The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #57870

Jeffrey P. Braff, DrPH, Department of Medicine, University of California - San Francisco, Mailstop 1640 Hellman Building C446, 1600 Divisadero Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, 415 353-7525, jpbraff@medicine.ucsf.edu and Warren Winkelstein, MD, MPH, Department of Epidemiology, UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Room 109, Haviland Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720.

At the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, we have designed a new required core course for all MPH students. The genesis of the course was the School’s desire to provide a way for students to integrate the theoretical and academic knowledge gained at the School with the realities and uncertainties of contemporary public health practice. The course content and style is the result of many months of planning and coordinating on the part of various faculty members and students in the School. Students demonstrate the development of practical insight into the application of what they have learned, utilizing previous work and life experience as well as academic training. The course has been designed to use a combination of case studies, field trips, oral histories, and “guest expert” panel discussions to impart knowledge, foster critical thinking and dialogue, and allow for the completion of group work assignments under conditions that approximate as much as possible the “real world” of public health. We have also used the CDC’s “Ten Great Public Health Achievements” as the basis for some of the course’s work. A particular challenge was incorporating a global health perspective into the course. The structure of work assignments for the course is unique, and students have found the assignments interesting, challenging, informative, entertaining, and a learning experience.

Learning Objectives:

• At the completion of the presentation, participants will be able to:
• •Recognize the importance of applied public health work in an academic setting.
• •Appreciate the importance of academic-working partnerships in training public health students.
• •Utilize information learned during this presentation to develop similar courses at their own institutions.

Keywords: Public Health Curricula, Leadership

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: University of California - Berkeley - School of Public Health
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: I am a lecturer at the School of Public Health - UC Berkeley.