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MPH Program
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 MPH Program
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Environmental Health is a key component of public health. Local environmental health professionals are the “front line troops” in the public health battle to prevent disease. It is the responsibility of and challenge to the schools of public health to provide programs in Environmental Health for the education of these “front line troops”, so that they possess the scientific understanding and competencies necessary to recognize and respond appropriately to environmental health challenges, both nationally and in our communities. The Masters in Public Health (MPH) in Environmental and Occupational Health (EOH) is the program at the Graduate School of Public Health of the University of Pittsburgh that accepts this challenge and responsibility.
Risk Assessment, a process developed by the National Academy of Sciences, informs the approach to many current environmental-health-related studies and to the governmental policies that follow. From evaluating “brownfields”, to remediating nuclear weapons development sites, to assessing the health impact of local air pollution exposure, the process of Risk Assessment and the subsequent activities of Risk Communication and Risk Management are effectively applied to describe the human health risk due to a hazardous situation, to share with “stakeholders” the nature and scope of the problem, and to mitigate the health impact of the environmental exposure in question. Risk Assessment has become one of the most important approaches for identifying and addressing environmental health problems.
In the field of environmental biology, molecular and genomic information advances have greatly penetrated the level at which we can observe within the human body the impact of environmental stressors. Molecular changes at the cellular level and genetic changes that allow or cause disease as a result of environmental or occupational exposures are now being discovered. Understanding broadly the current research and the scientific vocabulary relevant to this area broadens considerably the understanding of what is meant by human health response to the environment.
The MPH program provides an opportunity for students interested in environmental health to become familiar with these relevant scientific concepts as they apply to public health practice. The program will also be an opportunity for working health professionals to achieve an in-depth environmental perspective as well as a degree in Public Health. The focus may be either an MPH in Environmental Health or an MPH in Risk Assessment depending on the choice of electives and desire of the student.
The program seeks to educate public health professionals to achieve the following competencies:
- understand the processes and pathways of environmental and occupational exposures and how they reach human populations and ecological receptors;
- comprehend the impact of the environment on human health and how it is manifested at the organic level, at the cellular level, and at the genetic level;
- apply epidemiological and statistical approaches to the study of environmental and occupational health;
- integrate information from the above into the process of risk assessment to determine science-based health interactions between exposure and disease;
- evaluate engineering, institutional and behavioral interventions to prevent or control environmental and occupational hazards;
- incorporate community-based participatory research approaches into solving environmental health problems.
The EOH MPH degree program will prepare graduates for a wide choice of professional environmental and occupational health careers:
- environmental managers in industry, consulting , and remediation companies;
- positions in federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry (ATSDR), and the Centers for Disease Control (CDC);
- careers in state agencies, such as the Department of Health (DOH), Department of Environmental Protection (DEP), and local health departments and municipal environmental agencies.
Additional Information on Essay Guidelines for MPH StudentsIn addition to the information you receive in your graduation packets, which you are responsible for reading and following. As stated in the GSPH Guidelines, failure to read and follow procedures can result in jeopardizing your graduation.
For essays:
- Each student receives specific information in their graduation packets regarding proper steps to follow in having their essay processed.
- The student is responsible for making sure their essay reaches each committee member for review.
- The student is responsible for contacting and coordinating a day and time with the committee members for the review meeting.
- The student is responsible for reserving a room/equipment unless they specifically ask the coordinator or assistant.
- The student is responsible for having their Report on Requirements Form signed by all committee members as well as the department chair.
- When the Report on Requirements Form is signed by all members, your advisor, and the department chair, return the *original* to program coordinator for final processing.
Contacts:
Jim Peterson, Ph.D.; Email jpp16@pitt.edu |
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Admissions Requirements
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University of Pittsburgh Graduation Form
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