When Ben Hall, a senior from Tacoma, Washington, was looking for a major that felt right — he searched for a program that would allow him to serve others.
The breadth of programs at Boise State helped Hall try on a variety of academic plans, he said. After changing his major twice, Hall found a path that would prepare him to impact the health of others outside of the usual clinical settings. As a Health Studies major with an emphasis in Health Informatics and Information Management, Hall found his passion for public and population health.
The small classroom settings and conversational lectures and discussions, Hall said, helped him feel more connected to his professors and classmates in the School of Public and Population Health.
“Ultimately, that has been such a pivotal part of my learning experience here,” Hall said.
Throughout his undergraduate career, Hall learned that he didn’t have to pursue a medical degree to better the health of others. Hall said he received an in-depth look at our healthcare systems, especially the many areas where health professionals can work outside the clinical settings.
“Health encompasses many areas such as public health, health administration, clinical services and more,” Hall said. “These different areas can complement each other and help keep our communities safe and healthy.”
In addition to his studies, Hall took on an internship with Cascadia Healthcare where he worked as an information technology intern. This experience, he said, played a large role in determining his post-graduation path.
“I got the chance to work with patient data and analyze trends within this data,” Hall said. “This sparked my passion to analyze data and recognize health disparities.”
For Professor Jaime Sand, Hall’s dedication, motivation and thoughtfulness as a student stood out in and outside of the classroom.
“It was no surprise his internship supervisor was impressed with his initiative, quick ability to learn new skills and adaptability to new processes,” Sand said.
Now just a few days from graduation, Hall looks forward to honing his public health skills at the University of Washington pursuing a Master of Public Health in Health Systems and Policy. Hall said he looks forward to learning more about health policy and addressing health discrepancies in throughout the country.