|
Home The Royal Society |
Society supports new
Doctorate in Public Health
In consultation with the Royal Society of Health, Brunel University (West London) has developed a new three-year course offering a Doctorate in Public Health. The doctorate is aimed at those currently working in non-governmental organisations, local government, or the NHS who would like to supplement their practical knowledge with an academic qualification. The course fills a gap in the market for public health courses targeted at those wishing to find, or further careers in public health. The doctorate is unique for two reasons - it is cross-disciplinary, with staff from Social Sciences disciplines, as well as Health Sciences, involved in the teaching and research, and students will receive a practical as well as theoretical education in public health, preparing graduates for leadership in the world of public health, rather than academia. Professor Richard Parish, chief executive for the Royal Society of Health, adds: "This course looks set to meet the desperate need for professional doctorates in public health. Public health is rising up the political agenda as more policy-makers and planners realise that so much of today's ill health, in both the UK and overseas, is avoidable. We need people with high levels of knowledge and skills, whether it is to help minimise tomorrow's avian flu pandemic or the growing obesity problem. Put simply, public health is extremely expensive when it is carried out ineffectively and inefficiently, but can deliver phenomenal social and economic benefits when carried out correctly. This initiative has the full support of the Royal Society of Health." Brunel University has strong links with the Royal Society of Health and the course is likely to be able to offer students a wide range of placements within the Royal Society's affiliate or member organisations (for example, UK NGOs, as well as numerous overseas organisations which have links with the Society). Brunel's Doctorate in Public Health is designed to build on the standards set by the Faculty of Public Health and the work of the Voluntary Register for Public Health Specialists.
For further information about the course, starting October 2006, see: http://www.brunel.ac.uk/research/centres/cphr
|