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MPH Presentation

Masters of Public Health

Doctor vaccinating woman

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Slide 1: Goal

Develop and deliver a Master of Public Health in Tasmania in collaboration with the broader public health community

Slide 2: Vision

Provide high quality public health training and act as a vehicle to improve health by capitalising on the strengths and expertise in Tasmania

Slide 3: Why Study Public Health at the University of Tasmania

  • Developed in collaboration to ensure that teaching is translational and closely linked to current policy and practice
  • Strong connections with local and national organisations, easy access to decision-makers
  • Personalised
  • Opportunities for research, SOM, The Menzies Research Institute, DHHS

Slide 4: What is public health?

  • ‘the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life and promoting health through organised efforts of society’
  • ‘collective action for sustained population wide health improvement’

Public Health Service attached to Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH_20), _provides medical care at the Paul Brown Arena

This image by U.S Navy Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Joshua Karsten is in the public domain via Wikimedia Commons

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Slide 5: Introduction to Public Health

Unit Description

  • This unit introduces the scope of public health practice in the 21st century and the social, political and economic context within which public health practitioners operate.
  • The unit provides an introduction to the whole postgraduate public health programme. It outlines what we mean by the principles of public health and explores the factors that influence health.
  • Combines theoretical and practical material to assist students to understand the social and economic determinants of health,
  • Discusses the importance of improved equity to raising health standards worldwide, nationally and locally,
  • Discusses ways to engage and empower communities to identify and address issues that affect their health.
  • Critically examine different health outcomes for people in relation to public health practice.

Slide 6: Introduction to Public Health

Unit Learning Outcomes

  • Describe and discuss different definitions of health and consider these definitions in relevant contexts.
  • Describe and discuss models of the determinants of health and the implications of their application.
  • Define public health and its principle components and activities.
  • Discuss the development of public health within an Australian and international context.
  • Discuss the relationship between poverty, deprivation and social exclusion and health.
  • Define and discuss the concept of inequalities in health and current strategies to combat these inequalities.
  • Describe and discuss public health priority issues within a local, national and international context
  • Identify and discuss key challenges to public health, including globalisation, technology and social change.
  • Describe and discuss the links between the ecological challenge and health of populations.
  • Critically explore the impact of public health policy and health funding at the local, national and international level.

Slide 7: What is health?

  • When you think of the term 'health care' what is the first thing that flashes into your mind?
  • Think of a celebrity who is really healthy. Who are thinking of and why?

Slide 8

  • Clear concept of positive health?
  • A multidimensional view of health?
  • Health is complex and has several dimensions (physical, social, mental and spiritual)
  • Each dimension has positive and negative poles

Slide 9: Models of Health

  • A simplified construction of reality.

    • Disease models
    • Positive health models
    • Multidimensional models
    • Ecological models
    • Self actualisation
    • Health as a resource
    • Health and ideas of autonomy and empowerment
  • Determinants of health

Slide 10: New Challenges

Tasmania faces new challenges to health including inequities, obesity and loss of personal well-being as well as anticipated growth in demand for clinical services which will exceed the capacity to provide and fund them.

Photograph of Tasmanian wilderness

 

Like Scotland, Tasmania faces new challenges to health including inequities, obesity and loss of personal well-being as well as anticipated growth in demand for clinical services which will exceed the capacity to provide and fund them. This requires new ways of thinking and a focus on prevention.