Master of Public Health in Health Equity and Criminal Justice: Student and Alumni Feedback on the Development of a New Master of Public Health Concentration

Abstract

Purpose: To describe Master of Public Health (MPH) student and alumni interest in a new Health Equity and Criminal Justice (HECJ) concentration, highlight their personal experiences with mass incarceration, and summarize their input on developing the concentration. Methods: From July to October 2017 current MPH students and alumni at Touro University California (Vallejo, CA) were electronically surveyed. Results: The 152 respondents included those who had focused exclusively on public health, and those who concurrently obtained clinical degrees in osteopathic medicine, pharmacy, or physician assistant studies. Approximately 90% of the current and former students surveyed believed HECJ to be an integral part of public health, and one in three respondents described being personally impacted by incarceration. More than half (64%) were interested in the HECJ concentration, and 81% of those respondents were interested in completing their field study internship at a correctional facility. Conclusion: The HECJ concentration will fill an educational gap and may provide a pedagogical model for training a future generation of public health professionals to mitigate the health impacts of the U.S. mass incarceration epidemic.