The University of Kentucky College of Public Health hosted its annual “Pump It Up” celebration for incoming students on Tuesday, Sept. 9.

Over 350 students participated in the event, named for a public health crisis in London in 1854 when a contaminated water pump led to a cholera epidemic, according to the event’s webpage. 

“Pump It Up” featured cornhole, giant Connect 4, airbrush tattoos, pottery painting and vaccinations, as well as speakers who discussed what to expect from the college, according to Heather Bush, acting dean of the College of Public Health.

“We get everybody excited for public health,” Bush said. “Sometimes public health is hard, and so we got to take those moments to celebrate.”

Bush has been dean for the College of Public Health for two years and welcomed 103 students this fall, the largest class since the college’s creation in 2004, according to its website.

“We’ve been known as small but mighty,” Bush said. “I’m really excited for us to just be mighty. Having new students into the college is just incredible.” 

Bush said she wants people to know more about public health and what they do for the communities beyond disease control. 

Disease prevention and pandemics are part of what public health students study, but they also cover healthier food access and education on tobacco and vape products, according to Bush.

“Public health is about making sure everyone, regardless of their choices, has a chance for health and I think that’s one of the most important things we can do,” Bush said. ‘We meet people where they are and we learn from them and we learn how to make their health better.”

Crystal Miller, keynote speaker at “Pump it Up,” holds master’s and doctorate degrees in public health from UK and serves as Commissioner of Health for the Lexington-Fayette County Health Department.

Miller shared her experiences and offered encouraging words to the students.

“Show up and be the person that’s willing to say, what do you need done?” Miller said. “I encourage you to be willing to get into the trenches and do the work …because you will gain experiences that nobody else gets along the way.”

Public health covers many societal issues, including mental health crises, substance abuse, vaccines and immunizations, according to Miller.

Public health focuses on the people rather than medicines, Miller said. Public health workers travel to communities to talk to the people and see what issues each community deals with.

Miller said she is excited to see the college grow in student enrollment and see new faces move into the workforce.

“I’ve been around so long that it (College of Public Health) wasn’t even a college. It was the school of public health, and I was one of the first classes.” Miller said. “To see how it has grown and all of the departments that have now developed in 20 years, it’s just real inspiring to the work that we’re doing.”

Sami Jones, fifth-year student at UK and president of the Student Public Health Association (SPHA), said events like these help with recruitment.

“We’re the only public health facing organization at UK,” Jones said. “Being backed by the university is a big thing for us because it’s helped us get more involved and expand across campus.”

Lyric Johnson, a UK senior public health major, attended the event to support the college and connect with incoming students.

“I went to my first ‘Pump It Up’ last semester. It was last spring, and at the time, it was the biggest pump it up event we’ve had.” Johnson said.

Johnson said that public health is often overshadowed by medical health, but wants to remind people that it encompasses a significant portion of everyday life.

“Public health is basically just the importance of population health in comparison to medical health, where it’s more individual,” Johnson said. “What we do is work on policies and shifting behaviors of people so that they make healthier decisions.”