MPH Concentration Competencies

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MPH students will learn the following competencies in their concentration courses.

Community Health Promotion

  1. Utilize appropriate social, behavioral, and communication theories, concepts and models in health promotion research and practice.
  2. Synthesize research findings from the scientific literature to inform health promotion research and practice.
  3. Apply quantitative and qualitative research methods in health promotion research and practice.
  4. Design population specific health promotion materials, methods, and evidence-based interventions.
  5. Advocate for evidence-based policy changes to improve health, reduce health disparities, and eliminate inequities.

Epidemiology

  1. Utilize data and literature to recognize domestic and global public health problems pertinent to the overall population and to demographic, cultural, or other subgroups of the population.
  2. Identify determinants or risk factors of human health and disease.
  3. Select appropriate study design(s) to investigate a public health concern.
  4. Communicate epidemiologic evidence to lay and scientific audiences. 
  5. Conduct systematic reviews that appropriately summarize epidemiologic literature. 
  6. Implement strategies for minimizing bias in epidemiologic studies.
  7. Conduct a reproducible data analysis project.

Food Security and Nutrition

  1. Conduct systematic research literature reviews on the effect of nutrition programs, policies, and practices.
  2. Apply the concepts and science of food and nutrition in formulating strategies aimed at improving individual and population health outcomes.
  3. Integrate the social, cultural, historical, political, biological, and environmental factors to plan and evaluate public health nutrition programs.
  4. Evaluate health and nutritional status of individuals and communities.
  5. Apply the basic principles of food selection to support healthy dietary practices amongst individuals and population.

Global Health

  1. Compare the major causes of morbidity and mortality across high-, middle-, and low-income regions.
  2. Explain the social, economic, and environment determinants of health.
  3. Apply ethical approaches in global health research and practice.
  4. Propose sustainable and evidence-based multi-sectoral interventions.
  5. Apply monitoring and evaluation techniques to global health programs, policies, and/or outcomes.
  6. Display critical self-reflection, cultural humility, and ongoing learning in global health.

Health Equity and Social Justice

  1. Critically evaluate the ways in which social and ecological determinants of health contribute to inequities in population health.
  2. Develop strategies to create systemic change that address poverty, oppression, and inequities.
  3. Analyze strategies to engage stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships to influence policy and create change.
  4. Integrate relevant strategies, methodologies and measures for behavioral health interventions that advance health equity and social justice.
  5. Evaluate digital innovations and computing techniques to counter the digital divide and improve health equity.

Health Policy

  1. Apply the effective use of research and various policy analysis tools for supporting policy development, implementation and evaluation.
  2. Demonstrate ability to write and speak in a clear, logical, persuasive and grammatical manner for policy-related situations and audiences.
  3. Lead and facilitate constructive interactions with individuals and various policy stakeholder groups to achieve optimum decision-making in policy advocacy, development, implementation and analysis.
  4. Critically evaluate policy issues, ideas, events and process in advance of policy development and decision making.
  5. Select, perform, and interpret appropriate statistical analyses.

Public Health Communication

[Note: this program is not enrolling new students at this time.]

  1. Understand the strategic roles of communication and marketing in public health practice.
  2. Understand major health communication theories, and how they apply to public health practice.
  3. Demonstrate the ability to plan evidence-based and culturally sensitive public health communication programs.
  4. Demonstrate the ability to implement evidence-based and culturally sensitive public health communication programs using a variety of communication channels.
  5. Demonstrate the ability to evaluate evidence-based and culturally sensitive public health communication programs.
  6. Ability to conduct research to guide the development, implementation, evaluation, and dissemination of public health communication programs.

Public Health Practice

  1. Coordinate with emergency management agencies and other stakeholders to prepare for and respond to public health emergencies.
  2. Explore legal and regulatory actions to improve and protect the environment and the public’s health. 
  3. Synthesize evidence from the scientific literature to inform public health policy, research, and practice.
  4. Apply principles of effective project management in public health practice. 
  5. Analyze the social and ecological determinants of health disparities, inequities, and inequalities.
  6. Recommend evidence-informed policies and programs to address current or emerging public health problems among specific populations.