College of Public Health

College of Public Health Index

Dean: James A. Merchant
Associate dean, faculty affairs and research: Leon F. Burmeister
Associate dean, education and student affairs: Tanya Uden-Holman
Associate dean, public health practice: Christopher G. Atchison
Associate dean, diversity: Joe Dan Coulter
Assistant dean and director, M.P.H. program: Mary Lober Aquilino
Graduate degrees: M.H.A., M.P.H., M.S., Ph.D.
Graduate nondegree program: Certificate in Public Health
Web site: http://www.public-health.uiowa.edu

The College of Public Health, established in 1999, is a partner with the Carver College of Medicine and the Colleges of Dentistry, Nursing, and Pharmacy in striving to improve human health and well-being. Consistent with the interdisciplinary traditions of public health, the college also collaborates with non-health science colleges across the University and with other Board of Regents, State of Iowa institutions, state and local agencies, and the private sector.

A population-based approach to health is a distinguishing feature of public health and of the college. For public health practitioners--a wide range of professionals including physicians, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, social workers, nutritionists, environmental scientists, health educators, and health service administrators--the primary focus is on the health of entire communities rather than individual patients. Tools that public health professionals use to improve and enhance quality of life include analytical methods to identify, describe, and monitor the health of communities and populations at risk; education and prevention programs, methods of assuring access to appropriate and cost-effective care; and formulation of sound public policies.

The public health approach has led to many important health improvements over the past century. Vaccination campaigns, improved sanitation, fluoridation of drinking water, and efforts to reduce tobacco use are among the most recognizable public health initiatives. Public health programs also have led to safer workplaces, reduction of deaths from coronary heart disease and stroke, improved motor vehicle safety, and creation of effective health systems to provide care to those who need it. In the future, public health professionals will play an important role worldwide in seeking better approaches to complex issues such as quality of life for the elderly, drug and alcohol abuse, teen pregnancy, new and emerging infectious diseases, food safety, effects of bioterrorism, and nutrition.

The College of Public Health provides educational opportunities to students campuswide. In addition to training and educating public health students, the college welcomes students from the Tippie College of Business, the Carver College of Medicine, and the Colleges of Dentistry, Education, Engineering, Law, Nursing, and Pharmacy who enroll in public health classes. Undergraduate students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and graduate students from programs such as anthropology, microbiology, and statistics also register for public health courses. The college's faculty members, staff members, and graduate and postdoctoral students contribute to teaching and research activities throughout the health sciences campus and provide services to Iowa and the nation. Partnerships for teaching and research extend across the campus. This background provides a rich array of educational opportunities.

The college includes the Departments of Biostatistics, Community and Behavioral Health, Epidemiology, Health Management and Policy, and Occupational and Environmental Health, and the Program in Public Health Genetics. It offers four graduate degrees: Master of Health Administration (M.H.A.), Master of Public Health (M.P.H.), Master of Science (M.S.), and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.).

The college is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the accrediting body for the nation's schools and colleges of public health. Two programs in the college currently are accredited: The industrial hygiene program is accredited by the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET) and the American Board of Industrial Hygiene (ABIH), and the Master of Health Administration is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education (CAHME).