The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #34456

James C. Wohlleb, MS¹, Ann C. Anderson, PhD², S. Sue Harvey¹, and Charles O. Cranford, DDS, MPA³. (1) College of Public Health & AHEC Program, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 1123 South University Avenue, Room 400, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Little Rock, AR 72204-1611, 501 686-2596, wohllebjamesc@uams.edu, (2) School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, Tulane University, 1440 Canal Street, Suite 2210, Tulane University Health Sciences Center, New Orleans, LA 70112, (3) Vice Chancellor for Regional Programs, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, 4301 West Markham, Slot 599, Little Rock, AR 72205-7199

As in other states lacking schools of public health, Arkansas officials have worked with little benefit of formal public health education. A 1993 survey of its 3,000 state health employees found less than 30 (<1 per cent) who had completed masters or doctoral degrees in public health. No more than five were in management positions. An interstate partnership between two private and public universities addressed this need for graduate education. In 1993 the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine of Tulane University Health Sciences Center designed an executive model Master of Public Health (MPH) Program, in cooperation with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), which: (1) HRSA, then Tulane and UAMS financed; (2) Garnered scholarships from Entergy, 3 local foundations, and a physician; (3) Targeted experienced health professionals as students; (4) Accommodated inexperienced recent college graduates; (5) Encouraged some required courses in the state’s universities; (6) Employed faculty from Tulane, local universities, and the state health agency; (7) Linked with the CDC certificate program; (8) Utilized Internet and other long-distance media; (9) Served a diverse student body; (10) Added new knowledge and educational materials through student projects; (11) More than doubled the number of MPH degrees in the state; (12) Expects a final graduation rate of 83 per cent from its 90 students. Students, graduates, and faculty of this program participated in designing a new public health school, founded in 2001, with a small portion of proceeds from the state’s tobacco settlement.

Learning Objectives: Participants will learn

• An example of defining professional educational needs in public health for a state without graduate education programs in public health.
• Discovery of adequate resources for addressing graduate public health education.
• Development of an MPH program linked to local universities, the state health department, and CDC.
• Completion of the program in coordination with the foundation of a new school of public health in the state.

Keywords: Professional Development, Public Health Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.