News
GVSU meets area needs by launching graduate program in public health
March 16, 2026
Leaders at Grand Valley State University are meeting the needs of Northern Michigan residents by launching a hybrid Master of Public Health (MPH) program this fall through GVSU’s Traverse City Regional Center.
Traverse City resident Jacqueline Clark-Mosley earned an MPH degree from GVSU last year. She applauded the decision to bring the program to Traverse City.
“This area embraces its people and it’s a great place to live,” she said. “Bringing Grand Valley’s public health program here is good news because the area personifies the values of a public health program.”
Ranelle Brew, professor of public health and graduate program director, said students in the five-semester program will take classes online and meet once in the summer for a two-day intensive class in Traverse City at Northwestern Michigan College’s Front Street Campus, which serves as home to the GVSU Traverse City Regional Center.
Brew added that community engagement is a hallmark of the program. “We have more than 400 community partners in the Grand Rapids area and we look forward to adding additional partnerships in Northern Michigan through the Traverse City expansion,” she said. “Combining didactic learning with community engagement, students are really building their resumes while they’re in the program.”
The master’s program has two emphases: health promotion and epidemiology. Clark-Mosley said courses from both emphases are required, giving students a broad understanding of public health. She chose epidemiology, which she described as “being able to answer the who, what, where, when and why of public health issues.”
“It was a very student-centered program and I felt immediately like part of a community,” she said.
Clark-Mosley is a medical assistant at the Cowell Family Cancer Center, located at Munson Medical Center.
She also assists a Michigan State University researcher who is conducting a study on cancer survivors and their barriers to physical activity. She earned a bachelor’s degree in allied health sciences from GVSU in 2024. During one of her classes, Brew gave a presentation about the program and spoke about its career possibilities. Clark-Mosley said she felt the information was directly meant for her.
“When Ranelle was speaking, it was like a lightbulb went off for me,” she said. “This program embodies my core values and will give me a good toolset for the future.”
Brew said she and other MPH faculty look forward to building connections with Northern Michigan leaders. For many years, GVSU has had articulation agreements with Northern Michigan University and Lake Superior State University, granting students with bachelor’s degrees from those institutions automatic entry into the MPH program.
“We understand the needs of Northern Michigan and Upper Peninsula residents. Graduates of our program will be able to step into their communities prepared to lead,” Brew said.
By Michele Coffill
Master of Public Health Program
Learn more about GVSU’s Master of Public Health hybrid program, which will launch in Fall 2026 in Traverse City, online at gvsu.edu/grad/mph