This is YSPH

History — Founded in 1915 by Charles-Edward Amory Winslow, the Yale School of Public Health is among the oldest schools of public health in the country. During its history, the School has made many important health contributions, in areas including environmental sanitation, polio and cancer. The school has trained thousands of researchers, practitioners, administrators and educators. The School continues to draw upon this rich history and tradition as it evolves to meet the health challenges of the 21st century.

Class Size — The size of the Yale School of Public Health fosters an ideal student-to-faculty ratio and provides students with many opportunity for close teaching and mentoring relationships with leading public health experts. Formal relationships are forged through academic advising, internship planning and the thesis project. The close working relationship with faculty, as well as fellow classmates, forms the foundation of a student's career network upon graduation.
Photo by Robert A. Lisak

Internships — Each spring students fan out across the globe for their internship project which becomes a defining experience for most students, exposing them to real-world challenges and giving them a chance to directly apply what they have learned in the classroom. It is, says Dean Paul D. Cleary, a chance “to make a difference in the lives of people.” Shown here: Margo Klar adjusts a monitor in a Honduran kitchen that measures particulate matter in the air. Klar studied the health effects of traditional wood burning stoves on the respiratory system.

Community Service — Community service is a shared value not just at the Yale School of Public health but throughout the University at large. The Office of Community Health, HealthCore, the Yale Student-Run Free Clinic and the Community Alliance for Research and Engagement (CARE) are just a few of the many organizations committed to improving lives in New Haven and beyond. Shown here: Alumnus Mikhail C.S.S. Higgins educates New Haven elementary school students about health during a community fair conducted in partnership with the Hill Health Center.

Diversity — The School’s commitment to diversity is seen through research, teaching and community outreach. Our scientists investigate the role of race, ethnicity, gender, sexuality and other factors in health outcomes. One study seeks to reverse rates of chronic disease in New Haven’s most underserved neighborhoods. The School is also committed to diversifying its faculty and student body and provides research supplements and scholarships to achieve these goals. Shown here: MPH students hike to the top of East Rock Park.

Research Labs — Today our research spans a wide range of topics including cancer, AIDS, pollution, infectious and chronic diseases, and health policy. For the 2015 fiscal year, total grant funding reached over $66 million and made up 70 percent of the school’s budget. Shown here: Yong Zhu, an associate professor in Environmental Health Sciences, uses genetic techniques to identify biomarkers that characterize an inherited predisposition toward certain diseases.
Photo by Robert A. Lisak

School Ranking — Our Ph.D. program is ranked among the very best in the country. The National Research Council weighed a variety of academic criteria to determine that Yale’s program ranked third nationwide. Ph.D. students are encouraged to engage in interdisciplinary research and to conduct dissertation research abroad. Academic Analytics, meanwhile, ranked YSPH faculty the most productive of all the schools of public health in the country.
Photo by Harold Shapiro

Global health is public health and Yale students are exposed to a growing array of global health programs and opportunities. At the School of Public Health, a Global Health Concentration is available for any M.P.H. candidate seeking to broaden and enhance their core studies. At the University level, even more programs, seminars and lectures are available throughout the year for students seeking a global perspective. Shown here: Liberian president, Ellen Johnson Shirleaf, a partner with the Global Health Leadership Initiative, speaks at Battell Chapel.

Interdisciplinary Studies — “Don’t Fence Me,” sang first lady of song, Ella Fitzgerald (Yale Honorary Doctorate, 1986). We recognize that public health intersects with law, environmental studies, social sciences, genomics, spirituality, economics, medical practice and more, and so many joint degrees are offered. Shown here: Public health students conduct field studies on mosquitoes and how they transmit disease on the island of Dominica.

Mentorship — In addition to the teaching faculty, YSPH employs hundreds of research scientists and assistants in its 14 research units and associated labs. M.P.H. students are just as likely as Ph.D. candidates to work alongside these mentors in researching chronic disease epidemiology, microbial diseases and more. Shown here: Elizabeth Claus, a professor in the Department of Biostatistics and an attending neurosurgeon at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, reviews data with students.

Speakers — Some of the world’s foremost public health authorities visit the School, offering intriguing and challenging views on today’s most pressing health issues. Recently lecturers included John Negroponte (right), former U.S. ambassador to Iraq, Margaret Hamburg (center), commissioner of the Food and Drug Administration, and Sir Michael Marmot (left), a renowned researcher whose Whitehall studies in England clearly established a link between social class and health.

Labs/Surveillance — The Vector Ecology Laboratory, housed in the division of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases, maintains a laboratory colony of I. scapularis (known as the deer tick), and is a leader in both field- and laboratory-based studies on tick-borne pathogens, as well as other vector-borne diseases such as dengue fever and West Nile virus. The Emerging Infections Program, meanwhile, is developing a surveillance system for tick-borne diseases (TBDs) that includes active physician and laboratory surveillance for TBDs and population-based studies.

Women in Science — From the School’s early days, women have played a vital role in advancing public health. In the 1940s, Dorothy Horstmann broke gender barriers while demonstrating that the polio virus reached the nervous system by way of the blood, a discovery that contributed to the development of an oral vaccine. Today, women hold some of the most senior positions at the School and are engaged in research that has health implications for everyone. Shown here: Dorothy Horstmann, Elizabeth Bradley and Serap Aksoy.

Our 5,000-plus alumni remain an integral part of the YSPH community long after earning their degrees. Alumni share their experiences through career service events, recruitment events, mentoring job-seeking students and serving as preceptors for summer internships. Graduates take advantage of the Public Health Career Board and Yale Career Network as well as to recharge their enthusiasm at the annual alumni symposium and awards luncheon. Shown here: Alumnus John Brownstein, PhD '04, helped to create a health map to provide timely and accurate data on disease outbreaks.

The University — School of Public Health students have the rest of a remarkable University at their disposal. With well over 10,000 students, 167,000 living alumni and close to 13 million volumes in its libraries, Yale has something to offer every academic interest. YSPH students are encouraged to take advantage of these rich opportunities through interdisciplinary studies. The campus is also renowned for its beauty with Gothic architecture enclosing quiet courtyards. University galleries, museums and forums with eminent speakers further enhance the student experience.
Photo by Michael Marsland

Established in 1638, New Haven is known for its rich history and great food. Home to Noah Webster, Eli Whitney and Samuel Colt, the city was a hub of activity during the Revolutionary and Civil wars. Today, it is a cultural and entertainment destination. Dining options include the famous Pepe’s and Sally’s pizzerias to numerous Zagat-rated restaurants. The medical community also congregates at the New York Times-reviewed lunch carts which feature everything from Benagali burritos, falafel, pad thai, to the all-American hamburger.

Mission Statement

The School of Public Health at Yale University provides leadership to protect and improve the health of the public. Through innovative education, research, policy analysis and practice that draws upon interdisciplinary scholarship from across the graduate and professional programs at Yale, the school serves local, national and international communities with its knowledge and expertise. We foster health equity, social justice and respectful discourse to enrich our teaching and scholarship, as well as empower the communities that we serve.

YSPH at a Glance

Highlights

Founded: 1915 by C.-E. A. Winslow, the first graduate-level public health studies in the country
One of the first eight accredited schools of public health by the American Public Health Association in 1946
PhD program has 100% completion rate and one of the highest yields at Yale with 71% of admitted students matriculating
Student:Faculty ratio is 3.35:1
Median class size 2018-19 is 23
First MPH Public Health Modeling Concentration
First Accelerated MBA/MH degree in Health Care Management
First U.S. school of public health to offer a professional, online, 18-week certificate program on Climate Change and Health
MPH students in all departments can add the Global Health Concentration, Public Health Modeling Concentration or Regulatory Affairs Track
12 joint degree programs at Yale and 3 joint degree programs with international universities

Leadership

Dean: Sten H. Vermund, MD, PhD
Anna M.R. Lauder Professor of Public HealthProfessor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine

Alumni

6314, in 71 countries

Student:Faculty Ratio

3.39

Faculty

Full-time 123
Part-time 132
FTE 143.25
Postdoctoral associates and fellows 50
Visiting Faculty 19
Centers and Institutes 22

Incoming class profile MPH 2019

Class size 188
Average age 24
Undergraduate schools represented 115
States represented 33
Countries represented (citizenship) 23
Under-represented minorities 17%
International students 37%

Total Number MPH Students (FTE)

357.5

MS Class Profile

MS class size 51
Average age 24
Median age 23 Age
Range 22-47
Men 31% Women 69%
Undergraduate schools represented 36
States represented 3
Countries represented 4
Under-represented minorities 2%
International students 90%

PhD Class Profile

PhD class size 85
Average age 27
Median age 26
Age Range 22-42
Men 25% Women 75%
Undergraduate schools represented 53
States represented 17
Countries represented 8
Under-represented minorities 5%
International students 53%

MPH Internships

All two-year MPH candidates are required to complete an internship in the summer between the first and second years of the program for a minimum of 8 weeks. Students intern in organizations around the world and throughout the US
In 2019, internships took place in the following 27 countries and territories:
Africa (12)

Ethiopia
Ghana
Kenya
Senegal
Uganda

Asia (23)

Bangladesh
Bhutan
China
India
Indonesia
Lebanon
Malaysia
South Korea
Thailand

Europe (13)

Belgium
Cyprus
England
France
Romania
Switzerland
United Kingdom

North America (140)

Barbados
Canada
United States & Territories

South America (3)

Brazil
Columbia
Trinidad & Tobago

MPH Career Placement Classes of 2016-2018

Consulting 10%
Further Education 25%
Government and Public Sector 10%
Hospital-based Research 5%
Hospitals and Medical Centers 16%
NGOs and Non-Profits 7%
Policy Institutes/Think Tanks 2%

Total Budget

FY 2020 $79 million
FY 2019 $77 million
FY 2018 $77.5 million

Global Reach

The Yale School of Public Health is a leader in Yale University’s commitment to improve health across the globe through research, education and community engagement. The School uses science to foster health, promote innovation, train leaders and make a difference in the world. Faculty research spans a variety of fields including chronic and infectious diseases, implementation science, environmental health, behavioral determinants of health, and policy and administration.

Through the Global Health Concentration students committed to change learn essential skills and train to become future leaders. They supplement their training with internships in countries around the globe.

The School is known for its international training programs and currently directs eight Fogarty International Center Grants and the Global Health Equity Scholars Program.

Public Health faculty members collaborate with colleagues across the University and have created and lead several interdisciplinary centers at the University, including the:

Public Health alumni live and work in 69 nations around the world.