A 2007 report by the United Health Foundation, ranked Kentucky as one of the unhealthiest states (43rd) in the U.S. Kentucky’s all-cause mortality rate, is the second highest rate in the U.S., due to elevated death rates for cardiovascular disease, cancer and diabetes. The high prevalence of established risk behaviors for many diseases, in both adults and children, including substance abuse, obesity, sedentary lifestyles, and infrequent preventive care contribute significantly to this elevated disease burden.

The University of Kentucky (UK) established the College of Public Health to help address these challenges through its teaching, research and service efforts. As a component of a Carnegie Engaged University, the College of Public Health at UK takes seriously its responsibility to the communities and individuals that constitute the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

The foundation for the College of Public Health is formed by its’ mission, vision, and values. They are more than words; they are the principles, hopes and aspirations that guide decisions and actions. The College values its students, faculty and staff and in all of its actions attempts to build an environment where individuals succeed and thrive. The College takes great pride in the transparency associated with all College operations. The College believes in routine assessment/evaluation, and sees evaluation as part of continuous quality improvement, and not as criticism. Diversity of thought, and diversity among our students, staff and faculty, is woven into the fabric of the culture of the College. In the five years since the creation (July 2004) of the College, and four years since the initial accreditation (July 2005), these guiding principles have helped the University of Kentucky, College of Public Health make significant progress in achieving its academic, research and services goals/objectives.

The College of Public Health is committed to quality in all of its education, research and service efforts. Evidence of this commitment to quality is full accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) and full membership in the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH). The College of Public Health is committed to the practice community, as evidenced by its collaborations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Kentucky Department for Public Health, Lexington-Payette County Health Department, Kentucky Public Health Association, and the Kentucky Health Department Association.

The demand for public health training programs is high, as evidenced by the growth in the number of accredited schools and programs of public health in recent years. Data suggests that students who select public health training programs are making a strategic and wise investment in their future. A 2008 public health workforce report indicated that the U.S. faces a shortfall of 250,000 public health workers by 2020 and that over the next twelve years, schools of public health will need to train three times the number of current graduates to meet projected needs.

To prepare students to take advantage of these opportunities, the UK College of Public Health currently offers the following graduate/professional degree programs:

1. The Master of Public Health (MPH) in five concentration areas: Biostatistics, Environmental Health, Epidemiology, Health Behavior, and Health Services Management.
2. The practice-based, professional public health doctoral degree, the Doctor of Public Health (Dr.P.H.) in three areas: Epidemiology, Health Behavior, and Health Services Management.
3. Doctor of Philosophy(Ph.D.) in Gerontology.
4. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Epidemiology/Biostatistics

A fifth degree program, the Masters in Health Administration (MHA), is proposed to move to the College of Public Health during the 2009-2010 academic year. In addition, the College collaborates with the UK College’s of Medicine and Pharmacy respectively, to offer two dual professional degree programs; MD/MPH and PharmD, MPH.

The UK College of Public Health also takes seriously its responsibility to contribute to science. The productivity of College faculty in the research arena is amazing. College faculty guide over $25 million dollars annually in collaborative research, with funding sources ranging from NIH and CDC, to the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. This extramural funding provides numerous opportunities for students to participate in the conduct of some exciting, innovative and groundbreaking research. Access to faculty in five additional UK health careers colleges (Dentistry, Health Sciences, Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy) and numerous Centers and Institutes further expands opportunities for students.

The University of Kentucky College of Public Health simply provides an incredible environment for public health training, research and service. Information on this website describes the exciting efforts underway, the successes, and the opportunities. This website introduces the real heart of the College, the students, faculty and staff.

Mission statement

As a component of Kentucky’s land-grant institution, the Mission of the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky is to apply comprehensive public health approaches to understand better and to help reduce the burdens and disparities of public health problems on individuals, families and communities.

Vision statement

The College of Public Health will be recognized locally, nationally, and internationally for its outcomes and products addressing public health problems, reflecting excellence in discovery, outreach, learning, service, community engagement, and leadership.

Values statements

The College of Public health at the University of Kentucky pursues its mission and vision with the following commitments regarding its individual and organizational values.

Academic Excellence

Provide comprehensive competency-based education to ensure graduates are prepared to address public health problems efficiently and effectively.

Accountability

Measure, be good stewards of, and be accountable to internal and external constituencies for the education, research and service provided by members of the College of Public Health.

Community Engagement

Use the expertise and resources of the College to empower citizens and mobilize communities to improve public health.

Democracy

Develop a culture of learning in the College characterized by open communication, tolerance, inclusiveness, collegiality, and civility that prepares students to participate in public health initiatives.

Educational Opportunity

Be inclusive in recruiting a diverse faculty, student body, and staff to serve better the public health needs of all population groups.

Organizational Cohesion

Create and nurture an organizational culture that emphasizes openness and collaboration in its governance and daily activities.

Trans-disciplinary Discovery

Facilitate the conduct of rigorous transdisciplinary and interdisciplinary research to address complex public health issues and problems.

Integrity

Commit to a culture characterized by honesty, transparency, and ethical behavior that pervades all its relationships and activities.

GOAL ONE

Research: Enhance Intellectual and Economic Capital through Growth in Research

The College of Public Health will support the University’s Strategic Plan Goal III by increasing basic and applied research to define health issues, test intervention strategies, and evaluate outcomes pertinent to the recognition, characterization, and resolution of health problems in human populations, both within Kentucky and in the broader population.

Goal One Objectives

1.1 In each year, maintain or increase the total primary and collaborative research funding from the previous year, with 2005-06 funding of $624,368 primary and $13,779,732 collaborative as baseline.
1.2 On average, support at least 35% of each fulltime regular faculty member’s total effort each year through extramural funding.
1.3 Mentor and assist junior (untenured) faculty with fulltime appointments so that each member submits at least one proposal for extramural support annually.
1.4 Annually maintain or increase the average number of peer-reviewed publications per faculty member from the baseline of 2.59 in 2006-2007.

Goal One Strategic Considerations

• The College will make formal opportunities available for faculty mentoring and support in proposal development and submission.
• Investigators will need to obtain pilot data to compete successfully for funding through the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The College may need access to a pool of nonrecurring resources for competitive funding of pilot projects.
• The College will play a pivotal role in the development and implementation of the university-wide Center for Clinical and Translational Science.
• The College’s current research strengths in cancer epidemiology and public health systems research will be enhanced.
• College faculty in epidemiology and biostatistics can play an important role in collaborative research with other colleges and centers.

GOAL TWO

Academic Excellence: Prepare Students for Leadership in the Knowledge Economy and Global Society

The College of Public Health will support the University’s Strategic Plan Goals III and IV by offering multiple opportunities for students to acquire the knowledge necessary to contribute professionally to public health, become public health leaders, assess the quality of public health interventions, and identify those likely to be successful.

Goal Two Objectives

2.1 Diversify the opportunities for individuals to contribute professionally to public health through innovative joint or dual degree programs by creating at least two new degree program opportunities.
2.2 Annually recruit new classes of 50 M.P.H., 10 Dr.P.H., and 6 Gerontology Ph.D. students.
2.3 Maintain diversity of the student body by conducting focused student recruitment initiatives with at least three historically African-American colleges or universities annually.
2.4 Recruit classes of students with average GRE scores of 1100, undergraduate GPAs of at least 3.4, and graduate GPAs of 3.75.
2.5 Support student potential for academic success so that 80% of M.P.H. students complete their degree within 6 years of initial enrollment and Dr.P.H. and Ph.D. students within 8 yrs.
2.6 Provide high quality instruction that supports student recruitment and achievement goals measured by aggregate average course evaluation scores of at least 3.0 (Good on scale 1-4) in response to key questions about instructor and class quality.

Goal Two Strategic Considerations

Opportunities for new programs may exist and should be explored in the following areas:

• A joint Epidemiology and Biostatistics Ph.D. program (will be initiated fall 2009).
• Dual degree programs combining the Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) with Master of Science in Nursing (M.S.N.) and Master of Social Work (M.S.W.).
• A Health Policy Ph.D. with colleagues in the Colleges of Law, Business and Economics, Medicine, and colleagues in the Martin School.
• A Gerontology concentration within the M.P.H. program.

Recruiting a competent and diverse student body will require:

• Determining the enrollment capacity of the M.P.H. program within available faculty, space, and financial resources based on recent experience.
• Monitoring and assessing the impact of the SOPHAS centralized application system on applications, admissions, and changing student demographics.
• Reviewing and adjusting processes for recruiting, admitting, and awarding financial aid, while maintaining the College’s commitment to diversity.
• Planning to recruit a successor to the Associate Dean for Student Affairs (completed 2008).

Ensuring successful student degree completion will require:

• Reviewing curriculum, advising, and student learning assessment in the MPH program annually to ensure that the ASPH core competencies are met as adopted by our College.
• Developing, piloting, and evaluating a revised advising program for M.P.H. students (initiated 2009).
• Monitoring outcomes in evaluation, testing, teaching evaluations, faculty development and mentoring completion rates.

High quality instruction will require:

• Understanding and meeting the instructional mentoring needs for both new and tenured faculty.
• Conducting standardized course evaluations each semester in 100% of courses and providing appropriate counsel for any faculty member with an evaluation score lower than 3.0 (scale 1-4).

GOAL THREE

Service: Engage Communities Through Partnerships to Elevate Quality of Life

The College of Public Health will support the University’s Strategic Plan Goal V by creating opportunities for faculty, students, and staff to serve their professional and geographic communities and thereby advance public health practice in the Commonwealth of Kentucky.

Goal Three Objectives

3.1 Perform at least one annual assessment of community and employer needs, and College responsiveness to them.
3.2 Offer at least 25 educational programs supporting workforce development to public health professionals annually.
3.3 Identify and begin planning at least one off-campus location to offer selected graduate courses to meet the needs of the Commonwealth.
3.4 Cultivate external funding for service so that at least 40% of extramural funding is for service-related activities.
3.5 Commit at least an average of 25% of total faculty effort to service-related activities.
3.6 Use the College’s lifelong learning program for older adults to offer at least one wellness course annually at each of three locations.
3.7 Enhance the visibility and stature of public health by honoring at least two individuals per year with Kentucky Public Health Hall of Fame induction.

Goal Three Strategic Considerations

• Workforce development is expected to continue to grow and to become more structured through the Kentucky institute for Public Health Practice Enhancement and the Kentucky Public Health Leadership Institute. Distance education offerings and offerings with certified continuing education units are both expected to increase.

GOAL FOUR

Diversity: Value Diversity of Persons

The College of Public Health will value diversity among its faculty, students and staff.

Goal Four Objectives

4.1 Maintain diversity of the student body by conducting focused student recruitment with at least three historically African-American colleges or universities annually.
4.2 By 2009, college faculty diversity will equal or exceed the diversity of the university faculty as a whole, which is 32% female, 3.4% African-American, and 12.8% other minorities.

Goal Four Strategic Considerations

• The College has consistently achieved a highly diverse student population. As the external environment changes, it will need to monitor and adjust its tactics approaches as necessary to maintain that diversity,
• In 2006-2007, there are 1,965 full time faculty university-wide, with 32% female, 3.4% African-American, and 12.8% other minorities.

GOAL FIVE

College Resources: Manage the College’s Human Resources and Other Resources Optimally

The College of Public Health will manage its business organization and practices to accomplish its strategic plan.

Goal Five Objectives

5.1 Complete each fiscal year with a positive fund balance.
5.2 Increase annual giving in each year of the plan .
5.3 Engage in timely succession planning for at least the three department chairperson positions expected to turn over during the plan period.
5.4 Complete a self-study that forms the basis for strategic planning and meets re-accreditation requirements by the Council on Education for Public Health.
5.5 Conduct surveys of employee satisfaction at least once during the three year period, with at least 70% of respondents agreeing or strongly agreeing that they would recommend the College as a good place to work.

Goal Five Strategic Considerations

• General economic conditions can dramatically affect success in meeting objectives.
• Continue to emphasize the value of people.

From the Dean’s Desk

Welcome to the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky! I am pleased that you are interested in learning more about our degree programs, research and service efforts. As a fully accredited school of public health, by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), and a fully participating member of the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), I believe you will be impressed by the depth and breadth of our training, research, and service activities.

For fall 2009, the College has five areas of concentration in the MPH program: Epidemiology, Health Behavior, Biostatistics, Health Services Management, and Preventive Medicine & Environmental Health. In addition, we offer the PhD in Gerontology, a dual degree PhD in Epidemiology/Biostatistics, and the DrPH degree in Epidemiology, Health Behavior, and Health Services Management.

The College is guided by its mission, vision and values. They are much more than mere words; they are principles we live by. We are one of 40 (and growing) accredited schools of public health who share a grand mission to improve the public’s health across the U.S. and around the world through our teaching, research and service. The faculty, staff and students of the College are committed to making a difference in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. We take seriously our responsibility to prepare the next cadre of public health workers; we know we are preparing future public health leaders. People are important here, so we take seriously our commitment to making our work and learning environment positive, fair, and diverse. We take seriously our commitment to the conduct of sound and ethical research that solves challenges and improves health and well-being. We recognize that we are partners with the public health practice community and seek ways to collaborate and support their efforts. Finally, we are committed to quality in all we do. I cannot envision a better place to work or learn, can you?

Stephen W. Wyatt, D.M.D., M.P.H.
Dean

UKCPH Annual Report (pdf format)

Administrators
Steve Wyatt Dean	Linda Alexander Associate Dean for Academic Affairs

 

Senior Staff
Eula Spears Assistant Dean for Practice & Service 859-218-2062	Mike Smith Assistant Dean for Evaluation & Planning 859-818-0458	Anthony Hartsfield Assistant Dean for Institutional Advancement & Student Affairs 859-218-2028	Cynthia Lamberth Associate Dean for Workforce Development 859-218-2063

Laverne Carter Director of Admissions 859-218-2066	Jeff Kurz Grants Officer 859-218-2045	Marilyn Underwood Director of Student Affairs 859-218-2064	Kim Judd Assistant Dean for Administration & Finance 859-218-2047
Ronald Baker Information Technology 859-317-1787

 

UKCPH Annual Report (pdf format)

UKCPH News

• Fardo Developes Quality Control Statistic
• Public Health Institute Earns National Honor
• Working to Prevent Elder Abuse
• Community-based initiative promotes prevention, control of cancer in Eastern Ky
• UK Public Health Research Center Given Grant

Friday Letter

Contact Sharon Keys to request past issues.

• Issue 194, November 13, 2009 (pdf format)
• Issue 193, November 6, 2009 (pdf format)
• Issue 192, October 30, 2009 (pdf format)
• Issue 191, October 23, 2009 (pdf format)
• Issue 190 October 16. 2009 (pdf format)

For the Media

The University of Kentucky Public Relations Office produces a steady stream of information about the University for Dissemination through the news media. UK Public Relations is the main point of contact for radio and television stations, newspapers, and magazines for the University.

When news breaks, University of Kentucky experts can help representatives of print and broadcast media explain the story to the public.

UK Public Relations only refers experts who have expressed a willingness to respond promptly to questions about specific subjects and issues. Interviews or consultations with these individuals may be arranged by calling (859) 257-1754.

UK has experts in the many subject areas. Click below for a link to the listing of those experts http://app.mc.uky.edu/experts/

Lecture Series

Grand Rounds are a series of lectures and interactive discussions focused on public health issues. Through in-depth analysis of real world problems by experts in the science and practice of public health, these programs provide a forum through which health professionals and others can develop timely, reasoned, and productive responses to public health challenges of regional, national, and global significance.

Faculty Council Mission Statement

The mission of the Faculty Council of the College of Public Health is to provide leadership for shared faculty governance. Faculty Council members are guardians of the rights and responsibilities of the College of Public Health faculty.

Faculty Council Officers 2009-2010

Graham Rowles, Chair	Gerontology	859-257-1450 x80145
Adam Branscum	Biostatistics	859-218-2082
Youcheng Liu	Preventive Medicine & Environmental Health	859-218-2234
David Mannino	Preventive Medicine & Environmental Health	859-323-6608
Robin Vanderpool	Health Behavior	859-219-9063 Ext. 7467

Bylaws of the UK College of Public Health (pdf format)

Staff Council Mission

The mission of the College of Public Health Staff Council at the University of Kentucky is to support the mission of the College of Public Health in the provision of public health education, research, and service through representing the needs and interests of the staff.

Chair	Members
Eileen Zahn Business & Finance	Rebecca Flanagan Academic Affairs
Vice Chair
Darlene Cox Southeast Center for Agricultural Health & Injury Prevention	Jeanette Graham Health Behavior
Communications Officer
Shanelle Hilton Biostatistics	Melody Hall Health Services Management