What is Public Health?

Public Health today is a fast-changing, multi-disciplinary field that faces some of society's most challenging social, medical and economic problems: bio-terrorism, AIDS, drug abuse, teen pregnancy, tuberculosis, genetic disorders and gerontological diseases, women's health and workplace hazards, interpersonal violence and injury control, infant mortality and minority health needs, health care reform and the health problems of the homeless.  Public health also encompasses a growing list of environmental concerns, including radon, acid rain, lead pollution, ozone depletion, global warming, hazardous waste disposal and the contamination of air, water and food supplies by toxic chemicals.  

Public health and environmental problems increasingly are taking center stage.  These problems must be addressed head on by professionals who have a broad variety of technical skills and practical experience, as well as imagination, energy, and creativity.  Importantly, these professionals also must have deep sensitivity and insight into the needs of special populations.

As the public health challenges of the next century emerge in new and more complicated forms, it is essential that the training of Public Health professionals keep pace.  Jobs in public health are expected to remain plentiful in years to come, and top notch health professionals must be trained to fill those positions.   Recognizing this need, the University at Albany's School of Public Health has taken an innovative approach to public health education, one that integrates rigorous academic training and practical experience into a cohesive program of study focused on the full range of health and environmental problems that plague our communities, our nation and our planet.

In its influential book, The Future of Public Health, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences outlined recommendations which shape public health today.  A key recommendation in this report was to establish closer relationships between schools of public health and public health agencies in order to solve the problems that will face us well into the twenty first century.