School of Public Health secures national accreditation

The University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences has been awarded full accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health, officials announced Oct. 9, making it one of only 40 accredited schools of public health in the nation and the only school that combines the disciplines of public health and information sciences.

"This is an outstanding achievement," said Larry Cook, M.D., UofL's executive vice president for health affairs.

"Attaining national accreditation in only five years, and just one year after graduating the first class of masters of public health students, is a testament to the dedication of Dean Richard Clover and all of the faculty and staff who have worked to make our vision a reality."

Clover said the field of public health is facing "a critical time" as it adapts to to the challenges of frequent natural disasters, emerging infectious diseases, occupational health challenges, epidemiological surveillance, environmental contamination and an increasing focus on the way health behaviors impact people.

"We are proud to join this elite group of schools that are preparing the experts who will tackle these problems and who are applying state-of-the-art information sciences tools to track and analyze threats to public health," Clover said.

For more information on the school and its degrees, visit louisville.edu/sphis.