Vision, Mission, Goals & Objectives
Vision Statement
SPHHS will be a leader in solving the complex challenges to the public’s health and well-being in the 21st century.
Mission Statement
To optimize the public’s health and quality of life through education, research, outreach and practice using an innovative model that addresses complex transdisciplinary health issues by integrating core areas of public health and the health sciences.
I. Research Goals
I.A. To increase overall research productivity and quality.
I.B. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans public health and the basic and applied sciences, clinical practice and community applications.
II. Education Goals
II.A. To become a leader for public health and health sciences workforce development and training.
II.B. To promote diversity in the student body and to develop learning opportunities to address issues of health disparity.
II.C. To prepare graduate students with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to advance the health and quality of life of the public.
III. Service and Outreach Goals
III.A. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.
III.B. To provide leadership and service to organizations and state, federal and global agencies.
III.C. A set of measurable objectives relating to each major function through which the school intends to achieve its goals of instruction, research, and service.
Note: Each objective is followed by brackets noting the corresponding CEPH Accreditation Criteria and the specific individual/committee assigned to lead its implementation and evaluation.
I. Research Goals and Objectives
I.A. GOAL 1. To increase overall research productivity and quality.
Objective I.A.1. Increase the School’s annual extramural funding from the current level of approximately $4.9 million total expenditures per year (FY 2005) by 10% to a target of $5.5 million per year in FY 2008.
Objective I.A.2. Increase the number of peer-reviewed publications from the School by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.
Objective I.A.3. Increase the number of faculty who submit federal grant applications as Principal Investigator by 20% from 2004-2005 levels by 2010.
Objective I.A.4. Improve the infrastructure for research. Specifically, increase the 80% FTE Grants Manager to 100% by 2007.
Objective I.A.5. Provide state of the art research space for new hires and renovate existing laboratories to current professional standards by 2010.
Objective I.A.6. Increase faculty hires with a transdisciplinary focus in key areas such as obesity, women’s health, health disparities, and/or aging by 2010.
I.B. GOAL 2. To respond to public health needs by conducting innovative and transdisciplinary research that spans the basic and applied sciences and public health, clinical practice and community applications.
Objective I.B.1. Create two Research Centers: The Center for Healthy Aging and the Center for Obesity-Related Diseases. This will be accomplished by translating current interest groups into two research centers by 2009.
Objective I.B.2. Support transdisciplinary research by converting the one-time 2005-2006 competitive SPHHS Pilot and Feasibility Study Awards into an annual awardcommencing in 2007-2008.
Objective I.B.3. Establish a campus-wide Institute of Global Health to expand the School’s efforts in public health research, training and capacity building in South Africa, Vietnam and Russia by 2007.
Objective I.B.4. Establish a Center for Participatory Research in Health Disparities and develop two initiatives in community participatory research by 2010.
II. Educational Goals and Objectives
II.A. Goal 1. To prepare undergraduate and graduate students with the knowledge, skills and competencies needed to advance the health and quality of life of the public.
Objective II.A.1. Increase the number of and diversity of graduate and undergraduate students in SPHHS on-campus programs by 2008.
Objective II.A.2. Develop and implement an Interdisciplinary Graduate Certificate in Functional Genomics in Public Health with faculty from SPHHS, computer science, and biology by 2008.
Objective II.A.3. Develop and implement a dual MPH/MPPA (Masters in Public Health/Master’s in Public Policy Administration) degree program by 2009.
Objective II.A.4. Institute an undergraduate degree program in Public Health based on the Institute of Medicine recommendations for the preparation of undergraduates in public health by Fall 2007.
Objective II.A.5. Seek and obtain one or more doctoral training grants from NIH in transdisciplinary areas of research strength (e.g. obesity-related diseases, healthy aging, women’s health) by 2009.
Objective II.A.6. Expand the current MPH degree in Nutrition to include an on-line degree program offered by 2008.
Objective II.A.7. Develop and implement a specialty MPH degree in Kinesiology titled Physical Activity and Public Health by 2009.
II.B. GOAL 2. To become a leader for public health and health sciences workforce development and training
Objective II.B.1. Seek and obtain a CDC-ASPH Academic Health Department: Demonstration Project Grant to foster public health practice partnerships with local and state health departments by 2007.
Objective II.B.2. Use marketing survey data to expand on-line degree offerings by 2008.
Objective II.B.3. Develop and implement an online certificate program in Health Reporting in collaboration with the Department of Communications at the University of Massachusetts by 2008.
Objective II.B.4. Re-establish the Office of Public Health Practice to identify necessary areas in public health workforce development by 2007.
II.C. GOAL 3. To promote diversity in the student body and to develop learning opportunities to address issues of health disparity.
Objective II.C.1. Increase the number of and diversity of graduate and undergraduate students in SPHHS on-campus programs through the creation of an ad-hoc SPHHS committee appointed by the Dean by 2008.
Objective II.C.2. Review the curriculum of all degree programs to ensure appropriate emphasis on diversity and cross-cultural issues and identify ways to strengthen these components by 2008.
Objective II.C.3. Implement the School’s social justice and diversity plan by 2008.
III. Service and Outreach Goals and Objectives
III.A. Goal 1. To engage communities, students, and research partners in addressing transdisciplinary public health issues in diverse populations.
Objective III.A.1. Increase the Dean’s Advisory Council membership by at least 3 to 6 members representative of the community and diverse constituencies served by the School by 2007.
Objective III.A.2. Commencing in Spring 2007, schedule biannual meetings with community partners to identify local health needs and problems to be addressed through research studies and intervention strategies.
III.B. Goal 2. To provide leadership and service to organizations and state, federal and global agencies.
Objective III.B.1. Create a SPHHS ad-hoc committee charged with identifying 5 key areas requiring leadership and service in organizations and state, federal, and global agencies by 2007.
