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About UM SPH

Mission Statement

The University of Michigan School of Public Health seeks to create and disseminate knowledge with the aim of preventing disease and promoting the health of populations in the United States and worldwide. We are especially concerned with poor, often minority populations, who suffer disproportionately from illness and disability. Among health science schools, we are unique in that we place a strong emphasis on disease prevention and health promotion, rather than on the treatment of existing illness. We aspire to be a crossroads of knowledge, where ideas and people from the biological, physical, social, and managerial sciences meet. The school employs integrated approaches to solving public health problems, and teaches and promotes the ethical practice of public health.

A Legacy of Achievement

In the past, public health measures have conquered diseases such as smallpox, measles, whooping cough, rubella, and tetanus. Michigan has played an historic role in such achievements. We are especially proud of our contribution to the control of polio through the work of Thomas Francis Jr. and Jonas Salk, who developed and tested their polio vaccine during their years with UM SPH. It was here in 1955 that the vaccine was declared "safe, effective, and potent." The 50th anniversary of that event was celebrated in April 2005. Watch the Emmy-award-winning commemorative documentary "The Last Mile" (15 minutes; download Real Player).

Pioneering New Strategies

Currently, researchers at Michigan work in labs on viruses, parasites, and toxins; derive new techniques for analyzing data on health and illness; design epidemiological studies to track emerging diseases; develop strategies to alter behavior that predisposes one to health risks; help communities create the capacity to solve their own health problems; and pioneer health policy that gives greater access to health care and prevention services.

Our Commitment, Your Future

The University of Michigan School of Public Health is organized into five academic departments: Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Behavior and Health Education, and Health Management and Policy. We offer a full and flexible array of courses, programs of study, and concentrations to meet your academic and professional goals. Students benefit from the personal contact with excellent faculty, cutting-edge research, and state-of-the-art facilities. Welcome to Michigan!