The Stony Brook University Graduate Program in Public Health (GPPH) received accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) for a term of five years. Assembled are the 2008-09 GPPH faculty, staff, and students.

The Stony Brook University Graduate Program in Public Health (GPPH) received accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), an independent organization recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools and programs in public health. CEPH accredited the GPPH for five years, the maximum term awarded to a new program. CEPH accreditation attests to the quality of the GPPH, the only accredited public health program on Long Island, in preparing students to enter public health professions and promoting the health, safety, and welfare of Long Islanders through education, research and community outreach.

According to the Association of the Schools of Public Health, there are a variety of career opportunities in public health that can make meaningful contributions to the health and welfare of the individual and society. Jobs are located in government agencies, hospitals, universities, insurance and consulting companies, and in non-governmental and community agencies that serve the public. Positions in the field are varied and include health outcomes researchers, bioterrorism specialists, infectious or chronic disease specialists, and clinical trials researchers.

“We are pleased to receive CEPH accreditation because the distinction indicates to a national audience that our Graduate Program in Public Health is a quality one based on the faculty, curriculum, and resources we have at Stony Brook University Medical Center,” says Ray Goldsteen, Dr.P.H., Graduate Program Director.

Since Stony Brook’s GPPH was established in 2004, the Program has grown into a broad-based approach to educating students and the community on public health issues. The Program spearheads training and research in the areas of population studies, health disparities, sleep issues, social class/health studies, and global health initiatives.

Students enrolled and working toward a Masters in Public Health (M.P.H.) within the program have varied backgrounds that include nursing, nutrition, dentistry, medicine, and economics. In May 2008, 13 individuals received M.P.H. degrees from the program, the highest number of graduates to date. GPPH faculty are from many disciplines representing the clinical, social, and behavioral sciences, as well as the humanities.

“The Program emphasizes an ecological orientation to understanding health problems and developing innovative solutions for them,” adds Dr. Goldsteen. “We believe our graduates will have the skills to develop sound public health research and translate research into beneficial programs and policies.”

GPPH graduates have gone on to positions at institutions in the U.S. and abroad. These include research positions at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, Stony Brook University Medical Center, and SUNY Downstate Medical Center, as well as  a faculty positions at the University of Iowa, Miami University, Central University of Finance and Economics in Beijing, and a community development specialist at the Turkana Basin Institute in Kenya.

A core aspect of the Program is pursuing research that contributes to the health improvement of all populations and the elimination of disparities. This value is operationalzed by facilitating interdisciplinary and collaborative research by the faculty and students in the Program's Center for Public Health and Health Policy Research (CPHHPR), which emphasizes health improvement through community-based participatory research (CBPR) and service; the Children’s Environmental Health Centers of New York (CEHCNY) at Stony Brook, which emphasizes research, education, clinical evaluation, and treatment of pediatric patients with suspected environmental exposures; and the Center for Health Services and Outcomes Research (CHSOR), which focuses on the effective, efficient, and equitable provision of health and medical care.

Established in 1974 by the American Public Health Association, the CEPH accredits schools nationwide that prepare students for entry into careers in public health. The goal of the Council is “to enhance health in human populations through organized community effort.” In addition, the focus of CEPH is to improve health through the assurance of professional personnel who are able to identify, prevent, and solve community health problems.

The vision of the Stony Brook’s GPPH is four-fold: to develop a nationally recognized, accredited graduate educational program in public health; to advance knowledge in population health research among faculty and students; to provide community partnerships of the highest quality that benefit the health of local, regional, and state population; and to be a responsible partner with other organizations to be the guardian of health for all Long Island populations.

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