Integrating Public Health Education: The Challenges in a Globalising World
Dr Lisa Fitzgerald, Dr Sheleigh Lawler, Dr Chi Wai Lui, Dr Allyson Mutch, Mr Michael O’Brien,
Dr Lennert Veerman
School of Population Health
The University of Queensland.
Taking an integrated approach in public health
Why integrate?
Ways of knowing – moving beyond the silos
Ways of engaging – moving our students towards different ways of knowing
Ways of knowing: multidisciplinary or interdisciplinary?
PH: Should we be moving beyond multidisciplinary approaches towards interdisciplinary models and if so, what would that actually look like?
UQ: Are we doing enough?
“Multidisciplinarity draws on knowledge from different disciplines but stays within their boundaries..”
“. An interdisciplinary approach analyses, synthesizes and harmonizes links between disciplines into a coordinated and coherent whole.”
Ways of knowing: global or local perspectives?
UQ: Should we break out of the silos or not?
PH: Given the emphasis on integrating a global perspective, what does this mean for studying an MPH in the Australian context?
Ways of engaging: Our context
• Large research intensive university • 400+ Postgraduate Students - MPH
• 1/3 international• About half study externally and part time • Many with medical/allied health backgrounds
• 300+ undergraduates - BHlthSc• Future medical practitioners and non-clinical professionals
Ways of Engaging: Active Classrooms/Interactive Technology?
UQ how do we manage these challenges in our internal and external classroom? How do we bring our team with us?
PH: How do we move students towards process of learning transformation?
Ways of Engaging: Research/Teaching Integration
The Challenges• Reflects and makes use of the teacher’s disciplinary
research to benefit students learning and outcomes
• Development of research skills important element of curriculum design and development
• Adding another research agenda: Scholarship of teaching and learning – Improving Teaching Practice
– Student learning outcomes
Barbara Zamorski (2002) Research-led Teaching and Learning in Higher Education: A case, Teaching in Higher Education, 7:4, 411-427, DOI: 10.1080/135625102760553919
Research -Teaching integration
Guest lectures/ meet the “expert” sessions – Collaborative approach to lecture development– Delivering key content with research examples
Sharing publications, key public health media releases, for up-to-date literature for teaching
Identification of high quality RHD students– Designing student projects and dissertations that support/feed into
larger projects
Student volunteers to support research staff Opportunities for RHD student’s skill development in
lecturing and tutoring
Research Teaching
UQ: How do we expand research and teaching Integration across the school?
PH: How do we integrate T&R across the disciplines in public health to ensure effective programs?
Joining ways of knowing and ways of engaging
Ways of knowing
Ways of engaging
Questions for Public Health
• Multidisciplinary: Should we be moving beyond multidisciplinary approaches towards interdisciplinary models and if so, what would that actually look like?
• Global: Given the emphasis on integrating a global perspective, what does this mean for studying an MPH in the Australian context?
• Learning transformations: How do we move students towards processes of learning transformation?
• Teaching/Research: How do we integrate T&R across the disciplines in public health to ensure students understand the processes needed to develop effective PH programs?
• What more can we do to empower and engage our students?• http://padlet.com/charlotte_young/caphiaworkshop
