Looking to Get Involved with a Public Health Student Organization? Join SAPH
The Student Association for Public Health (SAPH) is a graduate-level public health organization within the College for Public Health and Social Justice (CPHSJ) for MPH students. Students who join SAPH are given the opportunity to connect with their peers in the college and community, and network with professionals in the public health field.
“SAPH’s goal is to provide opportunities for its members to engage with their peers through social, service, and professional development events,” says SAPH president Ri’enna Boyd.
SAPH creates events that fall into three categories: social, service, and professional development. These events allow members to participate in fun activities with others in the community, creating stronger connections with one another.
This has included trips to Busch Stadium to watch the Cardinals’ baseball games, ice skating, hiking day trips, etc. Service events allow members to volunteer their time with organizations in the community or within the university. This has included participating in blood drives, neighborhood cleaning pickups, vaccine clinics, etc. Professional development events allow members to enhance their professional level skills through networking events, PhD panels, attending talks on salary negotiation, etc.
“SAPH has held a variety of events, as we aim to cater to each group of students that changes year-to-year. Some examples of events we have had in the past include volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House, dog-walking, making baby blankets to donate to children in hospitals, holding a PhD panel, apple picking at Eckert’s, hosting a Networking Night with management of Local Organizations, hosting a spring college-wide formal event, cleaning up litter at Great Rivers Greenway, and so much more! We are always looking for suggestions of events our members want to see, so we welcome your ideas,” says Boyd.
Regarding events that have had a great turnout, Boyd describes the success of each year’s winter bar crawl.
“We invite our members out for a night to socialize and get to know each other outside of a school setting. It’s a great way to forget about all the work we need to do and take time to fill our cups (literally and figuratively)! We had folks from SAPH come out and even other students from SLU. It’s an event our members look forward to every year and something we love hosting,” she says.
SAPH ensures professional and academic development through their events offered each year. Participating in these helps students expand their knowledge for their career after graduation.
“SAPH prioritizes the professional and educational development of our members in multiple ways. First, we are a space for both first- and second-year MPH students. This dynamic naturally offers opportunities for members to ask questions about different courses, projects, internships, jobs, and more. Our professional development chair and co-chair also work diligently throughout the year to plan various events, including a networking night, that are focused on improving our members’ confidence and experience in the professional setting,” says Boyd.
Any student interested in joining SAPH can email the executive board at saph.officers@gmail.com or follow and direct message them on instagram @saph.slu.
College for Public Health and Social Justice
The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.