Department Office: 375 Chipeta Way Ste. A, 581-7234

Web Address: uuhsc.utah.edu/dfpm

Department Chair, Michael K. Magill, M.D.

Professors (Tenured). M. Egger, J. Lyon, M. Magill, M. Slattery, G. White, N. Whitman.

Associate Professors. J. Stanford, D. Sundwall.

Assistant Professors. S. Alder, H. Kim, R. Larson, M. Murtaugh, X. Sheng, C. Sweeney.

Professors Emeriti. C. Castle, J. Reading, W. Wilson.

Associate Professors Emeriti. M. Ford, E. Hershgold, J. Kasteler.

Professors (Clinical). D. Byrd, L. Haas, R. Moser Jr., D. Pedersen, C.N. Peterson.

Associate Professors (Clinical). T. Adams, M. Babitz, P. Catinella, C. Clark, F. Gottlieb, E. Joy, C. Osborn, S. Saffel-Shrier.

Assistant Professors (Clinical). D. Biggs, B. Campbell, S. Cochella, J. DeWitt, D. Flinders, C. Gay, E. Holmes, J. Houchins, M. Kalsman, J. Leiser, O. Sanyer, T. Palmer, S. Van Hala.

Instructors (Clinical). J. Bell, H. Edwards, B. Kiraly, W. Lehmann, T. Paisley, K. Stoesser, E. Wood.

Research Associate Professor. K. Hegmann, R. Wolff.

Research Assistant Professor. L. Tom-Orme.

Visiting Instructor. C. Porucznik

Through its several programs, the department offers diverse approaches to understanding the complexities of medicine and health in society. Educational opportunities are provided for practicing professionals from medicine and a variety of health fields, as well as for those with other backgrounds. The effects of such training programs extend from the patient’s bedside to the home, to the workplace, and, ultimately, to the community and environment. Similarly, the research and service activities of the department encompass patient care, health care delivery, and the etiologic aspects of disease in public health, including occupational and environmental factors.

The department consists of educational programs, including the Public Health Program, Student Programs in Family Medicine, residencies in Occupational Medicine and in Family Practice, the Physician Assistant Program, educational development, the AIDS Education and Training Center, and AHEC (Utah Area Health Education Centers); research programs, including the Health Research Center and the Health Studies Program; and clinical services in family medicine, psychology, and occupational medicine.

Ph.D. in Public Health Degree. The Ph.D. program is intended to provide extensive training in two areas of public health: public health research and public health practice.  It differs from the master’s programs primarily in terms of the nature and scope of the dissertation project, as well as additional advanced coursework in public health and additional research and teaching practicum experiences.  Full time doctoral students can and should complete the program in 4 to 5 years, depending on whether the student has a public health related master’s degree or not.  The Graduate School requires that all work for the doctoral degree be completed within 10 calendar years, including time spent on leave.  A total of 68 credit hours are necessary for completion of the doctoral degree.

M.P.H. Degree. The Master’s of Public Health degree is considered a professional degree and is offered for those who have prior experience in a health related field. The 45 credit-hour degree can be completed in three semesters of full time study. In required core courses both M.S.P.H. and M.P.H. students are introduced to the basic disciplinary components of public health-epidemiology, biostatistics, behavioral science, health-care organization and administration, and environmental and occupational health. The student then chooses elective courses to support a general public health perspective, or else opts for a specific focus areas represented by further work in epidemiology, biostatistics, global health, industrial hygiene, or occupational and environmental health.

M.S.P.H. Degree. The Master of Science in Public Health degree is an academic degree with a focus on research. Students are required to complete a research project and present the results in the form of either a thesis or a paper of publishable quality. The degree is appropriate for individuals who do not have health related work experience. It is especially appropriate for those individuals who plan to pursue a terminal degree or engage in research activities. The 55 credit-hour degree generally takes two years to complete.

Dual M.P.H./HSA. Students may elect a dual master’s degree in Health Services Administration through an interdepartmental master’s program. For more information see the Health Services Administration website at http://www.acs.utah.edu/GenCatalog/ deptdesc/hs_admin.html.

M.D./M.S.P.H. or M.D./M.P.H. Program. Two (2) combined degree programs are available to medical students. The combined M.D./M.S.P.H. (Master of Science in Public Health) or M.D./M.P.H. (Master of Public Health) degrees combine clinical training with the perspective and skills of public health and preventive medicine. The M.P.H. degree requires forty-five (45) credit hours of coursework. The M.S.P.H. requires fifty-five (55) credit hours of coursework and is a research-based degree. For the M.S.P.H., it is expected that part of the fourth year of medical school will be used to conduct research and write a required thesis or publishable paper. An additional year of medical school is required in order to complete the dual degree. Coursework for the master’s degree cannot be taken simultaneously with medical school coursework. A leave of absence from the medical school is required while completing the master’s degree.

Application for a combined program can be declared when completing the AMCAS application. Subsequent acceptance into a combined program is also possible by application to the Graduate Program in Public Health with approval from the University of Utah School of Medicine Student Affairs Office. The MCAT examination may be substituted for the Graduate Record Examination when attached to a School of Medicine Letter of Acceptance. Information can be obtained by visiting the following website at www.uuhsc.utah.edu/dfpm/programs_ menu.htm or calling (801) 585-6225.

M.Stat. in Biostatistics. This degree is an option in the University-wide Master of Statistics degree program. The biostatistics option trains students to deal with a wide variety of data drawn from the biomedical area. Graduates of this program have practical experience in the design and analysis of actual medical studies. Candidates generally require four semesters to complete the program. More specific information about the degree can be found at http://www.math.utah.edu/mstat/ bioreq.htm.

M.P.A.S. Degree. The Master of Physician Assistant Studies emphasizes both didactic and clinical learning experiences for students with clinical experience. Graduates are awarded the Master of Physician Assistant Studies (M.P.A.S.) Degree and a certificate of completion endorsed by the University of Utah School of Medicine and the Utah Medical Association. Graduates are eligible to sit for the National Certifying Examination for Physician Assistants which is prepared by the National Board of Medical Examiners. Upon passing the national exam, they are certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants.

Admissions Requirements for Master’s Degree.
M.P.H./M.S.P.H. Requirements for admission to the M.P.H./M.S.P.H. program include:
(1) completed application form and transcript sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office;
(2) three letters of recommendation;
(3) a 500-word statement of the applicant's professional goals, experience, and rationale for seeking a graduate degree;
(4) Graduate Record Examination (GRE);
(5) a bachelor’s degree with a GPA of 3.0 or better.

M.P.A.S. Requirements for admission to the Master of Physician Assistant Studies include possession of a bachelor’s degree, a 3.0 or better GPA, and prerequisite coursework to include anatomy (with lab), physiology, biology, and general chemistry.

Admissions Requirements for Doctoral Degree.
Doctoral Degree. Applicants to the doctoral program must submit (1) completed application form and transcript sent to the Graduate School Admissions Office; (2) three letters of recommendation; (3) a 1,000-word statement describing professional health experience, research goals, career emphasis (4) Graduate Record Examination (GRE) within the past 10 years (5) an abstract of the master's thesis or other published papers; (6) current curriculum vitae and (7) a GPA of 3.0.

FP_MD Course Descriptions