Online Program

282840
Understanding education in public health law: Findings from the network for public health law's jd/MPH survey


Tuesday, November 5, 2013 : 5:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Brooke Nunn, MPH, MSW, William Mitchell College of Law, Network for Public Health Law, St. Paul, MN
Acknowledging the value of public health law as a tool to achieve key public health objectives, there are an increasing number of accredited J.D./M.P.H. programs established to train future public health law leaders. While such programs were almost nonexistent at the end of the last century, today there are over 25 JD-MPH programs and growing. As part of its mission to build the field of public health law, the Network for Public Health Law conducted a survey using a purposive sample of professionals with both a J.D. and M.P.H. The survey explored facets of educational and professional experiences and collected data related to demographics, school(s) attended, type of work, salary, satisfaction and more. The survey received 284 responses and 211 were included for analysis. Descriptive statistics and qualitative methods were used for the analysis. The survey revealed that the majority of respondents did not complete their degrees concurrently (69%); many obtained the second degree later because of personal interest. The majority of respondents work in government settings (37.2%) and either practice law (29%) or engage in advocacy/policy work (23.4%). Although the median salary of those who did not complete a concurrent degree was higher, those who did complete a concurrent J.D./M.P.H. were more likely to make > $120,000 (29.6% vs. 26%). The findings from this survey identify trends in the educational and professional experiences of professionals with a J.D./M.P.H. and suggest the need to facilitate more interconnected, hands-on learning opportunities for students and networking and professional development opportunities for professionals.

Learning Areas:

Public health or related education
Public health or related laws, regulations, standards, or guidelines
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Define the educational and professional experiences of professionals with a J.D./M.P.H. Compare and contrast the educational and professional experiences of J.D./M.P.H. professionals who completed a joint-program or pursued the degrees at different times. Discuss opportunities to engage students interested in public health law. Describe opportunities to provide professionals with relevant resources and professional development.

Keyword(s): Health Law, Education

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Brooke Nunn, M.P.H., M.S.W., helps lead the development, implementation and evaluation of public health law initiatives at the Network for Public Health Law. Ms. Nunn also supports health eating and active living research efforts at the Public Health Law Center. Prior to joining the Network, Brooke worked in Namibia on a grassroots project aimed at decreasing mother-to-child transmission of HIV. She has also worked on various women’s health and violence prevention projects.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.