UIC SPH Special Programs of Study



	MPH Program in Public Health Informatics Preventive Medicine Residencies in Occupational and General Preventive Medicine Maternal and Child Health Program Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program Health Careers Opportunity Program Traveling Scholar Program Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC)

	MPH Program in Public Health Informatics
	The School of Public Health offers a Master of Public Health degree specializing in public health informatics (PHI). This program is focused on the study of the application of information management techniques to improve the practice of public health. All courses are delivered via the Internet. The program is a cooperative effort between the UIC School of Public Health and the School of Biomedical and Health Information Sciences. The courses in the program provide core competencies in public health information systems and management. The program consists of fourteen didactic courses plus a field experience and a capstone experience mentored over the Internet. Because this program is delivered solely on-line, students must have access to Internet and e-mail communication. The three-year on-line program was developed in response to the need for professionals who can manage public health information and surveillance systems and play leadership roles in the central public health function of information gathering, analysis, and dissemination. The target audiences for the program are public health administrators, health officials, health information professionals, and managed care organization analysts. This on-line informatics program allows the student to earn a graduate degree from a fully accredited school of public health from anywhere in the country. All on-line courses are taught by the same faculty who teach the traditionally delivered courses. All courses employ frequent student and faculty interaction, use of on-line library resources, group study using Internet communications, and on-line examinations, thereby allowing professionals to continue working while earning their degrees. Program Description Students are expected to take five courses per year (two in the fall and spring semesters and one in the summer session) in order to complete the 48 semester hour program in three years. There are no electives in the program, and students are expected to move through the program in cohort groups. Public Health Informatics Curriculum Public Health Core Courses BSTT 400 : Biostatistics 1 (3 sh) CHSC 400 : Public Health Concepts and Practice (3 sh) EPID 400 : Principles of Epidemiology (3 sh) HPA 400 : Principles of Management in Public Health (3 sh) EOHS 400 : Principles of Environmental Health Sciences (3 sh) HPA 401 : Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (2 sh) Informatics Courses HPA 465 : Health Information and Decision Support Systems (4 sh) HPA 437 : Health Care Data (3 sh) BHIS 505 : Legal and Social Issues of Health Informatics (3 sh) HPA 510 : Health Care Information Systems (4 sh) HPA 520 : Management of Health Care Communication Systems (4 sh) HPA 563 : Web-based Public Health Informatics (3 sh) HPA 564 : Applications of Geographic Information Systems in Public Health (3 sh) CHSC 432 : Analytical Methods in Public Health (3 sh) The program will culminate in a field practicum and capstone experience. Student Support UIC provides on-line registration, academic counseling, and library services. On-line orientations to the UIC Internet-based course delivery systems, CourseInfo and WebBoard, are provided as well as telephone and on-line technical support to help the student become accustomed to distance learning tools and techniques. Faculty advisers are available to answer questions during telephone office hours or through e-mail. Visit the Public Health Informatics Program website at http:// www.uic.edu/sph/phi to download an application as well as review admission requirements and application instructions. To apply to the program, applicants must complete the School of Public Health MPH application and check the Health Policy and Administration (HPA) program preference. For additional information, please call Aimee Wiebel, Academic Coordinator, Health Policy and Administration Division, at 312-996-3818 or e-mail her at PHI@uic.edu.

	Preventive Medicine
	The School of Public Health collaborates with John Stroger Hospital in offering an accredited program leading to board eligibility in preventive medicine. The program emphasizes clinical skills, program development, and research for persons who have completed a residency in internal medicine. For further information, e-mail David Goldberg, MD, John Stroger Hospital, at David_Goldberg@rush.edu.

	Residencies in Occupational and General Preventive Medicine
	The School of Public Health participates in three residency programs by providing an accredited academic year toward board eligibility in general preventive medicine and occupational medicine (both under the American Board of Preventive Medicine). The University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health offers a two-year, fully accredited program leading to board eligibility in occupational medicine. The program is open to physicians with MD or DO degrees who have completed an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education-accredited internship year in the U.S. and are eligible for licensure in Illinois. The first academic year entails completion of course work for the MPH degree, plus one day per week of clinical work and sixteen weeks of elective rotations. The second practicum year entails five months of industrial-based medicine, three months on the Occupational Medicine Consultation Service, two months of research, and two months of electives in occupational medicine-related areas. Half-day, outpatient clinical work and weekly conferences are integrated into both the academic and practicum years of the program. Persons interested in the UIC Occupational Medicine Program may contact Linda Forst, MD, MPH, 901 South Wolcott Street, M/C 684, Chicago, Illinois 60612, at 312-413-0369. The John Stroger Hospital Department of Medicine offers a four-year program which combines occupational medicine and internal medicine and leads to board eligibility in both occupational and internal medicine. The first year consists of a categorical internal medicine year at John Stroger Hospital. The second year entails three months of work in medical specialties and nine months of academic study in the School of Public Health, working toward the MPH degree. The third year is in internal medicine at John Stroger Hospital with full-time ward and specialty medicine assignments. The fourth year consists of three months of clinical occupational medicine at John Stroger Hospital, five months of industrial plant experience (which also includes the MPH practicum experience), three months of research, and two months of electives (some program elements may overlap). Outpatient clinics and conferences are integrated into the four years of the program. Interested persons may contact Rachel Rubin, MD, MPH, Division of Occupational Medicine, John Stroger Hospital, 1900 West Polk Street, Fifth Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60612, at 312-633-5310. Both occupational medicine residencies work in conjunction with the Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety Education and Research Center at the University of Illinois at Chicago, one of sixteen NIOSH-funded training centers in the United States. Now in its twenty-fifth year, it is supporting thirty-five trainees in MPH, MS, DrPH, and PhD programs in industrial hygiene and occupational nursing as well as the physician residency program in occupational medicine. Lorraine Conroy, ScD, CIH, is the Center Director. The third residency program that offers an MPH at the School of Public Health is The John Stroger Hospital General Preventive Medicine Program. This program offers two years of concurrent MPH and practicum experiences in preparation to sit for the American Board of Preventive Medicine exam. This program is for physicians who have already completed a residency in internal medicine. A third research year is periodically offered. The MPH is in either epidemiology/biostatistics or community health sciences. The practicum is a blend of training in clinical, adminstrative, public health, and research components of general preventive medicine. The program is in its seventh year and typically admits only one resident/fellow per year. For further information about this program, contact David Goldberg, MD, John Stroger Hospital, by e-mail at David_Goldberg@rush.edu.

	Maternal and Child Health Program
	The goal of the Maternal and Child Health Program (MCHP) is to provide graduate leadership education for individuals pursuing careers in maternal and child health (MCH). It is a comprehensive, competency-based program focusing on the health needs of women, children, and families and on the services designed to meet these needs. Competencies include the ability to apply a historical, legislative, and public health knowledge base concerning Title V/MCH and related governmental programs, policymaking and advocacy, program planning and evaluation, resource allocation and service delivery, management and communication, health education, quantitative and qualitative methods, interdisciplinary collaborative skills, community assessment and collaboration, and epidemiologic and analytic skills. The MCHP is one of only twelve such programs funded at schools of public health in the United States through the federal Maternal and Child Health Bureau. Through collaborative research activities, field-based learning in courses, and practica experiences, as well as through the provision of continuing education offerings, technical assistance, and consultation, MCH faculty and students work closely with state and local health, social service, and education agencies, not-for-profit advocacy organizations, and community-based health and social service organizations, in order to improve the health and well-being of the MCH population. The program leads to one of four School of Public Health degrees with a specialization in MCH: the Master of Public Health (MPH), Doctor of Public Health (DrPH), Master of Science (MS), and the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). It takes most students two years full-time to complete the MPH degree program in MCH. Students may also enroll on a part-time basis. In addition, the Maternal and Child Health Program offers an MPH and PhD specialization in MCH epidemiology. The focus of this program is on applying epidemiologic methods and skills to solving MCH problems, particularly in conjunction with state and local health agencies. A more detailed description of this program is provided below. Students first must meet the School of Public Health admission requirements and apply through the Community Health Sciences Division. Preference for admission to the MCHP is given to applicants who hold an advanced degree within a professional discipline relevant to maternal and child health and who have had at least two years of experience in their profession. Applicants with a bachelor's degree, experience in public health programs or related areas, and clear professional goals are also considered. Competitive MCH traineeships and assistantships are usually available. For further information, contact Jennifer Bowe, Program Administrative Coordinator, Maternal and Child Health Program, at 312-413-5625, or Rebecca Fields, MPH, Academic Coordinator, Community Health Sciences Division, at 312-996-8940 or visit the webpage at www.uic.edu/sph/mch.

	Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program
	The Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Program at UIC is a collaborative effort of the Maternal and Child Health Program/Community Health Sciences Division and the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division. Students in the program are required to follow a course of study that combines the assessment, planning, analytic methods, and MCH courses of the Community Health Sciences Division with the epidemiology requirements of the Epidemiology and Biostatistics Division. Because the focus of the program is on the application of epidemiologic and other analytic methods to the resolution of current MCH problems, students are required to work with state or local health agencies for their field practicum (MPH) or dissertation (PhD). Graduates of these programs will have the analytic skills to enable them to perform many of the activities of the MCH planning cycle at a very high level: surveillance, assessment, planning, implementation, monitoring, evaluation, and policy development. Special funding is available for qualified first-year and continuing doctoral students in the MCH Epidemiology Program. For further information, contact Jennifer Bowe, Program Administrative Coordinator, Maternal and Child Health Program, at 312-413-5625, or Rebecca Fields, MPH, Academic Coordinator, Community Health Sciences Division, at 312-996-8940

	Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP)
	The UIC School of Public Health is dedicated to the training of a diverse cadre of public health professionals. To this end, and in collaboration with the UIC Urban Health Program, a program to recruit, retain, and graduate students from minority groups historically underrepresented in the health professions, the school has developed a comprehensive career pipeline into public health, consisting of the Health Careers Opportunity Program (HCOP) and the Health Professional Partnership Initiative, supported through grants from 1) the Health Resources and Services Administration, Division of Education Development and Diversity, 2) the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, and 3) several public health partners. The model will increase the pool and the competitiveness of African-Americans and Latinos who are enrolled, retained, and graduated with master's and doctoral degrees in public health. The comprehensive plan includes individuals from all educational levels, K-20. The Elementary/Middle School Program includes: 1) Public Health Assembly; 2) Public Health Curriculum, a health education program in over ten elementary schools taught by public health graduate students; 3) Public Health Week; 4) a six-week intensive Summer Public Health Institute and a thirty-week, all-year-round Saturday College for sixth to eighth grades at both the Early Outreach Program of UIC and Chicago State University. The High School Program includes: 1) Public Health Clubs, a leadership training organization for 250 students from nine participating high schools); 2) a Saturday College at both the Early Outreach Program of UIC and at Chicago State University; and 3) a six-week High School Summer Public Health Institute. Public Health Education for Teachers helps teachers to incorporate public health science into the K-12 curriculum and to increase their understanding of the impact of prejudice and stereotypes on the delivery of health care and the improvement of public health. Participating teachers receive lane credit promotion. The Undergraduate College Students' Program includes: 1) bi-annual conferences organized to disseminate information on how to prepare for a career in the public health workforce, address cultural competence in public health, access educational and professional opportunities in public health, and address public health issues facing disadvantaged minorities; 2) Public Health Sciences Satellite Centers to provide preliminary education to community college students and to strengthen their performance in sciences; 3) a Pre-Application/Admission Program to increase the competitiveness of disadvantaged undergraduate juniors and seniors in preparing for graduate study; and 4) a Summer Residential Enrichment Program, an eight-to-ten-week summer program that facilitates the entry of disadvantaged and under-represented minority undergraduate juniors, seniors, and post-baccalaureate students into professional and graduate training in public health. Participants are also given a stipend of $300.00 per week if they are from the Health Professions Shortage Areas of Illinois and/or demonstrate financial need. The UIC SPH Matriculated Students' Program includes: 1) the Pre-matriculation Program, an intensive six-week preliminary course to strengthen the academic competitiveness of disadvantaged and under-represented minority students admitted to the UIC SPH; and 2) student support groups, a retention program focusing on biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental calculations, and writing. Financial Aid and Job Placement: A minimum of two seminars is held every semester to provide opportunities for students to: 1) access financial assistance; 2) network with federal, state, and local agencies, and with private organizations; and 3) attend professional conferences. For further information, contact Shaffdeen A. Amuwo, PhD, MPH, Associate Dean for Community, Government, and Alumni Affairs, at 312-996-6625 or the HCOP director at 312-996-5955. Visit their website at: http://www.uic.edu/sph/hcop

	Traveling Scholar Program Committee on Institutional Cooperation (CIC)
	This program allows doctoral students to take advantage of specialized courses, laboratory and library facilities, and related faculty guidance available at universities in the Big Ten and the University of Chicago. Under the program, DrPH or PhD students may spend two quarters or one semester at any of the other CIC institutions. Consult the Graduate College for further information.

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