UB to Offer New Public-Health Program With University At Albany

BUFFALO, N.Y. -- In the first State University of New York cross-university program of its kind, the University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences and the University at Albany School of Public Health have signed an agreement to offer a master's degree in public health from the University at Albany through courses taught at UB and Roswell Park Cancer Institute.

The master's program will be offered for the first time at UB this fall.

Courses will be taught by faculty in the UB Department of Social and Preventive Medicine, who will hold adjunct faculty appointments at the University at Albany. Public-health degrees will be granted through the University at Albany. Long-range plans call for courses to be taught by faculty from both SUNY schools via teleconferencing, and for new courses to be developed that capitalize on the expertise and resources of both faculties.

UB already offers most of the relevant courses through the Department of Social and Preventive Medicine's master's of science program in epidemiology.

"This new program gives us expanded ability to train our faculty in public health and prevention of disease, and is an excellent complement to our existing graduate program in epidemiology and community health," said Maurizio Trevisan, M.D., professor and chair of the department.

"It is also a concrete example of how two SUNY institutions can work together to provide excellent educational opportunities."

Interest in the program is keen, Trevisan said, and he expects demand to be strong. Initially, only persons already holding an M.D. or D.D.S. degree will be admitted to the MPH program. Other health professionals may be admitted as the program matures.

While medical school and specialty residencies train physicians to treat diseases of individual patients, public-health training concentrates on improving and protecting the health of populations, with particular emphasis on the prevention of disease.

Arthur Michalek, Ph.D., director of graduate studies for UB's graduate program at Roswell Park and one of the initiators of the joint program, said the MPH degree is an attractive option for clinical staff, giving physicians a chance to see both the public-health impact and fiscal sides of health programming. Michalek will help coordinate the project.