AGENDA

May 16, 2006

3-5 p.m. 817 CL

I. Approval of Minutes

II. Announcements

III. GSPIA Proposes to Establish a Major in Human Security for the MPIA and MID degrees

The purpose of this new major is to expand the opportunities for MPIA and MID students to study issues such as peacekeeping, state-failure and nation-building, human rights, governance and the rule of law, economic security, humanitarian action, the protection of refugees, and peace-building in war-torn societies. Studies of human security are typically concerned with threats that do not involve military action, such as abuse of human rights, global epidemics, forced labor, and malnutrition. They may also include threats arising from civil war or genocide. Students who complete the Human Security major will be uniquely prepared to play a role in policy development to address these threats.

IV. The Graduate School of Public Health proposes to establish a Dual Degree program in Public Health Genetics (MPH) and Genetic Counseling (MS) in the Department of Human Genetics

The purpose of this dual degree program is to prepare students to combine clinical and public health skills to work in such areas as program development, evaluation, and policy. The MS in genetic counseling is a clinical practice degree in which students are trained to be practicing genetic counselors. The MPH in public health genetics provides students with the basic science of genetics but emphasizes public health training. The dual degree program will train students to integrate science and policy knowledge to better prepare them for positions in fields such as health care, health policy, and insurance.

V. The Graduate School of Public Health proposes to establish a Certificate in Public Health Genetics in the Department of Human Genetics

The purpose of this program is to give public health professionals the core genetics competencies that they need to integrate genetics into any public health discipline. Genetic information is playing a rapidly-increasing role in both the promotion of health and the treatment of disease, and advances in genetics are occurring at a rapid pace. This certificate will make GSPH students more attractive to public and private sector employers and more competitive in the public health job market by training them to incorporate knowledge of how genes, together with the environment and behavior, influence health.

VI. The Graduate School of Public Health proposes to establish a Certificate in Minority Health and Health Disparities Research and Practice in the Department of Behavioral and Community Health Sciences

The purpose of this certificate is to provide students with a foundation for eliminating disparities through conducting research in the area of minority health and working in communities where disparities exist. Members of minority groups in the United States die more frequently than their white peers from preventable diseases such as heart disease, obesity, and HIV. This program addresses the systemic underpinnings of health disparities and trains students to design interventions that are appropriate to minority populations.

VII. The Graduate School of Public Health proposes to establish a Certificate in LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender) Health and Wellness in the Department of Infectious Diseases and Microbiology

The mission of the LGBT Public Health Certificate track is to offer a public health perspective on social, cultural and individual factors that influence the health and well-being of LGBT communities and to provide students with a comprehensive understanding of the special public health challenges of LGBT populations. LGBT populations face many adverse health disparities, as compared to the populations from which they are drawn, across many different infectious and non-infectious diseases. This training certificate will help give GSPH students the tools that they need to address these health disparities.

VIII. The Graduate School of Public Health and the School of Social Work propose to establish a Joint MPH-MSW degree program

The purpose of this joint degree is to prepare students in both social work and public health to more accurately intervene in the complex social problems affecting the health and social functioning of all populations. Many practitioners in public health settings are facing major changes and considerable unpredictability in their practice settings. The changes include changes in the health and social service delivery systems, shifting responsibilities, and movement from direct to indirect services. This program will better prepare students to navigate these changes, and it will prepare them for leadership roles in public health, social welfare, and other related organizations and systems.