UK College of Public Health Gains Ground Improving the Health of Kentuckians and the Nation

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Dec. 22, 2015) — The University of Kentucky College of Public Health’s (CPH) mission of promoting optimal health across populations is underscored by its work to advance research, serve disadvantaged communities and prepare students for meaningful careers in the public health workforce. The CPH’s robust academic programs, research centers, community partnerships and outreach efforts are transforming health in disparate regions of Kentucky and across the nation.

The CPH was formalized as a distinct college in 2004, although its formation began almost a century earlier. The Department of Hygiene and Public Health was founded in 1917, and courses in public health were included in the academic catalogue as early as the 1920s. Between the years of 1938 and 1955, UK awarded 38 master’s degrees in public health. With approval from the UK Board of Trustees, the School of Public Health became a recognized faction of UK in 1998, and the first class of master’s students enrolled in the college in 2000, with the first doctoral class enrolling the following year. Today, the CPH is one of 52 accredited schools of public health determined to improve the state of health across the nation through research, service and teaching.

The approval of the CPH made the University of Kentucky one of seven universities in the nation to maintain six health care colleges on one contiguous campus. With Stephen W. Wyatt as the founding dean of the college, the CPH is home to six core academic departments: the Department of Biostatistics, the Department of Epidemiology, the Department of Health Behavior, the Department of Health Management and Policy, the Department of Gerontology and the Department of Preventive Medicine and Environmental Health. Since its establishment, the college has risen to national acclaim, which was verified by a Top-25 School of Public Health ranking from U.S. News and World Report in 2011.

In the past decade, the CPH has expanded academic offerings and partnered with colleges across UK’s campus to enhance and diversify the training of future health professionals. In 2014, the CPH added a bachelor’s of public health program for undergraduate students. The college has awarded more than 350 master’s in health administration (MHA), a degree designed to prepare students for managerial and leadership positions in health service organizations. In addition, those individuals seeking a combined education in law and public health can obtain a dual JD/MHA through the college.

The master’s of public health (MPH) degree increases an individual’s knowledge of population-based health issues, and since 2009, the CPH has offered medical students a dual MD/MPH degree program. In addition, pharmacy students are eligible for a dual PharmD/MPH through a five-year program. The master’s of science in clinical research equips students with translational research skills and increases their versatility and competitiveness in the field of clinical research. Finally, the CPH offers doctoral programs in gerontology and in biostatistics/epidemiology.

In an effort to understand and change health outcomes across the nation, the CPH houses various centers for research, outreach, programming, data-surveillance and health advocacy. The CPH’s research profile continues to grow, with more than $48 million in sponsored research project funding during the fiscal year 2015. In 2010, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation selected the CPH as a host site for the National Coordinating Center for Public Health Services and Systems Research. The Center for Public Health Systems and Services Research and Public Health Practice-based Research Networks explores the impact of policies and strategies affecting the quality and performance of the nation’s public health system.

Other CPH centers focus on health disparities affecting the state of Kentucky and the Appalachian region. The Kentucky Injury Prevention and Research Center (KIPRC) represents a collaborative effort between the Kentucky Department for Public Health and CPH to collect surveillance data of statewide injuries and fatalities, advocate for injury prevention legislation, and initiate programs to improve health and safety across Kentucky.

The Appalachian Center for Cancer Education, Screening and Support (ACCESS) is a special interest project of the University of Kentucky Prevention Research Center, which is locally recognized as the Rural Cancer Prevention Center (RCPC) and is supported by funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Cancer Institute. The Central Appalachian Regional Education and Research Center (CARERC) focuses on occupational hazards and safety through research, education and training opportunities. Other centers located within the CPH include the RCPC, which is dedicated to developing health networks to prevent cancer in Appalachia; the Southeast Center for Agricultural Health and Injury Prevention, which is concerned with injury and illness prevention for agricultural workers; and the Justice Center for Elders and Vulnerable Adults, which seeks to reduce the exploitation and abuse of the elderly.

The CPH encourages discovery and learning for older adults and seniors through the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI). The UK OLLI is a member of a national network of institutes that provide enrichment and educational opportunities to older adults with an academic tuition waiver.

In fall of 2015, Donna Arnett, an epidemiologist and researcher at the University of Alabama-Birmingham School of Public Health, was selected as the second dean of the College of Public Health. Arnett pledges to foster the collaborative spirit that has characterized the CPH since its formation and encourage research endeavors that address the major health disparities in the region and around the country.

“A big focus of mine will be bringing public health, medicine and other health-related colleges closer together in terms of building population health,” Arnett said. “We’re building health for the Commonwealth, and it fits very well with President’s Capilouto’s vision of the ‘University for Kentucky.’”

MEDIA CONTACT: Elizabeth Adams, elizabethadams@uky.edu