Taught entirely in Spanish, the “Salud Pública” First-Year Seminar course prepares UC Davis students for a future where bilingual professionals play a vital role in health care, as one in three Americans are expected to speak Spanish by 2050.

The two-unit course, as part of UC Davis’ First-Year Seminars program, gives students small-class access to faculty mentorship while they explore public health concepts en español. Designed for heritage speakers, “Salud Pública” aims to strengthen professional Spanish skills and provides students the chance to engage deeply with public health issues that shape Latinx and Spanish-speaking communities.

Mónica Torreiro-Casal, continuing lecturer in the Chicana/o Studies Department, says “Salud Pública” responds to a real need she and co-instructor Alfredo Lopez Aguirre, a UC Davis School of Medicine student and teaching assistant in Chicana/o studies, witnessed in the healthcare system.

“There is an urgent need for professionals to develop linguistic and cultural sensitivity when working with Spanish-speaking populations,” Torreiro-Casal said. “With Latinx/Chicanx individuals making up 40% of California’s population, courses like this reflect the realities of both the communities served and the professionals who serve them.”

Small classes, big opportunities

First-Year Seminars at UC Davis offer more than 200 courses each year, each with limited enrollments of fewer than 20 students per class. All courses encourage discussion, curiosity and collaboration in a way that varies from the large lecture-hall teaching model.

“First-Year Seminars let students dive into interesting topics in a small-class setting where it is easier for faculty to know their names and support their growth,” said Angela Taylor, director of First-Year Seminars. “These courses prove transformational and help build confidence early in a student’s UC Davis academic journey.”

That model is what makes “Salud Pública” stand out. Students not only learn about health equity in Spanish — they practice it in real time through dialogue, reflection and project-based work.

Intersection of language and health

By the end of the “Salud Pública” course, students can expect to explain key public health concepts in Spanish, such as health equity (equidad en salud), epidemiology (epidemiología) and chronic disease prevention (prevención de enfermedades crónicas). They will also learn to analyze how social and economic forces shape health outcomes and evaluate the impact of misinformation on Spanish-speaking communities. 

This professional practice and real-world focus is exactly what co-instructor Lopez Aguirre emphasizes is the value to students.

“I want students to see how their language skills are powerful professional tools — not only for communication, but to build trust and deliver culturally responsive care,” Lopez Aguirre said. “Many bilingual or heritage speakers have conversational fluency, but this seminar pushes them to use Spanish to discuss academic and technical topics in public health that prepare them for careers in medicine, mental health, public health and other health professions.”

Lopez Aguirre added that what makes the seminar unique is how it offers students something even more lasting than vocabulary — a deeper understanding of communities and the contexts that influence their health.

“This course is also about more than just language. It’s about how to help students connect through a different perspective with Spanish-speaking communities and understand the lived realities that shape people’s health,” Lopez Aguirre said. “Public health is not grasped from theory alone. Students need the opportunity to engage with the cultural, social and structural contexts that impact care.”

Explore other First-Year Seminars offered this fall at the Current First-Year Seminars web page.