Public Health, MPH

Program Overview

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Public Health, MPH

Program Director: Dylan Smith, PhD

Although admission requirements are rigorous, the Program in Public Health aims to develop camaraderie, cooperation, and cohesiveness among students in each cohort. For this reason, admission to the Program is during the fall semester only.

MPH Degree Curriculum

The curriculum for the MPH degree ensures that students are grounded in the 12 Foundational Public Health Knowledge Areas, as identified and required by CEPH. A table with a complete list of the Foundational Public Health Knowledge Areas is on the PPH website at [website URL]. Students receive training in the five-core discipline-specific competency areas of public health: biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, health policy and management, and the social and behavioral sciences. The curriculum for the MPH degree is competency-based in order to comply with current national efforts to improve the quality and accountability of public health training programs. The curriculum for MPH degree ensures that students attain mastery of the 22 CEPH identified Foundational Competencies which are informed by the core competency areas noted above and which fall under the following competency domains: Evidence-based approaches to Public Health, Public Health and Health Care Systems, Planning and Management to Promote Health, Policy in Public Health, Leadership, Communication, Interprofessional Practice, and Systems Thinking. The MPH Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Health Policy and Management, and Community Health concentration areas are also informed by concentration specific competencies identified by the Program which enhance or expand on the Foundational Competencies All students are assessed at least once, on each CEPH-defined foundational competency. In addition, the Program’s success in training students to be able to demonstrate the competencies achieved is also measured before and after completion of the Program (Orientation and Graduation Competency Assessments), as well as at the beginning and end of each academic year. A table with the complete list of MPH Foundational and Concentration Competencies is on the PPH website at [website URL]. The PPH reserves the right to approve alternate courses that meet core and concentration competency requirements. Approval for such courses is at the discretion of the MPH Director in consultation with the PPH Curriculum Committee and/or concentration heads.

Curriculum Overview

Total Credit Hours for MPH Program (54 Credits)

MPH Core (36 credits)

• HPH 500 - Contemporary Issues in Public Health 3 credits
• HPH 501 - Introduction to the Research Process 3 credits
• HPH 506 - Biostatistics I 3 credits
• HPH 507 - Biostatistics II 3 credits
• HPH 508 - Health Systems Performance 3 credits
• HPH 514 - Epidemiology for Public Health 3 credits
• HPH 516 - Environmental and Occupational Health 3 credits
• HPH 523 - Social and Behavioral Determinants of Health 3 credits
• HPH 525 - Public Health Programs 3 credits
• Elective: 9 credits of Approved PPH Electives

MPH Applied Practice Experience and Integrative Learning Experience (6 credits)

• HPH 580 - Practicum 3 credits
• HPH 581 - Capstone 3 credits

MPH Concentrations (12 Credits)

Epidemiology & Biostatistics Concentration

Concentration Head: Mahdieh Danesh Yazdi, PharmD, MPH, Ph.D.
Core Faculty, Program in Public Health
Assistant Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine

The mission of this concentration is to prepare public health professionals with the analytical, research, and statistical skills necessary to benchmark and evaluate health improvement initiatives in a variety of settings. The faculty has training in research design, implementation of research projects, and analysis of data using advanced methods and statistical tools applied to priority population health issues. Faculty members study a variety of health issues including health care quality improvement, patient decision-making, environmental epidemiology, and determinants of health and disease. Some faculty members work with physicians to improve clinical outcomes for patients with heart disease, cancer, asthma, and other conditions. Others work with health care administrators to increase efficiency in the use of health care resources in hospitals and other medical care settings. Others work with organizations to improve health in communities.

• HPH 560 - Applied Biostatistics 3 credits
• HPH 559 - Advanced Research Methods 3 credits
• HPH 510 - Infectious Disease Epidemiology 3 credits
• HPH 532 - Chronic Diseases 3 credits [Elective]

Community Health Concentration

Concentration Head: Rachel Kidman, PhD
Associate Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine

The mission of this concentration is to prepare students for community-based work in public health. Students will acquire skills and knowledge related to planning, implementing, and evaluating community health improvement projects and interventions, as well as learn the principles of community engagement and community-based participatory research.

• HPH 551 - Practice of Health Communications 3 credits
• HPH 552 - Planning and Implementing Community Health Initiatives 3 credits
• HPH 553 - Advanced Evaluation of Community Health Initiatives 3 credits
• HPH Elective Selected from Approved List (3 credits)

Climate Solutions and Health Concentration

Concentration Head: Jaymie R. Meliker, PhD
Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine

The cascading adverse impacts of climate change are affecting societies worldwide, with vulnerable communities most at risk due to historical socioeconomic injustices. Climate change is a major environmental and human health issue, with clear impacts already upon us. The mission of this concentration is to provide the public health workforce of the future with cutting-edge knowledge and skills to predict, measure, and ultimately mitigate the adverse health effects of climate change. The Climate Solutions and Health concentration and curriculum will include three courses and one elective. The required courses are on the following topics:

1. Climate and Health (introductory)
2. Data Science Methods and Climate
3. Geographical Information Systems and Spatial Analysis

The elective can be chosen from a number of courses including (but not restricted to):

• Mental Health and Climate
• Social Work and Environmental Justice
• Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Climate and Allergies, Asthma, Chronic Respiratory Disorders
• Advanced Methods in Epidemiology
• Applied Biostatistics

Health Policy and Management Concentration (12 Credits)

Concentration Head: Susan Somerville, RN, MA
Associate Director of Health Management Practice
Instructor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine

The mission of this concentration is to develop foundational proficiency in health management knowledge, skills, and abilities among aspiring public health professionals. Our students learn from a dynamic faculty who value research and innovative methods to facilitate excellence in the learning of health management and population health competencies. Graduates will be prepared to contribute to the health sector with enhanced policy, management, and leadership skills. Courses in this concentration address economics, law, finance, policy, and the principles of management.

• HPA 529 - Fundamentals of Healthcare Management 3 credits
• HPA 510 - Health Finance and Accounting 3 credits
• HPA 536 - Health Law and Compliance 3 credits
• HPA 527 - Health Economics and Policy 3 credits

Students planning to complete this concentration in conjunction with a dual-degree (MAPP, MBA, MD, MS Nutrition, MSW) should speak with the Assistant Director for Student Affairs.
Credits to complete the dual degree may be greater than that of other MPH concentrations.
The Health Policy and Management (HPM) concentration of the MPH is accredited by CAHME until June 30, 2024, and will not be renewed. The HPM concentration will remain accredited by CEPH.

Generalist Concentration

Concentration Head: Yuri T. Jadotte, MD, PhD, MPH
Associate Program Director of Preventive Medicine Residency
Assistant Professor, Department of Family, Population & Preventive Medicine

The mission of the generalist concentration is to allow advanced degree students to achieve specialized public health competencies optimally aligned with their professional aspirations, by providing them the opportunity to design and complete an individualized curriculum that best meets their educational needs. Advanced degree students are those who have already completed or are concurrently completing the graduate degree required for advanced practice in their current health profession. Students in this track have varying flexibility to complete combinations of relevant concentration courses and electives. The mission is considered met when the student successfully undertakes a practicum project that satisfies their tailored concentration requirements, as determined with guidance from program faculty.

Required Courses (12 credits)
Individualized Plans for MSW/MPH, MD/MPH, DDS/MPH, and Preventive Medicine Residents.
Students in this concentration are allowed to choose four course electives (12 credits). Three of the four shall be PPH offered and/or pre-approved courses, and have competencies mapped that are approved by the PPH Curriculum Committee. The fourth course will be an elective that will be selected by the student with approval by the concentration head.