Yale School of Public Health
Encyclopedia
The Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) was founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow
and is one of the oldest public health
masters programs in the United States. YSPH has a unique hybrid existence with the Yale School of Medicine
, as it is both a department (established in 1915) within the School of Medicine as well as an independent, CEPH-certified school of public health (established in 1946). According to the school's website, the community benefits greatly from the Yale School of Public Health's dual roles of providing a world–class education as an accredited, fully functioning school, and by conducting cutting–edge, interdisciplinary research through its collaborative departmental partnerships at the School of Medicine and across the Yale campus.
degrees as well as Master of Science
and Ph.D degrees through the Yale Graduate School. Programs of study include biostatistics, chronic disease epidemiology, environmental health sciences, epidemiology of microbial diseases, health management, health policy and administration, and social and behavioral sciences. YSPH also offers a global health concentration, which must be taken in conjunction with one of the core programs. The school also offers a one-year Advanced Professional MPH program for students who have already attained an advanced degree and a five-year BA/MPH program for students of Yale College
. In addition, the School of Public Health offers joint degrees in divinity (MDIV/MPH and MAR/MPH), forestry and environmental studies (MF/MPH, MFS/MPH, MESC/MPH, and MEM/MPH), law (JD/MPH), management (MBA/MPH), nursing (MSN/MPH), international and development economics (MA/MPH), international affairs and cultural studies (MA/MPH with the MacMillan Center), and physician associate studies (MMSC/MPH).
YSPH students may take classes at the College and any of the University's graduate or professional schools if they find them relevant to their course of study. This includes Yale School of Medicine, Yale Divinity School
, Yale Law School
, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
, the Yale School of Fine Arts, the Yale School of Music
, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
, Yale School of Nursing
, Yale School of Drama
, and Yale School of Management
.
, who was and is still considered to be the “founder of public health” at Yale.
In its early years, Winslow’s Department of Public Health at Yale was a catalyst for public health reform in Connecticut, and the health surveys prepared by him and his faculty and students led to considerable improvements in public health organization. He also successfully campaigned to improve health laws in Connecticut, as well as for the passage of a bill that created the State Department of Public Health. Drawing on principles and expertise in existing departments at the School of Medicine to supplement public health courses, Winslow focused on educating undergraduate medical students in the context of preventive medicine. He established a one–year program leading to a Certificate in Public Health and a comprehensive non–medical program that graduated eighteen students with a Certificate in Public Health, ten with a Ph.D., and four with a Dr.P.H. by 1925. His students specialized in administration, bacteriology, or statistics. Due to three decades of Winslow’s leadership and innovative foresight and commitment to interdisciplinary education, the department’s academic programs earned recognition as a nationally accredited School of Public Health in 1946.
In 1946, the Yale School of Public Health received its inaugural status as an accredited "school of public health." Because of this accreditation, Yale is in a unique situation of assuming the identities of both a department of the Yale School of Medicine
and an autonomous school of public health. In the 1960s the Yale Department of Public Health merged with the Section of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, a unit within the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical School, resulting in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH). In 1964, EPH moved into its own building, the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health (LEPH), which was designed by Philip Johnson and continues as the primary location for teaching and research.
Charles-Edward Amory Winslow
Charles-Edward Amory Winslow was an American bacteriologist and public health expert who was, according to the Encyclopedia of Public Health, "a seminal figure in public health, not only in his own country, the United States, but in the wider Western world."Winslow was born in Boston,...
and is one of the oldest public health
Public health
Public health is "the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals" . It is concerned with threats to health based on population health...
masters programs in the United States. YSPH has a unique hybrid existence with the Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
, as it is both a department (established in 1915) within the School of Medicine as well as an independent, CEPH-certified school of public health (established in 1946). According to the school's website, the community benefits greatly from the Yale School of Public Health's dual roles of providing a world–class education as an accredited, fully functioning school, and by conducting cutting–edge, interdisciplinary research through its collaborative departmental partnerships at the School of Medicine and across the Yale campus.
Curricula
The Yale School of Public Health provides a very traditional program with no distance learning or weekend classes, and a low student to faculty ratio. YSPH awards Master of Public HealthMaster of Public Health
The Master of Public Health and the Doctor of Public Health are multi-disciplinary professional degrees awarded for studies in areas related to public health....
degrees as well as Master of Science
Master of Science
A Master of Science is a postgraduate academic master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The degree is typically studied for in the sciences including the social sciences.-Brazil, Argentina and Uruguay:...
and Ph.D degrees through the Yale Graduate School. Programs of study include biostatistics, chronic disease epidemiology, environmental health sciences, epidemiology of microbial diseases, health management, health policy and administration, and social and behavioral sciences. YSPH also offers a global health concentration, which must be taken in conjunction with one of the core programs. The school also offers a one-year Advanced Professional MPH program for students who have already attained an advanced degree and a five-year BA/MPH program for students of Yale College
Yale College
Yale College was the official name of Yale University from 1718 to 1887. The name now refers to the undergraduate part of the university. Each undergraduate student is assigned to one of 12 residential colleges.-Residential colleges:...
. In addition, the School of Public Health offers joint degrees in divinity (MDIV/MPH and MAR/MPH), forestry and environmental studies (MF/MPH, MFS/MPH, MESC/MPH, and MEM/MPH), law (JD/MPH), management (MBA/MPH), nursing (MSN/MPH), international and development economics (MA/MPH), international affairs and cultural studies (MA/MPH with the MacMillan Center), and physician associate studies (MMSC/MPH).
YSPH students may take classes at the College and any of the University's graduate or professional schools if they find them relevant to their course of study. This includes Yale School of Medicine, Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School
Yale Divinity School is a professional school at Yale University, in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. preparing students for ordained or lay ministry, or for the academy...
, Yale Law School
Yale Law School
Yale Law School, or YLS, is the law school of Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Established in 1824, it offers the J.D., LL.M., J.S.D. and M.S.L. degrees in law. It also hosts visiting scholars, visiting researchers and a number of legal research centers...
, Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences
The Yale Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, founded in 1847, is one of the oldest graduate schools in the United States. It conferred the first Ph.D...
, the Yale School of Fine Arts, the Yale School of Music
Yale School of Music
The Yale School of Music is one of the twelve professional schools at Yale University and one of the premier music conservatories in the world....
, the Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies
The Yale School of Forestry & Environmental Studies is one of the graduate professional schools of Yale University. Founded to train foresters, it now trains leaders and creates new knowledge that will sustain and restore the health of the biosphere and the well-being of its people...
, Yale School of Nursing
Yale School of Nursing
Established in 1923 in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S., Yale School of Nursing has become a leading school of nursing in the United States with a reputation for excellence in teaching, research and clinical practice. The school is ranked in the top ten graduate schools of nursing in the United States...
, Yale School of Drama
Yale School of Drama
The Yale School of Drama is a graduate professional school of Yale University providing training in every discipline of the theatre: acting, design , directing, dramaturgy and dramatic criticism, playwriting, stage management, sound design, technical design and production, and theater...
, and Yale School of Management
Yale School of Management
The Yale School of Management is the graduate business school of Yale University and is located on Hillhouse Avenue in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. The School offers Master of Business Administration and Ph.D. degree programs. As of January 2011, 454 students were enrolled in its MBA...
.
Admissions
Admissions to the Yale School of Public Health is highly competitive and class sizes are the smallest among top-tier graduate public health programs around the country. Total enrollment in 2008 was 246 students (65 male, 181 female), with 98% maintaining full-time status. The incoming MPH class of 2009 consisted of 125 students (36% male, 64% female, 15% students of color, and 18% international), and represented 88 schools and 31 states. YSPH does not report average GPA or GRE scores of incoming students.Mission statement
The School of Public Health at Yale University provides leadership to protect and improve the health of the public. Through innovative research, policy analysis, and education that draws upon multidisciplinary scholarship from across the graduate and professional programs at Yale, the school serves local, national, and international communities with its knowledge and expertise.History
Founded in 1915, Yale’s School of Public Health is one of the oldest of the nationally accredited schools of public health. It began when, in 1914, the University received an endowment from the Anna M.R. Lauder family to establish a chair in public health at the Yale Medical School. This chair was filled a year later by Charles-Edward Amory WinslowCharles-Edward Amory Winslow
Charles-Edward Amory Winslow was an American bacteriologist and public health expert who was, according to the Encyclopedia of Public Health, "a seminal figure in public health, not only in his own country, the United States, but in the wider Western world."Winslow was born in Boston,...
, who was and is still considered to be the “founder of public health” at Yale.
In its early years, Winslow’s Department of Public Health at Yale was a catalyst for public health reform in Connecticut, and the health surveys prepared by him and his faculty and students led to considerable improvements in public health organization. He also successfully campaigned to improve health laws in Connecticut, as well as for the passage of a bill that created the State Department of Public Health. Drawing on principles and expertise in existing departments at the School of Medicine to supplement public health courses, Winslow focused on educating undergraduate medical students in the context of preventive medicine. He established a one–year program leading to a Certificate in Public Health and a comprehensive non–medical program that graduated eighteen students with a Certificate in Public Health, ten with a Ph.D., and four with a Dr.P.H. by 1925. His students specialized in administration, bacteriology, or statistics. Due to three decades of Winslow’s leadership and innovative foresight and commitment to interdisciplinary education, the department’s academic programs earned recognition as a nationally accredited School of Public Health in 1946.
In 1946, the Yale School of Public Health received its inaugural status as an accredited "school of public health." Because of this accreditation, Yale is in a unique situation of assuming the identities of both a department of the Yale School of Medicine
Yale School of Medicine
The Yale School of Medicine at Yale University is a private medical school located in New Haven, Connecticut, U.S. It was founded in 1810 as The Medical Institution of Yale College, and formally opened its doors in 1813....
and an autonomous school of public health. In the 1960s the Yale Department of Public Health merged with the Section of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, a unit within the Department of Internal Medicine at the Medical School, resulting in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health (EPH). In 1964, EPH moved into its own building, the Laboratory of Epidemiology and Public Health (LEPH), which was designed by Philip Johnson and continues as the primary location for teaching and research.
Notable alumni
- Michael B. Bracken, MPH '70, MPhil '72, PhD '74, past president of both the American College of EpidemiologyAmerican College of EpidemiologyThe American College of Epidemiology is an American organization incorporated in 1979 to support and promote the work of American epidemiologists. It is based in Raleigh, North Carolina....
and the Society for Epidemiologic Research; designed and performed the first randomized trials for evaluating therapies for acute spinal cord injuries. - Brian P. Leaderer, MPH '72, PhD '75, a prominent air quality researcher, linking air pollution exposure and genetic variants with specific health outcomes in children. A principal investigator for the National Children's StudyNational Children's StudyThe National Children’s Study will examine the effects of environmental influences on the health and development of more than 100,000 children across the United States, following them from before birth until age 21...
, among numerous others. - David L. Katz, MD, MPH ‘93, internationally renowned authority on nutrition, weight management, and the prevention of chronic disease; patent-holder; internationally recognized leader in integrative medicine and patient-centered care; nutrition columnist for O: The Oprah Magazine; a health columnist for the New York Times Syndicate; and an editorial adviser and blogger for Prevention Magazine. An interview with Dr. Katz offers pertinent information on the type of programs nutritionally oriented doctors are involved with.
- Cleve L. Killingsworth, MPH ’76, President and Chief Executive Officer of Blue Cross Blue Shield Massachusetts. Killingsworth served as president and CEO of Health Alliance Plan in Detroit, president of Kaiser PermanenteKaiser PermanenteKaiser Permanente is an integrated managed care consortium, based in Oakland, California, United States, founded in 1945 by industrialist Henry J. Kaiser and physician Sidney Garfield...
’s Central East Division, and senior vice president of insurance and care manager of Henry Ford Health SystemHenry Ford Health SystemThe Henry Ford Health System is a comprehensive, integrated, non-profit, managed care, health care organization located in Southeast Michigan. The corporate office is in Detroit, Michigan...
. - Idalia Ramos Sanchez, MPH '81, Senior Policy Advisor at National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities
Interdisciplinary Research, Special Programs, and Affiliated Centers
- Yale Center for Perinatal, Pediatric, and Environmental Epidemiology
- Yale Center for Public Health Preparedness
- Emerging Infections Program
- Yale Griffin Prevention Research Center
- Yale Cancer CenterYale Cancer CenterYale Cancer Center was founded in 1974 as a result of an act of Congress in 1971, which declared the nation's "war on cancer." It is one of a select network of 41 NCI-designated Cancer Centers throughout the country, designated by the National Cancer Institute , and the only one in southern New...
- Center for Interdisciplinary Research on AIDS
- Center for Nicotine & Tobacco Use Research at Yale
- Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Century
- Collaborative Center for Statistics in Science (C2S2)
- Center for EcoEpidemiology
- The John B. Pierce Laboratory
- The Yale Program on Aging
- Yale University Center for Genomics & Proteomics
- Yale Center for Analytical Sciences
- Connecticut Women's Health Project