Public Health Focus of New School at UVic

The University of Victoria is launching a new school―the first one in 20 years―whose graduates will be leaders in tackling the complex health issues facing our society today.

Effective September 2011, the School of Public Health and Social Policy in the Faculty of Human and Social Development will offer a Master’s of Public Health, a Graduate Diploma in Public Health and a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Community Services.

“The changing healthcare landscape requires a broad range of innovative health programs and research to meet the needs of today’s population,” says Mary Ellen Purkis, dean of the faculty. “Our graduates will be prepared to make valuable contributions in promoting the health and well-being of their communities”.

Public health education is a well-established field of study aimed at promoting quality of life, reducing premature death, and minimizing the impact of disease, disability and injury through improving programs such as pandemic immunizations, falls prevention research, maternal and child health care, housing and homelessness, addictions and mental health services.

The graduate and undergraduate programs, offered online with strategically placed on-campus components, will include essential practice experiences in the field.

“The graduate programs offer several areas of concentration in public health that are unique and important in advancing a healthier population,” says Irving Rootman, chair of the program’s advisory committee and past-president of the Public Health Association of BC. “The distance education model means that those working in the field can increase their knowledge while remaining in the workforce.”

The innovative BA in Health and Community Services provides programming in the management and delivery of services within institutional and community settings.

“Community services require graduates with educational preparation to meet the needs of specific populations as well as the theoretical foundations for developing programs that can be demonstrated to improve social inclusion and reduce social inequities,” says Jennifer Charlesworth, executive director of the Federation of Community Social Services of BC.

The Faculty of Human and Social Development has been delivering interdisciplinary health and community service programs in applied and professional practice for over 30 years.

For further information visit www.uvic.ca/publichealth.

Backgrounder attached.
 

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