From the Dean's Desk welcomes guest author Ana Martinez-Donate, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and External Relations

We live in a time in which higher education and the public health profession face significant challenges. As Associate Dean for Public Health Practice and External Relations, I can see how these difficulties can be seen as compromising our community-engaged and practice-based work. Reduced research funding opportunities for public health research, particularly from federal agencies, have made it increasingly difficult to support community-engaged research (CEnR) and practice-focused projects. These constraints are felt across research programs, but disproportionately affect projects serving vulnerable and marginalized communities, including transgender individuals, immigrant communities, and women of color; and work focused on equity, structural racism, and other social determinants of health. These are topics and populations our school, with its focus on health equity and social justice, is deeply committed to.

Funding cuts across public health agencies and community-based organizations have led to program closures, staff layoffs, and widespread burnout. Our external partners are facing increased community needs with fewer resources, which can diminish their appetite and capacity to host and supervise student placements, engage in community–academic research collaborations, or invest time in partnerships when the likelihood of securing research funding is perceived, and often is, lower.

The pace of change, volume of challenges, and number of barriers can lead to demoralization among public health scholars and make it difficult to identify and implement solutions. Yet, the need for public health expertise has not diminished. Policymakers, practitioners, and communities continue to require our support as public health experts, innovators, teachers, and mentors. In many cases, these needs are greater today than they were two years ago. This context underscores that practice-based public health work is more important than ever, particularly within a school committed to social justice and community.

Seizing the Opportunities of the New Drexel Era

Along the many challenges compromising our practice-based efforts, there are also important institutional strengths and emerging opportunities that can be leveraged to sustain and expand this work. Given our school’s foundational commitment to health as a human right and social justice as a driver of public health, it is critical that we respond strategically to both the constraints and possibilities of this moment.

Drexel University continues to demonstrate strong institutional commitment to civic engagement. In 2026 the Carnegie Foundation renewed Drexel’s classification as a Community Engaged institution, a designation the university has held since 2008. Drexel remains one of only a handful of private universities nationally, and one of only four universities in Pennsylvania (alongside UPenn, Penn State, and the University of Pittsburgh), to hold both R1 and Community Engagement classifications. This year, Drexel also received the 2026 Civic Engagement and Community Service Award from Insight Into Academia. As noted by American Council on Education President Ted Mitchell, institutions receiving this classification exemplify higher education’s commitment to the greater good. This recognition provides a strong platform to elevate and expand our public health practice work.

A few weeks ago, we celebrated the inauguration of our new president, Antonio Merlo, who is bringing a wealth of expertise as academic leader, much needed energy, and a strategic vision to take Drexel to the next level. His agenda has a particular focus on experiential learning and students as the center of our mission. The emphasis in experiential learning can be used a strategic lever for our public health practice-focused work. Experiential learning will become a graduation requirement for all undergraduate students beginning with the incoming 2027–2028 cohort. This presents a significant opportunity to engage more undergraduate students from across campus in our community-engaged and practice-based projects. Through these placements, we can expand the school’s capacity to support external agencies and organizations, particularly during periods of limited research funding. Greater engagement of undergraduate students can also help us align community engagement more closely with Drexel’s educational mission.

To this end, investing on and strengthening strategic partnerships with other university units will be essential, including closer collaboration with the College of Nursing and Health Professions, the Steinbright Career Development Center, the Lindy Center for Civic Engagement, and the Pennoni Honors College. Greater alignment of our community research, outreach, education, and service efforts with these units can be instrumental to support public health practice and student engagement.

Leveraging our Strengths

Our faculty, staff, and students do exceptional work developing and translating evidence into action across public health areas, such as maternal and child health, immigrant health, urban health, and global health, to mention a few. Through a wide range of collaborative projects at the local, national, and international level, our school makes a meaningful difference for organizations, agencies, community members, and student learning. This work is also an important marketing tool for prospective students and families to see the school’s commitment to community impact when they consider different schools of public health.

At the graduate level, we have strong engagement through Applied Practical Experiences (APEs), Integrative Learning Experiences (ILEs), and research assistantships. Our master and doctoral students engage in many outstanding projects that involve practice-based elements and collaboration with external partners bringing public recognition to our school as a committed academic partner in the Philadelphia region and beyond.

Furthermore, we have a collection of excellent centers in our school, some of which are eminently practice focused, that represent a highly valuable resource for student engagement and faculty career development. Through their infrastructure, collective expertise, and long-standing record of applied research, our centers provide a stimulating and nurturing environment that supports the growth of faculty community-engaged research programs and provide rich opportunities for student experiential learning in community-academic collaborative projects.

Our school also contributes to keep public health practitioners and other professionals informed and educated on emerging health issues, through our different dissemination and continued education initiatives. Our seminar series, summer institutes, and special symposia are open to the public and bring much needed authoritative health information and training opportunities in a world of mounting noise and confusion around public health issues. Similarly, our faculty continues to offer key expertise and guidance to external agencies, community-based organizations, and professional organizations through participation in task forces and advisory committees, public testimonies, and production of content like policy briefs and op eds.

Looking Ahead with Optimism

In a world of constant changes and rising threats against higher education and the public health profession, it can be easy to feel demoralized and lost. In these times, our engagement with external partners to tackle public health challenges can serve as an anchor and a reminder of how we can continue making a difference in the health and well-being of the public. Let’s use the current challenges in our field and the country in general as an opportunity to redouble our commitment to public health practice and to make it count.

Learn more about Practice at Dornsife