SUNY Upstate Medical University and Syracuse University are joining forces to
offer a master of public health degree program beginning in fall 2009 that is the first
of its kind in Central New York and the first jointly offered by the two universities-
one public and the other private.
"Medicine and public policy may be taught on two different campuses, a stone's
throw from each other," says Dr. Donna Bacchi, director of the Central New York
Master of Public Health (CNYMPH) program. "But this degree program merges
these areas of expertise to create a powerful program that provides a population-
based perspective designed to prepare students to investigate and manage public
health problems.
"For individuals with an MPH, the patient is the community," says Bacchi, who has
been part of public health campaigns in Texas and Onondaga County. "Individuals
trained in public health are leading the way to find interventions and solutions for
many of our societal ills, such as obesity, tobacco use and lung cancer mortality,
chronic disease, including cardiovascular disease and cancer."
Tom Dennison, professor and director of the Health Services Management and Policy
program in the Maxwell School, who serves as the CNYMPH program's associate
director, says the degree is especially important for those in leadership positions. "The
MPH degree is the sentinel credential for public health professionals whose efforts are
needed now more than ever to incorporate sound public health policy into
mainstream health care," he says.
SUNY Upstate and SU began work on a joint degree M.P.H. program two years
ago, in large part to address various reports-especially the Public Health Workforce
Task Force report (2006)-that validated concerns around public health workforce
shortages in New York. The task force report called for expanded education for
public health, especially in management and training, and for the establishment of
academic/practice partnerships.
The CNYMPH responds to the report by extending the capacity of both institutions
in graduate education with a focus on population-based health issues from clinical
and administrative perspectives, complementing the graduate degrees offered by
SUNY Upstate and drawing on the expertise of the Maxwell School in public
administration and public policy, the health and wellness programs at the
College of
Human Ecology, and the resources of the College of Law, particularly the work on
disaster preparedness of the Institute for National Security and Counterterrorism's
(INSCT), which is jointly sponsored with the Maxwell School.
CNYMPH officials expect the program's appeal to be broad, with interest coming
from bachelor's degree graduates looking at careers where an M.P.H. is essential;
health professionals who want broader knowledge in public health; individuals
currently employed in the field who want advanced education; and medical students
at SUNY Upstate or other graduate students interested in earning an M.P.H. degree
after completing their current studies.
The program has been designed to enable students to tailor the curriculum to their
interests and career goals, pursuing various electives in such areas as statistics,
epidemiology, health services, management, public policy, ethics, law and
international health.
The CNYMPH offers flexible options for both the full- and- part-time student. The
program can be completed in as little as 18 months of full-time study or may be
pursued part-time over as much as five years. Course schedules will be flexible and
include a field placement requirement.
Graduates will be ready to assume public health leadership roles in many fields,
including public health administration, government agencies, environmental health,
managed care, insurance, research, education, the pharmaceutical industry and
nonprofit health agencies.
Courses will be held at both campuses, and faculty from both universities will teach
courses and electives. The degree will be jointly awarded.
A public information session on the CNYMPH program will be held Nov. 17 from 4-
6 p.m. in Medical Alumni Auditorium of Weiskotten Hall, 766 Irving Ave., Syracuse. For more information on the program, call 464-1700 or e-mail
cnymph@upstate.edu. Information can also be found on the Web at
http://www.upstate.edu/cnymph.
