Population Health for Clinicians Concentration
Building on two decades of collaboration between the UNC schools of medicine and public health, this concentration offers an opportunity for medical students, physicians, and other clinicians to gain mastery in public health and population science. It also offers a unique interdisciplinary focus on clinical, prevention, population and social sciences.
What You'll Learn
Developed with the needs of clinical professionals in mind, our curriculum focuses on several areas relevant to improving population health: prevention, critical appraisal of the health literature, evidence-based practices, research translatable to clinical practice areas and United States health system policy.
With the mentorship of our distinguished faculty members, you can you tailor the curriculum to your clinical interests in order to better apply your MPH training and practicum experience to advance your career goals and clinical work.
This program will empower you with the knowledge and skills to achieve the following core competencies:
Demonstrate the ability to think critically and analytically about the priority prevention needs of populations and appropriate prevention strategies, considering evidence about benefits, harms and costs.
Adopt a systematic approach to critical appraisal of health literature to inform the appropriate use of evidence.
Demonstrate a clear understanding of, and ability to contribute to the creation and use of, innovative system strategies that enable constructive dialogue and collaboration across all health stakeholders and build public health and medical systems that deliver quality, effectiveness, safety and equity.
Apply appropriate data collection methods to measure the burden of disease in a population, and to assess potential benefits and harms of various strategies to improve health and advance health equity.
Synthesize evidence and disseminate findings that enhance the rapid translation of knowledge into policy and practice to promote population health priorities in clinical and community contexts.
Required Courses & Sample Plan of Study
In addition to the interdisciplinary, 14-credit Gillings MPH Core, you will take eight concentration-specific courses on topics such as strategies for prevention, health policy and clinical measurement and evaluation.
PUBH 706: Advanced Health Policy for Clinicians
BIOS 641: Quantitative Methods for Health Care Professionals I
PUBH 750: Strategies of Prevention for Clinicians
PUBH 751: Critical Appraisal of the Health Literature, Part I
PUBH 752: Critical Appraisal of the Health Literature, Part II
PUBH 760: Clinical Measurement and Evaluation
Graduate-level “selective” course for clinicians/practitioners
PUBH 992: Population Health for Clinicians MPH Culminating Experience
Population Health for Clinicians Degree Requirements and Sample Plan of Study (PDF)
Cynthia Feltner, MD, MPH
Dr. Feltner has a special interest in chronic disease prevention and clinical epidemiology. In addition to her clinical work seeing patients at the UNC Ambulatory Care Center, Dr. Feltner plays an active role in the education of medical students, residents and fellows
After graduation, you will be prepared to approach health both through individual patient interactions and through the lens of population health. You will have the skill set to:
- Accelerate the development and implementation of evidence-based solutions to pressing health problems in your areas of interest.
- Advance a holistic understanding of current and emerging public health challenges with a unique focus on prevention, quality and effectiveness.
- Collaborate across disciplines and professions to improve the health of individuals, communities and populations.
Career Opportunities
99% of Gillings graduates have a job or continue their education within one year of graduating.
Learn more about the opportunities that await you with an MPH from the Gillings School.
Students fund their education through a combination of sources, including loans, fellowships and awards, assistantships and grants. Several awards and scholarships are supported by generous contributions to the School and University who value the current and future contributions of our students.
Contact: Sarah Kitchens, Funding and Awards Coordinator, sarah_kitchens@unc.edu
