School of Public Health

Welcome

The mission of the Department is to provide graduate education, engage in public health practice and conduct both basic and applied research. Our faculty is actively engaged in research and teaching on the assessment, control and prevention of environmental and occupational chemical, biological, physical and work organization hazards and in better understanding their impacts on human health and safety.

A special focus of our department is the impact of the urban built environment on public health. We view the "built environment" broadly to include:

• proximity to public amenities such as parks and recreation facilities
• the availability of healthy (and unhealthy) sources of food
• the physical environment, including air pollution and unhealthy buildings
• the social environment, including violence and socioeconomic disadvantage

Together with other departments at SUNY-Downstate and with community groups, we are developing a geographic information system for Brooklyn that uses state-of-the-art database utilities and mapping software for better understanding risks and rates of disease and for developing programs to improve the health of Brooklyn's citizens.

Other faculty interests include:

• the health and safety of public employees in New York City and State
• reducing health disparities due to environmental and occupational hazards and socioeconomic status
• programs for balancing work and family, reducing workplace violence and reducing work stress
• risks to maternal-fetal health from environmental contaminants

Occupational and environmental health often involves multidisciplinary teams and we therefore work closely and collaboratively with:

• other departments throughout SUNY Downstate Medical Center, in public health, the basic sciences and clinical sciences.
• city, state and federal agencies, community organizations, labor unions and others.

Our Department offers students exciting opportunities for graduate education:

• the MPH student will develop the competencies needed to identify, assess, and manage environmental and occupational health problems.
• the DrPH program has an epidemiological focus and prepares a practitioner to use epidemiological approaches for recognizing and assessing environmental and occupational hazards and for developing programs designed to reduce risk and prevent injury and disease.

Sincerely,

John D. Meyer, MD, MPH
Associate Professor and Chair of the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences
School of Public Health