The Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is part of Tulane University of the U.S. state of Louisiana.
Departments
Biostatistics and Bioinformatics
Global Community Health and Behavioral Sciences
Global Environmental Health Sciences
Epidemiology
Global Health Systems and Development
Tropical Medicine
Centers and institutes
Center for Applied Environmental Public Health
Center for Bioenvironmental Research
Center for Bioinformatics and Genomics
Center for Cardiovascular Health
Center for Evidence-Based Global Health
Center for Global Health Equity
Center for Infectious Disease
Health Office for Latin America
Hypertension and Renal Center for Excellence
Mary Amelia Douglas-Whited Women's Health Education Center
Office for Global Health
Office of Health Research
Prevention Research Center
South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness
South Central Public Health Institute
South Central Public Health Training Center
Specialized Center of Interdisciplinary Research (SCOR)
History
The study of public health in Louisiana began in the early 19th century, when New Orleans suffered from endemic malaria and almost yearly epidemics of cholera and yellow fever. Attempts to control tropical diseases led to the establishment of the Medical College of Louisiana in 1834, founded by a group of young practicing physicians. The founders issued a prospectus that emphasized the lack of knowledge of these diseases and the necessity to study them in the environment in which they occurred. In 1881, formal instruction in hygiene was offered for the first time.
A gift to Tulane, $25,000 from businessman Samuel Zemurray, instituted the country's first School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1912. The school's launch in 1912 was significant, and as it was part of the movement to establish similar institutions around the world. It was hailed by academicians nationally and internationally as the first such school in the United States, where tropical diseases had had devastating effects, particularly in the South. The first Doctor of Public Health degree was conferred in 1914.
Later, in 1919, the School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine merged with the College of Medicine. The departments of tropical medicine and preventive medicine then merged to establish the department of tropical medicine and public health. Tulane joined the Council on Education of Public Health in 1947. With public health and tropical medicine rapidly expanding, an administrative division of graduate public health was created in 1958, and was re-designated as the Division of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1961. In 1967, the Hygiene and Tropical Medicine interests reverted to being its own entity of Tulane University and became today's iteration of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine.
Reputation
The mission of Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is to advance public health knowledge, promote health and well-being, and prevent disease, disability, and premature mortality. This is accomplished through academic excellence in the education of public health professionals, rigorous scientific research of public health problems, creative partnerships to advance the practice of public health, and innovative service to the local, national, and international public health community.
The school has more than 1,400 students and 100 faculty. The students, faculty, and staff represent more than 70 cultures from around the world.
Students enroll from more than 40 different countries, and the school remains in the top tier of accredited schools of public health across the country. U.S. News & World Report's 2015 edition ranked the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine 12th among public health programs. In 2008, the school conferred the first bachelor of science in public health degrees to the first undergraduate class of Tulane public health graduates. Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2012.
The Worst Civil Engineering Disaster in US History
Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine was forced to close its doors for the first time since 1912 for one semester. This was the result of flooding of Tulane University's Health Science Center Campus in the central business district caused by levee failures after Hurricane Katrina . Tulane University of Public Health and Tropical Medicine received an outpouring of support from the Association of Schools of Public Health. The Association of Schools of Public Health acknowledge the following of the many examples of outstanding contributions.
- The University of Oklahoma College of Public Health assigned a “buddy†to each guest student, who helped the student with the logistics involved in attending a new school, such as enrollment, navigating the campus, library use, etc.
- The University of North Texas Health Science Center School of Public Health held a drive to collect needed supplies for their guest students.
- The University of California at Berkeley School of Public Health, provided funding for students’ emergency needs.
- Alumni from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health donated gift cards for the displaced students to use for personal needs upon their arrival at the Rollins School.
- The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services coordinated with faculty and students to find housing for displaced students.
- The Columbia Mailman School of Public Health coordinated with faculty and students to find housing for displaced students.
- The University of Texas School of Public Health (UT) was able to accommodate more than 60 students and faculty, and also provided space for Tulane administrators to regroup during the initial stages of crisis recovery.
All throughout the disaster and during recovery, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine faculty have studied and are studying the public health ramifications of the levee failures. Today, Tulane University and the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine remain deeply committed and involved in tangible efforts for a full recovery of New Orleans.
Degrees Conferred
- Master of Public Health (MPH)
- Master of Science in Public Health (MSPH)
- Master of Health Administration (MHA)
- Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine (MPH&TM)
- Master of Science (MS)
- Doctor of Public Health (DrPH)
- Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH)
Location
Tulane's School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is located at 1440 Canal St, New Orleans, Louisiana in the Central Business District neighborhood. Its building is one of the tallest buildings in New Orleans, and is colloquially known as the Tidewater building. The area of the CBD that the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine is in is currently being referred to as the Bioscience District, and was previously referred to as the Medical District. The BioDistrict is the site of $1.09 billion in new construction for the University Medical Center project that will replace Charity Hospital. An additional ~$1.0bn will be spent in the neighborhood on the new Southeast Louisiana Veterans Health Care System VA Hospital. The BioDistrict also includes the new 66,000 square foot BioInnovation Center and the 155,000 square foot Louisiana Cancer Research Center. The Tidewater building is most easily accessible by road, street car and Tulane University Shuttles. The Tidewater Building is short walk from Vieux Carré.
See also
Global Health Magazine
Disaster Resilience Leadership Academy
Tulane School of Medicine
Tulane National Primate Research Center
Tulane Medical Center
Biodistrict New Orleans
Tulane Environmental Law Clinic
Payson Center for International Development
Association of Schools of Public Health
Council on Education for Public health
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Management Education
American Public Health Association