SUNY Downstate’s School of Public Health Receives Maximum Re-accreditation
Jul 17, 2016
Brooklyn, NY – The School of Public Health at SUNY Downstate Medical Center has been re-accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for the maximum possible seven-year period, extending to July 1, 2023. In their report, the Council site visitors noted that all 32 CEPH accreditation criteria for schools of public health were met. CEPH is an independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs outside schools of public health.
Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH&TM, DSc, MACP, Founding Dean of the School of Public Health and Distinguished Service Professor, said, “I want to thank the Council on Education for Public Health and all those who participated in the site visit and evaluation process. This new milestone affirms our mission of advancing public health knowledge, promoting health and well-being for urban and immigrant populations, and achieving greater health equity for all.”
SUNY Downstate’s School of Public Health was initially accredited by CEPH in 2010 for the then maximum period of five years. Prior to that time, the school's predecessor, the Master of Public Health Program, was also accredited for the then maximum period of five years in 2005.
The SUNY Downstate School of Public Health offers the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree in five areas – Community Health Sciences, Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Health Policy and Management. The school also offers the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) degree in the first three areas. In addition, the school has a popular Advanced Certificate in Public Health whose curriculum is comprised of the five required core courses for the MPH degree.
The School of Public Health's Center for Global Health, directed by M. Monica Sweeney, MD, MPH, offers several international programs among which is the Global Health in Developing Countries elective for fourth-year medical students. A total of 405 students have participated in this elective in 41 countries. The Global Health Practical Field Experience for public health students currently operates in four countries, and is available to both MPH and DrPH students. The school is a member of the Planetary Health Alliance that links the promotion of human health with sustaining natural systems.
The School of Public Health has 455 alumni and a current enrollment of 214 students, 47 of whom are in the DrPH degree program. The entering class of September 2016 will bring the school's total enrollment to 285.
The SUNY Downstate School of Public Health was the first school of public health in a public university in New York City, and is the only school of public health in Brooklyn.
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About SUNY Downstate Medical Center
SUNY Downstate Medical Center, founded in 1860, was the first medical school in the United States to bring teaching out of the lecture hall and to the patient’s bedside. A center of innovation and excellence in research and clinical service delivery, SUNY Downstate Medical Center comprises a College of Medicine, College of Nursing, School of Health Professions, a School of Graduate Studies, School of Public Health, University Hospital of Brooklyn, and a multifaceted biotechnology initiative including the Downstate Biotechnology Incubator and BioBAT for early-stage and more mature companies, respectively.
SUNY Downstate ranks twelfth nationally in the number of alumni who are on the faculty of American medical schools. More physicians practicing in New York City have graduated from SUNY Downstate than from any other medical school.