, in partnership with the Philadelphia Improv Theater. The week wrapped up with our annual welcoming and pinning ceremony, capped off with an energetic talk by Rev. Lorina Marshall-Blake, President of the Independence Blue Cross Foundation. Marshall-Blake warmly encouraged faculty, staff and students to “work with, not for, a community. Public Health humanizes every person and takes health care into the real world."

“Let your reaction to injustice motivate you to do more. See every problem as an opportunity to change the world,” Marshall-Blake concluded.  

Following her address, students celebrated School’s annual pinning ceremony, first instituted nearly 20 years ago by founding Dean and humanitarian, Dr. Jonathan Mann. Together, students took the School’s pledge, which is symbolic in reflecting the school’s commitment to social justice and health as a human right.