Unit: Public Health Studies
Program: Public Health (DrPH)
Degree: Doctorate
Date: Mon Oct 13, 2014 - 5:19:44 pm

1) Below are your program's student learning outcomes (SLOs). Please update as needed.

Upon completion of the Doctor of Public Health (DrPH) program at the University of Hawai‘i, the graduate should master the following competencies:

DrPH Competencies

Planning and Evaluation

  1. Integrate evidence and community experience to describe, anticipate, and mediate public health needs and problems.
  2. Identify and apply appropriate theory to inform the design and evaluation of public health interventions.
  3. Integrate theory, empirical knowledge, and community needs with financial planning and infrastructure design in the context of acquiring external funds.

Advocacy and Policy Development

  1. Serve as a liaison and advocate to the policy community for the diverse pressing public health issues.
  2. Interact productively with stakeholders and decision-makers to have an impact on public policy.
  3. Identify, develop, and apply policies, laws and regulations for public health improvement.
  4. Translate policy into organizational plans, structures and programs.

Ethics

  1. Demonstrate and apply high ethical standards to all activities, including the communication and interaction with diverse populations, the general conduct of research, and the handling of information and data.

Culturally Sensitive Community Collaboration

  1. Facilitate and expand collaborative relationships among a variety of entities (e.g., governmental, non-governmental, public, private, and academic).
  2. Apply appropriate skills to integrate community entities into the planning, implementation, evaluation and interpretation of PH projects.
  3. Utilize the integrating concepts and skills involved in culturally appropriate community engagement and empowerment with diverse communities.

Research

  1. Promote co-learning between researchers, public health professionals and communities.
  2. Critique research appropriateness, including the ethical aspects of research designs, subject recruitment and data collection.
  3. Select appropriate research designs and methods to address questions of PH importance.
  4. Review and synthesize a body of research literature.
  5. Select and apply appropriate approaches for evaluation and quality improvement to assess program implementation.

Teaching

  1. Teach, advise, and mentor to enhance the capacity of students, peers, and community members.
  2. Identify, develop and implement engaged teaching methods that are appropriate for the respective audiences and conditions.

Leadership

  1. Develop strategies to promote collaborative problem solving, decision making and evaluation.
  2. Engage stakeholders and manage teams, groups, and organizations to work toward a defined goal.

Communications

  1. Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with persons from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, educational, racial, ethnic and professional backgrounds and persons of all ages and lifestyle preferences.

Informatics

  1. Collaborate with communication and informatics specialists in the process of design, implementation and evaluation of PH programs.

Critical Analysis and Systems Thinking

  1. Critically analyze, use and synthesize information from multiple sources to address public health problems/issues.
  2. Analyze and evaluate the impact of inter-relationships among systems that influence the quality of life of diverse populations in their communities.
  3. Analyze the impact of local, national, and global trends and interdependencies on PH related problems and systems.

2) Your program's SLOs are published as follows. Please update as needed.

Department Website URL: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/publichealth
Student Handbook. URL, if available online: http://manoa.hawaii.edu/publichealth/sites/manoa.hawaii.edu.publichealth/files/downloads/drph_handbook.pdf
Information Sheet, Flyer, or Brochure URL, if available online:
UHM Catalog. Page Number: http://www.catalog.hawaii.edu/schoolscolleges/medicine/phse.htm
Course Syllabi. URL, if available online: http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/publichealth/academics/courses.html
Other: DrPH Handbook http://manoa.hawaii.edu/publichealth/sites/manoa.hawaii.edu.publichealth/files/downloads/drph_handbook.pdf
Other:

3) Select one option:

Curriculum Map File(s) from 2014:

4) For your program, the percentage of courses that have course SLOs explicitly stated on the syllabus, a website, or other publicly available document is as follows. Please update as needed.

0%
1-50%
51-80%
81-99%
100%

5) Did your program engage in any program assessment activities between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014? (e.g., establishing/revising outcomes, aligning the curriculum to outcomes, collecting evidence, interpreting evidence, using results, revising the assessment plan, creating surveys or tests, etc.)

Yes
No (skip to question 14)

6) For the period between June 1, 2013 and September 30, 2014: State the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goals. Include the SLOs that were targeted, if applicable.

  • Is the mix of students (local, national, and international) appropriate?
  • Is the size of the program appropriate?
  • Are at least 70% of students “supported” financially?
  • Do 100% past the Qualifying Phase by the end of the 4th semester?
  • Are at least 70% ADB by the end of the 6th semester?
  • Are all DrPH students on track to mastering the 25 DrPH competencies by graduation?
  • Is the average time to gradation < 6 years?
  • Do at least 60% of students have peer-reviewed publications upon graduation?
  • Do at least 70% of graduating students have positions in public health leadership, research, or teaching within 1 year of graduation?

7) State the type(s) of evidence gathered to answer the assessment question and/or meet the assessment goals that were given in Question #6.

  • Competencies are linked to specific courses.
  • At the end of 2nd semester (if student enters with MPH) or 4th semester (if student enters with other masters), DrPH students present a qualifying paper and take a qualifying exam, testing their mastery on MPH and Year-1 DrPH competencies.
  • In the required Teaching Practicum, the faculty member with whom the DrPH student teaches provides a written assessment of student mastery of teaching-related competencies. Student-teachers also are evaluated by OFDAS.
  • In the required Research Practicum, the faculty member with whom the DrPH student is conducting research provides a written assessment of student mastery of relevant research-related competencies.
  • Starting in their 2nd year, DrPH students complete an Annual Review (every October15). In this, they report completed and planned coursework, completed and planned portfolio elements, and a self-assessment of mastery of the DrPH competences.  Annual review data are discussed between the student and his/her Chair and also presented to the DrPH Committee.
  • Time to being qualified, to ABD, and to graduation are tracked by the DrPH Grad Chair.
  • After graduation, DrPH graduates complete a Post-Grad Survey (every October 15) with information on what they are doing re: job, pubs, presentations, grants, etc.

8) State how many persons submitted evidence that was evaluated. If applicable, please include the sampling technique used.

100% of DrPH students have completed Annual Reviews by Oct 1 of the year. This is the second year we will institute the Post-Grad Survey, and the response rate is about 65%. Research and Teaching Practica mentors also provide feedback on all their students.

9) Who interpreted or analyzed the evidence that was collected? (Check all that apply.)

Course instructor(s)
Faculty committee
Ad hoc faculty group
Department chairperson
Persons or organization outside the university
Faculty advisor
Advisors (in student support services)
Students (graduate or undergraduate)
Dean/Director
Other:

10) How did they evaluate, analyze, or interpret the evidence? (Check all that apply.)

Used a rubric or scoring guide
Scored exams/tests/quizzes
Used professional judgment (no rubric or scoring guide used)
Compiled survey results
Used qualitative methods on interview, focus group, open-ended response data
External organization/person analyzed data (e.g., external organization administered and scored the nursing licensing exam)
Other:

11) For the assessment question(s) and/or assessment goal(s) stated in Question #6:
Summarize the actual results.

Summary of the actual results.

Indicator

Progress

The mix of students is appropriate (at least 60% are female and/or from minority groups).

 

Of 33 students admitted Fall 2008-2014 (7 years), 70% were indigenous, minority, or international and 85% were female.

  • Indigenous (Native Hawaiians) = 7
  • Minority = 11
  • International = 5
  • Caucasian American = 10

The size of the program appropriate to the size/skills of the faculty

The DrPH program limits admissions so there are no more than 16 DrPH students at any time, which appears manageable. The program is structured such that students should be able to complete the program in 3-5 years. We anticipate 4 graduates and 4 new admits every year, for a total of 15-18 DrPH students in any given Fall semester. We do not anticipate problems maintaining this level of enrollment.

 

The DrPH Graduate Chair serves as Interim Advisor for students prior to their completing the Qualifying Phase of the program (the first 1-2 years). Once past the Qualifying Phase, students chose permanent advisors, and our DrPH faculty includes 16 members who can serve in this role.  

Funding will be available for at least 70% of accepted students.

 

94% (15/16) of students requesting GRA positions secured one

7% (3/33) were East-West Center or international scholarship recipients

9% (3/33) receipted military-related tuition assistance

24% (8/33) worked at UHM or another part of UH system, so are eligible for tuition waivers

 

Overall, 29/33 (88%) have some type of funding or UH support.

100% will pass “qualifying phase” by the end of the 4th semester

96% (22/23) passed by end of 4th semester (for those entering in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012 – one student entering in 2010 dropped after the 1st semester). 100% met criteria if dropouts excluded.

At least 70% are ADB by the end of the 6th semester.

 

91% (21/23) were ADB by the end of the 6th semester (for those entering in 2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, and 2012 – one student entering in 2010 dropped after the 1st semester, and one student entering in 2011 took a leave of absence after the 4th semester and have not returned…dropped?).

100% met criterion if dropout excluded.

100% of students will be “on-track” in mastering the learning objectives

This is monitored through the Annual Review of Students (every October).

100% are on track (excluding dropouts)

At least 60% of students will have peer reviewed published papers upon graduation.

Of 15 graduates as of Aug 2014

87% (13/15) – 12 have submitted/published manuscripts from their dissertation  plus 1 more published from other work done during their time in the program

Average graduation time < 6 years

Of 15 graduates as of Aug 2014, 100% graduated in < 6 years

At least 70% of graduating students will have positions in public health leadership, research, or faculty positions within 4 years of graduation.

Of 15 graduates as of May 2013

  • 100% secured positions within 12 months of graduation
  • 10 in academia
  • 3 with NGOs
  • 1 with UNICEF
  • 1 post doc

 

12) State how the program used the results or plans to use the results. Please be specific.

  • Student Annual Review data are reviewed by student, advisor, DrPH chair and DrPH Committee to guide student progress. Suggestions are provided to students/Chairs on how students can further their mastery of competencies rated “low” or “mid” (vs. high).  For example, a student “low” in leadership was given a supervisory role through her Graduate Assistantship job, and a student “mid” in teaching (even after Teaching Practicum) was scheduled to lead some workshops for MPH and DrPH students.
  • DrPH program data are reviewed by DrPH Committee, the entire PH faculty at an annual presentation, and by the UH Graduate Division. Suggestions are provided to improve the program. For example, to give students more options for teaching, we modified the Teaching Practicum (PH 771) to make it repeatable. Also, with the opening of our undergrad PH degree, we have added two TA slots, with priority in hiring given to doctoral students

13) Beyond the results, were there additional conclusions or discoveries?
This can include insights about assessment procedures, teaching and learning, program aspects and so on.

 

Our recent site visit by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) suggests that our curriculum should require more than 33 credits. We are currently re-researching credit requirements for DrPH degrees at other universities.

 

14) If the program did not engage in assessment activities, please explain.
Or, if the program did engage in assessment activities, please add any other important information here.

We engaged in assessment with positive outcomes and regular changes based on the results as needed.