
PHAST is an interdisciplinary extracurricular student group that helps health departments and community organizations with short-term public health related projects. It gives students the chance to apply and adapt classroom knowledge while tackling real world public health issues.
Mission:
To promote public health practice by providing student opportunities to assist local and State public health entities to advance their missions to improve community health.
Objectives:
- To train public health graduate students to respond to the needs of local and State public health
- To enhance public health graduate students educational experience through real-world public health experiences
- To promote professional development in the field of public health
HEALTH DEPARTMENTS:
To request the help of PHAST students, complete a PHAST Deployment Application and email to phast@umich.edu or call (734) 763-9234 and have the information requested on this form ready to provide to the PHAST Coordinator.
Deployment requests during UM fall and winter semesters (September through April) tend to get the best response from students. PHAST may be unable to respond to requests during the summer months.
PHAST 2013 Spring Break Deployments to Texas and Grenada. Read their blogs.
South Texas March 3-9, 2013 Blog
Grenada March 3-9, 2013 Blog

CHINA 2008 PHAST Trip:
PHAST students were deployed to Tianjin, China in February 2008. Read more in Findings Fall 2008.
PHAST RESPONSE:
PHAST students volunteered in the Gulf Coast to assist in Hurricane Katrina relief efforts during Spring Break 2006 and 2007. Read the 2006 blog.