Sociomedical Sciences

The History and Ethics of Public Health and Medicine Track brings together the faculties of the Department of Sociomedical Sciences at the Mailman School of Public Health, the School of Medicine at Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons (P&S), and the Department of History at Columbia’s Graduate School of Arts and Sciences (GSAS).

The track emphasizes the historical forces that have shaped contemporary public health policy and the ethical challenges and dilemmas that surface in efforts to enhance the well-being of populations. While historical analysis and ethical inquiry each impose unique methodological demands, they are mutually enriching domains of study. History provides the context for understanding why certain ethical questions emerge at a given moment and how they are understood, disputed, and resolved. Contemporary ethical inquiry can raise questions that set the stage for new historical investigations.

Graduates of the program develop facility in using history and ethics as a means of informing contemporary policy debates. The program provides students planning to work in professional disciplines and policy positions a method for analyzing the intellectual, social, and political circumstances that have shaped health policy.

*Note for Prospective Applicants: Beginning in the Fall 2012, the School is moving to a new Certificate program. MPH students in the 2-year Columbia MPH program will identify an area of focus from more than 20 offerings including: Global Health; History, Ethics, and Law; and Sexuality, Sexual, and Reproductive Health. Visit the Prospective Student/Columbia MPH site for more information.