Humanitarian Development and Innovation’s Seminar

Come and see Mike Stoots from East Tennessee State University speak at Humanitarian Development and Innovation’s seminar: The Niswonger VILLAGE – A Public Health Simulation Lab! This event will be taking place on Nov. 5, at 9 a.m. in Scott Lab E100. Click here to RSVP for the event!

The Niswonger VILLAGE (Virtual International Living and Learning Across Global Environments) at the East Tennessee State University Eastman Valleybrook Campus is a public health simulation lab that replicates how people live and work in low-resource settings. Using role playing, case studies, and simulated scenarios, students face real-world challenges, and gain confidence in their ability to make a difference in the lives of other people.

The Niswonger VILLAGE is one area on Project EARTH (Employing Available Resources to Transform Health), which helps to prepare public health graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to work in almost any environment, especially the kinds of low-resource environments that might exist in rural areas, or following either a natural and man-made disaster. To this end, students learn to provide clean water, sanitation and shelter, among other skills. At the same time, students are learning teamwork, problem solving and creative thinking — skills relevant in all worksites. This seminar will highlight the VILLAGE’s creation and use, as well as, provide an overview of Project EARTH.

Mike Stoots is the Director of Operations of Project EARTH and Undergraduate Coordinator of Community Health in the College of Public Health at East Tennessee State University. Project EARTH (Employing Available Resources to Transform Health) helps to prepare public health graduates with the knowledge and skills necessary to work in almost any environment, especially the kinds of low-resource environments that might exist in rural areas, or following either a natural and man-made disaster. In 2017, Stoots was awarded the Delta Omega Award for Innovative Public Health Curriculum for “Project EARTH: An Innovation in Education and an Education in Innovation”. Stoots also led an effort to revise the undergraduate public health program at East Tennessee State University by creating a workforce-centered curriculum. He has over 25 years of experience teaching undergraduate public health students.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *