doctor of public health

doctor of public health

The Importance of a Doctor of Public Health

1. The Role of a Doctor of Public Health

In contrast to healthcare providers such as physicians or nurses who directly deliver patient care, the day-to-day work of a Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) is often invisible. Their efforts help to assure conditions in which people can be healthy, focusing on entire populations, not just individual patients. This is often executed through policy-making, advocacy or research. They affect change on a grand scale by creating new ways of thinking about the root causes of health and illness. A DrPH has a wide range of tools at their disposal such as epidemiology, biostatistics, health economics, health policy, and environmental health. The main goal is to improve the overall health of different populations, whether it be through primary, secondary or tertiary prevention. As an example, a DrPH might work to identify and diminish the risks of chronic diseases in minorities.

2. Advancing Public Health Policies and Practices

The Doctor of Public Health and Dr. P.H. degree is oriented toward leadership in practice, administration, policy analysis, and teaching. It is designed for individuals engaged in the practice of public health and have a commitment to public health. It is intended to provide an advanced professional educational program for individuals who already have an M.P.H. or equivalent degree. The Dr. P.H. may be best regarded as the degree required for people who wish to pursue or continue a career in high-level leadership or as a change agent in the public or private sector. The Dr. P.H. provides the opportunity to become a high-level public health practitioner or researcher. This degree is designed to prepare individuals to assume an advanced professional role in public health which may include teaching, research, administrative, or policymaking positions. Dr. P.H. graduates might also work in a practice-based setting, to help develop and implement systematic approaches to effective public health practice in both community and global settings.

3. Conducting Research and Analysis in Public Health

Data analysis is another essential part of public health research. It allows us to make comparisons between different populations and health issues and can help to predict future health issues. Public health research may be spread over a long time period, and a DrPH must be able to sustain and coordinate the research in an effective manner throughout. Given the limitations of resources for many health issues, research has to be prioritized, and a DrPH must be able to make decisions on how and when to implement research strategies.

In order to research public health problems, one must be able to employ different methods depending on the circumstance. A DrPH from Georgia Southern University will be trained to use various techniques of research, all equally effective. Given the complexities of the cultural, economic, social, and political issues that affect the health of a population, research questions that arise are often multi-dimensional. Therefore, research has to be done with an open mind and explore all possible causes of the health issue in question. The research tools that are available for use can vary from study to study, and an effective public health leader must be able to weigh the pros and cons of different methods and tools and apply them as necessary.

Public health research can be conducted at many different levels, ranging from individual health interventions, or the care of chronic or disabled patients, and workplace safety. With the skills learned from a DrPH at Georgia Southern University, one would be able to conduct research to the highest possible standard in order to improve the health of the population being served. By doing that, such research would also act as a tool of education for the public health community, current and future generations.

Public health research can come in many forms, whether it be experimental, observational, or solely data analysis. Public health research is what separates the successful health interventions from those that are not. This is because it provides the evidence of the success of any given health intervention and shows whether it was worth either the time, effort, or money. All public health care interventions must be backed up with some sort of evidence that it will be good for the health of the population.

Rendering correct medical and public health care requires the acquisition and application of systematic and reliable evidence, the use of concepts and tools of research, and an in-depth understanding of the cultural, economic, social, and political issues that are at the root of the health affecting the population to be served. Research is an essential part of public health because without it, we cannot begin to make progress or improvements. Research is the only way that we can ascertain the health problems of the population as a whole. It allows us to compare and contrast one population to another and delve into the reasons why they are suffering from specific health issues. It provides us with the opportunity to learn from our past in order to create a better future.

4. Implementing Effective Public Health Interventions

Implementing effective public health interventions involves critical steps in planning and evaluating interventions to ensure that resources are being utilized effectively to address the public health issue at hand. This involves specifying the reasons for the intervention, identifying specific populations that will benefit from the intervention, determining the projected outcomes of the intervention, and developing strategies to monitor and evaluate the intervention process. This is a critical step for DPH graduates. The education and specific skill set obtained through a DrPH program will enable graduates to successfully implement interventions and to provide leadership in methodologically applying knowledge for the solution of problems in public health. Whether in the public, private, or academic sectors, DrPH graduates are distinguished by their abilities to lead the development, implementation, and evaluation of the science and practice of public health. This will be a significantly different role than the MPH graduate who often finds themselves assisting in these projects, but not taking the lead. Given this, the demand for well-trained DrPH individuals in the field of public health is ever increasing. This can be seen by current trends in salary rates for DrPH graduates, which are typically higher than those without a graduate degree, and in an increasing number of organizations that are specifying a preference for hiring DrPH professionals.

5. Leading and Managing Public Health Programs

Because of the growing consensus that the globalization of economy and culture has a huge impact on the health of populations, a DPaH graduate can expect to work in a variety of settings. The skills learned through leadership and management can be applied in governmental public health programs at the international, federal, state, and local levels. The skills and knowledge are also applicable to the voluntary sector in non-profit organizations and to the private sector. With organizations and job placement ranging from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the American Public Health Association, the Peace Corps, Doctors Without Borders, and the World Health Organization, the demand for well-trained public health professionals is growing. In the wake of public health issues from new emerging diseases and bioterrorism to battling the HIV pandemic and reducing escalating healthcare costs, there is much a DPaH graduate can do to improve the health of populations anywhere.

In public health, the terms leadership and management are often used interchangeably. However, they are two distinctly different roles, although they may be enacted simultaneously by a public health professional. Leadership can be defined as the process of influencing the activities of an organized group in its efforts toward goal setting and goal achievement. Leaders are those who are able to enlist the support of others in the accomplishment of a common task. Managers, on the other hand, are concerned with the coordination and integration of resources for the efficient attainment of organizational objectives. In doing so, they are to plan, organize, staff, direct and control the activities of others. While leadership is often described as taking the right path to reach a certain goal, management is described as taking the most efficient path to reach the goal. In either case, it is important for public health professionals to receive formalized training in leadership and management so that they may be more effective in guiding, directing and steering the course of future public health initiatives.