Rural Public Health and Public Health Data Management and Analytics
The CEPH-accredited online Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine has introduced two new concentrations in response to input from alumni, students, and local health departments.
Expanding beyond more than ten years of educating 800 graduates with a generalist public health concentration, faculty leaders in the program identified a need to address rural public health concerns and train the next generation of public health professionals how to effectively use health data and improve health outcomes in a community.
"With more than 80% of Spartans in public health living and working in Michigan post-graduation, and many living outside urban centers," said Wayne R. McCullough, director of the MPH program. "We want to enable our graduates further to address local community needs."
The new rural public health concentration helps students understand how social, cultural, political, and environmental factors in rural communities, along with historical influences, impact rural health, public health, healthcare delivery, policy development, collaboration, and advocacy strategies.
The new public health data management and analytics concentration equips students with the skills to use various public health and health care data sources for applied public health practice. Utilizing a data equity framework, this program focuses on how to use different data sources commonly used in public health, such as vital records, surveys, and surveillance, as well as health care delivery settings, such as administrative claims and electronic medical records data.
Designed to accommodate busy lifestyles, MSU's MPH is ideal for professionals wanting to engage in preventive health while protecting the health of entire populations. Public health professionals work in important areas such as gun violence prevention, poverty solutions, mental health support, suicide prevention, climate change, and more. In many communities, it is the local health department that serves as the front line of services for things that affect the daily lives of a population, such as maternal health, food safety, environmental health concerns, vaccinations, and responding to local public health emergencies.
Recent bachelor's prepared graduates pursuing an MPH have come from a variety of disciplines, including psychology, social work, anthropology, business, law, dietetics, nursing, and more. The MPH degree also offers dual enrollment that can be taken in conjunction with other master's and terminal degree programs at MSU.
To learn more about how you can pursue a career that prevents health problems from happening or recurring, visit mph.msu.edu and explore the College of Human Medicine's academic offerings in public health.
October 24, 2024
