Master Of Public Health Program Research Articles

Undergraduate public health education: is there an ideal curriculum?

This commentary speaks to the need to design a curriculum that best meets the needs of students who are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree programs. The past 10 years has witnessed a dramatic growth in the number and size of these programs. While several of these degrees are housed within schools and colleges of public health, many are located in colleges of arts and science, allied health, medicine, and many other academic homes. It is difficult to determine the actual number of BSPH programs (or similar type degrees but with different names) due to a lack of national accrediting standard. The number of students in these programs varies widely with as few as 25 to as many as 600. In addition to stand-alone BSPH degrees, there are a number of what is known in the field as three plus two programs where a student spends 3 years completing their undergraduate courses and then an additional 2 years of study that completes both their BS degree in addition to their Master of Public Health (MPH). The point here is that there is a significant demand for the BSPH degree on the part of students and universities are more than happy to meet that demand. A legitimate question that we have is what career or education paths do students pursue once they complete their BSPH degrees. Evidence suggests that the largest fraction of BSPH students use the degree as pre-professional preparation for entry into advanced clinical training including medicine, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy, and other specialty areas. Given the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the movement toward population health, it is critical that future clinicians know and can potentially apply core public health principles into their practices. A second path for BSPH graduates is into MPH degree programs. Once the spark is ignited during their undergraduate education, students see that they can make a profound difference in public health practice but know that the MPH is the degree of choice for a large number of employers. In our companion commentary (“Undergraduate Public Health, Lessons Learned from Undergraduate Health Administration Education”), we ask whether courses taken in the BSPH degree might have the capacity to either transfer into the MPH or perhaps students should be waived out of one or more of the core courses and instead be allowed to take additional electives. If this practice were to become commonplace, prospective MPH students might see an opportunity to better tailor their graduate education. In addition to preparation for clinical education or entry into an MPH program, current BSPH students sometimes move directly into Public Health related jobs at the entry level where they obtain important work experience before advancing to an MPH degree. There are also students who upon graduation go into a whole variety of other education or work related opportunities including Peace Corps or Teach for America. Given the four paths that BSPH graduates can potentially take, it is important to clearly understand where students go once they depart our programs and how our curricula can add value to the career options for graduates. Toward that end, does it make sense to craft a single unified BSPH curriculum that provides a rigorous preparation in public health and at the same time is flexible enough to accommodate the multiple career paths of graduates? Although various frameworks have been proposed (AAC&U, ASPPH, and CEPH), no model has been developed in sufficient detail to consider the challenges of implementing a truly well-articulated program. Do we as a field wish to develop a BSPH curriculum that mirrors the current CEPH requirement for accredited MPH degrees with a required core and multiple program tracks? If this is the option selected, what differentiates the BSPH from the MPH? As noted in our companion commentary, graduates from AUPHA certified undergraduate health administration programs compete successfully for entry level management jobs with graduates from CAHME accredited MHA programs. Regardless of how we design our BSPH curriculum, programs need to keep in mind what is in the best interest of their students. As programs think about either designing a BSPH curriculum de novo or modifying an existing curriculum, there are four important elements to keep in mind:

Building capacity through action research curricula reviews

In Australia, graduates of Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes are expected to achieve a set of core competencies, including a subset that is specifically related to Indigenous health. This paper reports on the methods utilised in a project which was designed using action research to strengthen Indigenous public health curricula within MPH programmes at Australian universities. This aim is achieved through the use of three interlinked ‘action–reflection’ cycles, involving individual Indigenous public health academics who, through their membership in a scholarly network, have undertaken a series of curriculum reviews, which have in turn influenced organisational change in universities. The project results demonstrated how action research can successfully strengthen Indigenous public health curricula.

Developing a Peer-led Patient Safety Education Program for Pharmacy Students

Over the past decade, pharmacists have expanded their roles and responsibilities to contribute greatly to population-based healthcare. Over 21% of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs offer a combined PharmD/ Master of Public Health (MPH) dual degree curriculum. MCPHS University aimed to investigate and implement a PharmD/MPH program. During the program development and implementation phases, the University assessed the feasibility of the dual degree, conducted a market assessment, developed a curriculum to ensure students would be able to complete both degrees within a set timeframe and initiated the joint offering in both the Boston and Worcester/Manchester campuses. Methods: A review of dual PharmD/MPH degree programs offered byU.S. schools of pharmacy was conducted to include curriculum design, number of students and whether the associated MPH program was accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH). A feasibility assessment was conducted to determine whether the University was able to support a dual degree based on the current number of faculty, students and staff. A proposed curriculum was developed and reviewed by the curriculum committees in the School of Pharmacy and MCPHS Online and the Academic Council. Results: The joint PharmD/MPH is in implementation phase. An application process has been initiated for the spring and the first cohort of students will begin taking classes this summer. Throughout this process, students, faculty and staff were supportive of the joint offering and the student interest was more than anticipated. In addition to awarding both degrees, this program offers students a unique opportunity to complete the required Public Health Practice Experience in a pharmacy setting. Conclusions: The first cohort of PharmD/MPH students will begin classes in summer, 2014. Future research includes evaluation of the joint degree offering and whether the joint offering contributes to interprofessional education initiatives at the University.

Outcome and impact of Master of Public Health programs across six countries: education for change.

BackgroundThe human resources for health crisis has highlighted the need for high-level public health education to add specific capacities to the workforce. Recently, it was questioned whether Master of Public Health (MPH) training prepared graduates with competencies relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to examine the influence of the MPH programs geared towards LMICs offered in Vietnam, China, South Africa, Mexico, Sudan, and the Netherlands on graduates’ careers, application of acquired competencies, performance at the workplace, and their professional contribution to society.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was sent to graduates from six MPH programs. Frequency distributions of the answers were calculated, and a bivariate analysis and logistic regression of certain variables was performed.ResultsThe response rate was 37.5%. Graduates reported change in leadership (69%), in technical position (69%), acquiring new responsibilities (80%), and increased remuneration (63%); they asserted that MPH programs contributed significantly to this. Graduates’ attribution of their application of 7 key competencies ‘substantially to the MPH program’ ranged from 33% to 48%. Of the 26 impact variables, graduates attributed the effect they had on their workplace substantially to the MPH program; the highest rated variable ranged from 31% to 73% and the lowest ranged from 9% to 43%. Of the 10 impact variables on society, graduates attributed the effect they had on society substantially to the MPH program; for the highest rated variable (13% to 71%); for the lowest rated variable (4% to 42%). Candidates’ attribution of their application of acquired competencies as well as their impact at the workplace varied significantly according to institution of study and educational background.ConclusionsThis study concludes that these MPH programs contribute to improving graduates’ careers and to building leadership in public health. The MPH programs contribute to graduates’ application of competencies. MPH programs contribute substantially towards impact variables on the workplace, such as development of research proposals and reporting on population health needs, and less substantially to their impact on society, such as contributing equitable access to quality services. Differences reported between MPH programs merit further study. The results can be used for curriculum reform.

Using core competencies to build an evaluative framework: outcome assessment of the University of Guelph Master of Public Health program.

BackgroundMaster of Public Health programs have been developed across Canada in response to the need for graduate-level trained professionals to work in the public health sector. The University of Guelph recently conducted a five-year outcome assessment using the Core Competencies for Public Health in Canada as an evaluative framework to determine whether graduates are receiving adequate training, and identify areas for improvement.MethodsA curriculum map of core courses and an online survey of University of Guelph Master of Public Health graduates comprised the outcome assessment. The curriculum map was constructed by evaluating course outlines, assignments, and content to determine the extent to which the Core Competencies were covered in each course. Quantitative survey results were characterized using descriptive statistics. Qualitative survey results were analyzed to identify common themes and patterns in open-ended responses.ResultsThe University of Guelph Master of Public Health program provided a positive learning environment in which graduates gained proficiency across the Core Competencies through core and elective courses, meaningful practicums, and competent faculty. Practice-based learning environments, particularly in collaboration with public health organizations, were deemed to be beneficial to students’ learning experiences.ConclusionsThe Core Competencies and graduate surveys can be used to conduct a meaningful and informative outcome assessment. We encourage other Master of Public Health programs to conduct their own outcome assessments using a similar framework, and disseminate these results in order to identify best practices and strengthen the Canadian graduate public health education system.

Internationalisation in online distance learning postgraduate education: a case study on student views on learning alongside students from other countries

Internationalisation in higher education has been shown to provide both intellectual and cultural benefits to students which can help in their future employment. This case study describes student views on learning alongside students from different countries in an online distance learning environment. Seventy-three students undertaking the online Master of Public Health programme at Manchester University, UK completed the survey which explored student experiences, views and opinions on aspects of the course. Learning about other countries’ health systems and the experiences of public health professionals in other countries were identified as a key benefit of studying alongside students from other countries. Students were able to appreciate other perspectives, reconsider their own attitudes and improve their understanding of the context of public health issues. The benefits of learning alongside students from other countries can be enhanced within an online learning environment through the appropriate use of discussion boards and other online learning strategies.

Validation of public health competencies and impact variables for low- and middle-income countries

BackgroundThe number of Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is increasing, but questions have been raised regarding the relevance of their outcomes and impacts on context. Although processes for validating public health competencies have taken place in recent years in many high-income countries, validation in LMICs is needed. Furthermore, impact variables of MPH programmes in the workplace and in society have not been developed.MethodA set of public health competencies and impact variables in the workplace and in society was designed using the competencies and learning objectives of six participating institutions offering MPH programmes in or for LMICs, and the set of competencies of the Council on Linkages Between Academia and Public Health Practice as a reference. The resulting competencies and impact variables differ from those of the Council on Linkages in scope and emphasis on social determinants of health, context specificity and intersectoral competencies. A modified Delphi method was used in this study to validate the public health competencies and impact variables; experts and MPH alumni from China, Vietnam, South Africa, Sudan, Mexico and the Netherlands reviewed them and made recommendations.ResultsThe competencies and variables were validated across two Delphi rounds, first with public health experts (N = 31) from the six countries, then with MPH alumni (N = 30). After the first expert round, competencies and impact variables were refined based on the quantitative results and qualitative comments. Both rounds showed high consensus, more so for the competencies than the impact variables. The response rate was 100%.ConclusionThis is the first time that public health competencies have been validated in LMICs across continents. It is also the first time that impact variables of MPH programmes have been proposed and validated in LMICs across continents. The high degree of consensus between experts and alumni suggests that these public health competencies and impact variables can be used to design and evaluate MPH programmes, as well as for individual and team assessment and continuous professional development in LMICs.

MPH Education for the 21st Century: Design of Columbia University’s New Public Health Curriculum

Because public health challenges are changing rapidly, over the past 3 years, we have turned a critical eye to the master of public health program at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health. Under a process dubbed "curriculum renewal," we engaged more than 170 faculty, staff, and students (and hundreds of alumni and employers of our graduates) in an initiative to develop a completely new design for master of public health education that launched in fall 2012. We have described its design and structure and presented some preliminary evaluation data.

A survey on core competencies of Master of Public Health students in China

Public health faces increasing challenges, including: environmental pollution, bioterrorism, climate, infectious diseases, etc. As such, the public health workforce must be trained to respond effectively. China established a Master of Public Health (MPH) programme in 2001 that aimed to train students and develop them into sufficiently prepared professionals. Most MPH students work at the Centre of Disease Control (CDC), Agency of Health Inspection and Supervision (AHIS), or a community health service centre (CHSC) after graduation. The MPH programme generally lasts for three to four years, with one year studying on campus and two to three years practising in public health service units. Students must complete several courses, write an essay and pass an oral examination. Competency-based education can improve individual performance, and enhance communication and coordination. However, MPH programmes applied inmost universities

Searching of specialized social practice in full-time MPH program

The article reviewed of the origin of the social practice teaching in master of public health （ MPH ） program and gave the introduction of the social practice in American MPH education. Through the definition, positioning and feedback of specialized social practice in full-time MPH program, we can get some experiences and enlightenments of specialized social practice in full-time MPH educa- tion, which will provide references for social practice teaching in fuU-time professional degree education. Key words: FuU-timemasterofpublicheahh; Specializedsocialpractice; Professionaldegree

Using business plan development as a capstone project for MPH programs in Canada: validation through the student perspective.

Master of Public Health (MPH) programs have been developed across Canada as a response to the need for adequately trained individuals to work in the public health sector. Educational institutions that deliver MPH programs have a responsibility to ensure that graduates of their program have the essential knowledge, skills and attitudes to begin a successful career in public health. The Public Health Agency of Canada has created the core competencies for public health to guide the development, delivery and evaluation of MPH programs. In Canada, a capstone project is the recommended method of evaluating the MPH graduate’s ability to demonstrate proficiency in the public health core competencies. A business plan that develops the framework for a public health program is an ideal capstone project currently used in practice within the University of Guelph MPH program. This group assignment incorporates all 36 of the public health core competencies while providing students with a real-world public health experience, and should be considered for inclusion within MPH programs across Canada. Business planning provides students the opportunity to engage in practice-based learning, applying theoretical knowledge to practice. Further, the ability to develop realistic but financially feasible public health problems is an invaluable skill for MPH graduates. As the development of programs becomes more restricted and the continuation of other programs are under constant threat, the ability to develop a sound business plan is a required skill for individuals entering the public health sector, and will ensure students are able to maximize outcomes given tight fiscal budgets and limited resources.

Designing the Framework for Competency-Based Master of Public Health Programs in India

Designing the Framework for Competency-Based Master of Public Health Programs in India

Designing the Framework for Competency-Based Master of Public Health Programs in India

Competency in the practice of public health is the implicit goal of education institutions that offer master of public health (MPH) programs. With the expanding number of institutions offering courses in public health in India, it is timely to develop a common framework to ensure that graduates are proficient in critical public health. Steps such as situation assessment, survey of public health care professionals in India, and national consultation were undertaken to develop a proposed competency-based framework for MPH programs in India. The existing curricula of all 23 Indian MPH courses vary significantly in content with regard to core, concentration, and crosscutting discipline areas and course durations. The competency or learning outcome is not well defined. The findings of the survey suggest that MPH graduates in India should have competencies ranging from monitoring of health problems and epidemics in the community, applying biostatistics in public health, conducting action research, understanding social and community influence on public health developing indicators and instruments to monitor and evaluate community health programs, developing proposals, and involving community in planning, delivery, and monitoring of health programs. Competency statements were framed and mapped with domains including epidemiology, biostatistics, social and behavioral sciences, health care system, policy, planning, and financing, and environmental health sciences and a crosscutting domain that include health communication and informatics, health management and leadership, professionalism, systems thinking, and public health biology. The proposed competency-based framework for Indian MPH programs can be adapted to meet the needs of diverse, unique programs. The framework ensures the uniqueness and diversity of individual MPH programs in India while contributing to measures of overall program success.

Education and training of public health professionals in the European Region: variation and convergence

To assess the exit competences of public health graduates across a diverse European landscape. The target population comprised 80 full institutional members of the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region with a participation rate 82.5 %. The web-based questionnaire covered institutional profiles and the ranking of exit competences for master of public health programmes, grouped according to WHO Essential Public Health Operations. European schools and departments usually are small units, funded from tax money. A total of 130 programmes have been indicated, together releasing 3,035 graduates in the last year before the survey. All competence groups showed high reliability and high internal consistency (α > 0.75, p < 0.01). The best teaching output has been assessed for health promotion, followed by disease prevention and identification of health hazards in the community, the least in emergency preparedness. Given the fragmentation of the institutional infrastructure, the harmonisation of programme content and thinking is impressive. However, the educational capacity in the European Region is far from being sufficient if compared to aspired US levels.

Alumni Evaluation of a Community-Oriented Master of Public Health Program

Health workforce development is a public health priority for the World Health Organization. Public Health training programs need to be relevant in a public health perspective and efficient in and educational perspective. This implies evaluating the programs: in this regard student's perception might be interesting, or the opinion of external experts, or the experience of alumni. To study the perception of alumni of a master's program in public health in order to reevaluate the goals and objectives of the program, a cross-sectional survey through a self-administered questionnaire among former students that graduated from the Geneva University Master in Public Health program was done. This self-administered questionnaire included closed questions on a Likert five-point scale for regarding the use at work of tools acquired during the course, as well as open questions. Overall the alumni gave a positive evaluation of the course. As strong points were mentioned: networking opportunities, student-centered approach and multi-professional background of the student body. More critically judged were: tutorship, time constraints and costs. As most useful tools in their professional settings alumni mentioned: communication skills, project evaluation competencies and literature search strategies and again networking which in this case seemed to be quite active. Evaluation surveys among alumni allow reevaluation of the program's goals and objectives in the light of their professional needs.

Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion course in a Russian Master of Public Health programme

The Global Burden of Disease Studies describe and emphasise injury as a major and increasing component in the panorama of global ill health. Russia has the one of the highest injury rates in Europe. When a Master in Public Health programme was planned and started in 2007 in Arkhangelsk, Russia, under the auspices of University of Tromsø, Norway, a course on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion was included. A take-over programme (training-the-trainers) was implemented within the course. The present paper describes the course content, the students and their background, the training-the-trainers programme, the evaluation procedure and its results. So far, 53 students have passed the course, 77% being female. The majority of students were medical doctors (51%), psychologists (11%), pedagogues (9%), dentists (6%) and nurses (6%). The take-over programme has functioned well by gradually using students of excellence as teachers. In 2012, the take-over programme is completed and only Russians teach. Evaluation by students of the course content, organisation and pedagogic approach was useful for improvements.

Employers’ Perspectives of Students: In a Master of Public Health (Nutrition) Program

Efforts to support workforce development led to the launch of a new master of public health program aimed at improving access to graduate studies for practising nutrition professionals. The first cohort of students identified employer support as a key determinant of their success. In order to identify ways of addressing both student and employer needs, we explored the perspectives of students' employers. Seventeen in-depth, semi-structured, open-ended interviews were conducted with employers. Interviews were audiotaped and transcribed. Transcripts were organized using NVivo software and coded thematically. All employers indicated support for employee education and development in principle, but most faced practical challenges related to limited staffing during education leaves. Organizational policies varied considerably across employer groups. Collective agreements that guided education policy were seen to ensure consistent support for employees, but also to limit creative approaches to education support in some situations. Employers highly valued graduate student projects that were directly related to the workplace; these projects presented opportunities for collaboration among the university, students, and employers. Universities need to work with employers and other stakeholders to identify ways of overcoming barriers to public health nutrition graduate education and workforce development.

Teaching science and technology via online distance learning: the experience of teaching biostatistics in an online Master of Public Health programme

This paper describes the development and teaching of a biostatistics module within a fully online distance learning Master of Public Health (MPH) programme at the University of Manchester. The MPH programme caters for students from over 40 countries worldwide and all materials are delivered via the Blackboard virtual learning environment. In this paper we describe how we have developed teaching materials according to the pedagogic approach and embraced new technologies to allow us to enhance the learning experience for our students. This has been carried out within a dedicated multi‐disciplinary team incorporating academics, e‐learning technologists and administrative staff.

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Designing a Master of Public Health Degree Within a Department of Pharmacy Practice

The demand for public health services is being outpaced by a shrinking public health workforce. This creates a unique opportunity for pharmacists to become more engaged in public health activities, particularly in rural underserved areas. To meet the need for additional public health professionals, we designed a master of public health (MPH) program in a rural state under the leadership of a department of pharmacy practice. In addition to a core set of courses, the MPH program has public health specialty tracks (disease state management, emergency management, health promotion practice, infectious disease management, food safety, gerontology, and medical management and administration) that could be completed as a certificate program or used towards an MPH degree. The program allows students to complete the graduate degree with a minimum of prerequisite coursework. The MPH degree provides an opportunity for pharmacists and other health care professionals to gain an understanding of the interprofessional approach to solving public health problems and will enhance their role in public health and within their health care team.