Brock University is now offering tomorrow’s public health leaders more ways than ever before to break through in the sector and create meaningful change.

The University is expanding opportunities for its Master of Public Health (MPH) students, helping them to gain ground in their studies and their future careers through innovative partnerships with the Canadian College of Health Information Management (CCHIM), NOSM University and American Canadian School of Medicine (ACSOM).

“Brock University is proud to provide several pathways to success for the next generation of public health changemakers, who will work to better the health-care system for all,” says Peter Tiidus, Dean of Brock’s Faculty of Applied Health Sciences. “Through the MPH program, students are equipped with the tools necessary to reshape the world and reimagine the future in big and small ways.”

Delivered exclusively online, Brock’s MPH program recently became the first of its kind in Canada to be accredited by the CCHIM.

“The accreditation is an honour for the University and a true benefit for its students,” says Yuan Zhang, Assistant Professor in Brock’s Department of Health Sciences. “This milestone empowers our students who are completing a Health Information Management specialization to challenge the CCHIM’s Certified Health Information Management National Certification Exam and become certified health information professionals.

“By combining advanced public health education with specialized health information management training, our MPH program equips graduates with the expertise to lead and innovate in this dynamic field,” he says.

Tailored to meet the needs of public health professionals, health practitioners and recent post-graduate students, the program is designed to provide the theoretical understanding and practical knowledge to be able to create, develop, design and evaluate public health strategies that will have a meaningful social impact at the local, national and global level.

“We are excited to welcome Brock University’s Master of Public Health program as the first accredited graduate program of its kind in Canada,” says Jeff Nesbitt, CEO and Registrar of the Canadian College of Health Information Management and the Canadian Health Information Management Association. “This accreditation highlights the growing need for advanced expertise in health information, ensuring that public health professionals are equipped to drive meaningful change and enhance the health of Canadians.”

Brock has also partnered with NOSM University to create a transfer pathway for NOSM University’s Master of Medical Studies students and Brock’s MPH students that will allow them to equally enrol in select graduate courses at each institution while remaining enrolled at their home institution.

“Our partnership with Brock University will empower our learners with specialized public health knowledge and skills, enhancing their ability to address the unique health-care challenges in the North,” says Alex Moise, Assistant Dean, Graduate Studies at NOSM University. “By combining our biomedical and clinical strengths with Brock’s expertise in areas like epidemiology, health promotion and environmental health, we can foster innovative research, improve health-care delivery, and enhance the health and well-being of the communities we serve.”

Suzanne Curtin, Brock’s Vice-Provost and Dean of the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Postdoctoral Affairs, says the new MPH partnerships further increase access to the dynamic online program.

“Opening more doors to graduate students from all backgrounds means welcoming fresh and innovative ideas to the table. That is how we as a society create meaningful change,” she says. “Through these new partnerships and the foundational learning of the MPH program, our students will be set for success. I look forward to all that they will achieve.”

The University has also partnered with the American Canadian School of Medicine to create a double-degree pathway program that will allow students to complete both their medical degree at ACSOM — in the island nation of Dominica — as well as their MPH at Brock.

“International partnerships like these provide students not only with enhanced academic opportunities, but a clear pathway to a professional career in health care,” says Christina Bosilo, Director of Brock International. “The partnership between Brock and ACSOM aligns well with Brock’s internationalization strategy, which highlights the importance of providing recognition to international learning and credentialing systems.”

Dean of ACSOM, Dr. Ramin Ahmadi, says the pathway program “reflects ACSOM’s commitment to fostering interdisciplinary education that equips future physicians with the tools to address complex health-care challenges.”

“By combining clinical training with public health expertise, we are creating leaders prepared to serve their communities with a broader understanding of health systems,” he says.

More information on the program is available on Brock’s Master of Public Health website.