Teaching the History of Public Health of Philadelphia: A Collaborative Approach

The history of public health is an area of teaching and research interest that remains underutilized in schools of public health, despite clear connections with public health competencies. Recent scholarship indicates that the history of public health improves understanding of our discipline and offers novel methodologies for public health scholarship. Faculty and administrators from Arcadia University, Drexel University School of Public Health, Thomas Jefferson University, University of Pennsylvania, Temple University, University of the Sciences in Philadelphia, working with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, have collaboratively developed a history of public health course offered as an intensive four day seminar. The course's special focus on the City of Philadelphia since 1793 draws on the diverse expertise of faculty from participating institutions and from public health practitioners in the Philadelphia area, and will help connect historical issues to present day health challenges in the city. Topics include responses to epidemics, the Bacteriological Revolution, racial and economic disparities in health, the development of policy infrastructures, and global health. In addition to lecture and discussion, periodic field trips to public health-related historical sites bring course readings to reality. Students are introduced to the methods, uses, and application of history to public health practice. This presentation reviews the collaborative process for course development, the course format and learning objectives, and the generalizability of this format for use by other institutions. Special attention will be given to the pedagogical challenges of teaching history to public health students with little prior history training.