UAMS College of Public Health Adds Second, Third Doctorates

By todd

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LITTLE ROCK – The University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) Fay W. Boozman College of Public Health now has a doctorate program in health promotion and prevention research.


 


The program was approved by the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board, and follows the board’s approval earlier this year of a doctorate program in health systems research, also in the College of Public Health. The two programs are the second and third doctorate programs for Arkansas’ only College of Public Health. The college also offers a doctorate in public health leadership.


 


“We’re very excited about both new programs,” said College of Public Health Dean James M. Raczynski, Ph.D. “The doctorate in health promotion and prevention research will train a new generation of public health scientists in the behavioral aspects of health promotion and disease prevention – a specialty that is needed in Arkansas to improve the health and well-being of Arkansans.”


 


Those awarded a Ph.D. in health promotion and prevention research will be prepared for careers as academic research faculty in schools of public health, medicine, nursing, and other affiliated health sciences. Graduates also will be prepared as research scientists in public and private foundations as well as in government agencies.


 


The degree requires students to complete 66 credit hours, pass an exam and complete a dissertation.


 


The health systems research curriculum will train researchers in the organization, financing and delivery of health services, including issues of quality, accessibility, efficiency and equity within the health care system.


 


Degree recipients will find job opportunities in university-based and independent health services research centers, health policy institutes, foundations and philanthropic organizations, consulting firms, and professional and advocacy associations working at state and national levels.


 


The program requires a minimum 70 credit hours, passing an exam and a dissertation.


 


UAMS is the state’s only comprehensive academic health center, with five colleges, a graduate school, a medical center, six centers of excellence and a statewide network of regional centers. UAMS has about 2,430 students and 715 medical residents. It is one of the state’s largest public employers with about 9,400 employees, including nearly 1,000 physicians who provide medical care to patients at UAMS, Arkansas Children’s Hospital, the VA Medical Center and UAMS’ Area Health Education Centers throughout the state. UAMS and its affiliates have an economic impact in Arkansas of $4.5 billion a year. For more information, visit www.uams.edu.