Population Medicine — M.P.H.

Program director
Karen Studer

The Population Medicine Program is designed to meet the needs of practicing health professionals who have experience in direct patient care, and wish to augment their current careers with additional information and skills in the health of populations. The students will be competent in analyzing the health of a patient population and understanding the social, environmental, and biological determinants of health in that population.

Individuals who may benefit from this program include practicing health professionals, such as physicians, dentists, pharmacists, nurses, social workers, physical therapists, and psychologists; and students who are currently enrolled in clinical practice-related doctoral degrees (e.g., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., Pharm.D.). This degree will provide clinicians with cutting-edge knowledge and a skill set to integrate population-based, health-care approaches into their everyday clinical practice.

Program learning outcomes

By the end of the program, the graduate should be able to:

• Characterize the health of a community;
• Design and conduct an epidemiologic study;
• Investigate and respond to a cluster or outbreak;
• Analyze and evaluate surveillance data;
• Develop or analyze a guideline for a proposed preventive service;
• Apply evidence-based guidelines for preventive services;
• Monitor and interpret a health status indicator for a community;
• Analyze data using statistical methods.

Educational effectiveness indicators

Program learner outcomes as evidenced by:

• Signature assignments linked to course and noncourse requirements
• Applied practice experience products
• Integrative learning experience product

Prerequisites

In addition to the entrance requirements for all M.P.H. degrees, applicants to the M.P.H. degree program in population medicine must have:

• A health-care-related degree
  • Bachelor's or master's degree with two years of postgraduate, direct patient-care experience (e.g., nursing, social work, dental hygiene, physical therapy, occupational therapy, or psychology).
  • Acceptance into—or completion of—a clinical practice-related doctoral degree program (e.g., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.N.P., D.P.T., Pharm.D.). Must have completed at least two years in a clinical program.

• GRE examination
  • May be waived with either completion of a clinical practice-related doctoral degree (e.g., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.N.P., D.P.T., Pharm.D., or Ph.D.) or by entrance examination for a clinical practice-related doctoral degree (e.g., MCAT, DAT).
• Anatomy and/or physiology (one course)
• Behavioral science (one course)

Integrative learning experience

See standard integrative learning experience requirements.

Normal time to complete the program

Two (2) years (eight [8] academic quarters) — based on full-time enrollment; part time permitted