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The School

Mission and Vision

The School’s mission is to promote and sustain healthier populations in New York City and around the world through excellence in education, research, and service in public health and by advocating for sound policy and practice to advance social justice and improve health outcomes for all.

The vision is to improve health and social justice in New York City and across the globe.

History

The City University of New York, the largest and most diverse urban public university in the United States, began training public health professionals in 1968 at Hunter College. It was one of the first public institutions without a school of public health to meet the growing demand for professionals who could tackle the complex health problems facing the nation’s increasingly diverse cities, and to translate the promise of the health and social reforms of the 1960s into public health practice and policy in urban neighborhoods. By 2006, the City University of New York offered MPH degree programs at three campuses: Hunter, Brooklyn, and Lehman Colleges. In 2007, the CUNY Graduate School, home to the University’s thirty-four doctoral programs, introduced a Doctor of Public Health (DPH). Believing that New York City and CUNY would be better served by uniting these public health programs, the University developed a collaborative school of public health in 2008, integrating the resources of the previously independent programs under the leadership of a single Dean.

In 2011, the School received its first full five-year accreditation from CEPH. In 2013, the CUNY Board of Trustees adopted changes to the School’s governance plan to better reflect the University-wide nature of the School and position it for continued and expanded collaborations, growth, and success including renaming the school to the CUNY School of Public Health.

In November 2015, the CUNY Board of Trustees approved a resolution directing the Chancellor of the University, James B. Milliken, to develop and implement a plan to transition the existing consortial School to a unified graduate school that would administer all master’s and doctoral-level degree programs, continuing as a unit within the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. The name of the School was changed to the CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy.

Accreditation

The CUNY Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy is regionally accredited by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education through the Graduate School and University Center.

The School is granted professional accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).

The MS-EOHS program is granted professional accreditation by the Accreditation Board for Engineering Technology (ABET).

The Nutrition and Dietetic Internship has been granted accreditation by the Accreditation Council for Education in Nutrition and Dietetics (ACEND).

Organization

The Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy (SPH) is housed administratively within the CUNY Graduate School and University Center. SPH is led by the Dean who reports directly to the CUNY Chancellor.

The Chancellor reports to the CUNY Board of Trustees. The Board of Trustees is a seventeen member body. The governor of the State of New York appoints ten members, the mayor of the City of New York appoints five members and two members serve in an ex officio capacity:  the Chairperson of the University Student Senate and Chairperson of the University Faculty Senate.

Administration and Governance

The Dean has primary responsibility for oversight and management of the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy. Other major positions within the School include:

 The Dean’s Public Health Advisory Council provides insight and advice to the Dean with respect to the external public health community. It is comprised of experienced public health and other leaders representing government, health care, business, non-profit, legal, community-based, and media sectors and organizations. The Council advises the Dean on research, academic programs, workforce development, training, and development to help ensure that the School meets the needs of the community.

 The Associate and Assistant Deans are each responsible for leading and coordinating activities in the areas of administration, academic and faculty affairs, research, and student services, respectively. Their activities are coordinated through senior staff meetings with the Dean.

The Department Chairpersons are responsible for leading the academic programs and leading faculty within their respective departments: Community Health and Social Sciences; Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Environmental, Occupational, and Geospatial Health Sciences; and Health Policy and Management.

 The Dean’s Cabinet consists of the Dean, the Associate and Assistant Deans, department chairpersons, the chair of the Governance Council and other persons designated by the Dean. The Cabinet meets monthly and advises the Dean with respect to the policies and operations of the School.

The Graduate Council serves as the governing body of the Graduate School of Public Health and Health Policy and is comprised of all full-time faculty members, as well as student, staff, and adjunct faculty representatives.

The CUNY SPH Foundation’s mission is to advance the achievement of CUNY SPH’s mission, vision and values as New York City’s public school of public health, and is led by a Board of Directors.

Faculty

A directory of SPH Faculty can be found on the School’s website.

CUNY SPH Campus

CUNY SPH, located at 55 West 125th Street in the Harlem neighborhood of Manhattan, occupies five floors of the building. The campus offers, but is not limited to, a 120-person lecture hall, video production room, student lounge, computer lab, conference rooms, eight classrooms, study lounge, office space, workstations, wellness room, and all gender bathrooms.