Meet Dr. Nicole Betschman, CHES, MA | Director of Public Health and Health Services Programs

We had the good fortune of connecting with Dr. Nicole Betschman, CHES, MA and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Dr. Nicole, what do you want people to remember about you?
When I think about a legacy I think about the accomplishments and adversities that I have faced up until this point and, to be honest, I often feel as if I am not doing enough to create that ‘good’ legacy. I just want to be known as that person who is there for those in times of need especially for those who may not have anyone to lean on. The one thing that I want my students to always remember from me is that the road to success is not an easy one and to always bring your own chair. As a professor, I try to provide my students with the best possibly information that will help them inside of the classroom but also outside of the classroom. I tell my students that “there is a method to my madness” whenever I assign large assignments or projects because they usually are not able to see the end product at first glance. In the end, they almost all see the light and understand why certain assignments and instructions were created to reach the goal and that is when the light goes off for them as to my ‘method to my madness.’ I am the Director of Public Health and Health Services program at a PBI (Predominantly Black Institution) and a HIS (Hispanic Serving Institution) and often the seats at the table are not present for these individuals. This is why it is important to bring your own chair so that you will always have a seat at that table, this table, any table that you find. Now some tables may not be in the best company but there is always a lesson learned from every encounter.

Let’s talk shop? Tell us more about your career, what can you share with our community?
I definitely did not go to college thinking that I was ever going to TEACH COLLEGE. I knew that I wanted to go into medicine but that GPA said otherwise! Again… lesson learned but I wouldn’t change it for the world. I got started as a peer educator at Bowling Green State University while pursuing my Bachelors in Biology and would give various presentations on alcohol and sexual health to the campus. After graduation I moved to Detroit to work realized that there was no way in God’s green Earth that I was going to get into grad school at Drexell, I went back to Detroit and typed in Health Education and Promotion and found East Carolina University. That is where I got another Bachelors degree and my Masters. It was in my Masters that I was able to start teaching college classes and developed more of a passion for sex education and really wanted to get into sex therapy but I did not want to move to FL or go to school any longer. But then Sallie Mae started calling and it was time to get into a Doctorate program… which leads me to where I am today. Granted, did I only pursue my terminal degree because student loans were calling? Yes! Do I regret it? No but ask me again when these loan repayments start back! But honestly I have landed where I was called to land and that is to see the potential in students and to show them their potential. I just want those students to be better than me and I will do anything possible to make sure that happens.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Ahhh…. Washington, D.C.- what’s not to love about Chocolate City. As a Charter member of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, that would definitely be a spot to visit and would take at least a couple of days to absorb. The next would be a comedy club  or a nice restaurant downtown or at the Wharf.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
The credit comes from any and all encounters that I have had with individuals throughout the years- good and bad- because there is always a lesson to be learned.

Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/drnicolebetschman

Twitter: DrNicole1908