The State University of New York Downstate Medical Center's Master of Public Health Program represents an exciting initiative that builds upon the medical center's long tradition of excellence in education, research and community service. The Downstate Medical Center is an environment rich in tradition, but also one in which faculty, graduates and students share a vision for the future. That vision for Brooklyn is an exciting one, full of hope, possibilities and challenges.

Downstate’s Master of Public Health Program is achieving that vision. This forward-thinking program symbolizes a re-affirmation of commitment on behalf of the medical center to the diverse peoples of Brooklyn. Through the Master of Public Health Program we are creating an environment for faculty and students who can enhance their goals of improving health and quality of life in our communities. A series of health reports, undertaken at the request of President LaRosa, have delineated in concrete statistical terms the significant morbidities affecting Brooklyn’s population and illuminated some disturbing disparities in disease prevalence. These health report findings, as well as the fact that Brooklyn is a borough of immigrants where a large percentage of the population was born outside the United States, have served to focus our program on urban and immigrant health.

Public health is more than a collection of clinical preventive services provided to individual patients. While such clinical preventive services are very important, our program strives to also involve faculty and students in population based health. Through this approach one can promote health and prevent disease in the population as a whole. The integration of these two approaches lowers the barriers that have historically separated individual health from public health. We are hopeful that in time our integrative approach will be enhanced by a cadre of our graduates helping us forge partnerships with our various Brooklyn communities to promote both individual and public health.

The current focus of the Master of Public Health Program on urban and immigrant health is enhanced by our broader public health curriculum that covers biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health sciences, health systems management, behavioral health sciences, community health services, global health and other disciplines. Our educational program addresses the leading health issues of our time, including HIV/AIDS, cancer, heart disease and stroke, maternal and child health, asthma and respiratory diseases, gender, race and ethnicity in health, refugee health, emerging infections, bioterrorism health disparities, and will continue to evolve as new health concerns emerge.

Downstate's Master of Public Health Program is housed in the medical center's Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health of the College of Medicine. The faculty of the program includes nationally respected leaders in public health who have distinguished themselves in their respective specialties through teaching, research and service. Our program's faculty is also enriched by professionals from other departments of the College of Medicine, the College of Nursing, the College of Health Related Professions, affiliated hospitals and institutions, and community based organizations. This provides our students with easy access to the rich diversity of faculty expertise found in the only academic medical center in Brooklyn.

Students who enter our Master of Public Health Program represent a broad range of both health care professionals and non-health care professionals. Among them are recent college graduates, nurses, lawyers, administrators, physician assistants, medical students, and physicians. Our courses have been greatly enriched by the unique perspectives they each contribute to the public health learning experience.

In 2004, the Master of Public Health Progra m awarded diplomas to its first group of graduates. Entering its sixth year in 2007-2008, the program now has an enrollment of over 90 students and offers thirty-six courses extended over three semesters.

Plans are now underway to develop four new MPH tracks in addition to the one on Urban and Immigrant Health. These new tracks will be in: Community Health Sciences, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology and Health Policy and Management. In addition, three Doctor of Public Health degree programs are being planned in Community Health Sciences, Environmental Health Sciences and Epidemiology. It is anticipated that these new programs will be implemented in 2008 when the SUNY Downstate School of Public Health will be established.

Our Master of Public Health Program can offer you exciting educational, research and service opportunities, and provide you with the credentials to further your career. Please take some time to visit our web site and also to interact with our outstanding faculty. If you wish to speak with us, please don't hesitate to contact us by telephone, mail or e-mail. You will find us ready to answer your questions and assist you in the pursuit of your public health career goals. Warm greetings from Downstate and from Brooklyn.







Pascal James Imperato, MD, MPH&TM
Director, Master of Public Health Program
Distinguished Service Professor and Chair
Department of Preventive Medicine and Community Health
SUNY Downstate Medical Center