For many pre-med concentrators and aspiring doctors, required subjects like chemistry pose a dreaded stumbling block. But instead of resigning themselves to life in the lab and a relationship only with the Bunsen burner, next year Brandeis students will be offered an alternative to the strict science requirements necessary for a health related career. Following in the footsteps of several other Universities, the newly created Health: Science, Society, and Policy (HSSP) major will be Brandeis' first truly interdisciplinary major.Brandeis has had a Health and Society minor for the last 12 years. Last summer, a group of professors, including Peter Conrad (SOC), Judith Tsipis (BIOL), Assistant Dean of Undergraduate Academic Affairs and Coordinator of Pre-medical Programs Andrew Simmons, Health Profession Advisor Jennifer Lewis and Ex-Provost Bernstein borrowed from health programs in other colleges and adapted the minor into the new major.

"When we created (the HSSP major), we tried to build on the school's strengths of life sciences, social sciences geared towards health, and the Heller school," Conrad, head of the program, said, adding that "the program is unique."

The purpose of the major is to provide an alternative to Medical School for those interested in perusing a health-related career. The requirements for the HSSP major span several academic fields and are less science-heavy then the current pre-med track. Having researched similar programs in the University of Rochester, Cornell University, Brown University and University of Pennsylvania, Conrad found that the "key to (a health major) is to have non-science courses as a basis."

In conjunction with a new epidemiology course (the study of cause, distribution and control of disease) that will be offered next year, courses in biology, sociology, history and legal studies define the major's core curriculum. The focal areas include biological, social and behavioral dimensions of health and illness, as well as healthcare policy and practice. Additionally, a hands-on-experience internship or senior research project along with a newly offered integrative senior seminar must also be completed. Each of the core classes relates health to law, society and policy in the healthcare system.

Conrad described the major as a wonderful new development of which he is excited to be a part. Anticipating a similar reaction from the student body, he noted that five juniors have already discussed declaring the recently announced major.

The faculty echoed Conrad's expectations. "Health is a big issue, almost bigger than pre-med," said Professor Tsipis, "and I am glad to be involved. It is a win-win situation for undergrads, and the faculty gets to work together which is new since it involves the Heller school. It is a wonderful new enterprise."

Beth Linas '04, a BioChem and HSSP major, said she is also enthusiastic. "I can apply the knowledge from my classes to day-to-day activities and I don't feel my time was wasted in (these) classes either," she said.

As co-founder of the Brandeis Student Health Initiative group, Linas said both the group and the major embody similar ideals. Among them is a focus on other societies and their respective medical principles. Additionally, Linas said she favors the HSSP major over the more competitive pre-med track. "At first, I wanted to do cancer research and then OB/GYN, and because the pre-med program is really competitive, I knew it would be hard. This major helps me with getting involved in the health profession."

Dean Simmons said the HSSP major will attract a new group of students to the health profession and to Brandeis in general. "My hope would be it would be a catch-all for anyone who had interests in health," he said. "The fact that it is interdisciplinary should be a big draw for new and upcoming college students who are looking for just that right combination of science, social sciences and humanities."

"This program is supposed to reach more students that can't do the standard pre-med program, but want to be involved in health," said Dean of Arts and Sciences Jessie Ann Owens.

According to Associate Dean for Undergraduate Academic Affairs and First Year Services Michele Rosenthal, the interdisciplinary studies which this major involves will stir students interested in the health profession and promote a more well-rounded education than the pre-med track can provide. "Science is a base, but it is not science-oriented," she said. "It involves classes other than science and math to get a more liberal arts education for a health profession."

The HSSP major comes in a few different forms. It can be done as a B.A., a B.S, or as a minor, which is just like the original Health and Society minor. The B.S. also involves a few extra science courses and is more geared toward students looking to go to medical school or to a more science-related health field.

Sharon Barotz '06 said she is intrigued by the new major. "I was just looking around and found this new major today and I like what it says a lot," she said. Although Barotz has not yet declared and plans to major in Biology and minor in Environmental Studies, she is considering incorporating an HSSP minor into her busy course load. "It is a great option, she said, "especially for people interested in health professions without doing the Bio major.