Peer Health Educators
The Student Health Center’s Department of Health Promotion (DHP) maintains an active Peer Health Educator (PHE) program. PHEs are student employees encouraging wellness on campus. Our PHEs focus on Physical Health, Mental Health, Sexual Health & Relationships, and Alcohol & Other Drugs. PHEs provide accurate information and positive support to help students reduce their health risks and increase wellness. They encourage informed choices on various wellness issues, provide resources and referrals, and promote a fun, healthy, safe campus environment, and student lifestyle. Our PHEs assist the Department of Health Promotion and serve the CSUSB Campus through:
- Campus events and outreach
- Facilitating workshops
- Developing health materials and passive campaigns
- Serving as health advocates
For more information about the Peer Health Educator program, contact Melissa Acuna, Senior Health Educator, at melissa.acuna@csusb.edu
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Peer Health Educators (PHEs) inform the campus community about health and wellness. While PHEs encourage, endorse, and promote healthy norms and behaviors, they also challenge and confront unhealthy social norms and individual behaviors. The health topics PHEs focus on include physical, mental, sexual health/healthy relationships, and alcohol/tobacco/other drugs.
PHEs learn to lead presentations, conduct event outreach, create promotional marketing campaigns, and more!
Additionally, PHEs can take on leadership positions within the team, such as Lead Peer Health Educator.
Many of our PHEs already have a passion for health and wellness and join the program to learn more and gain experience in the field. Our PHEs gain valuable experience in health education, public speaking, event planning, and teamwork. PHEs also establish new connections on our campus. This program gives students the opportunity to:
Develop leadership skills.
Improve their communication and listening skills.
Gain a better understanding of health and wellness.
Improve their public speaking and outreach skills.
Give back to the campus community.
Connect with the SHC professional staff team and earn future letters of recommendation.
Recruitment begins at the end of the Spring semester. The application to apply will be available on Handshake. Interviews and mandatory training occur during the summer. If you have questions about creating a handshake account, please contact the Career Center.