School of Public Health Professor named Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
San Diego State University School of Public Health professor Alan Card was recently named a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, acknowledging his professional achievement and commitment to teaching in higher education.
The fellowship showcases that Card meets the Professional Standards Framework for higher education based on an evaluation of Card’s portfolio and supporting references, according to Advance Higher Education. It is recognized by institutions internationally.
“It’s a recognition from my colleagues around the world, so I’m honored they felt I met the standard required to join them as fellows,” Card said.
Card, who teaches in the division of Global Health Management and Policy, attributes part of his success to his “continuous improvement” approach to teaching, which he adapts to be in the best interest of his students, he said.
Last year, for example, when the job market shifted for healthcare management graduates, he adjusted one of his courses to prepare students for the Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality exam, a certification that would help differentiate his students in the job market.
“I use my design training to continually redesign and improve my classes to meet the needs of our students,” he said. “The fellowship is definitely not a sign that I’m done improving. I’m always trying to make my classes more effective and more useful to my students.”
Card started his public health career in infectious diseases, inspired by books he had read on the subject, and earned his master’s in Global Communicable Disease from the University of South Florida. He soon became interested in the research side of public health and pursued a doctorate from the Engineering Design Centre at the University of Cambridge.
“Although I’m not an engineer, that combination of perspectives — public health and design thinking — set the scene for pretty much everything I’ve done since,” Card said.
His current research focuses on systems improvement through patient safety, healthcare quality, psychosocial safety, and participatory intervention design.
Two of his current projects focus specifically on LGBTQIA+ patients — one aiming to improve psychosocial patient safety for transgender and nonbinary patients, the other focused on LGBTQ+ affirmative mental healthcare. Another major project focuses on risk management in digital health research
Although his diverse public health and research experiences have been useful to his students in the classroom, his impact often extends beyond knowledge.
“Based on student feedback … I think the most important thing I do is just demonstrate that I care about our students as human beings and genuinely want to support their learning,” he said.
