Undergraduate Public Health Education - The Educated Citizen and Public Health Initiative

The Institute of Medicine has recommended that “…all undergraduates have access to education in public health”. The Educated Citizen and Public Health Initiative, an effort of public health, arts and sciences, and clinical health professions organizations is working to fulfill this recommendation. The Consensus Conference on Undergraduate Public Health Education and subsequent faculty development efforts have recommended that all colleges and universities should offer introductory courses in public health (“Public Health 101”), epidemiology (“Epidemiology 101”), and global health (“Global Health 101”) that satisfy social science, science, and global studies distribution requirements respectively. These courses should be offered as part of general education in order to develop an educated citizenry. Students introduced to public health as part of their undergraduate education are more likely to pursue careers in public health and to support public health programs and infrastructure. Specific curriculum frameworks and learning outcomes for these courses have been developed. High quality coordinated minors in public health should be encouraged for institutions with and without schools or programs in public health including a focus area such as global health and community-based public health experiences. To encourage these efforts a faculty development program, a curriculum guide, new web sites and theme issues of public health and arts and sciences journals are being published. An ongoing effort is needed to ensure that introductory courses in public health become a permanent part of the curriculum of the 1900 colleges and universities without Schools or Programs in Public Health.