The newly-promoted coordinator of NIU’s Community Health Program is expecting “a whirlwind” of duties as she enters her new position.

“The health profession is a very dynamic and changing field,” said Dr. Sharilynn Spear, who assumed her position Aug. 15. “I have to ensure that our program keeps abreast of those changes both academically and professionally.”

Spear said she feels that students in NIU’s community health program need to keep up with the changes in the profession in order to prepare them for graduation and subsequent job searches.

“We want them to think like professionals even before they graduate,” she said.

“There is a great deal of positive feedback on our students after they have finished their various internships,” Spear said. “Our program and the fact that we have a chapter of the Illinois Public Health Program here at NIU both help to produce competent students who are better prepared to handle the demands of a career in community health.”

Spear said the program tries to place students “according to their strengths and weaknesses, not just for the experience. That way they get the necessary experience as well as improvements where they need it.”

One way to keep up with the changes throughout the health field is through Gina Piane, a doctor of public health. Piane is a member of the Board of Trustees for the Illinois Society for Public Health Education (ISOPHE).

ISOPHE dictates licensing and certifaction requirements for public health in Illinois. “It’s advantageous to have an associate on the board because she keeps us current on any changes that have taken place,” Spear said.

Spear came to NIU in 1985 as an associate professor and began to work as the principal investigator for the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) aftercare evaluation project.

She is continuing her work with NIDA from which she has recently received a $650,000 grant. She evaluates the effectiveness of aftercare for chemical dependency programs such as Rosecrance in Rockford.

Spear received her Ph.D. from the University of Iowa and was involved with the public health program at the University of Tennessee prior to her arrival at NIU.

Olive Kimball, current chairman of the School of Allied Health Professions first hired Spear. “Her (Spear) being promoted to her new position was due to the fact that she is extremely well known in her profession,” Kimball said.