Mission and values

Boston University School of Public Health’s mission is to improve the health of local, national, and international populations—particularly the disadvantaged, underserved, and vulnerable—through excellence and innovation in education, research, and service. 

The School’s educational goal is to enhance the quality and breadth of its public health-related bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral degree programs.

BUSPH’s research goal is to promote research that fosters interdisciplinary approaches and to provide program and policy-relevant solutions to domestic and global health problems.

The School also strives to enhance its ability to address its mission through increased diversity of people and programs and through stronger community connections.

Record of achievement

BUSPH was established in 1976 and was a constituent school of the School of Medicine until 2000, when it became independent. The School has grown dramatically over the past ten years.  It has evolved from a locally recognized educational institution into an internationally recognized academic institution with strong programs in education, research, and service.

Directions for the future

To continue the excellence of its educational programs, BUSPH is engaged in efforts to:

• Grow its doctoral programs and doctoral level courses
• Provide more practice-based education for master’s students
• Better integrate its MPH curriculum to promote interdisciplinary learning

The most successful research areas at BUSPH include:

• Environmental epidemiology
• Substance abuse prevention and control
• Health services research
• Global health
• Community-based participatory research

The most promising potential areas for future program development include:

• Medication effectiveness
• Medical ethics/human rights
• Urban health
• Women’s health

Resources needed to succeed

Tuition costs, albeit high, do not cover the entire cost of educating SPH students.  Flexible funds that can be directed to the School’s areas of greatest need are needed to supplement these costs.  The SPH Fund, administered by the dean, serves this purpose.    

The SPH Fund meets the needs of the School by providing support for:

• Student financial aid—to attract the best students
• Faculty recruitment and development—The high cost of living in the Boston area makes attracting and keeping the best faculty a challenge.
• Program and course development—SPH needs to stay on the cutting-edge of relevant, interdisciplinary approaches.

Importance of the endeavor

Students are BUSPH’s primary focus.  By supporting the SPH Fund, you are ensuring that the School’s students get the best possible education, preparing them to become effective public health professionals who are dedicated to the communities they serve.

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