Association of Schools of Pub... Health Article

ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH

The Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) is the national organization representing the deans, faculty, staff, and students of the accredited member schools of public health in the United States. Incorporated in 1959, it is the national voice of academic public health.

The ASPH mission is to improve the public's health by advancing professional and graduate education, research, and service in public health. In order to achieve this, ASPH is committed to:

• Providing a forum for communication between schools and the public health community
• Identifying and expanding funding resources to support and improve schools of public health
• Promoting public awareness and understanding of the critical roles played by education, science, and practice in meeting public health needs
• Identifying and disseminating strategies to increase diversity of faculty, students, and staff in schools of public health
• Encouraging and supporting the expansion of the number of schools of public health
• Initiating cooperative actions and helping build international, national, and local coalitions with other organizations whose mission is to improve public health

The schools have a combined faculty of over 3,000 and educate more than 15,000 students annually. Degree programs are focused on biostatistics, epidemiology, health-services administration, health-educational behavioral science, and environmental health; but they also offer various concentrations and subspecialties. Students come from throughout the United States and from most countries throughout the world. The schools graduate over 5,000 professionals each year, and offer a variety of degrees such as Master of Public Health, Master of Health Administration, Master of Health Services, and Doctor of Public Health. Schools of public health constitute a primary source of trained public health professionals and specialists, who are in short supply, to serve the federal government, the fifty states, and the private sector.

KAREN HELSING

(SEE ALSO: Accreditation of Public Health Training Programs; Careers in Public Health; Health Administration, Career in; Training for Public Health)