Department of Population and Public Health Sciences
The Department of Population & Public Health Sciences is a leader in public health education and research. The department is home to the first Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program in southwest Ohio and two nationally recognized research centers. Annually, our faculty conducts approximately 3 million dollars in substance use research and program evaluation.
We leverage our alumni network, public health partners, and research centers to provide graduate students with a unique hands-on educational experience. Graduates of our programs go on to become leaders in medicine, public health, health care, insurance, and non-profit agencies - building the public health workforce for our region.
Educational Programs
Department faculty provide consultation and collaborate with other Boonshoft School of Medicine and university departments in the areas of education and service. The department administers the Health Care Management Concentration in conjunction with the Raj Soin College of Business as part of its Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) degree.
Master of Public Health Program
The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program is a nationally accredited program from the Council on Education for Public Health, offered in collaboration with local public health leaders to prepare you with specialized skills like epidemiology and public health leadership. Our cohort-based model, with in-person evening and online courses, allows students to be engaged with their faculty and build a local public health network. Our diverse group of faculty have expertise in the core disciplines of public health as well as years of practice experience; the program director of the M.P.H. program is Sara Paton, Ph.D., CPH.
Physician Leadership Development Program
The Physician Leadership Development Program (PLDP) provides an opportunity for Boonshoft School of Medicine medical students to obtain either an M.P.H. or M.B.A. degree in addition to their M.D. degree in an innovative five-year program that emphasizes leadership training and experiences. The program director of the PLDP is Nicole Turkson, M.D., M.P.H.
Graduate Certificate Programs
The department offers four certificate programs through the Wright State University College of Graduate Programs: Aerospace Medicine, Epidemiology, Health Care Management, and Public Health Leadership. The completion of a certificate is noted on your transcript, and it is a great way to show future employers you have acquired skills in a specialized area. Courses completed as part of a certificate can be applied toward the Master of Public Health degree.
Undergraduate Public Health
The Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Science programs are interdisciplinary, student-centered, and focus on workforce skill development. With collaboration between the College of Science and Mathematics and the College of Liberal Arts, students complete coursework in public health foundations, communication and analytical skills, and public policy. In addition, collaborations with local public health agencies and healthcare organizations provide students with numerous opportunities to engage with local public health professionals. All students complete a capstone project that demonstrates the culmination of career-focused skills. Qualified capstones can include internships, student cohort service-learning projects, senior seminars, or research projects.
Students from a wide variety of majors will find the Public Health minor attractive as it provides them with a basic understanding of each of the core areas of public health, introduces students to career opportunities, and prepares students for admission to graduate programs in public health and other health-related programs. Students can select from a diverse offering of public health foundation courses both online and in the classroom.
Research
The department has a 30-year history of conducting community-based behavioral health research and program evaluation in Ohio, led by the Center for Interventions, Treatment, and Addiction Research (CITAR) and the Substance Abuse Resources and Disabilities Issues (SARDI). Other areas of faculty research include LGBT health, HIV prevention and care, maternal and child health, and environmental exposures and chronic disease.
Our Vision
A community of population health leaders that promote and protect health for all
Our Mission
Provide interdisciplinary education, research, and service through leadership and community collaborations
Our Values
- Student-Centered: The central focus of our program is our students and their future as public health professionals.
- Community Engagement: We believe that preparation of students is achieved through an academic-public health practice partnership in which students, faculty, and practitioners interact in a lifelong cycle of learning and service.
- Integration: The health of populations is best served when medicine is integrated with public health programs and policies.
- Leadership: We strive to be recognized as the leader of public health initiatives across the university and southwest Ohio.
- Research and Scholarship: We strive to make meaningful public health discoveries and believe that students engaged in the pursuit of discovery will continue to pursue their own research.
- Equity: We believe that to create communities where all members thrive, all members of society need to be represented and their differences considered.
