Assistant director leverages Health Education Specialist certification to strengthen student engagement and success.

For Mitchell Marcus, health education and promotion is more than a field—it’s a framework for building equity, advocacy, and well-being in every corner of student life. As Assistant Director for Student Engagement & Well-being and an Adjunct Faculty member in the Entry to Baccalaureate Division at Rutgers University School of Nursing, Marcus is helping to shape the next generation of healthcare professionals, both inside and outside the classroom.

From Public Health Roots to a Nursing School Role

Marcus began his journey in health education while conducting outreach in local high schools across urban parts of New Jersey. “I was having conversations with students around accessing a college education,” he recalled. “It quickly became clear that many of the barriers they faced were rooted in social determinants of health.”

That realization led him to pursue his Master of Public Health at Rutgers School of Public Health (SPH), with a focus on health education. He eventually joined the school as a staff member before transitioning into his current role at Rutgers School of Nursing. Now entering his third year, Marcus oversees student services for the 2+2 Bachelor of Science in Nursing program based in Blackwood, NJ, and supports campuswide student functions across the nursing school’s programs in Blackwood, New Brunswick and Newark.

His role encompasses co-curricular programming, student onboarding and orientation, convocation and award ceremonies, and peer mentoring. But at the core of it all is a public health lens. “Everything I do is grounded in health education and promotion—whether it’s teaching, programming, or simply helping students navigate challenges during their academic journey,” he explained.