WHY A SCHOOL OF
PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE
21ST CENTURY?
Pierre FOURNIER
Dean, School of Public Health
Université de Montréal
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC
HEALTH AT THE UNIVERSITY
OF MONTREAL IN 2013?
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH (1)
1912
Tulane University
the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine begins operating as a
separate school
1913
Conference on the need for public health education in the US
… a new profession of public health is needed … allied to medicine
but also distinct with its own identity and educational institutions
1915
Welch-Rose Report
… need for adequately trained public health workers … scientific
basis of public health … independent of medical school, in a
university setting and also independent of the structure of state
public health services
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
A VERY SHORT HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH (2)
1916
The Rockfeller Foundation approved the plan to organize a School of
Public Health at the Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore
… School of Public Health and Hygiene … WH Welch Founding Dean
1922
Harvard-MIT School for Health Officers (1913) became Harvard
School of Public Health with an endowment from the Rockefeller
Foundation
DL Edsall Dean of the Medical School and the School of Public Health
1924
1927
1927
The Rockefeller Foundation supported :
Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine in Bejing-China
School of Public Health and Institute of Hygiene in Zagreb (Croatia)
School of Hygiene at the University of Toronto (Canada)
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
 Public health is a wide area of knowledge and research
and also a set of practices belonging to different historical
grounds (German medical police, French state protection,
British industrialisation and urbanisation challenges …)
and political contexts
 Underlying rationale one century ago for public health
schools
Only independent academic institutions may address the
public health problems that are complex
 In 2015 these assumptions are even more relevant
Health issues/problems/determinants and solutions are global
and more complex
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
THE RATIONALE
A field of study and interdisciplinary
practice at the intersection of :
•
•
•
•
Basic & Biomedical Sciences
Animal & Human Health Sciences
Social and Human Sciences
Management Science
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
THE INSTITUTIONAL PERSPECTIVE
1. Autonomy and visibility
Establish links and develop new training and
research programs with other academic units
UdeM
Strengthening ties with our research partners
and practice environments
2. Institutional commitment to develop a
center of excellence
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
YOUNG BUT …
1911
1938-1964
1945-1969
1956
1969-1975
1971-2013
Public Hygiene Diploma
Institute of Microbiology and Hygiene
School of Hygiene
Institute of Hospital Administration
School of Public Health
3 Departments transferred to the Faculty of
Medicine : Health administration, Social and
preventive medicine and Hygiene (became later
Environmental and occupational health)
1986-2011 4 attempts …
2013
School of Public Health
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
SOME OF OUR ASSETS
• 3 departments + Unit of International Health (54 tenured and non
tenure professors/researchers, 165 adjuncts, 18 administrative staff,
717 students-fall 14)
• Strong links with research centres (in and off campus) and
professional institutions
• Academic programs
• PhD with 5 options
• 5 Master (Public Health accredited by the CEPH and Health
administration by the Commission on Accreditation of Health Care
Management Education-since 1967)
• Residency Program in Public Health and Preventive Medicine
(Joint with the Faculty of Medicine)
• Non degree programs : 6 one year, 6 one term (including 2 on line)
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
SOME OF OUR FIRST STEPS
• 9 chairs (8 research-4 CIHR-1 joint with FacMed, 1 education,)
• 3 new collaborative programs
• One health-MPH track (Veterinary medicine)
• Biostatistics-MSc (Faculty of sciences)
• Clinical research-MSc (Faculty of medicine)
• New or revised programs
• MSc Public Health with 7 tracks (follows CEPH requirements for
school accreditation)
• 4 Professional (one year will become DrPH)
• MSc Epidemiology
• PhD bioethics
• Applications
•
MSc Public Health + one year program
2012-13
2013-14
2014-15
2015-16
137
118
192
262
WHY A SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH?
AT UoM in 2013
THANK YOU FOR YOUR
ATTENTION