Welcome from the Head of School

The School of Public Health and Community Medicine and the University recognise the unique position of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples in Australia’s culture and history. That Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have inhabited Australia for well over 50,000 years and that their unique cultures and identities are bound up with the land and sea. We acknowledge that the Aboriginal people are the original owners of the lands occupied and used by our school. In so doing it is important that the special position of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples as Australia’s First Peoples is recognised and incorporated into the activities of the school. The School of Public Health and Community Medicine seeks to achieve this through observing Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural protocols and the provision of services and programs appropriate to UNSW’s Indigenous medical students and other students who are focussed on Indigenous health and wellbeing. In 2011 we were proud to launch a new Master of Public Health Specialisation stream in Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing. This is tailored for people interested in pursuing a career in Indigenous health, and is led by Professor Lisa Jackson Pulver and the Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit at SPHCM UNSW, bringing to it a wealth of experience and knowledge in the field.

Public health and community medicine are different but related disciplines, which have key elements in common that bring us together as a School. These include a concern beyond the individual, an interest in the societal context in which health care is provided, and a commitment to equity and social justice. Public health and community medicine are a powerful tool with which we can bring some equality into an unequal world. For example, vaccination programs protect the entire community, even those who are unvaccinated through herd immunity effects, regardless of socioeconomic status. Where there is poverty, inequity and suffering, public health can make a difference, and Australia has a very strong tradition and culture of public health and programs for the public good.  

At UNSW, we offer a rich and diverse range of courses in public health and health service management, and have a tradition of excellence in teaching. We also have a major role in teaching within the UNSW Undergraduate Medicine Program. Our largest areas of research strength are in global health, primary care, health and human rights, infectious diseases epidemiology and Indigenous health (see Muru Marri Indigenous Health Unit). We have expertise in many other areas. Some of the other highlights in our school include the AusAID Human Resources for Health Knowledge Hub, our Football United program, our new Masters of International Public Health, and our strength in health promotion and qualitative research.

This is the only school to offer specialisation streams within the MPH for those who wish to pursue a specialised public health career. We understand that many people seek specialised careers in public health. To facilitate career advantage, we are unique in offering MPH specialisation streams with the area of specialisation appearing on testamur at graduation. Each MPH specialisation option is underpinned by flagship areas of research strength in our School. These are Aboriginal Health and Wellbeing, Infectious Diseases Epidemiology and Control, Health Promotion, Primary Health Care and International Health. This means that UNSW specialist MPH degrees are taught by leading research experts in the field, with the additional benefit of interaction within an active research environment. For those interested in a career in international health, we offer a Master of International Public Health, which commenced in 2009, with enrollments of almost 100 local and international students by 2011.

We also have the oldest, and one of the most respected health management programs in Australia, which has produced many health leaders and managers across Australia and the world. Academics within SPHCM, are currently conducting research into and teaching about consumer engagement, teamwork, innovative approaches to workplace change including practice development, workplace learning and development, human resource management and the quality and safety of care. In addition, our program offers links with the renowned Australian Institute of Health Innovation, and to the AusAID Human Resources for Health Hub at UNSW. We are therefore ideally placed to meet the needs of Australian and international health managers faced with complex, ever changing environments for the delivery of effective health services.

Further, we offer combined degree options, which have proven very popular in recent years. Our graduate Summer School in public health and health management can be taken by coursework students, but also as stand-alone courses for professional up-skilling. We provide flexible learning opportunities with face to face and distance education options, as well as a mix of short courses and semester long courses.

SPHCM UNSW is also the chosen academic partner of the prestigious NSW Ministry of Health Public Health Officer Training Program, and within this program we work in close partnership with the NSW Ministry of Health to deliver a curriculum of learning leading to the award of the Degree of Doctor of Public Health. This offers a link between academia, government and practice, which is mutually beneficial to all stakeholders within the partnership.

For research students, we have a wide range of research courses and projects. We are very strong in both quantitative and qualitative research methodologies, with a mix of social scientists, qualitative researchers, clinical researchers, epidemiologists and mathematical modellers at SPHCM. We have a strong track record in attracting research funding from NHMRC, ARC and AusAID, with a new NHMRC Centre for Research Excellence in Population Heath as well an AusAID Knowledge Hub in Human Resources for Health. We have several NHMRC post-doctoral fellows within SPHCM conducting a range of exciting research programs.

This is the school to be at if you have a genuine passion for the health of populations, if you care about the inequities in health in our world and if you want to make a difference. The people in this school are unified by a common belief in the power of public health and community medicine to bring about change and population wellbeing. As one of the largest schools in our country within a leading Faculty of Medicine, we embrace our important role in mentoring and shaping the future leaders in the field. Browse these pages and learn about the breadth and depth of our teaching and research, and I hope we can welcome you into the UNSW School of Public Health and Community Medicine.

Professor Raina MacIntyre
Head, School of Public Health and Community Medicine