Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #110038

Eugene R. Declercq, PhD, Maternal and Child Health Department, Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118, 617-638-7795, declercq@bu.edu and Karen Kaba, Doctor of Public Health Program, Boston University School of Public Health, Program Manager, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA 02118-2526.

Objective: Describe the process of developing a new DrPH program emphasizing a practice oriented educational experience. Process: The Boston University School of Public Health set out to develop a practice oriented Doctor of Public Health program in 1999. The program would be schoolwide, drawing students from 3 departments: International Health, Maternal and Child Health and Social and Behavioral Sciences. In preparation, a committee formed to direct this effort examined the existing programs at other SPH and then held a series of meetings with faculty and practitioners to identify what skills and understanding would be necessary for doctorally prepared practitioners in public health. A commitment was made to develop a program that served both full and part-time students. The committee chose not to begin by focusing on existing courses in the curriculum but rather identify a series of learning objectives for the DrPH program. These learning objectives formed the basis for the development of seven new courses that became the core curriculum for the program. The program began in Fall, 2004 with 10 students: 5 full-time and 5 part-time. Challenges: Cost; faculty recruitment; startup problems associated with developing new courses; inter-departmental communications; integrating full and part-time students. Benefits: Tailored curriculum can be focused more directly on practice related issues; courses can be integrated, reducing duplication and allowing for multi-semester project development; high level of satisfaction among students with “their own” program; opportunity to integrate leaders from practice fields into courses. Key question: how feasible is such a program at other SPH?

Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant in this session will be able to

(
• Describe how one SPH developed a new DrPH program. (
• Summarize the advantages and disadvantages of choosing to build a program from learning objectives rather than rely on existing courses. (
• Apply the lessons from this experience to their own context.

Keywords: Public Health Education, Public Health Curriculum

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation