Overview of Program
The Loyola mission to serve those who suffer injustice coincides with the recent changes in the medical care financial structure and the ongoing demand to eliminate disparities in access to healthcare. In our continued efforts to improve health and promote well-being, the Stritch School of Medicine Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology now offers a Certificate in Public Health (CPH). The CPH program is designed to train students to address racial and economic health disparities through public health research, practice, and advocacy. Loyola has a unique physical and social environment to support public health education. We are located in a racial and economically diverse community and our health professionals and faculty are committed to promoting justice in the Jesuit tradition.
The program is consonant with the philosophy of the university.
The Jesuit educational heritage of serving faith and promoting justice at Loyola University is instanced in the CPH program. In this capacity the CPH program will work at three levels to gain a richer understanding of racial and economic health disparities through research, translate racial and economic disparities research into practice and advocate for health policy change. The mission of the CPH program is to train students to address racial and economic health disparities through public health research, practice and advocacy.
Administration of Program
The CPH program is built upon the current Masters in Clinical Research Methods program that was implemented in 2005 and the Masters in Public Health Program, which was initiated in 2009. The Certificate in Public Health (CPH) program is intended to support the recent surge of interest in public health among graduate and medical students. The program is administered by the Department of Preventive Medicine and Epidemiology, under the direction of Dru Bhattacharya (Assistant Professor, Preventive Medicine). An oversight committee will meet quarterly to discuss student activities, progress, and future directions. The oversight committee will be directed by Dru Bhattacharya and will include faculty from the Graduate School, Medical School, Nursing School, and the Public Health Program.
Educational Objectives
The primary objectives of the CPH program are:
- provide students considering a graduate degree in public health with Core Competencies in public health disciplines, including epidemiology, biostatistics, and health policy.
- Establish a foundation to explore further training in public health vis-à-vis enrollment in the Loyola Masters of Public Health Program.
- Support potential student research by promoting communication and multi-disciplinary collaboration among faculty and students.
A Distinct Program Among Comparable Opportunities
There are a handful of CPH-related programs across the nation including: The University of North Carolina (UNC), the University of Texas (UT), the University of Florida (UF), and the University of Iowa (UI). These universities are among the growing cohort of institutions that have introduced a CPH program. These programs follow a similar track of requiring students to take 5 courses (12-15 credits) in the basic competencies of public health, including (1) epidemiology, (2) biostatistics, (3) health policy, (4) society, health, and behavior, and (5) environmental health. Students may not enroll in any electives. Also, all the courses are restricted to the U.S. healthcare system. Finally, students are not required to fulfill a practicum requirement.
Loyola’s CPH program is comparable to these existing programs by requiring competency in core public health knowledge and skills, but enables students to foster their individual interests by taking an elective of their choosing. This flexibility is also intended to aid candidates in deciding whether to pursue an MPH by giving them exposure to coursework beyond the core curriculum.
