Master of Public Health Program Competencies
The VCU MPH Program includes two tracks: Generalist and Epidemiology. The program has adopted the core competencies outlined by the Association for Schools of Public Health (ASPH) to apply to all tracks in the areas of Biostatistics, Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Leadership. In addition, the program has developed track-specific competencies for the two MPH tracks.
- MPH Competencies – All Tracks
- Biostatistics
- Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of public health.
- Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions.
- Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
- Describe basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
- Apply common statistical methods for inference. Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when assumptions are not met.
- Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.
- Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies.
- Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public health professionals and educated lay audiences.
- Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
- Environmental Health Sciences
- Specify approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
- Describe the direct and indirect human, ecological and safety effects of major environmental and occupational agents.
- Specify current environmental risk assessment methods.
- Describe genetic, physiologic and psychosocial factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following exposure to environmental hazards.
- Discuss various risk management and risk communication approaches in relation to issues of environmental justice and equity.
- Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a toxic response to various environmental exposures.
- Develop a testable model of environmental insult.
- Describe federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines and authorities that control environmental health issues.
- Epidemiology
- Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political discussion of health issues.
- Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time and place.
- Apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
- Identify key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes.
- Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
- Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports.
- Draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data.
- Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.
- Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and dissemination of epidemiologic data.
- Identify the principles and limitations of public health screening programs.
- Health Policy and Management
- Identify the main components and issues of the organization, financing and delivery of health services and public health systems in the US.
- Discuss the policy process for improving the health status of populations.
- Describe the legal and ethical bases for public health and health services.
- Apply quality and performance improvement concepts to address organizational performance issues.
- Demonstrate leadership skills for building partnerships.
- Apply principles of strategic planning and marketing to public health.
- Communicate health policy and management issues using appropriate channels and technologies.
- Apply the principles of program planning, development, budgeting, management and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives.
- Explain methods of ensuring community health safety and preparedness.
- Apply "systems thinking" for resolving organizational problems.
- Social and Behavioral Sciences
- Describe the role of social and community factors in both the onset and solution of public health problems.
- Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations.
- Identify basic theories, concepts and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines that are used in public health research and practice.
- Apply ethical principles to public health program planning, implementation and evaluation.
- Specify multiple targets and levels of intervention for social and behavioral science programs and/or policies.
- Identify individual, organizational and community concerns, assets, resources and deficits for social and behavioral science interventions.
- Apply evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of social and behavioral science interventions.
- Describe the merits of social and behavioral science interventions and policies.
- Describe steps and procedures for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs, policies and interventions.
- Identify critical stakeholders for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs, policies and interventions.
- Leadership
- Demonstrate effective oral and written skills for communicating with different co-workers and/or audiences in the context of professional public health activities.
- Engage in dialogue and learning from others to advance public health goals.
- Demonstrate team-building, negotiation, and conflict management skills.
- Demonstrate transparency, integrity, and honesty in all actions.
- Use collaborative methods for achieving organizational
and community health goals.
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- Biostatistics
- MPH Track-Specific Competencies
- Competencies for the Generalist Track
- Diagnose and investigate health problems and health hazards in the community through use of the principles of hazard assessment and definition.
- Inform, educate, and empower people about health issues through use of educational principles and knowledge of cultural differences and imperatives.
- Mobilize community partnerships and action to identify and solve health problems through use of the principles on team development and organizational theory.
- Develop policies and plans that support individual and community health efforts by means of budget development, setting of program goals and understanding of administrative principles that apply to public health agencies.
- Understand the role of public health laws and regulations that protect health and ensure safety.
- Evaluate effectiveness, accessibility, and quality of personal and population-based health services through use of applied epidemiology and statistics.
- Research for new insights and innovative solutions to health problems through studies addressing the most important public health issues in the community.
- Competencies for the Epidemiology Track
- Describe general history of epidemiology
- List strengths and limitations of descriptive epidemiology
- Describe models of disease etiology and control
- Recognize major epidemiologic studies of selected diseases
- Identify major chronic and acute diseases, leading causes of death
- Recognize importance of epidemiology for informing discussion of and policy for health issues
- Describe conditions suitable for population screening
- Recognize types of bias that affect validity of screening evaluations
- List types of surveillance systems and approaches used in disease surveillance
- Search the literature
- Review and critically evaluate the literature
- Make appropriate causal inference
- Describe each study design
- Select the most appropriate and efficient design for a specific problem
- Calculate sample size
- Identify and be able to minimize sources of bias
- Describe the direction and magnitude of bias and effect on measures of association
- Identify instruments appropriate for the research question
- Describe the role of program evaluation in public health practice
- Understand ethical concepts and human subjects protections
- Use statistical computer packages to calculate and display descriptive statistics
- Analyze categorical data
- Perform multiple logistic regression analysis and describe the essential elements of survival analysis
- Examine data for confounding and effect modification, and handle appropriately
- Interpret research results with appropriate inferences
- Present data in tabular and figure formats
- Communicate research findings orally and in writing
- Competencies for the Social and Behavioral Health Track
- Ask meaningful questions about the individual, social, and cultural factors related to health and illness.
- Understand the development and assessment of intervention approaches that come to be known as evidence-based.
- Identify suitable qualitative and quantitative methods for addressing public health research questions and justify the use of these methods.
- Conduct qualitative interviews that are culturally competent and respectful of the sensitivities and vulnerabilities of special populations and subgroups.
- Critically evaluate measures of behavioral constructs and describe steps in the development of new measures.
- Understand the relationship between construct measurement, research design and data analysis in the behavioral and social sciences.
- Demonstrate an understanding of general and health literacy definitions, measures and national statistics, and their implications for public health practice.
- Identify gaps in the current health literacy knowledge base and propose research strategies for filling the gaps.
- Competencies for the Generalist Track
