Public Health

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General Information about the School of Public Health

The accredited School of Public Health, in addition to the undergraduate public health major, offers advanced study leading to the degrees of Doctor of Philosophy, Doctor of Public Health, Master of Public Health, Master of Science, and a program that allows students to earn the Master of Public Health concurrently with the Master of Arts in Latin American Studies. The Ph.D. in Public Health is offered in conjunction with the University of California at San Diego (UCSD) in three concentration areas, epidemiology, global health, and health behavior, with various specialization opportunities (see doctoral program). The Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) Program is intended to train leaders and executive managers to guide public health efforts, and is offered in Executive Management and Global Health Management. The M.P.H. is offered with concentrations in the areas of environmental health, epidemiology, health promotion and behavioral science, and health management and policy; the M.S. degree is offered in the areas of environmental health sciences. In addition to these advanced degree programs, the school offers a preventive medicine residency program in conjunction with UCSD that prepares qualified physicians to sit for the American Board of Preventive Medicine certification examination. Residents may receive the M.P.H. degree along with completion of this residency program. M.P.H. degrees in the concentration areas of epidemiology and health promotion and behavioral science are offered by the School of Public Health fully online through Global Campus. For more information about these and other programs please visit https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/programs/.

The School of Public Health is nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The preventive medicine residency program is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The School of Public Health curriculum has been designed to prepare students as practitioners of public health as well as for careers in teaching and research and as leaders in both public and private sector agencies and organizations. To accomplish this mission effectively, the faculty of the School of Public Health is augmented by expert practitioners in specialized fields related to public health who contribute to both the academic and practical experiences of students pursuing public health degrees. These professionals, who hold research or adjunct professorships in the school, come from a variety of settings such as the County of San Diego Health and Human Services Agency, the County of San Diego Department of Environmental Health and Quality, Federally Qualified Health Centers, HMOs, hospitals, industry, managed care agencies, military services, and other academic institutions.

The School of Public Health has established close cooperation with The Herbert Wertheim School of Public Health and Human Longevity Science at UCSD. The UCSD public health faculty have joined the public health faculty at SDSU in offering the Ph.D. in public health (“Joint Doctoral Program”) as well as the preventive medicine residency program.

This broad network of individual practitioners and the institutions they serve provide a variety of health facilities in which students at the SPH may meet Applied Practice Experiences and practicum requirements, as well as joint projects for the Integrated Learning Experience. Many of these opportunities are available not only in the San Diego region but also in Mexico and across the globe. The school’s proximity to the Mexican border has led to the development of strong professional ties between the faculty and students of the SPH and their counterparts in Baja California. Special arrangements with the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California enable students to take courses for credit at the Tijuana campus. This connection has produced a continuing series of jointly sponsored binational research and service projects designed to improve public health conditions and health services on both sides of the border.

Research

Faculty and student research in the broad interdisciplinary field of public health is conducted within the various specialized areas generally defined by the degree concentrations. The following descriptions illustrate the focus of research within each of these areas.

Environmental Health: Identification, evaluation and control of chemical, biological and physical agents in the environment. The current emphasis is on emerging chemical contaminants, U.S.-Mexico border issues, water quality, environmental justice, and the application of new technologies to solve environmental problems.

Epidemiology: Identification of the biological, environmental, and sociobehavioral determinants of human diseases; characterization of the distribution of communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, HIV/AIDS, and COVID-19 and non-communicable diseases such as cancer, Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, and chronic respiratory diseases as well as disease risk factors in human populations.

Health Promotion and Behavioral Science: Identification of risk and protective factors for physical and behavioral health at multiple levels of influence, and the development, implementation, and evaluation of interventions to enhance health and reduce health disparities; emphasis is placed on reducing disparities within historically underserved, marginalized, and minoritized populations.

Health Management and Policy: Management of health care facilities, services, and organizations; planning and evaluation of public and private sector programs; administration and operations in specialty services, hospitals, ambulatory care, insurance companies, HMOs, and other health-related organizations.

Global Health: Health issues and concerns that transcend national borders, class, race, ethnicity and culture; knowledge about how national governments, multinational organizations, non-governmental organizations, and the private sector use collective, science-based interventions to resolve issues.

Global Health Management: Identification of important healthcare needs, establishment of novel models of providing health care, and the management and leadership of complex public health organizations, programs or initiatives engaged in global health activities at the local, state, national, and international level.

Affiliated Research Centers

In an effort to serve the community at large, the School of Public Health sponsors the Institute for Public Health (IPH). The IPH serves as the school’s bridge with the community and public health practice organizations, facilitating field practice opportunities, community-based research, and public health program implementation and evaluation. The IPH also serves as a venue for continuing public health and healthcare education.

In addition, several research centers and institutes have been established to integrate the specialized research of its faculty and students. These include the Institute for Behavioral and Community Health (IBACH), the Center for Research on Sexuality and Sexual Health (SASH), the Center for Tobacco and the Environment and the HealthLINK Center for Transdisciplinary Health Disparities Research.

The John J. Hanlon Chair in Health Services Research and Policy

The John J. Hanlon Chair in Health Services Research and Policy in the School of Public Health (SPH) is named in honor of the late Dr. John J. Hanlon, former assistant surgeon general for the U.S. Public Health Service. Dr. Hanlon coordinated the planning and development of SDSU’s School of Public Health.

The Undergraduate Public Health Major

The Bachelor of Science in Public Health degree provides a broad educational opportunity and exposure of undergraduate students to the field of public health and its many disciplines. The major prepares students to develop, implement, and assess public health programs conducted in varied settings, with diverse populations and aimed at reducing threats to public health. The major prepares students for entry-level positions in a variety of settings, including government agencies, private/voluntary agencies, hospitals, clinics, and international programs. Students develop essential competencies in public health concepts, theories, and methods. Students are exposed to the disciplines of epidemiology, environmental health, occupational health, health services administration, and behavioral science. The program of study uses examples of public health problems from all of these disciplines. A Public Health minor is also offered. Students can also elect to obtain a B.S. in Public Health, Emphasis in Environmental Health degree that is an option for those who would like to study STEM through a public health lens. The coursework aligns closely with requirements for various graduate degrees, Master of Public Health programs, physician associate programs and more.

Retention Policy

The College of Health and Human Services expects all undergraduate public health majors will make reasonable academic progress towards the degree. Public health pre-majors who have earned 60 units but have less than a 2.9 GPA may be removed from the public health pre-major. An academic advising consultation is required for students not meeting impaction criteria.

Impacted Program and Standards for Admission

The undergraduate public health major is an impacted program. To be admitted to the public health major, students must meet the following criteria:

• Receive a grade of B (3.0) or better in P H 101 and P H 292. These courses cannot be taken for credit/no credit (Cr/NC);
• Complete each remaining course in preparation for the major with a minimum grade of C. These courses cannot be taken for credit/no credit (Cr/NC);
• Have a cumulative GPA of 2.90 or better.

To complete the major, students must fulfill the degree requirements described in the catalog in effect at the time they are accepted into the pre-major at SDSU (assuming continuous enrollment).

Admission to Master’s and Doctoral Study

Admission for the following degrees:

Master of Public Health Degree

Master of Science Degree in Epidemiology

Master of Science Degree in Public Health, concentration Environmental Health Sciences

Master of Public Health Degree and Master of Arts Degree in Latin American Studies

Doctor of Public Health Degree (DrPH)

Students applying for admission should electronically submit the university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee as described in Admission and Registration .

All applicants must also submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the School of Public Health via SOPHAS as detailed in https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/admissions/.

Students who do not fully meet the requirements for admission with classified graduate standing may be considered for conditionally classified graduate standing upon recommendation of the admissions committee and the graduate adviser.

Ph.D. Degree in Public Health

Students applying for admission to the joint doctoral program (JDP) between SDSU and UCSD should electronically submit the SDSU university application available at http://www.calstate.edu/apply along with the application fee as described in Admission and Registration .

All applicants must also submit admissions materials separately to SDSU Graduate Admissions and to the School of Public Health via SOPHAS as detailed in https://publichealth.sdsu.edu/admissions/.

In addition, students must follow application procedures as detailed in http://ph.ucsd.edu/jdp/admissions/index.html. This site provides information on application procedures and deadlines.

Faculty

Office of the Director

Director: Oren, Eyal, Professor of Public Health (B.A., Cornell University; M.S., University of Washington; Ph.D., University of Washington)

Associate Director for Student Affairs and Graduate Advisor: Quintana, Penelope J.E., Professor of Public Health (B.S., University of California, Davis; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley)

Associate Director for Academic Affairs: Schmied, Emily A., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., San Diego State University; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., San Diego State University - University of California, San Diego)

Associate Director for Research: Hoh, Eunha, Professor of Public Health, Division Head (B.S., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; M.S., Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology; M.S., Indiana University; Ph.D., Indiana University)

Associate Director for Public Health Practice: McDaniels-Davidson, Corinne, Associate Professor (B.S., Ithaca College; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., San Diego State University / University of California, San Diego)

Undergraduate Program Director: Chowdhury, Zohir, Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., Montana Tech of the University of Montana, M.S., California Institute of Technology, Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology)

Lecturers:

Arroyo, Geysil, Lecturer of Public Health, Field Placement & Professional Development Coordinator (B.A., University of California, San Diego)

Tenured and Tenure-Track Faculty:

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Valafar, Faramarz, Professor of Public Health (Vordiplom, Kaiserslautern University, Germany; M.S., Michigan Technological University; Ph.D., Purdue University)

Alcaraz, John E., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of California, San Diego; M.A., University of California, San Diego; Ph.D., University of California, San Diego)

Goldenberg, Shira M., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., McGill University; M.Sc., University of British Columbia; Ph.D., San Diego State University & University of California, San Diego)

Parada, Jr., Humberto, Associate Professor of Public Health, Division Head (B.S., University of California, Los Angeles; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., University of North Carolina)

Pines, Heather A., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of California, Berkeley; M.P.H., University of Washington; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles)

Wu, Tianying, Associate Professor of Public Health (M.D., Capital University of Medical Sciences; M.S., Harvard School of Public Health; Ph.D., University of North Carolina)

Ni, Yu, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B. Clinical Medicine, Sun Yat-Sen University, M.P.H., Boston University, Ph.D., University of Washington)

Additional Faculty:

Shaffer, Richard A., Professor of Public Health, Emeritus (B.A., Jacksonville University; M.P.H., University of South Carolina; Ph.D., University of South Carolina)

Yu, Elena, Professor of Public Health, Emeritus (M.A., University of Notre Dame; M.P.H., Columbia University; Ph.D., University of Notre Dame)

Adjunct Faculty:

Fraga, Miguel A., M.Sc., H.Sc.D., M.D., Public Health

Global Health Management and Policy

De Neve, Jan-Walter, Professor of Public Health, DRPH Director (M.D. University of Brussels, M.P.H. and Sc.D. Harvard University)

Finlayson, Tracy L., Professor of Public Health, Division Head (B.S., University of California, Davis; Ph.D., University of Michigan)

Kiene, Susan M., Professor of Public Health (B.S., University of Nebraska; M.A., University of Connecticut; M.P.H., Harvard University School of Public Health; Ph.D., University of Connecticut)

Stoskopf, Carleen H., Professor of Public Health (B.S., Valparaiso University; M.S., University of Minnesota; Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University)

Baek, Jong-Deuk, Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., M.B.A., Kyung Hee University, South Korea; Ph.D., University of South Carolina)

Reed, Elizabeth, Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., Lafayette College; M.P.H., Boston University School of Public Health; Sc.D., Harvard University School of Public Health)

Card, Alan, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.A., Thomas Edison State University; M.P.H., University of South Florida; Ph.D., Cambridge University)

Choi, Wilton, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.A., Handong Global University, M.A., KDI School of Public Policy and Management, M.A., University of Southern California,  Ph.D., George Washington University)

Adjunct Faculty:

Brown, Lauren L., Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.S., University of Southern California; M.P.H., Tulane University; Ph.D., University of Southern California)

Macchione, Nicola N., M.P.H., Public Health (M.A., Columbia University & New York University)

Health Promotion and Behavioral Science

Ayala, Guadalupe X., Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of San Diego; M.A., California State University, San Marcos; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., San Diego State University - University of California, San Diego)

Calzo, Jerel P., Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of California, Los Angeles; M.A., University of Michigan; M.P.H., Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health; Ph.D., University of Michigan)

Corliss, Heather L., Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of Wisconsin, Madison; M.P.H., University of California, Los Angeles; Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles)

Crespo, Noe C., Professor of Public Health, Division Head (B.S., California State University, Los Angeles; M.A., California State University, Los Angeles; M.P.H., University of Southern California; Ph.D., San Diego State University - University of California, San Diego)

Schmied, Emily A., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., San Diego State University; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., San Diego State University - University of California, San Diego)

Smiley, Sabrina L., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., Alabama A & M University; M.P.H., University of Alabama; Ph.D., Howard University)

Storholm, Erik D., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., San Francisco State University; M.A., California State University, Long Beach; Ph.D. New York University)

Acevez, Benjamin, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of California, Santa Barbara; M.P.H./M.A., San Diego State University; Ph.D., University of Arizona)

Environmental Health

Chowdhury, Zohir, Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., Montana Tech of the University of Montana; M.S., California Institute of Technology; Ph.D., Georgia Institute of Technology)

Stigler Granados, Paula E., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of Texas; M.S.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., San Diego State University & University of California, San Diego)

Sant, Karilyn E., Associate Professor of Public Health (B.S., University of Michigan; M.P.H., University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of Michigan)

Zavala Perez, Miguel Angel, Associate Professor of Public Health (B.A., University of Guanajuato; M.Sc., Tecnológico de Monterrey; Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology)

Cheng, Kai-Chung, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.S., Tunghai University; M.S., National Chiao Tung University; Ph.D., Stanford University)

Elkin, Elana, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.A., Michigan State University; M.P.H., University of Michigan; Ph.D., University of Michigan)

Kaya, Devrim, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.Sc., Istanbul University, M.Sc, Middle East Technical University, Ph.D., Middle East Technical University)

Lara-Jacobo, Linda, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.S., Autonomous University of Baja California; M.S., Center for Scientific Research and Higher Education; Ph.D., Institut National de la Researche Scientifique)

Lopez-Galvez, Nicolas, Assistant Professor of Public Health (B.S., University of California, Los Angeles; M.P.H., San Diego State University; Ph.D., University of Arizona)

Preventive Medicine Residency

Hill, Linda L., Professor at UCSD School of Public Health and School of Medicine, Director (M.P.H., M.D.) 

Waalen, Jill, Adjunct Associate Professor of Public Health, Associate Director of the Residency (B.A., Concordia College; M.S., University of Wisconsin; M.P.H., San Diego State University; M.D., University of Wisconsin)

Moran, Ryan, Lecturer in Public Health, Assistant Professor, Family Medicine and Public Health, UCSD (B.A., University of California, Davis; M.P.H., San Diego State University; M.D., University of Maryland)

Emeritus:

Bart, Kenneth J., M.D., 1998-2004, Professor of Public Health

Bender, Stephen J., H.S.D., 1970-2004, Professor of Public Health

Brodine, Stephanie, M.D., 1998-2018, Professor of Public Health

Chang, Albert, M.D., 1991-2007, Professor of Public Health

Conway, John B., Ph.D., 1981-1992, Professor of Public Health

de Peyster, Ann, Ph.D., 1983-2011, Professor of Public Health

Elder, John P., Ph.D., 1984-2013, Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Public Health

Gersberg, Richard M., Ph.D., 1986-2018, Professor of Public Health

Hofherr, Louise K., Ph.D., 1987-2010, Associate Professor of Public Health

Hovell, Melbourne F., Ph.D., 1982-2015, Albert W. Johnson Distinguished Professor of Public Health

Koch, Alma L., Ph.D., 1983-2013, Professor of Public Health

Lindsay, Suzanne P., Ph.D., 2007-2015, Associate Professor of Public Health

Macera, Caroline A., Ph.D., 2001-2014, Professor of Public Health

Mayer, Joni A., Ph.D., 1986-2010, Professor of Public Health

Noto, James V., H.S.D., 1969-2001, Associate Professor of Public Health

Novotny, Thomas E., M.D., 2009-2015, Professor of Public Health

Peddecord, K. Michael, Dr.P.H., 1981-2005, Professor of Public Health

Pointer, Dennis D., Ph.D., 1991-2002, Professor of Public Health

Scutchfield, F. Douglas, M.D., 1980-1997, Professor of Public Health

Seidman, Robert L., Ph.D., 1981-2013, Associate Professor of Public Health

Senn, Karen L., Ed.D., M.P.H., 1977-2002, Professor of Public Health

Slymen, Donald J., Ph.D., 1988-2011, Professor of Public Health

Williams, Stephen J., Sc.D., 1980-2014, Associate Dean, College of Health and Human Services; Professor of Public Health

Willis, Winnie O., Sc.D., 1984-2004, Professor of Public Health

Programs

• Epidemiology, M.S.
• Preventive Medicine Residency Advanced Certificate
• Public Health Advanced Certificate
• Public Health Minor
• Public Health, B.S.
• Public Health, Biometry Concentration, M.P.H.
• Public Health, Concentration in Executive Management, Dr.P.H.
• Public Health, Concentration in Global Health Management, Dr.P.H.
• Public Health, Emphasis in Environmental Health, B.S.
• Public Health, Environmental Health Concentration, M.P.H.
• Public Health, Environmental Health Concentration, M.P.H. and Latin American Studies, M.A.
• Public Health, Environmental Health Sciences Concentration, M.S.
• Public Health, Epidemiology Concentration, Human-Centered Design Specialization. Ph.D
• Public Health, Epidemiology Concentration, M.P.H.
• Public Health, Epidemiology Concentration, M.P.H. and Latin American Studies, M.A.
• Public Health, Epidemiology Concentration, Ph.D.
• Public Health, Global Health Concentration, Human-Centered Design Specialization. Ph.D
• Public Health, Global Health Concentration, Ph.D.
• Public Health, Health Behavior Concentration, Human-Centered Design Specialization. Ph.D
• Public Health, Health Behavior Concentration, Ph.D.
• Public Health, Health Management and Policy Concentration, M.P.H.
• Public Health, Health Promotion and Behavioral Science Concentration, M.P.H.
• Public Health, Health Promotion and Behavioral Science Concentration, M.P.H. and Latin American Studies, M.A.
• Public Health, M.P.H.
• Public Health, M.P.H. and Latin American Studies, M.A.
• Public Health, M.S.
• Social Work, M.S.W. and Public Health, M.P.H.

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