MPH at Manipal University Dept of Public Health

Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree Curriculum Development at Manipal

As part of its overall goal of capacity-building, the UAB-South Asia ITREOH has worked along with Manipal to develop an internationally-accepted and locally-adapted curriculum for a Master’s of Public Health (MPH) course. Apart from Manipal University, a MPH program is also being developed at the University of Kelaniya, Sri Lanka alongside a component for the MSc program at Aga Khan University, Pakistan. Over the past two years, ITREOH partners have participated in a series of Curriculum Development meetings, chaired by Dr Nalini Sathiakumar with members including Drs. Elizabeth Delzell (UAB), David Coggan (Southampton University, UK), Vinod Bhat, G. Arun Kumar and Ramachandra Kamath (MU), A R Wickremasinghe , A. Pathmeswaran (UoK, Sri Lanka), Masood Kadir and Zafar Fatmi (Aga Khan University, Pakistan). Meetings have been held throughout the region in Dubai (UAE), Manipal and Bangalore (India) and Colombo (Sri Lanka). These meetings have provided opportunities for partners to learn from one another and contribute to the overall success of environmental and occupational health training within the Indian Subcontinent. The curriculum is built on skill-based core competencies, adapted from a combination of World Health Organization (WHO), US CDC, and Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) competencies, and adapted to each local setting. This unique approach to international curriculum development has been commended by the WHO and could serve as a potential model for future programs in the region. UAB has also provided additional teaching resources for each program, including course notes, slides, and books.

The Future looks promising and exciting

The ultimate goal of the UAB-South Asia ITREOH program is to develop a self-sustaining research training program in India and the region that would serve as a hub for research collaborations and training activities. Manipal is committed to the effort and has a track record of providing leadership as a Center of Excellence. The future of this fruitful partnership looks exciting as plans are afoot to expand the collaboration to newer programs and disciplines.

MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health.

 It is highly anticipated that the newly-inaugurated MPH program in Epidemiology will lead to the development of an MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health. This new degree would position Manipal University as a fully-fledged regional training center for Environmental and Occupational Health Professionals.



UAB-WHO Collaborative Research projects.

As part of the WHO’s multi-country approach to combat climate change-related vector-borne and diarrheal diseases, Manipal will undertake a series of research projects evaluating the health outcomes of climate change in South Asia, with a view to developing mitigation strategies.



ITREOH South Asia Resource Centre.

 Due to its central location and advanced technological resources, Manipal will be the site of an ITREOH Regional Resource Centre, which will support the other ITREOH partner sites in South Asia. As the first of its kind in the region, the Resource Centre will serve ITREOH trainees, other public health professionals, and the general public as a source of information, education, and community outreach. The Resource Centre is expected to foster a sense of community amongst the ITREOH trainees and all public health professionals who share a commitment to environmental and occupational health education and training in the region.