University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center

The MPH Mission

The mission of the University of New Mexico Masters in Public Health Program is to provide leadership in graduate and community-based education to improve the health of diverse populations in New Mexico, the Southwest, the United States/Mexico border region, Latin America, and among Native American populations. Based on a social justice perspective, the Masters in Public Health Program works in partnership with communities, tribes, and the public and private sectors to build on community strengths and increase their capacity to respond to public health problems.

The curriculum promotes an interdisciplinary and comprehensive approach to research and interventions to address health problems, provides multiple opportunities for students to practice public health skills in communities, and fosters critical thinking about issues addressed by the students. Students will be drawn from a broad range of social science, biomedical science, and clinical disciplines.

Major Goals

To achieve its mission, the MPH Program commits to the following:

• To provide a quality learning environment, using community and problem-focused curriculum in public health practice, research, and policy;
• To strengthen relationships with the state and regional health infrastructure, including: UNM Health Sciences departments, New Mexico Department of Health, Indian Health Service, tribal health agencies, New Mexico State University, Pan American Health Organization, and other health care delivery systems; and
• To serve minority and marginalized populations through culturally and ethnically appropriate curricula, culturally-responsive practice, and outreach and recruitment of minority students, faculty, and staff.

Core Principles

The MPH core principles include:

1. Community capacity development through community practice and community-driven research;
2. Social-ecological systems approach for identifying theories of the problem and of intervention;
3. Excellence in research conducted by faculty and students;
4. Primary prevention with individuals and communities to prevent onset of disease;
5. Social justice and social determinants perspective to reduce inequities in health status;
6. Development of skills in leadership, communication, and group process;
7. Self-reflection of public health roles and responsibilities in working with communities.
   

Specific Goals

Education/ Instruction:

1. Provide comprehensive education in the core functions and disciplines of public health.
2. Address unique issues of minority and marginalized populations.
3. Develop problem-based case curricula drawn from community issues, research, and practice relevant to the region.
4. Integrate theory and practice through community-level experiences throughout the curriculum.
5. Develop graduate concentrations in epidemiology, etc. and dual degrees, as appropriate.
   

Research:

1. Develop a research agenda in partnership with the constituencies throughout the region to improve the population’s health.
2. Develop a research agenda in social determinants of health and the strategies to reduce health status inequities.
3. Develop research and evaluation methodologies sensitive to issues of differing agendas of researchers and communities, power dynamics, and use of findings.
   Service/ Practice:
4. Develop linkages and mutually –beneficial partnerships with communities, tribes, health care delivery systems, governments, and other private and public institutions;
5. Provide public health learning opportunities to New Mexico through offerings by the Public health Outreach Education Program and technical assistance and service.
   

Policy:

Serve as a resource to the state by analyzing and encouraging development of healthy public policy that recognizes and promotes a positive health impact.