Texas A&M University School of Public Health

Texas A&M University School of Public Health, formerly known as the Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health, is the public health school of Texas A&M University and a component of Texas A&M Health. It offers research, service and degree programs and is the 5th largest School of Public Health in the nation by student count.[3] It was founded in 1998, offering degrees at both the undergraduate and graduate level, and is accredited by CEPH and CAHME. The school has four departments: Environmental and Occupational Health; Epidemiology & Biostatistics; Health Policy and Management; and Health Behavior. They also have six Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved centers: The Ergonomics Center; Southwest Rural Health Research Center; Center for Community Health and Aging; USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness; Center for Health & Nature; Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research.

Texas A&M University School of Public Health
Former name
Texas A&M Health Science Center School of Rural Public Health
TypePublic
Established1998; 26 years ago (1998)
Parent institution
Texas A&M University
DeanShawn Gibbs[1]
Academic staff
91[2]
Undergraduates2,451 majors; 451 minors[2]
Postgraduates306[2]
85[2]
Location
Websitepublic-health.tamu.edu

In 2022, U.S. News and World Report ranked Texas A&M University School of Public Health 36th out of 206 in the Best Public Health Schools category and 27th for Healthcare Management Program.[4]

History

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The Texas A&M University School of Public Health was founded in 1998.[2][5] The school has four departments: Environmental and Occupational Health; Epidemiology & Biostatistics; Health Policy and Management; and Health Behavior.[3] They also have six Texas A&M University System Board of Regents approved centers: The Ergonomics Center; Southwest Rural Health Research Center; Center for Community Health and Aging; USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness; Center for Health & Nature; Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research.[6] In 2023, the Southwest Rural Health Research Center developed Rural Healthy People 2030, a companion piece to the United States Department of Health and Human Services Healthy People 2030. This is the third edition for the center (Rural Healthy People 2010, 2020) and is developed once a decade to identify the most important priorities for rural America and best practices in addressing them.[7][8]

 
School of Public Health Building

In 2013, Texas A&M University School of Public Health was selected by the U.S. Army Medical Department Center and School to provide training to military personnel in the Department of Preventive Health Services Principles in the Army Preventive Medicine program, a collaborative graduate program at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio.[9] Beginning in 2004, Texas A&M University School of Public Health began offering HAZWOPER training to prepare students to work in environmentally hazardous situations.[10] Since 2010, the school has been awarded the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Training Grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which offers students interested in Occupational Health and Safety the opportunity to apply for full-tuition support, a monthly stipend, and funds for travel to conferences and training.[11] Since 2018, the school has offered a five-week study abroad program to help students learn more about efficient emergency preparedness efforts in Europe.[12]

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two Texas A&M University School of Public Health professors established the Mobile Responding to Air Pollution in Disasters (mRAPiD) Core Lab to help better develop lab-based and field-based rapid response to disasters across Texas.[13] In 2023, SPH partnered with a faith-based nonprofit to study water contamination in ‘colonias' at Texas' Southwest border with Mexico.[14]

In 2024, Texas A&M University School of Public Health received a National Academy of Sciences grant to improve health outcomes associated with the environment and climate.[15]

Rankings

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The school has consistently ranked in the top 40 among all public health schools in the United States by U.S. News and World Report. In 2015, it ranked 33 among the best graduate health care management programs.[16] In 2022, U.S. News and World Report ranked Texas A&M University School of Public Health 36th out of 206 in the Best Public Health Schools category and 27th for Healthcare Management Programs.[4]

Notable faculty

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References

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  1. ^ Reynolds, Kelli (March 23, 2020). "Provost Announces New Dean For School Of Public Health". Texas A&M University. Retrieved June 29, 2021.
  2. ^ a b c d e "2023 Texas A&M School of Public Health - At A Glance Fall 2023" (PDF). Texas A&M University. 2023. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  3. ^ a b Hendrix, Lindsey (December 22, 2023). "Year in review: Highlights of 2023 at Texas A&M Health". Texas A&M University Vital Record. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  4. ^ a b Grays, Dee Dee (May 19, 2023). "Texas A&M Health schools ranked in top 50 by U.S. News & World Report". Texas A&M University. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  5. ^ Health, School of Public. "Texas A&M Health Science Center". public-health.tamu.edu. Retrieved December 6, 2019.
  6. ^ "Research Centers". Texas A&M University. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  7. ^ Callaghan, Timothy; Kassabian, Morgan; Johnson, Natasha; Shrestha, Aakriti; Helduser, Janet; Horel, Scott; Bolin, Jane N.; Ferdinand, Alva O. (March 21, 2023). "Rural healthy people 2030: New decade, new challenges". Preventive Medicine Reports. 33. doi:10.1016/j.pmedr.2023.102176. PMC 10060738. PMID 37008456.
  8. ^ "Rural HEALTHY People 2030" (PDF). Texas A&M University. Retrieved February 21, 2024.
  9. ^ "Public Health Educational Affiliation renewed between School of Rural Public Health and U.S. Army Medical Department Center & School". Vital Record. December 18, 2013. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  10. ^ Martin, Dorian (August 7, 2023). "School of Public Health trains field workers to be prepared for working in environmentally hazardous situations". Texas A&M University Vital Record. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  11. ^ Benden, Mark. "2012: Texas A&M University Health Science Center Occupational Safety and Health Training Center". grantome.com. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  12. ^ Martin, Dorian (August 23, 2023). "Students gain global insight into emergency preparedness". Texas A&M University Vital Record. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  13. ^ Schnettler, Tim (August 28, 2020). "School of Public Health researchers awarded grant for purchase of real-time air quality measurement device". Texas A&M University. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  14. ^ Sanchez, Sandra (January 26, 2023). "Texas A&M, faith-based nonprofit to study water contamination in border 'colonias'". Border Report. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  15. ^ "$1.5 MILLION GRANT COULD BE A GAME-CHANGER IN REDUCING HEALTH DISPARITIES NATIONWIDE". Texas A&M University. January 11, 2024. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
  16. ^ Mitchell, Rae Lynn (March 25, 2015). "U.S. News ranks Texas A&M School of Public Health among the top 25". Texas A&M University Vital Record. Retrieved February 2, 2024.
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30°36′35″N 96°21′15″W / 30.609757°N 96.354196°W / 30.609757; -96.354196