Pamela Collins, MD, MPH '97
Assistant Professor of Clinical Epidemiology and Clinical Psychiatry
Director of the Global Health Track
Mailman School students are part of a world-renowned university—an intellectual powerhouse comprised of 16 schools, providing access to state-of-the-art research facilities and special events featuring prominent national and international leaders.
School-wide MPH program in Global Health
The Global Health Track is the only interdepartmental, discipline-based global health program for the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree among the Ivy League institutions. Our departments, founded on strong research and teaching, provide students with the specific skills of their chosen public health discipline. Students master skills in Epidemiology, Health Policy and Management, Environmental Health Sciences, Population and Family Health, or Sociomedical Sciences. The departmental courses, in combination with the core curriculum of the Global Health Track, provide students with expertise that can be applied in settings around the world.
Our faculty members are leaders in the development of global health research and service programs that have changed the practice of reproductive health care, AIDS care and treatment, refugee health, and the management of environmental toxins in developing country settings. This strong base of faculty research and service contributes to a rich learning environment in which students can master the theory and practice of public health.
Our program's location in New York City at Columbia University exposes students to the myriad of global health NGOs and foundations based in the city. Students have access to the United Nations and affiliated organizations, and may interact with numerous immigrant populations in whose home countries they will later work. Among Columbia University's wealth of resources for students, programs such as The Earth Institute, the Millennium Villages Project, and the School of International and Public Affairs, present opportunities for students to learn about economic and political strategies that influence global public health.
Sample course requirements:Practicum Experience for the MPH
The practicum component of the Global Health Track requires that students spend six months in an overseas field site learning to translate theory into practice. Students have the opportunity to participate in groundbreaking global health initiatives based both at Columbia University and with other reputable NGOs and international organizations, including, but not limited to:
Past and current Global Health students have participated or are participating in an array of practicum projects:
- Conducting needs assessment and creating a micro-credit intervention for Injecting Drug Users (IDU) to reduce recidivism in Bangladesh
- Acquiring and contributing skills to monitoring malaria incidents and training health workers and teachers in optimal malarial abatement strategies in Kenya
- Designing an income-generation program to enable People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWH) to purchase nutritious foods in Panama.
This unique practicum experience offers a critical opportunity for professional development that can enhance students' career opportunities after graduation.