Interdisciplinary MPH degree prepares the individual
for leadership in addressing health problems from a population
& community perspective
(Philadelphia,
PA) -- A Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree program
is now offered through the University of Pennsylvania
School of Medicine. The degree-granting program
expects to have its first graduate in 2004.
A well-established field, public health carries out
its mission through organized efforts -- which cross
various disciplines -- that address the physical, mental,
and environmental health concerns of communities and
populations at risk for disease and injury. Public health
goals are achieved through the application of health-promotion
and disease-prevention technologies and interventions
designed to improve and enhance quality of life. Public
health related educational, research and service programs
have been ongoing in various parts of the University
for some time. Penn's new MPH program recognizes the
need to provide a focal point for these efforts to create
synergy scholars and practitioners who are involved
in or seek to become involved in public health activities.
"The development of this program is a natural outgrowth
of the interest in public health shared by many faculty
and students throughout the campus, and it will greatly
increase the visibility of Penn's public health efforts,
both on campus and externally," explains Shiriki
Kumanyika, PhD, MPH, director of the graduate program.
"We want to enable students to embrace and achieve
the public health paradigm as an essential component
of their future endeavors in prevention, hygiene, education,
and policy making. Our ultimate goal is to ensure that
Penn students and faculty have the maximum positive
impact upon current and future public health problems,"
adds Kumanyika, who serves as Associate Dean for Health
Promotion & Disease Prevention and is Professor
of Epidemiology at the School of Medicine.
Though based in the School of Medicine, this interdisciplinary
degree, encompasses course offerings from a number of
the University's schools, including Nursing, Arts &
Sciences, Social Work, Veterinary Medicine, Education,
Business (Wharton), and Dental Medicine and will encompass
course offerings from these and other Penn schools.
Dr. Margaret Controneo, Associate Professor of Psychiatric-Mental
Health Nursing in the School of Nursing and also Associate
Professor of Nursing in Psychiatry in the School of
Medicine, serves as MPH Program Co-Director and Chair
of the curriculum committee. "The Masters in Public
Health program is enriched by the diversity of intellectual
talent of the Penn faculty from all areas of the University,"
explains Arthur M. Rubenstein, MBBch, Executive
Vice President of the University of Pennsylvania for
the Health System and Dean of the School of Medicine.
The Penn public health curriculum, developed to meet
national accreditation guidelines, focuses on the five
basic core areas that define public health -- Biostatistics,
Epidemiology, Environmental/Occupational Health, Behavioral
Sciences, and Health Care Policy and Management -- with
electives and internships available consistent with
the student's interests. The specialized classes in
public health are accessible to Penn students campus-wide.
Because public health study is complementary to a wide
range of disciplines, there will be a particular emphasis
on accessibility of the program to students in related
fields -- via the joint degree program that will be
offered in conjunction with other University of Pennsylvania
graduate programs. Both the University-wide participation
and the emphasis on joint degrees are unique features
of Penn's MPH program. The combined MD/MPH dual degree
-- a popular choice of medical students nationwide --
provides an opportunity for PENN medical students to
engage in public health studies in a combined five-year,
dual degree option. Dr. Marjorie Bowman, Chair
of the Department of Family Practice and Community Medicine,
also chairs the faculty advisory committee for the MD/MPH
option.
More information about the Graduate Program in Public
Health Studies, including descriptions of the new public
health program courses developed to date, can be obtained
via the Internet at http://www.publichealth.med.upenn.edu
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Penn Medicine is one of the world’s leading academic medical centers, dedicated to the related missions of medical education, biomedical research, excellence in patient care, and community service. The organization consists of the University of Pennsylvania Health System and Penn’s Raymond and Ruth Perelman School of Medicine, founded in 1765 as the nation’s first medical school.
The Perelman School of Medicine is consistently among the nation's top recipients of funding from the National Institutes of Health, with $550 million awarded in the 2022 fiscal year. Home to a proud history of “firsts” in medicine, Penn Medicine teams have pioneered discoveries and innovations that have shaped modern medicine, including recent breakthroughs such as CAR T cell therapy for cancer and the mRNA technology used in COVID-19 vaccines.
The University of Pennsylvania Health System’s patient care facilities stretch from the Susquehanna River in Pennsylvania to the New Jersey shore. These include the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, Chester County Hospital, Lancaster General Health, Penn Medicine Princeton Health, and Pennsylvania Hospital—the nation’s first hospital, founded in 1751. Additional facilities and enterprises include Good Shepherd Penn Partners, Penn Medicine at Home, Lancaster Behavioral Health Hospital, and Princeton House Behavioral Health, among others.
Penn Medicine is an $11.1 billion enterprise powered by more than 49,000 talented faculty and staff.