Development of a Public Health Undergraduate Program In a School of Pharmacy

The interaction and confluence of environmental, social, economic, and political forces are transforming global, population, and public health. Pharmacy can have an integral, transformative, and recognizable role in this transformation. By recognizing and adapting to this needed paradigm shift from a sickness-based model to a prevention-based model, pharmacy can be the catalyst for improving individual health, population/community health, and the healthcare delivery system. From the threats of obesity, tobacco use, infectious diseases, and other chronic diseases, the science and art of public health can improve upon these universal harms. Moreover, the recent reports on the declining public health workforce and the call for the training of them signify a pressing need. Pharmacy must recognize and develop innovative and effective ways to incorporate population and public health into pharmacy education and practice. In recent years the growth of graduate programs, in particular the Masters in Public Health (MPH) degree, in public health has increased; however, the growth at the undergraduate level has not been commensurate. When administered or offered by a school of pharmacy, a focus on undergraduate public health education has tremendous upside for not only improving health outcomes but for training the next generation of population - and public - health focused pharmacists. The mandates of the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act primes and positions pharmacy to new stratospheres in pharmacy, medicine, public health, and interprofessional education. This proposal and project shall outline and demonstrate the benefits, challenges, and an implementation strategy of a school of pharmacy in administering an undergraduate public health program.