Almost from the first day I joined the faculty, I have been hearing from students and alumni that you want our department to offer a doctoral program in epidemiology.  Well, your wishes have come true—our proposal for a Ph.D. in Epidemiology was approved in August of 2009.  We are now accepting applications for this program to matriculate in Fall Semester, 2010.  An important component of our application was our ability to document the interest of our alumni and students and other public health professionals in Indiana in this academic program.  I thank all of you for this excellent support.

Building on the strengths that have been developed during our 11 year history, our Department is growing at an exhilarating pace. In the past few years, our faculty has expanded from 4 to 16.   Visit our web site often to learn about each exciting new member of our faculty as they arrive.

We are completing our 11th year as an MPH program, having admitted our first cohort of students in 1998. We have been a CEPH accredited MPH program in public health since 2002. We now have 146 students enrolled in the MPH program, 51 of whom matriculated in the fall of 2009.

The MPH curriculum has changed over the past year, with more curricular options built into the degree program in all three concentrations. We also have reviewed and updated the competencies for the MPH, ensuring that our program maintains the highest standards in academic public health. With new faculty we offer an increasing number of new courses in each of our concentrations.

Our MPH Alumni Association also is growing and thriving—we now have 244 alumni. They are becoming more involved with the Department and our current students and are active mentors to our students.

Our collaborations across Indiana are a key feature of our academic programs.  Our collaborations with the Indiana State Health Department and the Marion County Health Department are outstanding examples of partnerships.  In Fall Semester, 2009, we established the “Epi Corps”, a special volunteer and training program for our second year MPH students.  Students in this corps will receive special training from both the Marion County Health Department and the Indiana State Department of Health to enable them to support the everyday public health “emergencies” such as food borne outbreaks and the less frequent emergencies, such as the H1N1 virus.  The Department of Public Health also has strong connections to local industry, in particular the health industry—ranging from large hospital corporations to pharmaceutical companies to local clinics. These collaborations are key elements of opportunities for our students in their academic program, in research, and in community service.

Our collaborations throughout the School of Medicine and across the IUPUI campus are another set of strengths of this department. Through these connections, our department is expanding international opportunities for our students.  Through the Kenya Project, a limited number of MPH students currently have opportunities to participate in research and to carry out internships.  These opportunities are being expanded in both location and numbers for the future. The research opportunities for our students are endless, as one would expect of any MPH program housed in one of the nation’s leading schools of medicine and academic health centers. 

In January of this year, we initiated our re-accreditation process, and have begun our self-study. The first draft of this self-study will be completed in November, 2009.  This will be an important element in our growth, development, and improvement of our MPH program and department. Our students, alumni, faculty, staff, and community partners all are participating in an 18 month review and introspection. A key product of these efforts will be the adoption of many new ideas.

It is a privilege for me to serve as the third Chair of the Department of Public Health. I welcome you to our web site and invite you to visit often and learn about each thrilling new achievement!
I look forward to your visits to our web site and to meeting you in person!

G. Marie Swanson, PhD, MPH
Professor and Chair