Kentucky is known for its production of thoroughbred race horses, tobacco and bourbon. Not surprisingly, our state is also known for the negative health consequences of our signature industries. These include high morbidity and mortality rates for cancer, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, illnesses that can be prevented through public health education and intervention efforts. Like many other states, Kentucky also faces a public health workforce shortage and a lack of formal education for many public health workers.

The University of Louisville (UofL) School of Public Health and Information Sciences (SPHIS), began with the idea of developing professional degree programs to meet public health workforce needs in Kentucky and beyond. Towards this end, we have partnered with administrators and trainers at the Kentucky Department for Public Health and Louisville Metro Department of Public Health and Wellness, healthcare facilities and pipeline institutions to offer experiential educational opportunities to address core competencies in public health.

Having received CEPH accreditation in October 2007, SPHIS is experiencing a period of rapid growth. In response, we are scaling our student services and other organizational structures to meet the needs of an expanding school.

History
In 2002, UofL officially established SPHIS and charged the school with developing professional degree programs to complement existing research-oriented master's and doctoral degrees. Richard D. Clover, MD was appointed Dean and, subsequently, appointed associate deans to identify best practices in public health education. The next step was developing a distinctive vision for the school. As this process moved forward, it became clear that, w hile we embrace the traditional tasks and roles of public health specialists, we recognize that protecting the public's health today requires much more.

This vision challenged us to create a new approach to public health education that integrates how information about the public's health is acquired, evaluated, acted on and disseminated, and how these affect the public and its health. It requires preparing our students for careers in the 21st century by using 21st century knowledge and techniques, pursuing health information sciences as an inseparable aspect of public health and working for close integration of individual health, health care and public health.

We moved forward with this vision, creating five departments in the core areas of public health education, appointing department chairs and recruiting faculty and staff. By mid-2005, all departments had faculty, staff, leadership, documented mission statements and course offerings. The doors of the school were opened, and the students came. A student affairs program was in development, but it was clear that SPHIS was well on its way to the next phase of its start-up.

Planning
We have learned much during the process of developing a new school of public health. Our ability to learn quickly and stay flexible have been key factors in successfully navigating this landscape that constantly changes. Having established clear goals early on was also of paramount importance. Throughout the ups and downs of building the organization, we have carefully tracked our progress and remained focused on achieving our goals and vision.

As the first class of MPH students arrived in the fall of 2006, it became evident that we needed additional staff to address a myriad of student issues. These included academic advising, admissions, campus safety, career services, counseling, financial aid, orientation, disability services, student activities and student government. Tammi Thomas was named as the Assistant Director for Student Services, and she provides assistance to all students in the school including responses to initial inquiries, notification of scholarship opportunities and general transition issues.

In planning for Fall 2007 and our second class of MPH students, it became apparent that we needed to ramp up a formal student affairs program. It was at this time that Susan Muldoon, PhD, MPH, was appointed to the position of Associate Dean for Student Affairs. Dr. Muldoon's responsibilities include: supervising student services; serving as a student advocate and liaison; coordinating student recruitment activities; providing professional and career counseling for students; overseeing the Student Government Association; and organizing commencement. Additional administrative staff are now working with the Office of Student Services team to assist in daily operations and to provide timely responses to student requests.

Challenges & Opportunities
As SPHIS has grown, we have made changes in staffing, policy and student services. Every semester has presented situations that challenge both our current status quo and our creativity in providing the appropriate student services.

For example, the historical focus of student affairs has been on understanding and meeting the needs of traditional students. However, many of our students are nontraditional in that they are older and have families. In addition, more non-resident students are applying to SPHIS than ever before. The SPHIS Office of Student Services has adapted by becoming a full-service office, prepared not only to assist students with academic issues, but also with the psychosocial aspects of a graduate student's experience, including financial aid, housing, community building, and social interaction and activities.

Another challenge that became apparent as we grew was students' need for career services, whether in their first year, their second year, or as alumni. The Office of Student Services partners with the University's Career Development Center to assist SPHIS students and alumni in the process of exploring, deciding, and managing their unique career goals during graduate school and after graduation. SPHIS has been assigned its own career coach, who has understanding of the career opportunities within public health, to assist students with assessing abilities, interests and values, clarifying career goals, writing a resume or cover letter, preparing for interviews, or conducting a job search.

One of our most notable successes has been the formation of the Student Government Association (SGA). After just two rounds of pizza, the bylaws were ratified and temporary officers were designated. Official elections were held soon thereafter. Since then, the student government has been self-directed and has accomplished a great deal. The organization is very active in promoting social and service functions. One highlight of these engagement activities was last September when the SGA sponsored a school-wide effort to support the 2007 Louisville AIDS Walk. Students, staff and faculty were encouraged to sign-up online to participate on the SPHIS team and to support a series of fundraising activities. In honor of these efforts, SPHIS received the “Top University Team” award from the Louisville AIDS Walk Organization. We fully expect that communication and collaboration among all members of the SPHIS community will continue to grow along with the SGA.

Future
Looking forward, we anticipate a whole new set of challenges. SPHIS currently offers a professional Master of Public Health degree, Master of Science degrees in Biostatistics-Decision Science, Clinical Investigation Sciences and Epidemiology and a certificate in clinical investigation sciences.  PhD programs are available in the fields of Biostatistics-Decision Science, Epidemiology, Environmental Health, Health Management and Health Promotion.  Dual degrees are available in Medicine and Clinical Investigation Sciences (MD-MSc) and Mathematics and Biostatistics-Decision Science (PhD-MSc).  A dual MD-MPH program was just approved and discussions for additional degree programs are under consideration. This number of degree programs and the increased number of applications has had a major impact on the workload of the student services staff. As a result, there is an increased demand for communication with student applicants, admissions committees and departments to ensure all applications materials have been received and credentials verified. The Office of Student Services aims to be a one-stop source for all student questions and concerns; this is not an easy task.

Our continuing growth raises new questions related to every aspect of student services. How can we accommodate new student orientation each year with growing class sizes? What changes need to be made to commencement activities this May 2008 when we graduate the largest class of students to date? How will we be able to find times and locations for over seventy classes? Even the storage of records is an issue, leading us towards a paperless student records system to improve access and tackle the space issues.

Meanwhile, the science and technology of public health continues to change. Our school and the student affairs program will evolve. This is a critical time for the field of public health, which must adapt to the challenges of frequent natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases, occupational health challenges, epidemiological surveillance, environmental contamination and an increasing focus on health behaviors and how they impact our citizens. We are looking at our adaptability as a core competency, whether we apply it in serving students in our rapidly growing school or in our mission of advancing the field of public health.

SPHIS is proud to join this elite group of schools that are preparing the experts who will tackle these problems and who are applying state-of-the-art information sciences tools to track and analyze threats to public health.


________________

Submitted: 3/4/08

Susan Muldoon
Associate Dean for Student Affairs
susan.muldoon@louisville.edu

Melissa Schreck
Assistant Director, External Affairs
Melissa.schreck@louisville.edu

University of Louisville
School of Public Health and Information Sciences
Louisville , KY
502-852-3299 (p)
502-852-3299 (f)
http://louisville.edu/sphis