A new initiative at Tulane University’s Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine will focus on training local and state health care employees who lack formal education in public health, including in areas such as epidemiology, health policy and statistics.
The ambitious effort captures the mission and momentum that have defined the school’s first year under its new name, which honors Celia Scott Weatherhead and her landmark total lifetime giving of more than $160 million in support of Tulane.
“We promoted this to her, and she saw the potential,” said Thomas A. LaVeist, dean and Weatherhead Presidential Chair in Health Equity. “Only about 20% of the employees of state and local health departments nationwide have any training in public health.”
Rodney Anthony, the inaugural director of the school’s new Workforce Development Program, is leading the training initiative, which he expects to launch in the summer of 2026.
“The work has a lot of energy behind it,” said Anthony, an assistant professor at the Celia Scott Weatherhead School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, who holds a doctorate in health science.
The program is especially meaningful to Celia Scott Weatherhead herself. Public health workforce development is among the key areas receiving seed funding from her support for the school.
The program is geared to working professionals in a variety of roles, including physicians, nurses, administrators, health educators, clinical researchers and policy experts, as well as students interested in exploring the public health field.
The certificate program comprises five courses: Foundations in Public Health, Biostatistics for Public Health, Epidemiology for Public Health, Health Systems Policy and Management and Design Strategies in Public Health Programs. Courses can be completed on a full- or part-time basis, online or in-person.
Those who earn the certificate will have a better understanding of how diseases spread and are tracked, how to interpret and analyze health data, how physical and social environments affect health outcomes and how to design and evaluate public health policy, Anthony said.
Anthony and his team are planning a series of focus groups with health leaders and practitioners to ensure the program meets real-world needs. He plans to work closely with employers so that participants can balance work responsibilities with their studies.
While many public health schools have seen steep enrollment declines since the pandemic, Tulane’s numbers have remained steady — and early data show applications for next year trending upward.
LaVeist credits the Weatherhead name and giving that is supporting a growing slate of innovative programs.
Last year, the school was named among the Top 10 public health graduate schools in the nation, according to the 2025 U.S. News & World Report rankings.
“This is more than a number — it’s a reflection of our relentless commitment to excellence in education, research and service,” LaVeist said.
