Newswise — The Department of Exercise Science in The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services (SPHHS) announces the launch of a new program in Physical Activity in Public Health. The program, which will begin this fall, offers both a Master of Public Health and a Graduate Certificate and will train graduate students to integrate physical activity into the core of public health practice.
“This program addresses a very important need in the public health arena right now,” said Loretta DiPietro, Ph.D., M.P.H., chair of the Department of Exercise Science. “Disuse and lifestyle-related diseases now comprise the majority of the public health burden. We are confronting the fact that most chronic diseases can be traced back to sedentary living or lifestyle related behaviors.”
Obesity, diabetes and other chronic diseases are widely recognized public health problems; however, physical inactivity—a root of these problems—is often overlooked. In reality, sedentary lifestyle and its consequent metabolic and cardiovascular complications assume a considerable public health burden in the United States
The program at GW is one of the first in the nation to bridge the gap between traditional exercise science and public health. Using a comprehensive, interdisciplinary approach to the study and application of physical activity, GW’s program addresses the relatively novel problem of sedentary-related diseases in a completely innovative way. Further, the degree itself represents GW’s steps toward realizing one of the top goals identified by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s Commission to Build a Healthier America, a commission supported by faculty, staff and students at SPHHS.
“We like to say, ‘there is no better place than right here, right now if you want to change the world,’ said Josef Reum, Ph.D. interim dean, School of Public Health and Health Services. “This new degree program—only the second of its kind in the nation—reflects our deep commitments to 1) changing the minds of people about their own health behaviors, 2) our own community, as DC is one of the least active places in our country, and 3) our nation, as we join the efforts of First Lady Michelle Obama in making activity a central goal for every citizen, and in our world.”
Students entering the program may elect a track in either epidemiology or in program design and evaluation. The epidemiology track adopts an ecological perspective, identifying the role of physical activity in the etiology, prevention and treatment of chronic disease at the community, national and global levels. The program design and evaluation track trains students to become public health scientists and practitioners able to assist public and private agencies with program development and evaluation with regard to physical activity, health promotion and disease prevention.
While the Department of Exercise Science already offers a Master of Science in Exercise Science, the Master of Public Health is unique in that it is a license to practice. With this degree, graduates will be equipped to translate the science of exercise-related physiology into public health practice. Those coming out of this program will be exceptionally well-trained physiologists, program designers and epidemiologists.
For more information about the Physical Activity in Public Health program, visit: http://www.gwumc.edu/sphhs/academicprograms/programs/MPH_Graduate_Certificate/MPH_Cert_PA.pdf
About The George Washington University Medical CenterThe George Washington University Medical Center is an internationally recognized interdisciplinary academic health center that has consistently provided high-quality medical care in the Washington, D.C. metropolitan area since 1824. The Medical Center comprises the School of Medicine and Health Sciences, the 11th oldest medical school in the country; the School of Public Health and Health Services, the only such school in the nation’s capital; GW Hospital, jointly owned and operated by a partnership between The George Washington University and a subsidiary of Universal Health Services, Inc.; and The GW Medical Faculty Associates, an independent medical practice with nearly 350 physicians in 42 clinical specialties. For more information on GWUMC, visit www.gwumc.edu.
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