Program to Hold Open House July 26 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

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The Master of Science Program in Public Health (MSPH) at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia has received accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health, the nation’s accrediting body for public health programs.

“We are delighted to have received this important recognition of accomplishment by our young program,” says James Keen, Ph.D., Dean of the College of Graduate Studies at Thomas Jefferson University. “We are now looking forward to developing the program further as a leader in the public health education arena in the area.”

The part-time MSPH program is geared for working professionals and has just completed its third year. The 40-credit program can be completed in two to four years. Some 52 students currently are enrolled in the program, coming from a variety of backgrounds, ranging from the pharmaceutical industry and business to health departments and hospitals. Such programs are increasingly in demand, says assistant program coordinator Jennifer Ravelli, MPH, because of the wide range of diverse disciplines – from health policy to epidemiology, for example – students might study.

According to Ms. Ravelli, the program hopes to double enrollment in the next several years. To help meet this demand, the program will hold an open house on July 26, 2006 from 4:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Eakins Lounge in Jefferson Alumni Hall, 1020 Locust Street.

The program’s new accreditation is an important step in the expansion and growth process.

“Public health education and practice is a critical component of Jefferson’s future and the welfare of populations,” says program co-director Richard Wender, M.D., Alumni Professor and Chair, Department of Family and Community Medicine at Jefferson Medical College. “We are so pleased that the outstanding work of our faculty and the high quality of our students have been recognized and validated by our public health accrediting body.”

Program co-director David Nash, M.D., MBA, Professor and Chair, Department of Health Policy at Jefferson Medical College, agrees. “We are thrilled that our team was successful on the first try at getting the MSPH program fully accredited.”