Master of Public Health

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“Empowered with competencies suitable for the 21st-century health workforce and to improve the wellbeing of communities in Africa and the world at large.”

About the Programme

Through the Master of Public Health (MPH) programme, you will be equipped with competency-based skills and experience to serve underserved populations and advance the health of communities around the globe. The programme will apply the use of rigorous research initiatives, a service-driven mission, and information technology to directly impact the well-being of people on the African continent and the world at large.

Focus on preventive and promotive health actions is relevant all over the world, but more specifically in Africa where health promotion is scarce due to poverty and low educational levels among the majority of people. A report from the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on public health in Africa stated global public health challenges were more acute in sub-Saharan Africa and that the region carries 24% of the global burden of disease (Cooke, 2009). The challenges in public health require a concerted effort in education, for both prevention of disease and promotion of good health.

What You May Become?

  • A public health informatics expert
  • An effective healthcare administrator
  • An efficient public health project manager
  • A well-rounded health and safety engineer
  • A competent healthcare consultant

Specializations

  • Health Promotion
  • Nutrition
  • Environmental Health

Duration of the Programme

  • Full Time – Two Years
  • Part-Time – Three Years

  1. Have a bachelor’s degree with a minimum CGPA of 3.00 on a 4-point scale or its equivalent grade of 60%. Applicants with a CGPA of 2.5 to 2.99 or 55% to 59% may be accepted on probation.
  2. Applicants are to meet the following prerequisites as having been taken at the undergraduate level:
    1. Human Anatomy and Physiology/Human Biology (3 Credits)

    2. Human Nutrition (3 Credits)

  3. Have two Recommendations:  One from a religious leader and another from his/her previous university or employing organization.
    Submit the name, email address, and designation of your referees, and AUA     admissions will email the link for completing the online recommendation form. The applicant should seek the consent of the referee before submitting their details
  4. Must demonstrate proficiency in English.

Curriculum

PHHP 626
Health Promotion Theory and Practice
The course enables students to comprehend underlying concepts, principles, historical development, theory, and current practice of promoting health at the individual, group, community, nation, organization, and policy levels to reach a state of complete physical, mental, social, and spiritual well-being. The course fosters students' critical thinking around social determinants of health and approaches to health intervention. It aims to build students’ understanding of key theoretical concepts and principles in health promotion, and contemporary challenges in the practice of health promotion. Special attention is given to community health education assessment, the writing of goals and objectives, understanding of program types, application of the laws of learning, and the behavioral component in the Health Promotion planning process.

PHGP 627
Program Planning, Evaluation, & Grant Writing
This course provides students with the concepts, knowledge, skills, and methodologies needed to undertake to design, implement, monitor, and evaluate programs in Public Health both domestically and internationally. The course is a continuation of health promotion theory and practice in that based on the need’s assessment and problem identification, a budget and intervention plan is put in place. Specific activities, the timeline for implementation, resource allocation, marketing, and strategies are reviewed. In addition, it covers data use, frameworks, program monitoring, indicators, information sources, evaluation designs, and implementation science. The focus of the course is on practical issues for undertaking program monitoring and evaluation of Public Health programs. The course will also focus on grant and proposal writing covering the research and prospect identification process, identifying potential grant sources, and developing the attitude and fortitude needed to write competitive grant proposals successfully. By writing and reviewing proposals, students gain competence in writing typical grant proposal components, including a statement of need/ rationale, implementation strategies, outcomes, personnel, evaluation, budget, attachments, and an executive summary

PHEH 636
Environmental Health & Disaster Management
This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to and overview of the key areas of environmental health and how they interact with agent and host factors to impact health and well-being. Using the perspectives of the population and community, the course covers factors associated with the development of environmental health problems. Students will gain an understanding of the interaction of individuals and communities with the environment, the potential impact on the health of environmental agents, and specific applications of concepts of environmental health. The course will cover principles derived from core environmental health disciplines including disease causation by chemical, physical and biological agents; agent sources/reservoirs; modes of transmission, and methods of control. Moreover, the course will review the types and public health consequences of natural and man-made disasters, principles of emergency planning, and management of disaster causalities. Control of disease outbreaks, physical and psychological needs of disaster victims, recovery, and coordination of emergency relief operations will be reviewed. In addition to academic concepts, the course topics will also be discussed from a field- practitioner's point of view.

PHHM 647
Adventist Philosophy of Health
The contents of the course will include biblical concepts of a healthy lifestyle, a historical perspective of a healthy lifestyle, the role of Ellen G. White in defining the health message, a discussion of balance and moderation as essential bases of health practices, physiology, and pathophysiology, and review of dominant lifestyle diseases, principles of sanitation, hygiene, and disease transmission, and exploration of lifestyle intervention programs

PHHP 691
Internship
This course provides practical work experience to students and allows them to meet and learn from professionals in the field. Students are required to enroll and complete a field practicum with a Governmental and Non-Governmental Health Service Agent, Ministry of Health, etc. during their study. Students must obtain on-the-job experience working under supervision in a relevant capacity on a full-time basis. All work hours must be completed on one job site. A minimum of 60 clock hours of work experience is required. The performance of the student at the workplace must be evaluated by the supervisor on a prescribed form, which is then sent to the Program Director

PHRM 611
Biostatistics
The course will deal with data collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of numerical data for health sciences. The course will also provide students with an understanding of statistical reasoning in public health research in order to develop their ability to read and critically evaluate the statistical section of journal articles. Additionally, the course introduces students to the application of various statistical concepts and procedures and their associated technical and computing aspects to enable them to analyze a set of data. The topics discussed throughout this course are presented in an order which allows the development, analysis, and interpretation of statistical knowledge in a stepwise fashion, which progresses from the basics to the more complex.

PHRM 612
Research Methods in Public Health
This course introduces the fundamentals of the research study. The course explores research design, collection and reporting of data, interpretation of findings, inferential procedures, and current public health research. It expands students’ knowledge in both qualitative, and quantitative research and mixed methods and techniques that introduce them to postgraduate research methods, challenges, and organization, including creative practice. Students will also be introduced to a range of research tools and will be equipped to plan and organize their research and their mode of inquiry, as well as to communicate their findings. Ethical issues in conducting research will be introduced

PHEM 645
Epidemiological Methods
The purpose of this course is to present epidemiological methods and inferences to Public Health professionals with little prior experience and produce graduates with an understanding of epidemiological concepts and the ability to critically interpret reports from epidemiological studies. This course enables the learner to comprehend the general principles involved in understanding the frequency, distribution, and etiology of acute and chronic diseases, and the methods for disease surveillance and control. The student learns the epidemiological principles, and procedures for surveillance and their application in the occurrence of health-related events in the population. An introductory overview of biostatistics concepts and skills that are necessary for epidemiological practice are addressed. The learner will be empowered to work through epidemiological studies to identify, describe and measure the distribution of health and disease, and their determinants, in a specific population. By collecting data and analyzing disease incidence and prevalence, effective interventions and prevention can be realized. An emphasis is put on the epidemiology of lifestyle-related diseases.

PHRM 695
Research Thesis/Project
For the culminating phase of the coursework, each student is required to write either a thesis or a project. The thesis course requires conceptualizing and carrying on a complete empirical study. It requires a proposal defense before data collection and a final defense to present the findings of the study. The project course is more practical in nature. It does not require a systematic empirical study.

PHNU 620
Public Health Nutrition
Public Health Nutrition trains individuals on basic nutrition concepts and requirements for the preservation of health. The course gives attention to food sources, utilization, and functions of nutrients in the human body and the study of nutritional issues and problems in population groups, including a survey of the various methods for dealing with such problems.

PHHP 630
Strategies for Health Promotion
The course exposes students to the inter-relatedness of the underlying determinants of health and hence the need for integrated responses based on the individual, interpersonal, organizational, community, and public policy dimensions. Emphasis will be placed on health education, health promotion, and clinical preventive services. Strategies for counseling and education, health education theories and practices, and the development of learner-centered instructional strategies will be explored

PHHP 652
Substance Abuse & Mental Health
Using an interdisciplinary approach to study mental health, mental illness, and substance use, students will examine a variety of perspectives and contextual factors used to explore issues and concepts of mental health. Distribution patterns, risk factors, organization of health systems, and societal efforts toward prevention and treatment of substance abuse will be reviewed. A focus will be placed on understanding the social determinants of substance abuse, the effect of the substance on mental health, and exploring issues from a population and public health perspective.

PHHP 654
Disease Prevention, Control, and Healthy lifestyle
This course is designed to provide practical knowledge of disease prevention in population health. The course will identify risk factors that contribute to the most common lifestyle diseases (cardiovascular disease, cancer, stroke, diabetes, chronic lung diseases, osteoporosis, anxiety, and depression), and common infectious diseases (influenza, malaria, diarrheal disease, and STI). The dimensions of wellness and their contribution to overall health and wellbeing will be reviewed. Health promotion and disease prevention measures will be discussed with a focus on nutrition, physical activity, emotional wellness, stress management, injuries, violence, personal choices, and behavior.

PHET 662
Ethics in Public Health
Social legitimacy and public trust are essential to effective public health. This course focuses on ethical theory and current ethical issues in public health and health policy, including resource allocation, the use of summary measures of health, the right to health care, and conflicts between autonomy and health promotion efforts. Ideals of human rights, individual liberty, social justice and equality, community, solidarity, power structure, coercion, discrimination, stigma, and the common good, which are central to public health policy and practice, will be explored.

PHHP 668
Global Health Issues
Global Health Issues is a pertinent area of public health that pertains to health problems, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, and which may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries, and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions. This course presents an overview of the world’s vast diversity of determinants of health and disease. Learners will be introduced to the complex tapestry of social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect the health of populations globally. As a learner, you will have an opportunity to critically appraise health systems in different parts of the world. You will learn about the current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases such as Corona and Ebola, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, principles and impact of health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion.

PHNU 620
Public Health Nutrition
Public Health Nutrition trains individuals on basic nutrition concepts and requirements for the preservation of health. The course gives attention to food sources, utilization, and functions of nutrients in the human body and the study of nutritional issues and problems in population groups, including a survey of the various methods for dealing with such problems.

PHNU 621
Nutritional Needs I: Carbohydrates & Lipids
This course explores the role of energy-containing macronutrients and fiber in human nutrition and their importance to overall health and wellbeing. Structural properties, digestion, absorption, function, metabolism, and control of metabolism of carbohydrates and lipids are emphasized. The student will understand the process of fuel utilization in response to food intake and the role it plays in energy balance to integrate proper metabolism. In addition, the students will be empowered to translate knowledge into practice where they develop programs that have a positive public health impact where macronutrients are applied to chronic diseases that are nutrient-related to foster optimum health and wellness. Research on the impact and relationship between macronutrient utilization and disease will be discussed. Students taking this course should have at least three units of Biochemistry or Nutritional Metabolism or its equivalent.

PHNU 622
Nutritional Needs II: Proteins and Micronutrients
This course examines micronutrients and integrated metabolism. It emphasizes the requirements of vitamins and minerals as nutrients necessary for normal human physiology functions. The learner will understand the process of metabolism, the function of proteins, vitamins, and minerals, and the role they play in the relationship between nutrition and health and disease. This knowledge empowers the learner to develop effective nutritional protocols that may help people practice healthful living. In addition, metabolism; homeostatic maintenance; health concerns for each discussed nutrient; population studies in nutrition (mortality statistics, life expectancy; diet-disease relationship; the role of nutrition therapy) will be reviewed. Students taking this course should have at least three units of Biochemistry or Nutritional Metabolism or its equivalent

PHET 662
Ethics in Public Health
Social legitimacy and public trust are essential to effective public health. This course focuses on ethical theory and current ethical issues in public health and health policy, including resource allocation, the use of summary measures of health, the right to health care, and conflicts between autonomy and health promotion efforts. Ideals of human rights, individual liberty, social justice and equality, community, solidarity, power structure, coercion, discrimination, stigma, and the common good, which are central to public health policy and practice, will be explored

PHNU 668
Global Nutritional Health Issues
Global Nutritional Health Issues is a pertinent area of public health nutrition that pertains to nutrition problems, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, and which may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries, and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions. This course presents an overview of the world’s vast diversity of determinants of nutritional health and disease. Learners will be introduced to the complex tapestry of social, economic, political, and nutritional factors that affect the health of populations globally. As a learner, you will have an opportunity to critically appraise health systems in different parts of the world. You will learn about the current and emerging global nutritional health priorities, including emerging nutritional conditions such as undernutrition, overnutrition, malnutrition, poverty, childhood nutritional problems, health inequity, principles and impact of health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion

PHNU 693
Maternal and Child Health
The purpose of the course is to address several public health challenges that have a significant impact on the health of women and children, who often are the most vulnerable when resources are limited in communities and nations. The course applies comparative methods of inquiry to understand these issues as they occur and are managed in countries across the income and development spectrum. This course exposes the student to the linkages between socioeconomic conditions and the poor indicators relating to child-maternal health

PHEH 638
Sanitation and Waste Management
The course focuses on best practices for the public for handling sanitation and waste management in communities. The course will look at the nature of toxic and hazardous wastes and methods for their disposal to protect health and the environment and to prevent contamination of groundwater. The environmental health and safety aspects of solid waste collection, treatment, and disposal, and regulations governing waste management are also discussed

PHEH 644
Occupational Health and Safety
The purpose of the course is to promote occupational health and a safe environment, identifying and analyzing risk factors and ill-health in the workplace. The program also provides students with the knowledge, skills, and solid training in the theories and practices of occupational health and safety, emergency planning, and environmental management. Graduates will have the foundations to create, plan, implement, audit, and evaluate programs in the areas of occupational health and safety, emergency planning, and environmental management systems

PHET 662
Ethics in Public Health
Social legitimacy and public trust are essential to effective public health. This course focuses on ethical theory and current ethical issues in public health and health policy, including resource allocation, the use of summary measures of health, the right to health care, and conflicts between autonomy and health promotion efforts. Ideals of human rights, individual liberty, social justice and equality, community, solidarity, power structure, coercion, discrimination, stigma, and the common good, which are central to public health policy and practice, will be explored.

PHEH 663
Water and Food Safety
Food hygiene and safety usually refer to contamination with ‘microorganisms’. The course introduces students to unhygienic and unsafe food but with a strong emphasis on good hygienic practices to prevent and control foodborne diseases. The will also touch on food control and some necessary measures that can contribute to food hygiene and safety. Secondly, the course will also introduce students to safe and unsafe household drinking water. The students will learn the public health impacts of unsafe drinking water and about different methods for treating water at the household level

PHEH 668
Global Environmental Health Issues
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an appreciation of the global interconnectedness of health problems and their impact on society. It also studies strategic interventions that different societies employ to combat those health concerns. The course will also touch on global population and demography

PHEH 681
Environmental Health Risk Assessment
The purpose of the course is to train public health personnel and administrators on risk determinations and assessment techniques, leading to recommendations for environmental, and public health interventions. The course provides students with the technical and policy knowledge required to identify, assess, and address important and emerging environmental health issues to reduce environmental risks to public health. The course is structured primarily on the EPA structures of assessment which is known as the most conservative method of qualitative and quantitative risk calculation. While the assessment frameworks are primarily international, African contexts will be explored through the case study should students wish to pursue it within national regulation

Programme Coordinator

spsfacultyjanet__

Janet Odhiambo, DrPH

Lecturer, Applied Social Sciences Department

Education

  • DrPH, Adventist University of the Philippines (2020)
  • Lifestyle Medicine, Adventist University of the Philippines (2020)
  • MA-PSY, Adventist University of the Philippines (2017)
  • MPH, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (2016)

Areas of Expertise

  • Preventive Health

  • Lifestyle Medicine

  • Health Promotion – Health behaviour & Health Education

  • Nutrition

Biography
Dr Janet is currently a lecturer and the program coordinator of the Master of Public Health. She is a public health specialist with a psychology background dedicated to promoting, protecting, and improving community health. She is passionate about developing wellness programs and providing health education to address community needs. Her focus is on behavioural (lifestyle changes, managing existing non-communicable illness, and nutritional epidemiology) and mental health wellness. Her research interests are in young adults and women. 

spsfacultyjanet__

Janet Odhiambo, DrPH

Lecturer Applied Social Sciences Department

Education

  • DrPH, Adventist University of the Philippines (2020)
  • MA-PSY, Adventist University of the Philippines (2017)
  • MPH, Adventist International Institute of Advanced Studies (2016)

Areas of Expertise

  • Mental health

Biography
Dr. Janet is currently a lecturer and the program coordinator of the Master of Public Health. She is passionate about socio-cognitive factors, mental health status, and healthcare infrastructure.

Featured Alumni

Patsy

Patsy Adams

2018 /Master of Public Health

As a Nurse Manager and Regulator, the MPH programme from AUA has empowered me with the knowledge and experience necessary to provide individuals and communities with the facts and tools they need to live healthy and safe. The perfect combination of technical and spiritual studies gives me the opportunity to make a valuable and positive difference in people's lives.

AUA has given me a professional and social lifestyle that exhibits a promotion of healthy existence, awareness creation, risk factors identification of diseases, and medical options available for the people as a key constituent of daily living. Pursuant to this, I gladly look forward to starting my PhD in Epidemiology!

Patsy

Patsy Adams

2018 /Master of Public Health

As a Nurse Manager and Regulator, the Master of Public Health program from AUA has empowered me with the knowledge and experience necessary to provide individuals and communities with the facts and tools they need to live healthy and safe. The perfect  combination of technical and spiritual studies gives me the opportunity to make a valuable and positive difference in peoples’
lives.

AUA has given me a professional and social lifestyle that exhibits a promotion of healthy existence, awareness creation, risk factors identification of diseases, and medical options available for the people as a key constituent of daily living. Pursuant to this, I gladly look forward to starting my PhD in Epidemiology!!

Read More

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