Examining Public Health Issues in the Classroom

Posted by The Pulitzer Center on November 21, 2023

Journalists cover some of the world’s most pressing health issues and challenges. From reporting on epidemics, mental health, and illnesses to investigating health policies and system inequities, they uncover and share stories on public health that are affecting communities around the world.

We are sharing resources that connect students to issues of public health, and explore the relationship between human health and a wide range of global issues like environment and climate change, migration, and technology. In this lesson plan, students learn to identify social determinants of health in news stories, explore how health connects to other systemic issues, and apply a public health approach to brainstorming solutions to those issues.

Explore the lesson plan.

Connect with the issues on a deeper level by scheduling a virtual visit with featured Pulitzer Center-supported journalists who have reported on diverse topics surrounding global public health. By connecting your students with underreported stories and the journalists who cover them, they can learn more about journalism, the importance of media literacy skills, and empathize with people in communities outside of their own. Visits are available to educators working in K-12 classrooms, OST programs, and programs for incarcerated people.

Click here to learn more about featured journalists who can introduce your students to public health stories and schedule your free, virtual visit!