MPH Info

What is Public Health?

The many definitions of public health reflect the many ways that public health improves our lives. 

 

Thank you for your interest in the master of public health (MPH) degree at North South University Program in Public Health. Our degree program is uniquely situated, spanning  making it an appealing setting for public health training for individuals from a variety of educational backgrounds and careers.

The MPH program is rooted in NSU’s tradition of academic excellence and innovative collaboration across disciplines. In fact, the field of public health is much like NSU itself: grounded in interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary synergies and focused on service to populations.

Public health is a discipline devoted to preventing disease and promoting health in the human population. The threats challenging the health of the public include a variety of acute and chronic diseases and conditions including AIDS, addiction, obesity, and aging and some pervasive conditions based on gender, race, socioeconomics, and level of education. Graduate study in public health at Brown has a singular purpose: to train leaders in public health who are armed with the skills to conduct research, bring about policy change, and positively affect the health of populations.

The key values of the NSU MPH Program are to preserve and enhance the health and well being of human populations by integrating knowledge, skills and data to advance public health. The focus of this mission is the promotion of physical, mental, social and spiritual health, and prevention of disease and disability, through the development of new knowledge relevant to public health, the teaching and application of that knowledge, and the translation of data and research findings into information to be used in public health policy and practice.

The key concepts of public health upon which this program is based, include:

• a primary focus on the health of populations
• a robust grounding in interdisciplinary science
• a strong focus on health promotion and disease prevention, especially primary prevention
• a recognition of the important linkages among government, academe and other entities
• a respect for the many cultures encompassed in the populations served

Ethical concerns and issues addressed by the program include:

• respect for autonomy and individual dignity
• beneficence and working for the common good
• balancing the common good and population health with rights of individuals
• social justice and the equitable allocation of benefits and burdens
• advocacy for the interests of populations, particularly those who are vulnerable, powerless or burdened
• professional ethics and the appropriate uses of trust
• responsibilities and rights of public health agents
• human rights
• application of national and international codes of ethics

The key values, concepts and ethical principles upheld by the MPH Program emerge in multiple aspects of the program, with an intentional integration into coursework, case studies, community internships and data gathering and analysis.