174597 Establishing a Practice Curriculum: Guiding Students into a Public Health Pathway

Tuesday, October 28, 2008: 4:45 PM

Angela J. Beck, MPH, CHES , Department of Epidemiology, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
Matthew L. Boulton, MD, MPH , Office of Public Health Practice, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
JoLynn P. Montgomery, MPH, PhD , Office of Public Health Practice, University of Michigan School of Public Health, Ann Arbor, MI
  
The Council on Education for Public Health has instituted requirements for accredited Schools of Public Health to support service activities through which faculty and students contribute to the advancement of public health practice.(1) The University of Michigan School of Public Health (UM SPH) established the Office of Public Health Practice in 2005 to develop a broad range of teaching, learning, service, and applied research opportunities for UMSPH students, faculty and staff to interact and collaborate with public health practitioners and organizations in governmental and community-based public health.

The Office of Public Health Practice has developed an academically rigorous model curriculum for UM SPH, including academic courses and extracurricular activities, to integrate public health practice opportunities into a two-year academic curriculum for all five academic departments. This presentation will discuss the various components of the practice-based curriculum, including providing incentives to faculty for integrating public health practice into academic courses; developing immersive learning experiences for students; and coordinating activities to connect students to public health practitioners domestically and internationally. In addition, the discussion will highlight how to overcome challenges to integrating practice opportunities into public health curricula.

1 Council on Education for Public Health. Accreditation Criteria Schools of Public Health Amended June 2005. Accessed January 23, 2008 from http://www.ceph.org/files/public/SPH-Criteria-2005.SO5.pdf.

Learning Objectives:
1.Describe the importance of integrating public health practice into a public health academic curriculum 2.Explain the components of a practice-based curriculum 3.Describe the challenges facing schools of public health in implementing changes to better integrate public health practice into academic courses

Keywords: Public Health Careers, Public Health Curriculum

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I coordinated the project being described in the abstract and was primary author for the abstract.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

See more of: Pathways to Public Health Careers
See more of: Academic Public Health Caucus