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SPH Facts, 2012-2013

Departments

(see Academic Departments & Programs)

Degrees

(see Programs & Degrees)

  • M.P.H., Master of Public Health
  • M.H.S.A., Master of Health Services Administration
  • M.H.I., Master of Health Informatics (in partnership with School of Information)
  • M.S., Master of Science (through Rackham Graduate School)
  • Ph.D., Doctor of Philosophy (through Rackham Graduate School)

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 worldwide. We are especially concerned with health equity and thus have a special focus on disadvantaged populations who suffer disproportionately from illness and disability. We serve as a diverse and inclusive crossroads of knowledge and practice, with the goal of solving current and future public health problems. (2011 update)

Samples of Research Projects and Areas of Interest  

(see Research Centers & Initiatives and Faculty Research Projects)

  • Disease transmission and vaccine development
  • Epigenetics
  • Food/human nutrition
  • Motivational interviewing and tailoring of health messages
  • Global health
  • Air and water quality — measurement and modeling of hazardous air pollutants
  • Climate change
  • Tobacco — impact of smoking and tobacco control policies on health; exploration of the economics of smoking and tobacco control;development of e-technologies for smoking cessation
  • Asthma control and patient self-management
  • Statistical gene mapping for diseases such as diabetes, glaucoma, and breast cancer
  • Cancer — occupational cancer epidemiology; cancer prevention
  • AIDS — development of chemo-therapeutic agents for pneumocystitis carinii; transmission system analysis of HIV infection
  • Management of health care organizations, costs, and quality
  • Economics and impact of varying types of health insurance
  • Assessments of long-term care costs, quality, and outcomes
  • Women's health/Men's health
  • Community participation in public health decision-making
  • Infectious diseases — molecular and global epidemiology
  • Chronic disease management
  • Ethics of genetic research and application
  • Bioterrorism preparedness and recovery
  • Socioeconomic inequalities and health

Notes of Interest

(see Timeline for more)

  • Michigan's School of Public Health established in 1941.
  • Jonas Salk learned the techniques he used to develop the Salk Polio Vaccine at the School of Public Health. Professor Thomas Francis, Jr., chair of the Dept. of Epidemiology, directed polio vaccine trials of 1.8 million children that proved the Salk vaccine "safe, potent, and effective." (1955)
  • On Job/On Campus launched: a two-year, weekend program allows professionals to pursue advanced degrees while remaining employed full-time. (1972)
  • Launched first Public Health Genetics curriculum in the country in 1996. First graduates in May 1998.
  • School leads University-wide initiative exploring inequalities in health status (1998).
  • Center for Research on Ethnicity, Culture and Health established (1998).
  • Michigan Center for Public Health Preparedness established (2002).
  • FDA approves FluMist nasal spray flu vaccine developed at SPH for use by healthy people ages 5-49 (2003).
  • Opening of Crossroads of Public Health building addition and renovation (2006).

Statement of Values Underlying Public Health Practice.