Public Health Students Receive 100 Percent Passage Rate on Examination

Students at Florida A&M University (FAMU) in the Institute of Public Health (IPH), housed in the College of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences (COPPS), received a 100 percent pass rate on the National Commission for Health Education Credentialing, Inc. (NCHEC) national certification examination. According to the NCHEC, the national average percent pass rate is 76.63 percent.

This is the second consecutive year students at FAMU received a 100 percent passage rate.

“I am extremely pleased that this year both our public health students and pharmacy students achieved 100 percent passage on their respective examinations,” said Henry Lewis II, dean and professor of the COPPS. “This attests to both the quality of our students and the teaching of our faculty to obtain these outstanding results.”

NCHEC, the body responsible for credentialing of health educators, strives to improve the practice of health education and to serve the public and profession of health education by certifying health education specialists, promoting professional development, and strengthening professional preparation and practice.

The Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES) examination requires the passing of the following competency areas: needs assessment; program planning; program implementation; program evaluation; coordination of services; resource designation; and the ability to communicate needs and resources.

“We are very pleased about this achievement and we will continue to focus on ensuring that our students continue to gain the competencies needed to excel in public health education,” said Cynthia M. Harris, professor and director for FAMU’s Institute of Publi