Certificate in Public Health and MPH Foundational Competencies | UAMS Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health

Students Beginning any MPH program Fall 2017 to Present

Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health

Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice
Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context
Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming and software, as appropriate
Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy or practice

Public Health & Health Care Systems

Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national and international settings
Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community and societal levels

Planning & Management to Promote Health

Assess population needs, assets and capacities that affect communities’ health
Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs
Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention
Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management
Select methods to evaluate public health programs

Policy in Public Health

Discuss multiple dimensions of the policy-making process, including the roles of ethics and evidence
Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes
Advocate for political, social or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations
Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity

Leadership

Apply principles of leadership, governance and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making
Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges

Communication

Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors
Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation
Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content

Interprofessional Practice

Perform effectively on interprofessional teams

Systems Thinking

Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue

For Students Beginning Program Spring 2012 to Summer 2017

01. Biostatistics: Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of public health.
02. Biostatistics: Describe basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
03. Biostatistics: Describe preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when assumptions are not met.
04. Biostatistics: Distinguish among the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions.
05. Biostatistics: Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
06. Biostatistics: Apply common statistical methods for inference.
07. Biostatistics: Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.
08. Biostatistics: Apply basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation.
09. Biostatistics: Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies.
10. Environmental Health Sciences: Describe the direct and indirect human, ecological and safety effects of major environmental agents, including chemical, physical, biological, ergonomic, and safety exposures in outdoor, residential, educational and occupational settings.
11. Environmental Health Sciences: Identify the common genetic, physiologic, psychosocial and demographic factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following exposure to environmental agents.
12. Environmental Health Sciences: Describe governmental regulatory programs, non-governmental guidelines and authorities directed toward management of environmental hazards.
13. Environmental Health Sciences: Specify current risk assessment methods for exposures to environmental agents through multiple potential exposure modes.
14. Environmental Health Sciences: Describe multiple approaches for controlling and mitigating hazards from environmental agents.
15. Environmental Health Sciences: Explain the general mechanisms by which environmental agents elicit a toxic response and the ways in which the human body defends itself against hazardous exposures.
16. Environmental Health Sciences: Identify common risk management and risk communication approaches, including their relationship to issues of environmental justice and equity.
17. Environmental Health Sciences: Develop a plan for the identification, quantification or communication of potential adverse human health effects that might result from exposure to an environmental agent.
18. Epidemiology: Understand and apply the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology.
19. Epidemiology: Understand how to calculate basic epidemiologic measures.
20. Epidemiology: Identify key sources of existing data that can be used for epidemiologic purposes.
21. Epidemiology: Identify the principles and limitations of public health screening programs (primary, secondary, tertiary).
22. Epidemiology: Describe public health problems and their determinants in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place.
23. Epidemiology: Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic, and political discussion of health issues.
24. Epidemiology: Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of epidemiologic data.
25. Epidemiology: Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.
26. Epidemiology: Critically assess and draw appropriate inferences from epidemiologic data, including identifying its strengths and limitations.
27. Health Policy and Management: Identify the main components and issues of the organization, financing and delivery of health services and public health systems in the US.
28. Health Policy and Management: Describe the legal and ethical bases for public health and health services.
29. Health Policy and Management: Explain methods of ensuring community health safety and preparedness.
30. Health Policy and Management: Discuss the policy process for improving the health status of populations.
31. Health Policy and Management: List the principles and components of program planning, development, budgeting, management and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives.
32. Health Policy and Management: List principles of strategic planning and marketing to public health and health care.
33. Health Policy and Management: Discuss quality and performance improvement concepts to address organizational performance issues.
34. Health Policy and Management: Explain “systems thinking” for resolving organizational problems.
35. Health Policy and Management: Describe appropriate channels and technologies to communicate health policy and management issues.
36. Health Policy and Management: Describe leadership skills for building partnerships.
37. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Identify basic theories, concepts and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines that are used in public health research and practice.
38. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations.
39. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Identify individual, organizational and community concerns, assets, resources and deficits for social and behavioral science interventions.
40. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Identify critical stakeholders for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs, policies and interventions.
41. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Describe steps and procedures for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public health programs, policies and interventions.
42. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Describe the role of social and community factors in both the onset and solution of public health problems.
43. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Describe the merits of social and behavioral science interventions and policies.
44. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Apply evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of social and behavioral science interventions.
45. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Apply ethical principles to public health program planning, implementation and evaluation.
46. Social and Behavioral Sciences: Specify multiple targets and levels of intervention for social and behavioral science programs and/or policies.
47. Communications: Demonstrate effective written and oral communication skills appropriately targeted to diverse professional and lay audiences.
48. Communications: Demonstrate the ability to collect, organize and interpret data and to present this information to diverse professional and lay audiences.
49. Communications: Describe legal and ethical issues related to the use of data and technology in public health settings.\
50. Diversity and Cultural Competency: Demonstrate awareness as to how race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, socio-economic status and other diversity in aspects of identity impact individual and public health.
51. Diversity and Cultural Competency: Demonstrate ability to interact effectively and appropriately with diverse groups in academic settings.
52. Leadership: Describe principles and attributes of effective public health leadership.
53. Leadership: Recognize the importance of the ability to work independently and to strategically motivate others to engage in collaborative problem solving, decision making and evaluation.
54. Public Health Biology: Integrate general biological and molecular concepts into public health.
55. Public Health Biology: Discuss how the biological and molecular context of public health impacts public health practice.
56. Public Health Biology: Apply biological principles to development and implementation of disease prevention, control and management.
57. Professionalism: Provide a definition of public health that captures the unique characteristics of the field (e.g. population-focused, community-oriented, prevention-motivated, and rooted in social justice) and how these contribute to professional practice.
58. Professionalism: Demonstrate high standards of personal and organizational integrity, compassion, honesty and respect for all people.
59. Professionalism: Demonstrate ethical choices, values, and professional practices in public health decision making.
60. Professionalism: Explain the value commitment to lifelong learning and professional public health service including continuing education and participation in professional organizations.
61. Program Planning and Assessment: Demonstrate awareness of the required elements of designing, developing, implementing, and evaluation of a strategic plan to improve community health.
62. Program Planning and Assessment: Describe the tasks necessary to assure that program implementation occurs as intended.
63. Program Planning and Assessment: Explain how the findings of programmatic evaluation can be utilized.
64. Program Planning and Assessment: Demonstrate the ability to prioritize public health concerns and organize resources to address them.
65. Systems Thinking: Identify the elements of public health systems at all organizational levels.
66. Systems Thinking: Describe the effects of political, social, and economic policies and forces on public health systems at the local, state, national and international level.
67. Systems Thinking: Discuss the impact of global public health issues and interdependencies on public health related problems and systems.