Our Vision and Mission

The Vision of the Department of Public Health is "Enhancing health among diverse communities in Springfield, Illinois and beyond."

Our Mission is to promote public health in the communities through professional education, public health scholarship, and community services.

Goals

The program's goals that describe strategies to accomplish the defined mission are as follows:

  1. Provide professional education built on public health competencies for students.
  2. Engage in scholarly activities and research that advance public health knowledge.
  3. Participate in diverse community engagement through service, outreach, and partnerships.

Values

Our values mirror the UIS system and guide our mission

  1. Student-focused Teaching and Learning: We place student development – fostered through meaningful interactions among students, faculty, staff and the community – at the core of all University activities. We also honor innovative teaching and evidence-based scholarship that promote academic excellence and knowledge discovery.
  2. Civic Engagement: We build meaningful relationship that enable us to both learn from and contribute to our local and global communities. We promote collaboration within the campus and outside of campus.
  3. Strategic Thinking: We are a proactive learning organization committed to continuous improvement, evidence-based decision-making and innovation.
  4. Inquiry: We seek to understand the world around us through the mastery of core skills of excellence in evaluation, analysis and expression; through the acquisition of knowledge; and through the pursuit of scholarship that is challenging and significant. We recognize sound public health science. We share and provide access to knowledge and skills.
  5. Diversity: We hold diversity in high esteem and embrace diversity in ideas, disciplines and people. The Department fosters diversity.
  6. Integrity: We maintain integrity and exceptional ethical behaviors
  7. Accountability: We translate intentions into actions via shared governance and fiscal stewardship, holding decision-makers responsible to our students, colleagues and other stakeholders.

Accreditation

The Department of Public Health is currently undergoing a rigorous self-assessment as part of its accreditation process with the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). One of the most important parts of the self-assessment process is feedback from the school’s constituents, including faculty, staff, students, alumni, board members, community partners, and members of the university community. The below timeline is to clarify the progress.

Program and CEPH Competencies

Students at UIS Public Health are expected to demonstrate specific skills and knowledge based on their discipline by the end of their degree. Visit the Competencies page to view the competencies for your degree and concentration.

All MPH students are trained in 22 CEPH foundational competencies and 12 CEPH foundational public health knowledge through the core curriculum. MPH students then learn an additional set of 5 concentration competencies. At the end of the program, MPH students complete applied practice experiences (APEs) through the MPH 581 Internship course, and an Integrative Learning Experience (i.e., MPH Comprehensive Exam) that demonstrates syntheses of foundational and concentration competencies.

Contact Us

Mailing Address

Department of Public Health
One University Plaza, MS PAC 350
Springfield, IL 62703-5407

Phone

Phone: (217) 206-6720
Fax: (217) 206-7807

Email

mph@uis.edu