PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

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Veronica Hamilton
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1 THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC HEALTH The world has seen dramatic increases in healthful, productive life expectancy over the past century. This has been attributable in large measure to advances in public health practices such as improved sanitation, nutrition and vaccinations. However, new issues arise as others are mitigated. Concerns about nutritional adequacy have shifted to ones about nutrient excess. Our focus on combating infectious diseases has expanded to stemming the incidence of chronic diseases. Prior efforts to harness natural resources have been replaced with an urgency to protect and use them safely. These issues and others are challenges for the next century. The need to train public health professionals in the science, practices and policies of health promotion is greater than ever. Purdue s Public Health Program, housed in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is preparing future leaders to meet these challenges. PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM

Concerns about nutritional adequacy have shifted to ones about nutrient excess. Our focus on combating infectious diseases has expanded to stemming the incidence of chronic diseases.

2 THE FUTURE OF PUBLIC HEALTH The world has seen dramatic increases in healthful, productive life expectancy over the past century. This has been attributable in large measure to advances in public health practices such as improved sanitation, nutrition and vaccinations. However, new issues arise as others are mitigated. Concerns about nutritional adequacy have shifted to ones about nutrient excess. Our focus on combating infectious diseases has expanded to stemming the incidence of chronic diseases. Prior efforts to harness natural resources have been replaced with an urgency to protect and use them safely. These issues and others are challenges for the next century. The need to train public health professionals in the science, practices and policies of health promotion is greater than ever. Purdue s Public Health Program, housed in the College of Health and Human Sciences, is preparing future leaders to meet these challenges.

3 PUBLIC HEALTH TIMELINE 1202 King John I proclaims the first food-quality law in England 400 BC Hippocrates prepares works describing the impact of climate on disease 1721 Smallpox inoculation introduced to America 1796 Edward Jenner introduces the first smallpox vaccine using cowpox 1850 Lemuel Shattuck issues the Report of the Sanitary Commission of Massachusetts Louis Pasteur develops the germ theory of disease 1900 William Gorgas and Walter Reed discover the role of the mosquito in transmitting yellow fever 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act is passed, largely due to the efforts of former Purdue Professor Harvey Wiley 1945 Fluoridation of water supplies begins 1965 Medicare and Medicaid programs established 1703 Bernardino Ramazzini publishes The Disease of Workers 1753 James Lind publishes preventive measures for scurvy Oliver Wendell Holmes and Ignaz Semmelweiss recommend handwashing to reduce deaths in childbirth 1854 John Snow demonstrates cholera is spread through unclean water supplies Civil War spreads public health knowledge through training of volunteer army surgeons 1905 Robert Koch wins the Nobel Prize in Medicine for work in the epidemiology of tuberculosis, cholera and anthrax 1928 Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin 1964 The U.S. Surgeon General issues a report, based on Bradford Hill s work, linking smoking to lung cancer 1979 Healthy People: The Surgeon General s Report on Health Promotion and Disease Prevention published 2000 Healthy People 2010 launched to increase quality and years of healthy life and to eliminate health disparities 2015 Public Health Program at Purdue expanded and moved to the College of Health and Human Sciences 1977 Smallpox eradicated 1991 Public Health Service recommends pregnant women take folic acid to prevent birth defects 2006 Graduate program in public health (MPH degree) established at Purdue

develops the germ theory of disease 1900 William Gorgas and Walter Reed discover the role of the mosquito in transmitting yellow fever 1906 Pure Food and Drug Act is passed, largely due to the

4 CONTACT TRACING While meeting competencies in the core areas of public health (epidemiology, biostatistics, health administration, social/ behavioral science and environmental health), Purdue s Public Health Program focuses on three areas that reflect the unique expertise and resources at the University. FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES The health and well-being of individuals depends heavily on their families and the communities where they live. The family unit continues to evolve single parenthood is rising, gender roles are transforming and recognition of same-sex couples is growing. Meanwhile, racial and economic disparities are challenging governments, health systems, schools and other institutions that serve our communities. However, these changes and challenges present opportunities to address important population health issues. Students pursuing the Family and Community Health Sciences concentration will gain an understanding of the dynamics of these institutions and settings, approaches to assess them, methods to promote health, and skills to evaluate programs.

FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES The health and well-being of individuals depends heavily on their families and the communities where they live.

5 THE NEED TO TRAIN PUBLIC HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN THE SCIENCE, PRACTICES AND POLICIES OF HEALTH PROMOTION IS GREATER THAN EVER THE PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM AT PURDUE UNIVERSITY IS PREPARED TO MEET THIS DEMAND. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES Rapid, dramatic increases in the global population, urbanization and wealth/ resource disparities have created unprecedented challenges to public health. Ensuring that needs for food, water, shelter and transportation are met while protecting and preserving natural resources requires thoughtful and bold action. Purdue faculty are at the forefront of discovery, education and engagement efforts addressing these issues. Students pursuing the Environmental Health Sciences concentration will receive significant training in environmental sciences, as well as in occupational, radiological and toxicological sciences. LEARN MORE AT

Ensuring that needs for food, water, shelter and transportation are met while protecting and preserving natural resources requires thoughtful and bold action.

6 HEALTH STATISTICS Advances in data acquisition and storage have led to the availability of vast quantities of data. This information can provide the basis for sound decisionmaking and policy development, but this requires knowledge in the theory and practice of statistical analyses. Additionally, there is a growing demand for professionals equipped to manage and interpret large databases and to advance information technology. Purdue faculty engaged in the Statistical Bioinformatics Center and in other departments contribute expertise at many centers across campus including the Bindley Bioscience Center, Center for the Environment, Discovery Learning Center and Regenstrief Center for Healthcare Engineering. Such collaborations provide valuable training opportunities for students interested in applied statistical decision-making to promote population health. Public health students gain proficiency through coursework in the areas of epidemiology, biostatistics, health system administration and management, environmental health sciences, and behavioral and social sciences. To reinforce and apply this knowledge base, training in public health also includes a 400-hour practicum tailored to each student s area of interest and a culminating project.

Additionally, there is a growing demand for professionals equipped to manage and interpret large databases and to advance information technology.

7 TRAINING FUTURE LEADERS Three tracks to earn the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree are offered to students seeking public health training at different academic stages. ACCELERATED MPH: Students completing a bachelor s degree in the College of Health and Human Sciences and selected other departments at Purdue may apply for admission to the MPH program in their junior year. Undergraduate and graduate courses will be combined over the next two years, allowing fulltime students to complete both the BS and MPH degrees in five years. STAND-ALONE MPH: Students with a bachelor s degree who meet stipulated eligibility criteria may be admitted directly to the College of Health and Human Sciences to pursue the MPH degree. DUAL DEGREE MS/PHD + MPH: Students interested in pursuing an MPH in combination with another graduate degree must apply to the academic unit of their choosing for admission to that unit s graduate program. Students may also apply to the MPH program at the time of initial application for graduate study or subsequently during graduate training. In consultation with the student s advisor and academic unit head, the student may be admitted to the MPH program and concurrently pursue both degrees. It s expected that fulltime study for both degrees will require an additional year of enrollment. Interested students should apply directly to the Purdue University Graduate School and select Public Health Program and MPH degree.

junior year. Undergraduate and graduate courses will be combined over the next two years, allowing fulltime students to complete both the BS and MPH degrees in five years.

8 PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM 700 W. State Street West Lafayette, IN EA/EOU Produced by Purdue Marketing and Media HHS

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA THE COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH (CPH) is home to four academic departments, two institutes, and one center: the Department of Environmental Health Science,