For most of us, health studies may not rise to the top of our to-do lists. In a rush to meet our daily responsibilities, build a career, and grow a family, it is too easy to ignore our health, let alone the implications of health policy in our society. 

Nonetheless, our health and well-being are “foundational to anything else we do,” says Sarah Benes, Associate Clinical Professor, School of Health Sciences at Merrimack College. Dr. Benes teaches Merrimack College’s health and Wellness Studies course in the Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion Program. The class is one of the required “professional core” courses. Along with “Life, Work and Meaning” and “The Psychology of Happiness” these courses lay the foundation for success and wholeness physically, emotionally, and professionally. They help you define what success is and chart a path to achieve it.

The BDC program is designed for busy adults ready to enhance their lives and careers by completing their bachelor’s degrees. Merrimack emphasizes the primacy of health and wellness in all we do or hope to accomplish as part of its core curriculum. 

“This course supports a deeper understanding of the constructs of health and well-being from both an academic and personal perspective,” Dr. Benes says. “Students leave the course with tools and skills to maintain or enhance their health and well-being. Additionally, they can articulate how health and well-being shape our lives and experiences – no matter who we are.” 

Health Literacy and Healthy Outcomes

According to the National Institutes of Health, 9 out of 10 adult Americans struggle with health literacy. As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers into its third year, the consequences of this statistic come into stark focus. The NIH cautions us not to confuse “literacy” with “health literacy.” The health crisis highlights the tenets of critical thinking and effective decision-making in every health-related decision we make. 

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Benes is an ardent advocate for the importance of health literacy. She has published extensive research on health education pedagogy. 

“Effective health education can positively contribute to a student’s school experience, ” she writes in the paper Health Education in the 21st Century: A Skills-based Approach she co-authored with Holly Alperin. “Healthier students are more likely to be ready and able to learn, and students who are academically successful often engage in less risky behaviors.” While her focus here is toward younger students, they are no less relevant for adult learners. 

An informed, rational, critical perspective of health and well-being is the cornerstone of health literacy and improved health outcomes throughout our lives.

Health Studies and the Pathway Bachelor Completion

The Health and Wellness Studies course uses an interactive approach with real-world examples that render the topic intimately accessible. This innovative instructional method allows students to explore various perspectives of health and well-being. 

The course provides students with a holistic understanding of health and wellness, including basic terminology and concepts of health-related data. Students examine leading national and global health indicators. They learn how to match broad theoretical concepts to actual trends that inform sound personal health decisions.   

The range of competencies students of the course will acquire include:   

Health Literacy

  • Know where and how to find valid and reliable sources of health-related information.
  • Constructively evaluate health literacy levels. Understand and articulate how levels of health literacy may impact health and well-being, both personally and within their communities.
  • Readily discuss the role of individual health literacy and larger systems-level responsibility. 

Avoiding Disease and Promoting Healthy Behaviors

  • Assess personal health and well-being for strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Create an individual plan to address a specific area of well-being.
  • Work to implement a behavior change in their lives.

Physical and Psychological Factors That Impact Well-Being

  • Analyze biomedical and psychological factors that impact personal health and well-being.
  • Discuss the variety of factors at multiple levels that can impact health and well-being across populations.

Graduates emerge from the course with a comprehensive conceptual grounding and the skills to apply their knowledge to support their health and well-being. From there, everything else becomes possible.  

Health, Well-Being, and Education   

The Health and Wellness Studies course “supports both a deeper understanding of the constructs of health and well-being from an academic and personal perspective,” says Dr. Benes. And her passion for guiding her students toward health literacy and healthy lifeways is, shall we say, infectious.  

“Teaching is one of my most favorite things to do!” she said. “I love that I am constantly growing and learning along with students. So much is constantly changing in the health/public health world – it keeps me on my toes.”

Dr. Benes particularly appreciates her students, each seeking the betterment of education and understanding in a life already rich with experience. “They bring such a wealth of lived experience,” she says. “It brings the course content to life.”  

The Health and Wellness Studies course sets the stage for earning the Pathway Bachelor Completion Degree. Success happens when you live well.  For most of us, health studies may not rise to the top of our to-do lists. In a rush to meet our daily responsibilities, build a career, and grow a family, it is too easy to ignore our health, let alone the implications of health policy in our society. 

Nonetheless, our health and well-being are “foundational to anything else we do,” says Sarah Benes, Associate Clinical Professor, School of Health Sciences at Merrimack College. Dr. Benes teaches Merrimack College’s health and Wellness Studies course in the Pathway Bachelor Degree Completion Program. The class is one of the required “professional core” courses. Along with “Life, Work and Meaning” and “The Psychology of Happiness” these courses lay the foundation for success and wholeness physically, emotionally, and professionally. They help you define what success is and chart a path to achieve it.

The BDC program is designed for busy adults ready to enhance their lives and careers by completing their bachelor’s degrees. Merrimack emphasizes the primacy of health and wellness in all we do or hope to accomplish as part of its core curriculum. 

“This course supports a deeper understanding of the constructs of health and well-being from both an academic and personal perspective,” Dr. Benes says. “Students leave the course with tools and skills to maintain or enhance their health and well-being. Additionally, they can articulate how health and well-being shape our lives and experiences – no matter who we are.” 

Health Literacy and Healthy Outcomes

According to the National Institutes of Health, 9 out of 10 adult Americans struggle with health literacy. As the COVID-19 pandemic lingers into its third year, the consequences of this statistic come into stark focus. The NIH cautions us not to confuse “literacy” with “health literacy.” The health crisis highlights the tenets of critical thinking and effective decision-making in every health-related decision we make. 

Unsurprisingly, Dr. Benes is an ardent advocate for the importance of health literacy. She has published extensive research on health education pedagogy. 

“Effective health education can positively contribute to a student’s school experience, ” she writes in the paper Health Education in the 21st Century: A Skills-based Approach she co-authored with Holly Alperin. “Healthier students are more likely to be ready and able to learn, and students who are academically successful often engage in less risky behaviors.” While her focus here is toward younger students, they are no less relevant for adult learners. 

An informed, rational, critical perspective of health and well-being is the cornerstone of health literacy and improved health outcomes throughout our lives.

Health Studies and the Pathway Bachelor Completion

The Health and Wellness Studies course uses an interactive approach with real-world examples that render the topic intimately accessible. This innovative instructional method allows students to explore various perspectives of health and well-being. 

The course provides students with a holistic understanding of health and wellness, including basic terminology and concepts of health-related data. Students examine leading national and global health indicators. They learn how to match broad theoretical concepts to actual trends that inform sound personal health decisions.   

The range of competencies students of the course will acquire include:   

Health Literacy

  • Know where and how to find valid and reliable sources of health-related information.
  • Constructively evaluate health literacy levels. Understand and articulate how levels of health literacy may impact health and well-being, both personally and within their communities.
  • Readily discuss the role of individual health literacy and larger systems-level responsibility. 

Avoiding Disease and Promoting Healthy Behaviors

  • Assess personal health and well-being for strengths and areas for improvement.
  • Create an individual plan to address a specific area of well-being.
  • Work to implement a behavior change in their lives.

Physical and Psychological Factors That Impact Well-Being

  • Analyze biomedical and psychological factors that impact personal health and well-being.
  • Discuss the variety of factors at multiple levels that can impact health and well-being across populations.

Graduates emerge from the course with a comprehensive conceptual grounding and the skills to apply their knowledge to support their health and well-being. From there, everything else becomes possible.  

Health, Well-Being, and Education   

The Health and Wellness Studies course “supports both a deeper understanding of the constructs of health and well-being from an academic and personal perspective,” says Dr. Benes. And her passion for guiding her students toward health literacy and healthy lifeways is, shall we say, infectious.  

“Teaching is one of my most favorite things to do!” she said. “I love that I am constantly growing and learning along with students. So much is constantly changing in the health/public health world – it keeps me on my toes.”

Dr. Benes particularly appreciates her students, each seeking the betterment of education and understanding in a life already rich with experience. “They bring such a wealth of lived experience,” she says. “It brings the course content to life.”  

The Health and Wellness Studies course sets the stage for earning the Pathway Bachelor Completion Degree. Success happens when you live well.