The School of Public Health

Criterion 1

The School of Public Health

University of MassachusettsAmherst

School of Public Health and Health Sciences

Final Self-Study Report

1

University of Massachusetts Chapter 1

1.0 The School of Public Health

1.1 Mission. The school shall have a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals and objectives. The school shall foster the development of professional public health values, concepts and ethical practice.

The School of Public Health and Health Sciences (SPHHS) is unique in its interdisciplinary nature. For the past 12 years, SPHHS has successfully combined the traditional public health disciplines with the “health sciences”, specifically nutrition, kinesiology, and communication disorders. Although specific foci and approaches differ, each of the disciplines in SPHHS shares a common commitment to optimizing human health and well-being. The SPHHS mission reflects its focus on “transdisciplinary” research. Transdisciplinary research, as defined by the Institute of Medicine1

“involves broadly constituted teams of researchers that work across disciplines in the development of the research questions to be addressed. Transdisciplinary research implies the conception of research questions that transcend the individual departments or specialized knowledge bases because they are intended to solve research questions that are, by definition, beyond the purview of individual disciplines. The practical ramifications of such an approach are that the disciplines will no longer function like ‘silos’ that exist side-by-side, deeply rooted in their respective traditions. Rather these disciplines will involve more broadly constituted and integrated ‘teams.’”

1Institute of Medicine. Who Will Keep the Public Healthy: Educating Health Professionals for the 21st Century. Washington, D.C.: NationalAcademy Press, 2003.

a. A clear and concise mission statement for the school as a whole.

The SPHHS mission and vision statements were revised over the past 1.5 years and approved at the December, 2006 Faculty Assembly meeting. The process for this revision is described in Section 1.1.d.

VISION STATEMENT

SPHHS will be a leader in solving the complex challenges to the public’s health and well-being in the 21st century.

MISSION STATEMENT

To optimize the public’s health and quality of life through education, research, outreach and practice using an innovative model that addresses complex transdisciplinary health issues by integrating core areas of public health and the health sciences.

b. One or more goal statements for each major function by which the school intends to attain its mission, including instruction, research, and service.

I. RESEARCH GOALS

I.A. To increase overall research productivity and quality.

I.B. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans public health and the basic and applied sciences, clinical practice and community applications.

II. EDUCATION GOALS

II.A. To become a leader for public health and health sciences workforce development and training.

II.B. To promote diversity in the student body and to develop learning opportunities to address issues of health disparity.

II.C. To prepare graduate students with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to advance the health and quality of life of the public.

SERVICE AND OUTREACH GOALS

III.A. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing

transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.

III.B. To provide leadership and service to organizations and state, federal and global

agencies.

c. A set of measurable objectives relating to each major function through which the school intends to achieve its goals of instruction, research, and service.

Note: Each objective is followed by brackets noting the corresponding CEPH Accreditation Criteria and the specific individual/committee assigned to lead its implementation and evaluation.

I. RESEARCH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

I.A. GOAL 1. To increase overall research productivity and quality.

Objective I.A.1. Increase the School’s annual extramural funding by 10% from 2004-2005 levels by FY 2008. [Outcome Indicator 1.6.m., Associate Dean]

Objective I.A.2. Increase the number of peer-reviewed publications from the School by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010. [Outcome Indicator 3.1, Associate Dean]

Objective I.A.3. Increase the number of faculty who submit federal grant applications as Principal Investigator by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010. [Outcome Indicator 3.1, Associate Dean]

Objective I.A.4. Improve the infrastructure for research. Specifically, increase the 80% FTE Grants Manager to 100% by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 1.6.b., Associate Dean]

Objective I.A.5. Provide state of the art research space for new hires and renovate existing laboratories to current professional standards by 2010. [Outcome Indicator 1.6.g, Associate Dean]

Objective I.A.6. Increase faculty hires with a transdisciplinary focus in key areas such as obesity, women’s health, health disparities, and/or aging by 2010. [Outcome Indicator 1.6.b, SPHHS Strategic planning and evaluation committee]

I.B. GOAL 2. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans the basic and applied sciences and public health, clinical practice and community applications.

Objective I.B.1. Create two Research Centers: The Center for Healthy Aging and the Center for Obesity-Related Diseases. This will be accomplished by translating current interest groups into two research centers by 2009. [Dr. Karen Helfer, Director of the Interest Group on Healthy Aging and Dr. Elena Carbone, Director of the Interest Group on Obesity-Related Diseases]

Objective I.B.2. Support transdisciplinary research by converting the one-time 2005-2006 competitive SPHHS Pilot and Feasibility Study Awards into an annual awardcommencing in 2007-2008. [Outcome Indicator 3.d, SPHHS Research Committee]

Objective I.B.3. Establish a campus-wide Institute of Global Health to expand the School’s efforts in public health research, training and capacity building in South Africa, Vietnam and Russia by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 3.3.d, Dr. David Buchanan, Community Health Education]

Objective I.B.4. Establish a Center for Participatory Research in Health Disparities and develop two initiatives in community participatory research by 2010. [Outcome Indicator 3.2.d, Dr. Idali Torres, Community Health Education]

II. EDUCATIONAL GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

II.A. Goal 1. To prepare undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to advance the health and quality of life of the public.

Objective II.A.1. Develop and implement an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Functional Genomics in Public Health with faculty from SPHHS, computer science, and biology by 2008 [Outcome Indicator 2.1.a., Dr. Andrea Foulkes, Biostatistics & Epidemiology].

Objective II.A.2. Develop and implement a dual MPH/MPPA (Masters in Public Health/Master’s in Public Policy Administration) degree program by 2009. [Outcome Indicator 2.1.a, Dr. Mike Begay & Dr. Bill Bartosch, Health Policy & Management]

Objective II.A.3. Institute an undergraduate degree program in Public Health based on the Institute of Medicine recommendations for the preparation of undergraduates in public health by Fall 2007. [Outcome Indicator 2.1.a. Dr. Dan Gerber, Community Health Studies]

Objective II.A.4. Seek and obtain one or more doctoral training grants from NIH in transdisciplinary areas of research strength (e.g. obesity-related diseases, healthy aging, women’s health) by 2009. [Outcome Indicator 1.6.b. Dr. Karen Helfer, Director of the Interest Group on Healthy Aging, Dr. Elena Carbone, Director of the Interest Group on Obesity-Related Diseases, and Dr. Lisa Chasan-Taber, Director of the Center for Research and Education in Women’s Health]

Objective II.A.5. Expand the current MPH degree in Nutrition to include an online degree program by 2008. [Outcome Indicator 2.1.a., Dr. Nancy Cohen, Nutrition]

Objective II.A.6. Develop and implement a specialty MPH degree in Kinesiology titled Physical Activity and Public Health by 2009. [Outcome Indicator 2.1.a., Dr. Lisa Chasan-Taber, Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Dr. Patty Freedson, Kinesiology]

II.B. GOAL 2. To become a leader for public health and health sciences workforce development and training

Objective II.B.1. Seek and obtain a CDC-ASPH Academic Health Department: Demonstration Project Grant to foster public health practice partnerships with local and state health departments by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 3.1.c., Dr. Phil Nasca, Biostatistics & Epidemiology]

Objective II.B.2. Use marketing survey data to expand online degree offerings by 2008. [Outcome Indicator 2.12, Dr. Ann Cary, Public Health Practice]

Objective II.B.3. Develop and implement an online certificate program in Health Reporting in collaboration with the Department of Communications at the University of Massachusetts by 2008. [Outcome Indicator 3.3.b., Dr. Ann Cary, Public Health Practice; Dr. Dan Gerber, Community Health Education]

Objective II.B.4. Re-establish the Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach to identify necessary areas in public health workforce development by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 3.3.b., Shirley Mietlicki, Community Health Education]

II.C. GOAL 3. To promote diversity in the student body and to develop learning opportunities to address issues of health disparity.

Objective II.C.1. Increase the number of and diversity of graduate and undergraduate students in SPHHS by 5% on-campus programs through the creation of an ad-hoc SPHHS committee appointed by the Dean by 2008. [Outcome Indicator 4.5.c., Associate Dean]

Objective II.C.2. Review the curriculum of all degree programs to ensure appropriate emphasis on diversity and cross-cultural issues and identify ways to strengthen these components by 2008. [SPHHS Curriculum Committee]

Objective II.C.3. Implement the School’s social justice and diversity plan by 2008. [Dr. Idali Torres, Community Health Education]

III. SERVICE AND OUTREACH GOALS AND OBJECTIVES

III.A. Goal 1. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.

Objective III.A.1. Increase the Dean’s Advisory Council membership by at least three to six members representative of the community and diverse constituencies served by the School by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 1.5.c, Associate Dean]

Objective III.A.2. Commencing in Spring 2007, schedule biannual meetings with community partners to identify local health needs and problems to be addressed through research studies and intervention strategies. [Outcome Indicator 3.2.b.,Office of Public Health Practice and Outreach]

III.B. Goal 2. To provide leadership and service to organizations and state, federal and global agencies.

Objective III.B.1. Create a SPHHS ad-hoc committee charged with identifying five key areas requiring leadership and service in organizations and state, federal, and global agencies by 2007. [Outcome Indicator 3.2.b., SPHHS Personnel Committee]

d. A description of the manner in which mission, goals and objectives are developed, monitored and periodically revised and the manner in which they are made available to the public.

Development

The Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee consists of six faculty members (one from each of the Public Health Divisions [Biostatistics & Epidemiology, Environmental Health Science, and Community Health Studies] and one from each of the Departments of Nutrition, Kinesiology, and Communication Disorders. A graduate student and an undergraduate student are ex officio and non-voting members of the committee. This committee serves as the Self Study committee for the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) accreditation activities; provides leadership for long range strategic planning and evaluation activities of the academic mission of the School; and plans and evaluates school-wide faculty professional development activities.

In March 2005, the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee, chaired by a faculty member in Community Health Education, was charged with revisiting the School’s vision and mission statements, goals and objectives as part of a strategic planning process. The Committee designed a preamble (Resource File) to guide its process of refining the current vision, mission, and goal statements. The preamble, the refined vision and mission statements, and updated goals were first presented to the Dean, the Executive Council, and then to the faculty. The faculty approved the statements presented with some minor adjustments at the May 13, 2005 faculty meeting. Objectives for each of the goals were presented to the Dean, Executive Council and faculty at the October 28, 2005 faculty meeting for comment. In response to these comments, a subgroup of the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee revised the objectives which were approved unanimously at the February 10, 2006 faculty meeting as part of an overall strategic plan.

In response to the Revised CEPH Accreditation Criteria, the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee revised the objectives to be measurable during the Summer and Fall of 2006. These measurable objectives have been reviewed by the Dean, the Dean’s Advisory Council (October 20, 2006), the Executive Council, and the faculty and were approved by the faculty at the Faculty Assembly meeting on December 1, 2006.

Monitoring

The monitoring of the mission, goals and objectives occurs systematically at several levels.

1. First, each objective has specific individuals/committees assigned to lead implementation and evaluation of the objective by the target date, noted in brackets after each specific objective above. Progress toward completion of these objectives is reviewed in regular committee meetings and faculty performance reviews.
2. Second, Division Directors/Department Chairs oversee the status of those objectives most relevant to their division/department.
3. Third, the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee is assigned to monitor the achievement of the mission, goals, and objectives. Each year this committee reviews summary data to evaluate effective implementation. Monitoring at this level is informed by data collected in the Associate Dean’s central repository for data collection. Specifically, data is collected and monitored from several sources including admissions data, exit interview data, the Office of Institutional Research (OIR), Annual Faculty Reports (AFRs), course evaluations, and the Office of Grants and Contract Administration (OGCA). The Self-Study process has led to further refinement and efficiencies in these methods. Specifically:
4. An excel spreadsheet has been created with table templates for each of the outcome measures identified in the Self-Study as corresponding to SPHHS goals and objectives. Each Fall, in conjunction with thereceipt of Annual Faculty Reports (AFRs), the Division Directors/Department Chairs will complete the relevant spreadsheets for their divisions/departments. Examples of such data include field experience sites and preceptors, service activities, workforce development activities, current student GPAs, etc. These spreadsheets will be submitted to the Associate Dean.
5. In addition to collecting this data, the Associate Dean’s office will also be responsible for soliciting data from central university offices such as OIR and OGCA. Examples of such data include research expenditures per FTE faculty, institutional expenditures per FTE student, the number of students who are accepted, enroll, and graduate in each degree program, etc. This data will be entered into an excel spreadsheet with the relevant table templates. In addition, the Associates Dean’s Office will conduct the biennial alumni survey and key informant’s survey.
6. Fourth, the Dean and Executive Council regularly monitor and review this data at their monthly meetings with recommendations made for improvements, changes, and efficiencies. The Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee summarize annual findings in a written statement to the Executive Council of the school which reviewsthe report in a subsequent Fall meeting with the Dean. The Dean provides an overall annual review on the School’s progress in achieving the goals and objectives at the Fall Faculty Assembly meeting. These recommendations may lead to specific charges to the School-Wide committees or the Division Directors/Department Chairs.
7. Finally, the Dean’s Advisory Council provides annual input on the progress of the School toward its objectives. The Advisory Council last met October 20, 2006.

Periodic Revision

The Dean’s Executive Council leads the process for the periodic revision of the mission, goals and objectives based on the results of the assessment and evaluation described above. This includes input from the Dean’s Advisory Council, key informants, alumni, as well as continuous review of the data as described above. The Dean then charges the Strategic Planning and Evaluation Committee with conduct of this task as outlined in Section 1.1.d.

Availability to the Public

The mission, goals, and objectives are available to the public through SPHHS web site and they have been published in SPHHS alumni newsletters.

e. A statement of values that guide the school, with a description of how the values are determined and operationalized.

SPHHS is firmly committed to public health values, concepts and ethics. Public health is what we, as a society, do collectively to assure the conditions for people to be healthy.1 The following are the explicit values adopted by the faculty that are essential to carrying out the mission of the School. These values, although updated to be relevant to the public health challenges of today, remain consistent with the core values of the faculty documented in the last full CEPH review in June 2001.

1IOM (Institute of Medicine). 1988. The Future of Public Health.Washington, DC: NationalAcademy Press

Pursuit of knowledge. Knowledge is gained through a scientific approach to research in health maintenance, health promotion, disease prevention, basic mechanisms of human function, and population studies.

Encouraging learning. Life-long learning is fundamental for the optimization of health and prevention of disease.

Personal responsibility. Individuals assume responsibility for their own lives. As individuals make choices about the way they live, they should recognize the relationship between their actions and their own health.

Ethical practice. Dedication to the highest standards of the profession; virtues of collegiality; sustained performance in teaching, scholarship, research, community service, and practice; and the integrity of public health and health sciences' methods and practice.

Equality and justice. These values promote health and well-being for all within a diverse society.

Ecological perspective. Ecology frames the academic and practical generation of knowledge and service in an effort to protect the health of the public.

These values are posted on the School’s web site. These values are clearly expressed through the research, teaching, and outreach commitments of the faculty.

f. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.

This criterion is met.This criterion is met with commentary.This criterion is partially met.This criterion is not met. SPHHS has a clear and concise mission statement with corresponding goals and measurable objectives. A clear plan has been implemented by which the mission, goals, and objectives are developed, monitored and periodically revised. These procedures have been recently refined making them timely and relevant to the state of SPHHS as it exists today.