A new interdisciplinary JD/Master of Public Health in Health Policy and Administration at the University of Illinois Chicago offers aspiring attorneys and public health administrators the tools and competencies to address our nation’s current and emerging law and policy issues in population health.
Over the past two years, the global COVID-19 pandemic has focused attention on pre-existing community health inequities—health outcomes only reinforced by the pandemic. This, in turn, has renewed calls to develop and sustain health equity. UIC Law’s Braun Symposium addressed the issue last month. This month, the Biden Administration committed $785 million in health equity-focused programs and initiatives for communities and populations hit hardest by the pandemic. But lasting change will require innovative policy and legal solutions from a new generation of health professionals.
“The pandemic required public health leaders to partner with lawyers to effectively utilize emergency powers and other legal mechanisms to facilitate a timely, comprehensive pandemic response,” said Professor Amy T. Campbell, Associate Dean for Health Law & Sciences at UIC Law. “Plus, structural barriers to advancing equity require public health collaboration between law and policy. In the spirit of turning challenge to opportunity, we are excited to launch the new JD/MPH—to train a new generation of leaders equipped with the knowledge, skills, values and vision to partner in and with communities to transform structures and systems to advance the public’s health.”
Students in the new joint JD/MPH in Health Policy and Administration program, a collaborative professional degree offered by UIC’s Schools of Law and Public Health, will take classes across the campuses, and save a year of study compared to students who separately pursue the two graduate professional degrees. Through an integrative learning experience, students will also gain practical experience in public health settings through which to apply and integrate the skills and knowledge learned during their graduate study in real-world applications.
The joint JD/MPH is one of the multidisciplinary opportunities offered through UIC Law’s new Health Equity, Law & Policy Program (HELPP). In the coming years, UIC HELPP, led by Dean Campbell, will build foundational partnerships and programs with national, state and local nonprofit organizations and government agencies, as well as UIC’s Colleges of Nursing, Public Health and Medicine. Collaborations like the joint JD/Master of Public Health will provide a nexus for UIC professional students, faculty and community leaders from which to develop and implement practical legal and health care interventions that benefit Chicago and provide a model for other communities.
Learn more about the JD/Master of Public Health online at https://law.uic.edu/academics/joint-degrees/jd-master-of-public-health-mph/.
