Prospective students

Beginning fall 2012, the Program on Forced Migration and Health will offer the Public Health and Humanitarian Assistance (PHHA) certificate for incoming students.

There will be two main options with the PHHA certificate:

  • Students select the Department of Population and Family Health as their concentration. This is the path that offers students an in depth curriculum on global health and humanitarian assistance, program faculty advisors and practicum experience. (see Option A)
  • Students select a department other than Population and Family Health (Epidemiology, Environmental Health Sciences etc).  This path is for students who wish to receive valuable introductory training in global health and humanitarian assistance while remaining in their core departmental interest. (see Option B)

Option A

Students who select the Department of Population and Family Health as their concentration will receive a program that is tailored to those with previous experience and a strong commitment to this field of practice. 

Skills-based, in-depth curriculum in global health and humanitarian assistance

These dedicated students will be immersed in substantive skills based courses that will prepare them to become leaders in the field of global health and humanitarian response.  Taking a pragmatic, interdisciplinary, and human rights-based approach, the program prepares graduates with the skills necessary to gather, analyze, and disseminate knowledge needed to implement health-related programs and systems in humanitarian settings.  Students will learn the most up-to-date needs of international humanitarian organizations and acquire the skills necessary to succeed in the humanitarian environment.   They graduate from the program equipped to work in natural disasters, complex emergencies, and post-conflict settings. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be able to:

  • Lead the field of humanitarian response in the 21st century
  • Define the nature, impact, and determinants of health and social sector problems in complex emergencies
  • Develop effective policies to alleviate problems in the health and social sectors
  • Design, manage and evaluate health and social sector programs
  • Undertake population-based research to improve humanitarian response policies and practice

Internationally recognized faculty who are leaders in the field

Faculty members have first-hand experience working in some of the most challenging environments. They have acquired unparalleled experience working directly with war-affected and refugee populations and in communities affected by natural disasters, from post-tsunami Indonesia to earthquake-devastated Haiti.  

Along with their teaching commitments, the program’s faculty serve in a variety of advisory roles and are actively engaged in innovative research projects and technical partnerships with operational agencies, INGOs, local organizations, research centers and training projects.  

Faculty work closely with students, serving as their advisors and mentors, including them in operational research projects and publication, and assisting them in finding summer internships with international NGOs (for example UNICEF, Save the Children, Women’s Refugee Commission, local organizations etc).

PFMH faculty have received prestigious awards in honor of their contributions to this field of practice, including:

 

  • Neil Boothby, EdD received the Red Cross International Humanitarian of the Year Award for his work on child soldiers. Neil is director of PFMH and teaches Public Health and Humanitarian Action; Forced Migration Practicum Seminar and Protection of Children in Disaster and War.
  • Les Roberts, PhD was the first winner of the CDC's Paul C. Schnitker Award for Outstanding Contribution to International Health.  Les teaches Public Health and Humanitarian Action, Water and Sanitation in Complex Emergencies, Investigative Methods in Complex Emergencies, and Epidemiological Methods for Measuring Human Rights Abuses.
  • Mike Wessells, PhD received the International Humanitarian Award, American Psychological Association, for his work on protection of children affected by armed conflict. Mike teaches Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues in Forced Migration.
  • Grace Kodindo, MD received the MDG3 Torch from the Danish Minister for Development Cooperation Ulla Tørnæs for her efforts in Chad to lower the rate of maternal mortality, and her work has been honored in the award-nominated 2009 BBC documentary “Dead Mums Don’t Cry” (http://www.bullfrogfilms.com/catalog/dmdc.html). Grace teaches Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies.
  • Jamie Eliades, MD was twice nominated for the CDC's Charles C. Shepard Science Award for excellence in science and received a Commendation Medal from the U.S Public Health Service for his work in West Africa on control of malaria with insecticide-treated bed nets.  Jamie is developing a child survival initiative and a Health Program Management and Systems Development in the PFMH and teaches the malaria sections of Public Health and Humanitarian Action and Communicable Diseases in Complex Emergencies.
  • Rachel Moresky, MD received significant funding for Systems Improvement at District Hospitals and Regional Training of Emergency Care (sidHARTe) program.  She teaches Communicable Diseases in Complex Emergencies.
  • Lindsay Stark, DrPH received Columbia University Award for Excellence in Global Health (2011) for her work measuring prevalence of violence against women and children in humanitarian settings.


For a full listing of PFMH faculty and their work, please visit http://www.forcedmigration.columbia.edu/faculty/index.html

 

High Quality Courses

Students who attended Forced Migration courses have consistently given them high ratings. The Mailman school conducts yearly confidential student course evaluations.  In 2011, Forced Migration courses received top ranking, well above 90% on significant categories such as the effectiveness of the instructor, the course’s contribution to the pursuit of their professional goals, and whether they would recommend the course to other students. Below is a selection of students’ comments.

Public Health and Humanitarian Action

“This class was fantastic. The readings were relevant and interesting. (This was the first class I have ever done all the readings for every week).  The assignments were designed for us to learn and think critically (blog assignments, op-ed piece, and midterm simulation).  The various teachers were great, and there was no repetition.  Neil and Les are the type of practitioners that Columbia should be hiring, who are talented both in the field and in the classroom.”

 

Communicable Diseases in Complex Emergencies

“This course covered major communicable diseases in detail over a short time period. The breadth of information covered in this class is impressive…Professor Moresky is very passionate about her work, and her passion is clearly reflected in her lectures.  Additionally her personal examples of emergency response work and her invitation for guest lecturing to colleagues who have coordinated responses in other emergency situations provided clear examples of on-the-ground application of course material.”

 

Water and Sanitation in Complex Emergencies

“Les Roberts is … the most engaging and influential teacher…He is charismatic and makes students actually think about problems via interesting cases and questions….This is a wonderful preparation for the real world where everything is not textbook.”

 

Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies

“Dr Kodindo brought to class her depth of experience working with reproductive health issues in Africa.  It was great to learn from her first-hand field experience and she really added another dimension to the course content. She is also a very warm person who did a great job encouraging class participation.”

 

Protection of Children in Disaster and War

“The course was very effective in covering the wide-array of child protection topics necessary for public health and child protection professionals.  The course was also effective in emphasizing cultural sensitivity as a critical aspect of child protection work and international development work generally.”

 

Field Based Practicum Experience

Following two semesters of coursework, students are required to participate in a two-three month practicum with an international agency or non-governmental organization.  The practicum permits students to demonstrate their capacities to conduct professional-level work appropriate for a MPH in Population and Family Health. Students are responsible for the design and implementation of an independent research project on a pertinent public health or social sector theme.  The nature of the project and the site of the practicum are decided upon in consultation with Program faculty. Students get a chance to conduct their practicum and field research with experienced faculty.  Moreover, the program offers opportunities for students to publish their work alongside program faculty. 

Recent examples of student practicum experiences

Watch Video of Andrew Lewis about his practicum experience

Watch this video from Program on Forced Migration and Health alumni Yi-Ling Tan (2008) as she reflects on her academic and professional experience.

 

Course Outline

  • Required Courses:
    • Public Health and Humanitarian Action
    • Investigative Methods in Complex Emergencies
    • Health Program Management and Health Systems
    • Human Rights
    • Program Planning
  • Selective courses (choose 5 - 8 courses of the following):
    • Protection of Children in Disaster and War
    • Gender-Based Violence in Complex Emergencies
    • Food and Nutrition in Complex Emergencies
    • Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies
    • Water and Sanitation in Complex Emergencies
    • Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues in Forced Migration
    • Epidemiological Methods for Measuring Human Rights Abuses
    • Communicable Diseases in Complex Emergencies
                 
  • Participation in an international summer field practicum (8-12 weeks in length);
  • Presenting and participating in the Practicum Seminar;
  • Finishing a Capstone Paper, usually based upon the practicum;
  • Completion of a series of online modules.

 

Applicants should indicate the Department of Population and Family Health as their concentration, and the primary certificate choice as Public Health and Humanitarian Assistance.  We encourage applicants to declare this choice upon submission of their application to the school.  Delaying their selection until after acceptance is not recommended.

Along with financial aid through the Mailman School of Public Health, the Program awards a limited number of Graduate Research Assistantships, which provide monthly salaries and tuition reduction, on a competitive basis for up to one year. In the past, program students have worked as interns with United Nations agencies or for one of the many international NGOs headquartered in New York City.  Students have also found part-time employment opportunities in research projects or in departments within the university. Students are also encouraged to apply for external scholarships.

 

Option B

This option is available to students who select the following departments as their concentration:

Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology
Sociomedical Sciences

Health Policy and Management

The certificate will offer introductory training in public health and humanitarian assistance and will allow students to take a series of PHHA courses to complement their core departmental interests.  Advising and internships would be done within these departments (and not thru the PFMH).

  • Required Courses:
    • Public Health and Humanitarian Action
    • Investigative Methods in Complex Emergencies
  • Selective courses (choose 2 of the following):
    • Protection of Children in Disaster and War
    • Gender-Based Violence in Complex Emergencies
    • Food and Nutrition in Complex Emergencies
    • Reproductive Health in Complex Emergencies
    • Water and Sanitation in Complex Emergencies
    • Psychosocial and Mental Health Issues in Forced Migration
    • Epidemiological Methods for Measuring Human Rights Abuses
    • Communicable Diseases in Complex Emergencies
  • Choose 3 recommended courses from your department, courses which closely match the PHHA curriculum.  For example, for Environmental Health Sciences, choose 3 from:
    • Public Health Impacts of Climate Change
    • Public Health (GIS) Geographic Information Systems
    • Basic and Applied Nutritional Science: Emerging Global Issues
    • Risk Assessment, Communication and Management
    • Water and Infectious Diseases

 

To get more information about the MPH application process or to submit an application, please go to the Mailman School of Public Heath's admissions page. Admission is for the fall term only.

 



Copyright © Heilbrunn Department of Population and Family Health 2009