Bowling Green, Ky. - Western Kentucky University’s Department of Public Health has launched a new course for HIV education/training that will be taught in collaboration with the American Red Cross of South Central Kentucky.

In the past few months, Dr. Steve Nagy, program director for the Department of Public Health, has been talking with Deneen Cooper, director of the Red Cross chapter, about opportunities for students enrolled in the Master of Public Health program at WKU.

Cooper agreed to provide a HIV Education Certificate course to Public Health students with a nominal fee for routine expenses. “I wanted my students to get the best out of this rare opportunity and so I planned to write a grant proposal for $2,500 in order to get this course free of charge for students,” Dr. Nagy said.

The grant proposal was approved by WKU and the Red Cross and students have been selected for this HIV training on the basis of merit. “We are the pioneers among all the Kentucky universities for providing such rare academic and professional experiences,” he said. “The students will benefit in more than one way as the American Red Cross Public Health Education Division helps save more lives by developing, evaluating, implementing and supporting innovative prevention programs. The programs are easy to use and are designed to reach a variety of audiences. They are based on the latest evidence of what makes health education programs effective. We are glad to be associated with the Red Cross.”

Dr. Nagy plans to continue this training experience for selected students in the Department of Public Health. “Next semester, some local healthcare agencies will be participating as sponsors for this course. I am positive about the continuation of this training at least for the next two semesters,” he said.

Jagdish Khubchandani, graduate representative for the College of Health and Human Services, is one of the students selected for this training. “The American Red Cross educates people on how to stop the transmission of HIV, encourages people to respond in informed ways to people who have HIV, and helps people apply the facts about HIV to their own behavior,” Khubchandani said. “These goals are accomplished through the easy to use educational programs designed by the Red Cross to reach a broad range of audiences. I am happy to be a part of this educational training and am eager to see the Red Cross professionals in action while they are in the community.”

More WKU news is available at www.wku.edu. If you’d like to receive WKU news via e-mail, send a message to WKUNews@wku.edu.

For information, contact Steve Nagy at (270) 745-5870.

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