The UNMC and University of Nebraska at Omaha (UNO) joint Master of Public Health (MPH) Program was awarded national accreditation status May 13 by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).
The CEPH, which is the accrediting body of master’s degree programs and schools of public health in the United States, gave the new UNMC/UNO program accreditation for five years, the maximum period allowed.
“Together we’ve built a great foundation for graduate education in public health from the strengths of our two campuses,” said Magda Peck, Sc.D., director of the new UNMC/UNO Graduate Program in Public Health.
MPH program courses are taught by nearly 40 faculty from a wide range of departments, colleges and schools across the campuses of the university, including medicine, nursing, public administration, social work, business administration, sociology, and health, physical education and recreation.
The program addresses rural and urban concerns, health disparities and under-served populations. According to a recent Institute of Medicine Report, public health is about “assuring conditions in which people can be healthy, through the application of health promotion and disease prevention technologies and interventions designed to improve and enhance quality of life.” Since the events of Sept. 11, 2001, public health education and practice has expanded to address bioterrorism and emergency preparedness.
“Now more than ever our state needs public health professionals who are prepared to keep all Nebraskans healthy, safe and secure,” Peck said.
Since January 2002, more than 70 students have enrolled in the MPH program’s health administration or community health education tracks. Graduates of the program are able to assess community health status and unmet health needs, develop and implement programs and policies to promote and achieve better health and assure that needed services are available and utilized.
For more information, call Valdeen Nelsen, MPH program coordinator, at (402) 561-7586.