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Community Medicine and Health Care
The Department of Community Medicine and Health Care's educational responsibilities are focused on medical and dental students, residents, the public health workforce, and other health care professionals.
The Department plays an important role in the Medical School's undergraduate curriculum. Community Medicine faculty members participate in many of the ten courses composing the curriculum. Several of its members serve as section heads within courses or as members of course coordinating committees.
Human Development and Health (HDH) is a course for 2nd year medical and dental students, introducing them to the context in which they operate as health care providers and intertwines three perspectives for viewing health and medical care in contemporary society. A focus on population health acknowledges the many social, cultural and economic influences on health, illness and the delivery of health services. Attention to personal health encompasses both individual characteristics and behaviors that influence health behaviors and practices that affect the availability, access and utilization of health services. Consideration of professional health care delivery includes the structure and organization of health care provision to individuals, what actually happens between physicians/dentists and patients, guidelines for practice, and factors influencing doctor-patient relationships and decision making. Associate Professor Zita Lazzarini is the course director for HDH.
Community-Based Education Community oriented primary care is the governing philosophy of the Community-Based Education Program. This approach, developed in the 1960's, incorporates community needs assessment, population based planning and intervention, community participation and evaluation. The program is integrated into all four years of School of Medicine's curriculum. Community-based Education has developed educational experiences with a variety of community programs throughout the state that compliments the classroom learning in the School of Medicine. Currently, medical students work with more than 300 community programs located in 61 Connecticut towns. Stacey Brown, Ph.D. Director of UConn's Community-Based Education Program is an Assistant Professor in this Department. » More about the Community-Based Education Program
Student Continuity Practice (SCP) is a three year primary care continuity experience which provides students with a longitudinal immersion and mentoring experience in a community based generalist practice. SCP gives students the opportunity to develop a conceptual understanding of medicine while developing skills in history taking, physical examination and clinical reasoning. It also provides students exposure to personal and professional issues that accompany medical training and practice. Students spend 1/2 day per week with their physician preceptor in sites that are usually within 1 hour from the medical school Karen Harrington , Director of the Student Continuity Practice, is an Assistant Professor in this Department. » More about the Student Continuity Practice
In addition providing undergraduate medical education, faculty from the Department of Community Medicine and Health Care also present topics in Health Law and Ethics and the Social Sciences to Medical Residents.
The Institute of Medicine recommended that all undergraduate students should have access to education in public health. The Chronicle of Higher Education lists public health as one of the five emerging areas of bachelors-level study. With grant support from the Association for Teaching Prevention and Research, the Department’s Undergraduate Public Health Initiative was created in partnership with the UConn departments of Allied Health Sciences, Human Development and Family Studies, and Anthropology. Beginning in 2011, we implemented the first-ever undergraduate public health courses at the University: Introduction to Public Health , Introduction to Epidemiology and Introduction to Global Health . The Department of Community Medicine is dedicated to expanding undergraduate public health courses as an educational resource for undergraduate students at UConn.
Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree . The University has awarded the MPH Degree since 1984. Its purpose is “to prepare public health professionals …. in order to benefit the well-being of Connecticut residents and others through organized, comprehensive, effective and just action”. Our curriculum focuses on applied public health practice to prepare leaders for our State’s workforce. Dual degree options are available for students in the schools of Medicine, Dental Medicine, Pharmacy, Law, Social Work and Nursing. More than 700 students have graduated from the program and 114 students are currently matriculating. The MPH program is directed by David Gregorio, Ph.D . It maintains a 4.6 FTE staff, a primary (core) faculty of 10, and secondary faculty and other affiliated instructors numbering approximately 30. Its operating budget is offset by tuition revenue that is returned to the School of Medicine. The Master of Public Health program is nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). » More about the Graduate Program in Public Health
Doctor of Philosophy in Public Health Degree (Ph.D.) In April 2006, the University and the State Department of Higher Education approved a Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in social and behavioral health sciences and provisionally approved a second concentration in Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences in June 2007. The Ph.D. in public health is designed to prepare future public health leaders with the academic skills needed to enhance health in human populations, focusing on the preparation of researchers, teachers, public health administrators, clinicians, and industry employees competent to carry out the broad public health mission within Connecticut. Currently, over 20 doctoral students are enrolled in the program and three students have already received their Ph.D. degrees. » More about the Ph.D. Program
The Department is committed to helping health care and public health professionals improve their skills through continuing educational experiences.