MPH Program Competencies
CEPH-specified Core Program Competencies
- Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
- Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
- Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
- Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice
- Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
- Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and systemic levels
- Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
- Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs
- Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
- Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
- Select methods to evaluate public health programs
- Discuss the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
- Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
- Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
- Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity
- Apply leadership and/or management principles to address a relevant issue
- Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges
- Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
- Communicate audience-appropriate public health content (i.e. non-academic, non-peer audience), both in writing and through oral presentation
- Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content
- Integrate perspectives from other sectors and/or professions to promote and advance population health
- Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue
Concentration Competencies
APH 1
Compare and contrast the functional roles of federal, state and local public health agencies in terms of mandated activities, recommendations, and funding provision.
APH 2
Adopt the role of the Public Health 3.0 “Chief Health Strategist” to write a plan for engaging and defining the roles of multiple cross-sector collaborators to address a specific public health need.
APH 3
Using population health data and results from community needs assessments, write a health problem statement for a specific community health problem.
APH 4
Develop a public health program implementation plan, including program goals & objectives, work plans, budgets, and timelines.
APH 5
Develop a written plan to apply processes that integrate transdisciplinary perspectives, contributions, and collaborations to address health disparities.
EPI 1
Transform data by creating variables, merging data sets, and using arrays.
EPI 2
Apply weighting and other complex sampling designs when analyzing survey data.
EPI 3
Using a specified research reporting format, discuss statistical model development assumptions, including interpretations, diagnostics, and reporting, focusing on implementing logistic regression analysis modeling to epidemiological data.
EPI 4
Develop and explore research questions and hypotheses.
EPI 5
Discuss the selection and use of appropriate epidemiological methods including measures of disease occurrence; adjustment methods based on stratification; and evaluation of bias.
CHE 1
Apply epidemiologic theories of cancer causation and theories of bias in epidemiologic research to explain distributions of cancer disparities.
CHE 2
Develop novel epidemiological research questions to address cancer disparities.
CHE 3
Delineate issues in the design, conduct, and analysis of cancer prevention and control studies and critically evaluate original research in this area.
CHE 4
Design and refine an intervention for primary or secondary cancer prevention through a health equity lens
CHE 5
Apply the cancer and translational research continuum to community engaged cancer disparities programming.
CHE 6
Design and develop a written comprehensive community engaged research action plan tailored to address a specific cancer disparity within a selected community, applying at least two specific community engaged strategies using a multi-level approach.
CEPH Foundation Knowledge Areas
- Explain public health history, philosophy and values
- Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
- Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health
- List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the US or other community relevant to the school or program
- Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc.
- Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge
- Explain effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
- Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health
- Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health
- Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities
- Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease
- Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health)