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. 2021 Feb 4;16(2):e0245892.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0245892. eCollection 2021.

Analysis of CEPH-accredited DrPH programs in the United States: A mixed-methods study

Chulwoo Park  1 , Gene Migliaccio  2 , Mark Edberg  3 , Seble Frehywot  2 , Geralyn Johnson  2
Affiliations

Analysis of CEPH-accredited DrPH programs in the United States: A mixed-methods study

Chulwoo Park et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Interest has been growing in regard to increasing the public health workforce and standardizing training to ensure there are competent professionals to support rebuilding and reinforcing the public health infrastructure of the United States. The need for public health leaders was recognized as early as the hookworm control campaign during 1909-1914 when it became apparent that prevention of disease should be distinct from clinical medicine and should be conducted by professionally trained, dedicated full-time public health practitioners. In recent years, research on the public health workforce and on standardizing health workforce education has significantly expanded. A key element of such a workforce is public health leadership, and DrPH programs are the means to provide effective public health education for these future health professionals. The purpose of this paper is to analyze the general trend of DrPH programs from past to present and analyze the common themes and variations of 28 Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)-accredited DrPH programs in the United States. This research utilized a mixed-methods approach, investigating DrPH education at each school or program to improve our understanding of the current status of DrPH programs.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. The timeline of the development of the DrPH degree.
Fig 2
Fig 2. Distribution of DrPH programs in the United States (as of February 2020).
Fig 3
Fig 3. DrPH applications to completions (2010–2019).
Fig 4
Fig 4. All other doctorates applications to completions (2010–2019).
Fig 5
Fig 5. Types of DrPH programs in CEPH-accredited schools in the United States.
Fig 6
Fig 6. Distribution of specialization area or expertise from DrPH programs.
Fig 7
Fig 7. Size of enrolled student group or cohort per year.
Fig 8
Fig 8. Residency requirement for coursework.
Fig 9
Fig 9. Requirements of the DrPH application.
Fig 10
Fig 10. Credits/units needed for graduation.
Fig 11
Fig 11. The number of leadership courses within the program.
Fig 12
Fig 12. Types of qualifying/comprehensive exam.
Fig 13
Fig 13. DrPH graduate outcome (2016–2018, grand total: 424).
Fig 14
Fig 14. Distribution of graduation outcomes by employment sector.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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