Master of Public Health

The KU-MPH program is now larger than it has ever been. With the addition of 30 new degree-seeking students in 2006 and over 100 students taking courses each semester, enrollment is at an all-time high. The incoming students are highly qualified with an average undergraduate GPA of 3.56. Our graduates are even more impressive. Of the 24 students hooded at the 2006 MPH hooding ceremony, eleven received honors for outstanding capstone projects. Our graduates are filling critical roles in the public health community by taking positions at state and local health departments, private health agencies, the Food and Drug Administration, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Armed Forces.

Dr. Won Choi assumed the position of KU-MPH Executive director in January 2006. The MPH Curriculum Committee approved a revised 42-credit hour curriculum to be initiated in Fall 2007. Among the curricular changes were the addition of an Epidemiology Lab and a course in Data Management. These changes addressed a need for improved analytic skill sets and were made in direct response to a needs assessment conducted among program alumni and external stakeholders. Additionally, two new elective courses in Health Administration and Health Policy and Law were developed using grant dollars from the Kansas Health Foundation.

The MPH program faculty were extremely productive in 2006. The core teaching faculty in Preventive Medicine and Public Health devoted 8.36 FTE to teaching courses, advising students, serving on capstone committees, and participating in program governance. Faculty in Preventive Medicine and Public Health taught 997 credit hours in 2006, a 30% increase since 2004.

The MD/MPH dual degree program continues to gain in popularity among medical students, with four MD/MPH students awarded John T. Stewart III scholarships in the past year. Three additional medical students applied for the MD/MPH program. In total, twelve MD/MPH students are currently enrolled in the dual degree program. Diversity and leadership scholarships were offered to MPH students for the second year in 2006. In addition, a permanent source of funding was secured so that these scholarships will continue to be available in the future. The six students that received these scholarships represent diverse backgrounds in rural health, HIV and AIDS prevention, and pediatric oncology; these talented students hold a variety of leadership positions within both the MPH program and the community.

Executive Director:

• Won Choi, PhD, MPH

Assistant Director:

• Mary Ann Woirhaye, MPH

Administrative Assistant:

• Coreen Gunja

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