Public health professor reflects on first year, shares program goals
After gaining over a decade of experience in public health and health education, public health assistant professor, Dr. Brittny Bratcher-Rasmus, decided to return to her roots and teach in the same classrooms she learned in. 
Closing her first year as a faculty member in the Department of Health and Kinesiology at 爱神传媒, Bratcher-Rasmus has dedicated her efforts to advancing the program that sparked her passion for public health.
"I had a great experience at LU, especially being part of the Health and Kinesiology department,” Bratcher-Rasmus said. “I know with certainty that the instruction that I received within the department exposed me to health education organizations, which has allowed me to hold state and local leadership positions that enhance the public health profession.”
Since graduating from 爱神传媒 in 2012 and 2014, with a bachelor’s in community health and a master’s in health promotion, respectively, and a doctoral degree in health studies from Texas Woman’s University in 2022, Bratcher-Rasmus has played a major role in promoting health education across communities.
Some of the courses she taught this past academic year included: Health Economics, Contemporary Issues in Public Health, and Public Health Program Planning where her main goals were to engage students in critical discussions about health equity, health promotion, and community well-being while helping them develop the skills and knowledge needed to address real-world health challenges.
“I believe that teaching in the same department where I earned two degrees offers significant advantages, including an in-depth understanding of institutional values and culture, which allows me to tailor my teaching to align with departmental goals. This helps foster strong relationships with both colleagues and students, creating a sense of familiarity and trust,” Bratcher-Rasmus said. “Moreover, representation matters immensely. My presence as an alumna and professor signals to students, especially those from underrepresented backgrounds, that achieving academic and professional success is attainable.”
Experience
Before starting her teaching career at LU, Bratcher-Rasmus made major contributions to corporate health and local and federal government health programs as a public health practitioner working with stakeholders and providers to promote quality improvement and health equity.
During that time, she managed two Office of Minority Health (OMH) contracts supporting the enhancement of tools and resources aimed at eliminating health disparities using data-driven results, in addition to the development of the Minority Leadership Fellowship Program through program management, curriculum and workforce training development, and administrative support. In addition, she managed training development for healthcare providers, where she developed and delivered live and virtual training sessions on topics related to advancing health equity in the Medicare population.
She also worked at Texas Southern University and Purdue University Global, teaching health education courses to graduate and undergraduate students. Some of the courses she taught included: Foundations of Health Promotion, Program Planning and Evaluation, Epidemiology, Introduction to Health Theory, and Consumer Health.
Outside of the Classroom
Aside from academic enrichment and student engagement, Bratcher-Rasmus has been busy outside of the classroom attending conferences and leading conversations in public health across the country.
Prior to the Fall 2024 semester, she served as a keynote speaker at the Healthy Communities Conference in Houston, Texas where she spoke about building sustainable communities and promoting well-being.
During her second semester, Bratcher-Rasmus was awarded professional development funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Network of the National Library of Medicine (NNLM) Region 3 Professional Development Award to attend the 2025 Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) Annual Conference in Long Beach, California.
“The experience significantly enhanced my expertise as a public health educator, researcher, curriculum developer, and Certified Health Education Specialist,” Bratcher-Rasmus said. “By engaging with national leaders and attending sessions on emerging trends in health communication, literacy, and education, I gained actionable strategies to strengthen student engagement, curriculum effectiveness, and workforce readiness. The opportunity also expanded my professional network and deepened my capacity to lead collaborative, whole-person-focused initiatives in public health education.” 
Knocking out one of her goals of shaping curriculum development, insights from the conference led to the development of a new undergraduate health communications course within her program, including the integration of patient-centered communication, organizational health literacy, and culturally responsive teaching practices.
Looking to the Future
Taking into consideration the student feedback that Bratcher-Rasmus collected during her first year teaching on campus, she plans to continue her emphasis on interactive lectures that allow active participation in current public health discussions, such as: the influence of social media on public and mental health – a class favorite.
With the hopes of getting more of her students involved outside of the classroom, Bratcher-Rasmus also hopes to start a Public Health Club on campus which will provide volunteer opportunities and professional development activities to build career readiness.
“Having the opportunity to teach in the same department where I earned my degree is an enriching and meaningful experience. It allows me to give back to the institution that shaped my professional journey while contributing to the development of future public health professionals,” Bratcher-Rasmus said. “It’s an opportunity to share my knowledge, experiences outside of academia, and passion for public health and health education with students who are in the same position I once was in and to inspire them in their own educational and career paths. Returning as a professor creates a full-circle moment, reinforcing my connection to the program and my commitment to advancing public health education.”