There is a new education option at Creighton for those interested in the health field.

Starting in April 2013, there will be a graduate program in medical anthropology. “The program would help to provide extremely valuable healthcare context and to better prepare those in the health fields,” Dr. Alexander Rodlach said.

The program is an online program, and applications are currently being accepted for the program. Rodlach said students will begin to be accepted in January 2013 and the program begins in April for a one-week campus orientation.

“We hope to attract students who have an interest in healing in different cultures and to attract students from a variety of health professions,” Rodlach said. “It’s also in line with Creighton’s Jesuit values.”

Rodlach is leading the program, which is at least two years in the making. Helping him to set up the program were Dean Gail Jensen, Dean Robert Lueger, Dr. Barbara Dilly and Dr. Rebecca Murray, both sociology professors, Dr. Laura Heinemann, anthropology professor, and Fr. Raymond Bucko, anthropology and sociology professor and Dr. Andrew Gustafson, business ethics and society professor.

“This program is a good match for Creighton because of the professional schools offered and the number of pre-medical students here,” Rodlach said.

The program is online because it increases opportunities for non-traditional students and offers more convenience. According to Rodlach, he expects it to be about half traditional students and half non-traditional students making up the program.

Sami Buglewicz, a junior Arts & Sciences student and founding president of the Medical Anthropology Society, plans to enter the program next year.

“If I get in, I will begin the program during my last semester of [my] undergraduate [degree],” Buglewicz said. “The program allows students in their last semester of undergraduate to begin a few of the classes before we actually graduate, which is great since it will cut the cost of the program in half.”

In order to stay in touch with each student, faculty will e-mail regularly and Skype for approximately 30 minutes per week, depending on the needs of the student. Courses and subject matter for the program are still in the process of being finalized.

“We hope our students also do research in health related settings or non-profits and immerse themselves in the community,” Rodlach said. There are three distinct tracks for the program: library research, research and practicum (where students work as an intern). It will take 18 credits to earn a certificate in medical anthropology and 36 credits to earn a master’s in medical anthropology.

According to Rodlach, it will vary from person to person on how long it takes him or her to complete the master’s program, but most will probably finish in one-and-a-half to two years.

Michelle Skaff, a junior Arts & Sciences student and vice-president of the Medical Anthropology Society, thinks this is a great

Creighton will offer a classroom experience online. Photo illustration by Anna Baxter.

opportunity to better prepare students for work in health related fields.

“It gives students the opportunity to continue studying in a growing, important field,” Skaff said. “Students in this field of study will be prepared to work in a health care system that needs a lot of work. They will be trained in cultural competency, holistic care and identifying social injustices.”

Adding this new program could mean a lot for the university.

“This program really allows Creighton a great opportunity to distinguish themselves as leaders not only in the traditional medical field, but also to show their commitment to the concept of cura personalis as an important element of healing,” Murray said.

All funding for the program comes from tuition. Cost is the same as other graduate school classes at Creighton.

“I think the program fits very well for students who are medically focused but who are committed to a better cultural understanding of people,” Murray said. “Our health sciences students do a great job learning how to take care of bodies, but this would allow them to also learn how healing takes place within a cultural context, which often yields better results.”