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MSU Extension health specialist gains certification
STARKVILLE, Miss. -- A health specialist with the Mississippi State University Extension Service has been certified in public health by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.
David Buys earned this certification after demonstrating mastery in several key components of public health, including biostatistics, health policy and management, and environmental health sciences through coursework completed during his public health training and by completing the Certified in Public Health examination.
Buys, who also conducts research with the Mississippi Agricultural and Forestry Experiment Station, said this credential is the only one of its kind for public health.
“The credential demonstrates my strong commitment to staying on the cutting edge of public health issues, and it ensures I will continue work with core public health principles in mind,” Buys said. “Continued certification requires extensive professional development through the National Board of Public Health Examiners’ maintenance of certification process.”
Paula Threadgill, Extension associate director, said Buys’ professionalism is part of a larger plan to focus on health-related outreach.
“While Extension has been providing family and consumer sciences education across the state for many decades, we are increasingly committed to tying our efforts specifically to improving the health of our citizens,” Threadgill said. “Dr. Buys’ earning the Certified in Public Health credential offers further evidence that MSU Extension is well suited to provide this education using best practices from the public health field.”
Buys is the chair of the chronic disease prevention and management action team for a larger, nationwide effort by the Extension Service. Before coming to MSU, he was on the faculty of the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine and a postdoctoral fellow at the UAB School of Public Health. He has a background in medical sociology and epidemiology, or the study of patterns, causes and effects of diseases in specific populations.
