Open AccessThe Integrated First Year Experience in the Master of Public Health Program
Author(s) -
Diane M. Dewar,
Michael S. Bloom,
HyeSeon Choi,
Lenore Gensburg,
Akiko S. Hosler
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
american journal of public health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.284
H-Index - 264
eISSN - 1541-0048
pISSN - 0090-0036
DOI - 10.2105/ajph.2015.302558
Subject(s) - public health , biostatistics , curriculum , health policy , medical education , international health , health education , epidemiology , work (physics) , medicine , environmental health , gerontology , public relations , political science , psychology , nursing , pedagogy , engineering , mechanical engineering
Schools of Public Health historically introduced core curriculum courses in the first year of the Master of Public Health program as independent perspectives; these perspectives included epidemiology, biostatistics, environmental health, public health biology, health behaviors, and health policy. We performed a pilot project that integrated the core areas around diabetes as a cross-cutting public health issue to provide early exposure to the interdisciplinary nature of public health. In each core curriculum course, diabetes was explored in the curriculum and related to other core courses. Based on positive evaluations, this project will be replicated using a different health issue. Such an issue can be easily introduced as an overarching umbrella under which students are motivated to work through interdisciplinary collaboration.