Meredith Genevive R, Welter Christina R, Risley Kris, Seweryn Steven M, Altfeld Susan, Jarpe-Ratner Elizabeth A
Department of Public and Ecosystem Health, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
Department of Health Policy and Administration, UIC School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, USA.
Public Health Rep. 2023 Sep-Oct;138(5):829-837. doi: 10.1177/00333549221121669. Epub 2022 Sep 16.
For decades, there have been calls to action to change the status quo of public health education in the United States to respond to workforce needs and help reinforce capacity. During the last 10 years, schools and programs of public health have planned and implemented programmatic and curricular changes. This study explored the focus of master of public health (MPH) education in the United States today.
We used a 3-phase mixed-methods study to compile data to describe the current state and focus of MPH education in the United States via survey data collection (November-December 2019), semistructured interviews (January-February 2020), and document reviews.
Survey responses represented at least 43% (93/215) of eligible MPH programs in the United States. Most respondents (86%, 99/115) reported that the primary focus of MPH education in the United States is to prepare graduates for public health practice and employment linked to public health, and 54% (59/109) reported that their MPH programs adopted this focus in the last 5 years. MPH programs invested in student learning, competence development, and supporting workforce readiness, including a focus on leadership abilities. Programs noted that they seek to develop strategic thinkers and engaged leaders with abilities to understand and address emergent public health needs.
Public health education in the United States is in a period of change. MPH programs reported responding to workforce needs by closing gaps in workforce capacity and developing compassionate and professional leaders who can understand needs, collaborating with communities, and facilitating action that will ameliorate health disparities and promote social injustice by practicing public health in new ways.
几十年来，一直有人呼吁采取行动改变美国公共卫生教育的现状，以满足劳动力需求并帮助增强能力。在过去十年中，公共卫生学院和项目已经规划并实施了项目和课程改革。本研究探讨了当今美国公共卫生硕士（MPH）教育的重点。
我们采用了一个三阶段混合方法研究，通过调查数据收集（2019年11月至12月）、半结构化访谈（2020年1月至2月）和文件审查来汇编数据，以描述美国MPH教育的现状和重点。
调查回复代表了美国至少43%（93/215）符合条件的MPH项目。大多数受访者（86%，99/115）报告称，美国MPH教育的主要重点是使毕业生为公共卫生实践和与公共卫生相关的就业做好准备，54%（59/109）报告称他们的MPH项目在过去五年中采用了这一重点。MPH项目在学生学习、能力发展和支持劳动力准备方面进行了投资，包括对领导能力的关注。各项目指出，他们寻求培养具有理解和应对新出现的公共卫生需求能力的战略思想家和积极参与的领导者。
美国的公共卫生教育正处于变革时期。MPH项目报告称，通过缩小劳动力能力差距以及培养能够理解需求、与社区合作并通过以新方式开展公共卫生工作来促进改善健康差距和推动社会正义的富有同情心和专业的领导者，来应对劳动力需求。
