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College of Public Health |
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Dear ##First Name##:
Yesterday the Board of Trustees approved a change in our name from the College of Health Professions and Social Work to the College of Public Health. This change makes the college the largest such institution in Greater Philadelphia and, once it completes its accreditation process, one of only three accredited schools of public health in Pennsylvania, along with Drexel University and the University of Pittsburgh.
Becoming a College of Public Health is an evolutionary step for us. We now join the ranks of a nationwide trend in higher education to bring together health professions in academia for the preparation of the future health-related workforce to better reflect the world of practice. Undergraduates and graduates alike will receive a dynamic education that includes clinical and practice-based perspectives on improving and maintaining health in the community; this shift is directly in line with President Theobald's strategic priorities to include more active engagement with the needs of the community, as well as advancing innovation and a “real-world” research agenda. Similar changes were successful at comparable institutions, including the University of Maryland and University of Florida.
The Class of 2016 will be the first class to graduate from the new College of Public Health.
Significant advantages
The new college will significantly benefit all its stakeholders. Students will have more access to funded training experiences and be better prepared to work in the modern healthcare setting. Faculty can expand their research and clinical care to encompass transdisciplinary teams and will also have access to new research funding sources. The community can take advantage of services that integrate multiple areas of expertise, reflecting a more holistic approach to health and well-being.
Students at the college will also have greater opportunities to fund their education because accredited schools of public health have access to dedicated funding sources, such as training grants from the Health Resources and Services Administration and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Departmental and degree changes
Along with the new name will be a realignment of the Public Health Department. As of July 1, 2015, the Department of Public Health will be divided into two new departments: Epidemiology and Biostatistics with a Division of Environmental Health, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The Department of Health Information Management (HIM) will be renamed Health Services, Administration, and Policy with an HIM Division; faculty from the Department of Public Health with specialization in health policy will join them, providing a paradigm of a transdisciplinary department. All other divisions—Communications Sciences and Disorders, Kinesiology, Nursing, Physical Therapy, Rehabilitation Sciences, and School of Social Work—will remain unchanged.
In addition to the departmental restructuring, the college will also offer a new PhD in epidemiology and two new master's of public health concentrations in epidemiology and applied biostatistics. The college will also place greater emphasis on transdisciplinary courses offered across departments and existing courses co-taught by faculty in different departments, providing students with broader insights within the existing degree programs and a greater opportunity to interact with their fellow students from other disciplines.
Going forward
We believe this development is a real game changer for the college and promises to raise our national profile as a leader in the field of public health and practice. We invite you, as supporters of the college, to join us in building this new vision, including assisting us in raising funds for a new building that will house together, for the first time, all its academic units.
In early 2015 we will provide you with more updates about the college's progress and opportunities to participate in these exciting changes.
All the best,
Laura A. Siminoff, PhD
Dean
Temple University College of Public Health
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