Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) in Health Policy and Social Justice

The Dornsife School of Public Health offers a doctoral program in Health Policy and Social Justice, leading to the doctor of public health (DrPH) degree. The Doctor of Public Health in Health Policy and Social Justice is designed to prepare students to play strong professional roles in developing and implementing policies that improve public health by focusing on those in the community who are most vulnerable. The mission of the Dornsife School of Public Health is to promote health and quality of life through graduate education, population-based research, and community service in the prevention and control of disease, and injury and disability and the maintenance of health and quality of life. Effective public health practice is built on a foundation of effective programs and health policy and necessitates long-term partnerships with community, organizations and regulatory bodies. Inequities based on social group memberships, including race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation and class, are well documented in the scientific literature. Equally alarming are disparities in access to health care and health outcomes based on race, ethnicity and other social indicators. Graduates of the DrPH in Health Policy and Social Justice will generate new knowledge about social justice and will use this knowledge in the analysis, evaluation and modification of existing policy as well as the design and delivery of new policy affecting public health practice. The DrPH in Health Policy and Social Justice will prepare students to play strong professional roles in developing and implementing policies that improve public health by focusing on those who are most vulnerable. By studying important racial and ethnic, social class and gender differences within the larger social justice framework, students will emerge from the program with a sound theoretical and practical foundation for critical scholarship in health disparities, cultural competency and social justice. Furthermore, they will gain the tools to implement effective policies in both public and private health sectors.