UVM’s B.S. in Public Health Sciences is first undergraduate program in Vermont with full national CEPH accreditation
Vermont Business Magazine The University of Vermont (UVM) College of Nursing and Health Sciences (CNHS) BS in Public Health Sciences program has earned national accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), the independent agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education to accredit schools of public health and public health programs.
“CNHS is proud to offer the B.S. in Public Health Sciences because the program aligns directly with UVM’s focus on the health of our societies and the health of our environment,” said College of Nursing and Health Sciences Dean Noma Anderson. “People who work in this discipline care about the health of people of all ages and ethnicities, and of the communities where they live.”
Recognized as the quality standard of education and training in public health, CEPH accreditation is awarded only to programs that meet rigorous criteria, ensuring that students experience a high-quality undergraduate education in public health. Accreditation signals to future employers and graduate programs that alumni of UVM’s program have the skills and knowledge necessary to be successful in the field.
“The past several years of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic have underscored the societal need for well-versed and thoughtful citizens in the areas of health promotion, global health literacy, epidemiology, health communication, and health care systems,” said Eyal Amiel, chair of UVM’s Department of Biomedical and Health Sciences.
The 120-credit Public Health Sciences program, which has produced 145 graduates to date, provides direct experiential education opportunities with local partners that help students understand and serve the health and wellbeing of communities.
“Graduates of our program are getting the education and training necessary to have an immediate and critical impact on a local, national, and global scale at a time when some estimates suggest that the public health workforce will need to grow by 80% in order to meet the needs of our communities,” said Program Director Deb Hinchey.
Alumni are prepared to enter the workforce or pursue graduate study upon completing the degree. Recent graduates work in the non-profit sector, local health departments, on research teams, and medical centers; and are also pursuing further education in nursing, medicine, and law. Kyra Wood ’21 said the program’s experiential learning opportunities prepared her well for her current role as district liaison for the VT Public Health Association.
“The courses take students from understanding the foundations of ‘the community as client’ to applying skills in local projects, supporting students in creating change in communities,” said Wood.
“Public health is so important right now because of the much-needed focus on health disparities,” said CNHS Dean Anderson. “Those who work in public health aim to bring equity and social justice to the health status of all.”
Learn more about UVM’s B.S. in Public Health Sciences Program: go.uvm.edu/undergradpublichealth
About the College of Nursing & Health Sciences
Part of an academic health sciences hub that includes the UVM Health Network and Larner College of Medicine, the College of Nursing and Health Sciences enrolls about 300 graduate students and 1000 undergraduates across four academic departments: Biomedical and Health Sciences, Communication Sciences and Disorders, Nursing, and Rehabilitation and Movement Science. CNHS calls students to a higher standard of care and teaches them to reach across divides for the benefit of patients, to become leaders among the next generation of culturally competent health professionals. Rigorously trained to collaborate with colleagues across the health fields, graduates join the workforce prepared to bring value to the work of their team members, champion the voice of a struggling patient, and to foster exemplary interprofessional, compassionate, and family-centered services. In this tight-knit ecosystem of health care education, research, and practice, students train to serve society and their patients, with better outcomes for all.
About the University of Vermont
Since 1791, the University of Vermont has worked to move humankind forward. UVM’s strengths align with the most pressing needs of our time: the health of our societies and the health of our environment. Our size—large enough to offer a breadth of ideas, resources, and opportunities, yet intimate enough to enable close faculty-student mentorship across all levels of study—allows us to pursue these interconnected issues through cross-disciplinary research and collaboration. Providing an unparalleled educational experience for our students, and ensuring their success, are at the core of what we do. As one of the nation’s first land grant universities, UVM advances Vermont and the broader society through the discovery and application of new knowledge.
UVM is derived from the Latin Universitas Viridis Montis (in English, University of the Green Mountains).
9.16.2022. BURLINGTON, Vt. — The University of Vermont