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The AAPHP was established in 1999 with the mission to enhance the public's health by fostering and promoting CEPH accreditation for MPH programs for the development of the public health workforce. AAPHP originally provided representation for health education and the behavioral and social science programs, but expanded its mission so that today AAPHP represents all interested accredited MPH programs with a strong focus on the preparation of public health practitioners. AAPHP’s overall mission is to support, represent, and advance current and emerging accredited public health programs in preparing a competent public health workforce and advancing the science and practice of population-based health. In promoting the standards associated with public health accreditation, AAPHP also has a major commitment of encouraging and supporting higher education institutions to seek and maintain CEPH accreditation.
The DPHPM’s Membership with the AAPHP will serve to continue its position to engage in the issues and initiatives regarding graduate public health education that will influence our ability to support community practice and training needs of our graduates. Some of the benefits of AAPHP membership include:
- Update sessions at conferences regarding current issues related to CEPH accreditation
- Representation and advocacy for programs on accreditation and certification boards
- Regular meetings to address priorities and concerns of CEPH accredited programs
- Opportunities for networking through support for sessions at national and international scholarly conferences
- Sharing of strategies to maximize the potential for a successful self-study
- Advocacy for greater involvement with national public health entities for program support and networking (e.g., representation at the CDC Leaders to Leaders Conference; serving as a member of the Council on Linkages between Academia and Public Health Practice)
- Opportunities to engage in research that identifies the program and student characteristics of CEPH-accredited MPH programs.
Preparing competent public health practitioners is critical to the development and sustainability of a public health infrastructure ready to address existing and emerging threats to the public’s health. AAPHP membership affords the opportunity to amplify your program’s assets and impact through working with faculty colleagues around the country to tackle the needs for accountability and quality assurance, accreditation and re-accreditation support, resource acquisition, curriculum improvement and development, and undergraduate public health degree needs.
By Dr. Satesh Bidaisee
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