Senate Bill No.: 0304-07
UNIVERSITY SENATE
UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK
Introduced by: Graduate Academic Council and Educational Policy Council
Date: October 20, 2003
PROPOSAL TO ESTABLISH A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE PROGRAM IN
PUBLIC HEALTH - FUNDAMENTALS AND PRINCIPLES
IT IS HEREBY PROPOSED THAT THE FOLLOWING BE ADOPTED:
1. That the University Senate approves the attached "Proposal for a Certificate in Public
Health - Fundamentals and Principles" as approved and recommended by the Graduate
Academic Council and the Educational Policy Council.
2. That this proposal be forwarded to the President for approval.
STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK AT ALBANY
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC HEALTH
CERTIFICATE IN PUBLIC HEALTH - FUNDAMENTALS AND PRINCIPLES
PROPOSED STARTING DATE: SPRING 2004
I. INTRODUCTION AND RATIONALE
The School of Public Health at the State University of New York at Albany is
proposing the introduction of a Certificate in Public Health-Fundamentals and
Principles (CPH-FP). The proposed Certificate has been designed to attract local,
regional and national public health workers interested in obtaining formal training
in public health. A major advantage of the Certificate will be the availability of
required courses through distance education as well as the traditional in-class
modality. The School believes that providing such flexibility will increase the
Certificate's appeal to working professionals. The Certificate builds upon one of
the School's goals (to provide professional public health education), its unique
relationship with the New York State Department of Health (DOH) and local
health departments, and the emerging need for creative public health education
modalities.
Commitment to Professional Development
Since being founded in 1984, the School of Public Health at the University at
Albany has been committed to develop and enhance the skills and knowledge of
public health professionals, as well as others interested in the field of public
health. The commitment has been translated by the School's continuous effort to
create an academic setting that builds upon "real-world" experience and
knowledge. This effort is reflected by the diverse background of the faculty and
the School's partnerships with various state and private agencies that provide
"natural labs" for students. The expertise and research interests of the School's
more than 200 doctoral-level faculty cover a wide span of significant public
health issues including AIDS, minority health, injury control, environmental and
occupational health sciences, cancer prevention, and the politics and economics
attendant on the fast-changing health care field.
The School of Public Health currently offers a Master in Public Health (MPH),
which is considered a terminal degree for the front-line public health worker.
Students enrolled in the MPH program are expected to choose one of six areas of
concentration that include: behavioral science/community health, biomedical
sciences, biostatistics, environmental health, epidemiology, or health
administration. Students develop an area of concentration through taking several
courses in that specific area in addition to the six required core courses. Other
degrees offered by the School include the DrPH that is offered through the Office
of Interdisciplinary Programs, as well as MS and PhD programs offered through
individual departments (the PhD degree in Health Policy, Management and
Behavior is in its final development phase).
The commitment to develop a competent local and regional public health
workforce is also evident in the School's support of the Northeastern Regional
Public Health Leadership Institute (NEPHLI) and the Center for Continuing
Education. NEPHLI is a nationally recognized Institute that "brings together state
and local health departments, academia, public health associations and
organizations committed to improving the skills of leaders in the field of public
health." The Center for Continuing Education has been regionally recognized as a
source of professional development activities for "health professionals,
community leaders, and the public of New York State and beyond."
As a recognition of that commitment to professional development, The School
was designated by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a
Center for Public Health Preparedness in September 2000. The mission of the
Center is "to improve the capacity of the public health workforce in New York
and Vermont to respond to current and emerging public health threats, with a
focus on bioterrorism and infectious disease outbreaks." In addition, the School
has been a designated partner in the New York/New Jersey Public Health Training
Project.
Partnership with State and Local Health Agencies
The School of Public Health has a unique partnership with the NYS Department
of Health (DOH) and Albany Medical College, as well as strong relationships
with local health departments in New York and through the Northeast region.
Throughout the years, these partnerships have strengthened the School's
educational mission through providing "natural labs" for students to test and
implement the theoretical concepts learned in classes, as well as exposure to
relevant research and practice experience.
An equally important benefit realized as a result of these partnerships is the access
to highly qualified professionals who serve as faculty members in the various
School departments. An agreement signed with the Department of Health allows
for the appointment of DOH employees as State University of New York at
Albany (University) faculty with unqualified titles. Currently, DOH appointees
constitute more than 70% of the School's faculty and comprise the overwhelming
majority in the Departments of Biomedical Sciences and Environmental Health
and Toxicology (84 of 88 faculty members). Similarly, Memoranda of
Understanding signed between the University and two prestigious local health
institutions, Albany Medical College and Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital, allow
for unqualified joint appointments at the School. Currently, a total of four
unqualified faculty appointments at the Departments of Epidemiology and
Biometry and Statistics are held by individuals whose primary appointments are
in the above mentioned institutions.
Certificate Programs and Distance Education
The School's interest in pursuing the initiation of a Certificate in Public Health is
grounded in the field's need for such a program to develop the skills and
knowledge of the workforce. In one of the most recent Institute of Medicine
(IOM) reports titled "Who Will Keep the Public Healthy: Educating Public
Health Professionals for the 21st Century", the authors acknowledge the central
role schools of public health should play in the preparation of public health
professionals. This role gains great importance given the significant proportion of
public health workers who have no formal education in public health. The IOM
report cites several studies conducted in various regions of the country that
showed the need of the public health workforce for formal training . One of those
studies, conducted by the CDC, estimated that "80 percent of public health
workers lack basic training in public health." (CDC, 2001a) . The IOM report
especially acknowledges the importance of public health certificates and distance
education among other alternative methods in fulfilling that educational need for
the public health workforce (see attached).
In response to the public health workforce's obvious need for formal education,
many well-recognized schools of public health across the nation are starting to
offer certificate programs. The list includes John Hopkins University, Emory
University, the University of Michigan, the University of Minnesota and the
University of North Carolina among others. Another trend in public health
education, as is the case with other disciplines, is the use of distance learning,
especially web-based learning. In recognition of logistic access problems that
hinder many working professionals from seeking formal education, an increasing
number of courses are being offered via distance learning. This modality of
delivery is becoming more popular with professionals who have to commute for a
long distance to attend in-class courses and/or have time restrictions that would
prevent them from attending classes. Web-based learning provides an opportunity
for this pool of potential students to take courses and pursue degrees without the
time and distance restrictions.
Potential Local and Regional Demand for the Public Health Certificate
The administration and faculty of the School of Public Health at SUNY-Albany
believe that offering a public health certificate, with courses being delivered in-
class and online, will be attractive to a significant number of public health
professionals. Two very encouraging indicators of the potential demand are
inquiries directed to faculty members by public health workers asking whether
and when a certificate program will be offered, and the success of existing
distance learning courses in recruiting students to the School's programs. Also, the
strong support expressed by the New York State Department of Health, local
health departments and health care providers for the initiation of the Certificate is
indicative of their perceived need for such a program (APPENDIX B).
It is worth noting that the only other accredited school of public health in New
York State, Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, is in the
process of initiating a certificate program in fall 2004. However, the certificate
program offered by
1.IOM. 2003. Who Will Keep the Public Healthy? Educating Public Health Professionals for the
21st Century. Washington, DC: National Academy Press
2.CDC. 2001a. A global lifelong learning system: Building a stronger frontline against health
threats. In: A global and National Implementation Plan for Public Health Workforce Development.
Columbia will be concentrated in global health and the contents will not overlap
with the proposed School's certificate program that concentrates on core public
health knowledge and skills. In addition, Columbia's certificate courses will not
be offered through distance education.
I. ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS
To be considered for admission into the Certificate in Public Health, applicants
must submit the following:
Proof of a baccalaureate degree from academic institution(s) where
degree was earned (an official English translation should be
provided if the original is not in English).
Official transcripts
from academic institution(s) where degree was
earned (an official English translation should be provided if the
original transcripts are not in English).
A letter of intent describing the applicant's background and his/her
reasons for pursuing the Certificate.
Evidence of proficiency in English for international applicants.
A completed application and fee*
*All graduate applications at the University are processed through
the Graduate Studies Admissions Office. For additional information
on specific programs of study, you can contact the SPH directly.
II. PLAN OF STUDY
The program requires the completion of 18 graduate course credits. These consist
of 6 Master of Public Health (MPH) core courses. All of the CPH-FP courses will
be offered in-class (SUNY-East Campus) and online through the SUNY Learning
Network (SLN). The courses include:
EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I (3 CREDITS)
EPI 503 Principles of Public Health (3 CREDITS)
STA 552 Principles of Statistical Inference I (3 CREDITS)
HPM 500 Health Care Organization, Delivery and Financing (3
CREDITS)
HPM 525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (3
CREDITS)
EHT 590 Introduction to Environmental Health (3 CREDITS)
To obtain the degree, each student must fulfill the following requirements:
Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher.
File an application for Certificate completion within four years of
admission.
Note: Course waivers can be obtained only through prior approval. There is a
transfer credit limit of one course (3 credits).
Students who are enrolled in a School degree program and would
like to pursue the Certificate degree can do so if they fulfill the
above-mentioned requirements for degree completion.
III. RELATIONSHIP WITH DEGREE PROGRAMS
Students who have completed the CPH-FP and wish to apply these courses to a
degree at the School must:
Maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or higher
while pursuing the Certificate
Have completed the courses within five years of application
to the degree program
Fulfill the admission requirements of the desired degree
program
V. CURRICULUM (6 courses; 18 credits)
All of the Certificate's six required courses are identified by the Master of Public
Health (MPH) program at the School of Public Health. Students who earn the
Certificate and are admitted to pursue a MPH can have these courses applied to
the MPH course requirements.
EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I (3 CREDITS)
Introduction to epidemiology for students majoring in any aspect of public health;
covers the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation including
describing the patterns of illness in populations and research designs for
investigating the etiology of disease. Introduces quantitative measures to
determine risk, association and procedures for standardization of rates.
Prerequisites: None; Instructors: Louise-Ann McNutt and Erin Bell.
EPI 503 Principles of Public Health (3 CREDITS)
This course introduces the students to the basic principles of public health and
their application to the development of activities that benefit the health status of
populations. The skills of epidemiology, biostatistics, health care planning and
policy development, health care administration, and community organization are
applied to the assessment of public health needs and the development of
prevention and control initiatives. Prerequisites: None; Instructors: William
Leavy (in-class), Carol Wittaker (online)
STA 552 Principles of Statistical Inference I (3 CREDITS)
An introduction to descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency and
variability, probability distributions, sampling estimation, confidence intervals
and hypothesis testing. Computing will be introduced and used throughout the
course. Prerequisites: Permission of instructor; Instructors: Louise Farrell and
Lenore Ginsburg (in-class), Michael Zdeb and Gene Therriault (online)
HPM 500 Health Care Organization, Delivery and Financing (3 CREDITS)
Introduction to health care policy and services; arrangements for organizing,
delivering, paying for, and financing health care are examined with attention to
their rationale, implementation, and effectiveness. Government interventions to
ensure access, cost containment and quality are assessed and policy alternatives
are considered. Prerequisite: None. Instructors: Wendy Weller (in-class), Shadi
Saleh (online)
HPM 525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (3 CREDITS)
This course provides an introduction to the role of social, cultural, psychological,
and behavioral factors in determining the health of populations. Students will:
gain understanding of the significance of social, cultural, psychological, and
behavioral factors in relation to health status and well-being; learn to analyze
public health problems in terms of the social, psychological, cultural, economic,
and demographic factors that contribute to or protect from vulnerability to
disease, disability, and death; and improve their ability to apply social science
theory, research, and principals to the critical analysis of the appropriateness of
public health interventions. Prerequisites: None; Instructors: Ben Shaw (in-
class), Mary Gallant (online)
EHT 590 Introduction to Environmental Health (3 CREDITS)
Basic concepts of the modes of transmission of environmental stressors from
source or reservoir to host and methods of reducing their impact on human
population; basic concepts, methods and premises of environmental risk
management. Prerequisite: College level biology course or permission of
instructor. Instructor: David Carpenter (in-class and online)
VI. PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
The Certificate is designed to primarily attract public health professionals. As
mentioned above, a significant proportion of that population lacks formal public
health training. The availability of a Certificate will provide them the opportunity
to enhance their knowledge and skill base. Also, being able to complete the
Certificate via distance learning will be of great value to working professionals
whose interest in continuing education can be hindered by logistic barriers, such
as time and distance.
The School anticipates that the primary audience will be local and regional public
health professionals. This is based on the strong relationship between the School
and various governmental and private agencies throughout the State and region
that have expressed support for the Certificate. Also, the two School-based
regional public health training centers, CEC and NEPHLI, will play an important
role in communicating the existence of the Certificate program to their
constituents.
It is expected that the first few years of offering the Certificate will witness a
moderate level of student enrollment (5-10 students). However, the School
foresees an increase in enrollment (10-15 students) as more public health agencies
and professionals are aware of the existence of the Certificate program. Based on
the School's current resources, the maximum number of students allowed into the
Certificate in any year should not exceed twenty students.
VII. FACULTY PROFILES (see faculty vitae in APPENDIX A)
Required courses for the completion of the Certificate will be taught by a number
of faculty members. These courses are offered at the School and as mentioned
above are core courses for the MPH and other School degrees.
Erin Bell, PhD: Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology at the
School of Public Health. She received her Ph.D. in Epidemiology from the
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and completed a Postdoctoral
Fellowship in the Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology Branch of the
National Cancer Institute. Dr. Bell's research interests include examining the
association of occupational and environmental exposures with cancer and adverse
reproductive outcomes, such as birth defects. Dr. Bell's courses include EPI 501
(principles and methods of epidemiology), EPI 604 (cancer epidemiology), EPI
613 (occupational and environmental epidemiology) and EPI 697 (advanced
methods in occupational and environmental epidemiology).
David Carpenter, MD: Professor of Environmental Health and Toxicology in the
School of Public Health at SUNY-Albany, and Director of the Institute for Health
and the Environment at the UA. Dr. Carpenter also has appointments as Professor
in the Department of Biomedical Sciences (SPH), and Adjunct Professor in the
Department of Biological Sciences (SPH) and is a member of the faculty in the
UA interdisciplinary program in public policy. His teaching responsibilities
include EHT 590 (introduction to environmental health), and participate in EHT
540 (principles of radiation sciences) plus several neurosciences courses in BMS
and at Albany Medical Center.
Louise Farrell, MS: Course instructor in the Department of Epidemiology at the
School of Public Health and the Project Manager for the New York State Trauma
Project. Research interests include outcomes assessment and trauma care. Ms.
Farrell's course responsibilities include teaching the in-class version HSTA 552
every fall and every other spring.
Lenore Gensburg, MS: Assistant Professor in the Department of Epidemiology
and the Department of Biometry. In addition, Ms. Gensburg is the Chief of the
Special Studies, Statistical and Support Section of the Bureau of Epidemiologic
and Occupational Studies (CEH) of the New York State Department of Health.
Two major studies she is working on at present are the Love Canal Follow-up
Health Study and the epidemiological portions of a study examining how
occupational PCB exposure may have altered dopamine mediated functions in
aging General Electric workers. Ms. Gensburg teaches the in-class STA 552
(principles of statistical inference I) and has occasionally taught STAT553
(principles of statistical inference II).
Mary Gallant, PhD MPH: Associate Professor in the Department of Health
Policy, Management, and Behavior at the School of Public Health, Head of the
Behavioral Health track and Faculty Associate in the Center for Social and
Demographic Analysis. Dr. Gallant is a co-investigator of the School of Public
Health's Prevention Research Center and a member of the Advisory Work Group
for the Arthritis Program of the New York State Department of Health. Her
research focus is on the psychosocial aspects of self-care behaviors and chronic
illness management behaviors among older adults. Dr. Gallant teaching
responsibilities include HPM 525 (social and behavioral aspects of public health),
HPM 520 (fundamentals of research design), HPM 627 (public health education),
and HPM 626 (social and behavioral aspects of chronic illness).
Louise-Ann McNutt, PhD: Associate Professor of Epidemiology in the School
of Public Health. Her research interests include infectious disease epidemiology,
violence epidemiology, and the use quantitative methods. Dr. McNutt's co-teaches
EPI 501 (with Erin Bell).
Shadi Saleh, PhD MPH: Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy,
Management, and Behavior at the School of Public Health. Dr. Saleh holds a
MPH degree with a concentration in health services administration. He earned his
doctorate in health policy and management from the University of Iowa. His
research interests include the effect of managed care on healthcare organization,
delivery and financing, as well as evaluating substance abuse/HIV prevention and
treatment interventions. Dr. Saleh's teaching responsibilities include the online
HPM 500 (healthcare delivery, organization and financing) and HPM 550
(financial management of healthcare institutions).
Benjamin Shaw, PhD MPH: Assistant Professor in the Department of Health
Policy, Management, and Behavior at the School of Public Health, University at
Albany and Faculty Associate in the Center for Social and Demographic Analysis,
University at
Albany. His research interests include social environmental determinants of health
among older adults and community-level approaches to facilitate healthy aging.
Dr. Shaw teaches HPM 525, HPM 647 (program evaluation in public health) and
HPM 520 (fundamentals of research design).
Gene Therriault, MSPH: Assistant Professor in the Department of Biometry and
Statistics at the School of Public Health. Mr. Therriault was employed by the New
York State Department of Health for approximately 33 years, retiring in February
2000. He worked in the Office of Biostatistics and the Information Systems and
Health Statistics Group. For the last 13 years of his employment with the Health
Department, Mr. Therriault served as Director of the Bureau of Biometrics,
managing a staff of biostatisticians, research scientists, systems analysts and
demographers. The Bureau was responsible for conducting public health research,
developing and publishing vital statistics and hospital discharge data reports and
answering requests for data. He has published and presented on a variety of
topics, including hysterectomy, cesarean childbirth, privacy and confidentiality of
health records, AIDS, cancer mortality and occupational mortality. Mr. Therriault
has also served as Executive Secretary of the Data Protection Review Board,
which is responsible for the review and approval of applications for access to
sensitive hospital discharge data and was the Records Access Officer for the
Health Department. Additionally, he was an Advisor to the National Death Index
at the National Center for Health Statistics. His teaching responsibilities include
the online STA 552 (principles of statistical inference).
Wendy Weller, PhD: Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy,
Management, and Behavior at the School of Public Health. Dr. Weller's research
interests include health policy in chronic care; health care financing and access
for persons with chronic conditions, particularly children; and risk adjustment.
Previously, Dr. Weller held research and policy analysis positions at the Johns
Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services where she worked on developing appropriate payment and
delivery systems for persons with chronic health conditions; policies to expand
insurance coverage; and the financing of academic medical centers. She has
published in health services research, health policy, and clinical journals. Dr.
Weller holds a doctoral degree in health services research from Johns Hopkins
Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she also received a masters in health
policy. Dr. Weller is the instructor for the in-class HPM 500 (healthcare delivery,
organization and financing), as well as teaches HPM501 (health policy analysis
and management) and HPM612 (application in health policy analysis and
evaluation).
Carol Whittaker, MA, MPA: Assistant Dean for Public Health Practice at the
School of Public Health. Ms. Whittaker's responsibilities include student practice
coordination and all related management activities, and coordination of the
Muskie and Mongolian
Fellowship programs. She represents the School on the ASPH Practice Council
and the Distance Learning Council where she is a member of the Education
Committee. Ms. Whittaker has been actively assisting in the development of
Schools of
Public Health in Mongolia and St. Petersburg, Russia. Her research interests
include the history of public health, public health leadership, and global public
health. Ms. Whittaker teaches the Epi 503 (public health principles - online) and
the SPH 569 (public health leadership on-line) each fall semester and co-teaches
(with Dwight Williams) the same course in the classroom each spring semester.
Michael Zdeb, MS: Prior to retiring in March 2003, Mr. Zdeb worked for 30+
years at the New York State Department of Health. Most of that time was spent in
the Bureau of Biometrics where he conducted research studies on various aspects
of health status using data sources such as the vital statistics reporting system,
cancer registry, and hospital discharge data abstracts. He also engaged in
collaborative, health related research studies with groups such as the National
Foundation March of Dimes, the Capital Region Perinatal Center, and the Robert
Wood Johnson Information for State Health Policy Project. Mr. Zdeb served as a
member of the joint NYS Health Department/American College Obstetrics &
Gynecologists task force whose role was to improve reproductive health care
given to women in New York State. He also acted as consultant and educator on
the use and integration of mainframe and PC computer resources for the health
department's community of data analysts and researchers. This included the
conducting of informal seminars on computer use, the teaching of computer-
related courses, the writing of user-oriented documentation, day-to-day
consulting, etc. Since 1993, Mr. Zdeb has also been an Assistant Professor at the
School of Public Health. He teaches courses on the organization and management
of data using SAS software, and on Geographic Information Systems and Public
Health. Mr. Zdeb also lectures in various classes at the School on the use of 3rd-
party data sources (vital records and hospital discharge data) in health-related
research.
VIII. RESOURCES AND SUPPORT
The School of Public Health brings together an unusually impressive array of
educational, scientific and policy-related resources. Students will find some of the
most sophisticated, state-of-the art laboratory equipment available anywhere in
the world. In addition, the University and the Health Department offer advanced
mainframe and personal computing facilities. Several excellent libraries are
available with extensive information retrieval services. Students also have ready
access to a number of unique data bases that open many lines of epidemiological,
statistical and policy-oriented research.
Extensive Computing Facilities:
Because of the unique structure of the SPH, students and
faculty have access to state-of-the-art computing facilities in
two settings: the University and the Department of Health. For
further info on computing resources, please visit the School's
website.
Laboratory Facilities:
The vast Health Department laboratories are the setting of two
of the School's departments, Biomedical Sciences and
Environmental Health and Toxicology. Housed in 500,000
square feet of space at the modern Empire State Plaza, the
Wadsworth Center for Laboratories and Research is the third
largest public health research facility in the U.S. after the
National Institutes of Health and the Centers for Disease
Control. The doctoral level researchers at Wadsworth have a
long tradition of excellence in basic public health research.
In addition to the Wadsworth facility, the Health Department's
new 125,000 square foot Axelrod Institute, located on New
Scotland Ave., is devoted to infectious diseases research.
Library Resources:
The extensive library collections of the University at Albany
and the Health Department are available to students, as are the
resources of Albany Medical College, the New York State
Library and the libraries of the member institutions in the
Capital District Library Council. By a cooperative arrangement,
faculty and students may visit many of these libraries and
borrow materials directly from them. Increasingly, each of the
libraries is moving toward an electronic format that will speed
up the search and retrieval of information.
The University libraries have holdings of 1.9 million volumes
and over 5,000 periodical subscriptions. As a member of the
Association of Research Libraries, the University library can
supply materials in a variety of media from any major scholarly
library in the country. The Governor Thomas E. Dewey
Graduate Library of Public Affairs and Policy, part of the
University Libraries which supports Rockefeller College's
programs, has 130,000 volumes in specialized holdings
pertinent to public policy research.
The Health Department's Dickerman Library, housed in the
Wadsworth Center, is an up-to-date reference and information
center specifically geared to the biomedical and public health
sciences. The library houses 1100 journals as well as 50,000
books, monographs and technical reports dealing with
biomedical and public health subjects. Medical librarians
provide reference assistance during the normal work day, and a
special 24-hour access is available for students in the School.
Traditional reference services as well as computerized
databases searching from a variety of systems are available The
Schaffer Library at Albany Medical College contains about
130,000 volumes, 3,000 multimedia programs and receives
about 1,000 medical journals on a regular basis. Its on-line
catalog is the computerized database of the monographic
collections of the Albany Medical Center, Capital District
Psychiatric Center Branch and the Albany College of Pharmacy
libraries.
Data Bases:
Students at the School of Public Health have access to several
large data bases compiled by the Health Department. These
registries, which are among the most comprehensive of any in
the U.S., include:
A cancer registry, initiated in 1940 and computerized in 1972,
which lists every individual diagnosed with cancer in New York
State (with the exception of non- melanoma skin cancer.) Few
cancer registries go back so far, or reflect such a large
population (18 million New York State residents.) The registry
is highly useful in studies of the causes of cancer and
investigations into possible treatments. Several Epidemiology
students are using the cancer registry for their thesis projects.
A birth defects registry, started in 1983 as an outgrowth of
studies into environmental exposures. This registry records all
major and some minor malformations discovered in children up
to age two. A registry of this type is rare, and highly useful in
research on the possible environmental causes of birth defects,
as well as treatments and provision of services.
A registry of individuals who have elevated blood levels of four
different poisonous heavy metals: lead, cadmium, mercury and
arsenic. Most often, these individuals turn out to be children or
industrial workers, whose exposures are reported by testing
laboratories. Started in 1983, the registry is useful in the study
of occupational exposures and workplace hazards.
Other registries include one on Alzheimer's patients, another on
individuals exposed to high levels of pesticides and a third on
persons with occupational lung disease. Still another registry,
known as SPARCS, records information on all hospital
admissions and discharges. Developed as a billing and cost
payment device, SPARCS data offers an opportunity for cost
containment studies. A side benefit, however, is information
provided on disease incidence throughout the state. Because it
is so unusual to have a statewide, integrated database on
hospital discharges, SPARCS is used by researchers
nationwide.
New Financial and Human Resources:
Offering the Certificate will require some additional human and
financial resources on the behalf of the School.
The courses included in the Certificate are existing courses that
are required for the completion for the MPH degree or are
offered as electives in the School. However, developing the
online versions of these courses would either require the
developer (a School faculty member) to get a one-time course
buy-out or some form of financial compensation (hiring a
graduate teaching assistant for a year to help with the online
version development). The financial resources needed for the
development of courses will be supplied by the Center for
Public Health Preparedness based in the School.
The faculty member who will be responsible for coordinating
the Certificate program will get a one-course buy-out per year.
Communication and recruitment efforts will be conducted by
the Assistant to the Dean for Student Affairs who is currently
responsible for School-wide recruitment.
