Master’s Program in Global Public Health Graduates 16 Students in First Class

By Robert Polner

The Master’s Program in Global Public Health is the first NYU degree program to operate without affiliation, drawing instead upon the collaborative resources of five of NYU’s graduate and professional schools.

    In May, the program introduced its first class of graduates—16 scholars representing eight countries and numerous disciplines, who began their coursework in September of 2006. With their MPH degrees newly in hand, these professionals will lead multidisciplinary initiatives to enhance the health of individuals and communities around the world.

      “For years I had searched for a program that explored public health from a   global perspective and also focused on governance and policy issues,” says Ana Krieger (MPH ’08), who also teaches pulmonary critical care and sleep medicine at NYU’s School of Medicine. “This was really the best fit.”

      The Global MPH program was born of NYU’s recognition that no single discipline can adequately respond to today’s complex global health challenges.

      An interdisciplinary committee of faculty from NYU’s School of Medicine, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, College of Dentistry with its College of Nursing, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education, and Human Development, and the Silver School of Social Work convened to create the program. The Global Public Health program is committed to the advancement of health knowledge, research, education, and outreach. The curriculum aims to prepare professionals to promote global public health through improved research, practice, and policymaking. Institutions around the world have a growing need for public health professionals who can boast both cross-functional and international expertise, and the Global MPH program is working to fill that gap.

      “Our program was designed with the right mix of disciplines where students can truly draw from the full resources of the entire University,” said Robert Berne, NYU’s senior vice president for health. “It prepares them to do innovative work in a range of domestic and international organizations on disease prevention, population issues, training, and more.”