Program Highlights

Program Dates

May 30 – July 1, 2026

Faculty Directors

Patsy Polston, PhD, MSPH and Naya Villarreal, MPH, Department Health Behavior, Gillings School of Global Public Health

Program Highlights

This program will introduce students to basic concepts and case studies of commercial and social entrepreneurship as applied to addressing challenging public health problems through both for-profit and non-profit entities. Students will learn about the current climate-related public health issues. Students will also hear from local experts and government leaders regarding the state of current solutions to these issues as well as other important public health problems. This course will feature guest speakers with successful experience in public health entrepreneurship as well as those who have experienced challenges or venture failures.

Field-based activities are an integral part of the program. Students will form teams and be connected with organizations currently involved in mentoring and incubating social enterprises. Students will work with these “coach” organizations and a grassroots enterprise to support this work through identifying new opportunities and approaches in addressing a climate-related or public health problem. First steps will be to deeply understand the problem and then work with community partners to research and potentially design entrepreneurial solutions.