2016 unr ceph self-study final document · 2020-03-17 · unr ceph self-study 2016 | criteria 1.0:...

UNR CEPH Self-Study 2016

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University of Nevada, Reno

Self-Study Report

Prepared by the School of Community Health Sciences

for the Council on Education for Public Health

February 2016


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Table of Contents

Criteria 1.0: The Public Health Program ....................................................................................................... 4

1.1 Mission. ......................................................................................................................................... 4

1.2 Evaluation. .................................................................................................................................. 11

1.3 Institutional Environment. .......................................................................................................... 18

1.4 Organization and Administration. ............................................................................................... 25

1.5 Governance. ................................................................................................................................ 30

1.6 Fiscal Resources. ......................................................................................................................... 40

1.7 Faculty and Other Resources. ..................................................................................................... 46

1.8 Diversity. ..................................................................................................................................... 54

2.0 Instructional Programs .......................................................................................................................... 66

2.1 Instructional Programs ................................................................................................................ 66

2.2 Program Length. .......................................................................................................................... 69

2.3 Public Health Core Knowledge. ................................................................................................... 71

2.4 Practical Skills. ............................................................................................................................. 73

2.5 Culminating Experience. ............................................................................................................. 80

2.6 Required Competencies. ............................................................................................................. 84

2.7 Assessment Procedures. ........................................................................................................... 102

2.8 Bachelor’s Degrees in Public Health. ........................................................................................ 113

2.9 Academic Degrees. .................................................................................................................... 121

2.10 Doctoral Degrees. ..................................................................................................................... 121

2.11 Joint Degrees. ............................................................................................................................ 125

2.12 Distance Education or Executive Degree Programs: ................................................................. 128

3.0. Creation, Application and Advancement of Knowledge .................................................................... 129

3.1 Research. ................................................................................................................................... 129

3.2 Service. ...................................................................................................................................... 138

3.3 Workforce Development. ......................................................................................................... 146

4.0 Faculty, Staff and Students ................................................................................................................. 154

4.1 Faculty Qualifications. ............................................................................................................... 154

4.2 Faculty Policies and Procedures. ............................................................................................... 166

4.3 Student Recruitment and Admissions. ..................................................................................... 171

4.4 Advising and career counseling. ............................................................................................... 180


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List of Acronyms AA: Associate of Arts ACA: Affordable Care Act AETC: AIDS Education and Training Center AIDS: Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome ASPH: Associated Schools of Public Health ASPPH: Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health ASUN: Associated Students of the University of Nevada BRFSS: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System BS: Bachelor of Science BSPH: Bachelor of Science in Public Health CAB: Community Advisory Board CCW: Concealed Carry Weapons CDC: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention CEPH: Council on Education for Public Health CHS: Community Health Sciences CMS: Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services CNM: Certified Nurse Midwife CNS: Clinical Nurse Specialist COBRE: Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence CPE: Center for Program Evaluation CPH: Certified in Public Heath CTR-IN: Clinical and Translational Research-Infrastructure Network CV: Curriculum Vitae DAT: Dental Admission Test DC: Dan Cook, Ph.D. DHHS: Department of Health and Human Services DHS: Division of Health Sciences DPT: Doctor of Physical Therapy DrPH: Doctor of Public Health DVM: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine EPSCoR: Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research F&A: Facilities and Administative FAFSA: Free Application for Federal Student Aid FAL: Faculty at Large FERPA: Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act FIT (Colorectal cancer FIT): Fecal Immunochemical Test FIT (Nevada FIT): Freshman Intensive Transition FTE: Full Time Equivalent FY: Fiscal year GA/GAship: Graduate Assistantship GenEd: General Education GPA: Grade Point Average GRI: Gender, Race, and Identity GSA: Gerontological Society of America GSA: Graduate Student Association GSPH: Graduate Society of Public Health HAP: Health Administration and Policy HC: Head Count HIV: Human Immunodeficiency Virus HRSA: Health Resources and Services Administration ID: Identification IELTS: International English Language Testing System IGCC: Interdisciplinary Gerontology Curriculum Committee IHS: Indian Health Service INBRE: IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence IRB: Institutional Review Board KCN: Dr. Kristen Clements-Nolle LCADC: Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor LCPC: Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor LSW: Licensed Social Worker MA: Master of Arts MBA: Master of Business Administration

MD: Doctor of Medicine M.Ed.: Master of Education MH2: Making Health Happen MHA: Master of Health Administration MM: Dr. Melanie Minarik MOU: Memorandum of Understanding MPH: Master in Public Health MS: Master of Science MSN: Master of Science in Nursing MSW: Master of Social Work NAPHERD: Nevada association for physical, health education, recreation, and dance. NARCH: Native American Research Centers for Health NBVME: National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners NCC: National Certified Counselor NCHEMS: National Center for Higher Education Management Systems NCI: National Cancer Institute NDPBH: Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health NIDDK: National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases NIGMS: National Institute of General Medical Sciences NIH: National Institutes of Health NN HOPES: Northern Nevada HOPES NSF: National Science Foundation NSHD: Nevada State Health Division NSHE: Nevada System of Higher Education NSPHL: Nevada State Public Health Laboratory NV: Nevada NWCCU: The Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities OAT: Optometry Admission Test OSPA: Office of Sponsored Projects P&T: Promotion & Tenure PBS: Public Broadcasting Service PD: Dr. Paul Devereux PE: Physical Education Pharm D: Doctor of Pharmacy PhD: Doctor of Philosophy PI: Primary Investigator PMTCT: Prevention of Maternal-Child HIV Transmission POS: Program of Study Psy.D: Doctor of Psychology PTSD: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder REMSA: Regional Emergency Medical Services Authority RN: Registered Nurse SAMHSA: Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration SCHS: School of Community Health Sciences SFR: Student/ Faculty Ratio SLO: Student Learning Objective STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics TBD: To Be Determined TLT: Teaching and Learning Technologies TOELF: Test of English as a Foreign Language UAM: UNR Administrative Manual UNLV: University of Nevada, Las Vegas UNR: University of Nevada, Reno UNSOM: University of Nevada School of Medicine UROP: Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program USMLE: United States Medical Licensing Examination VPHS: Vice President for Health Sciences WCHD: Washoe County Health District WIC: Women, Infants, and Children YRBS: Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System

UNR CEPH Self-Study 2016 | Criteria 1.0: The Public Health Program

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CEPH self-study

Criteria 1.0: The Public Health Program 1.1 Mission. The program shall have a clearly formulated and publicly stated mission with supporting goals,

objectives and values

a. A clear and concise mission statement for the program as a whole.

The mission of the School of Community Health Sciences (SCHS) is to: Develop, disseminate, and apply

knowledge with an ecological approach to protect and promote the health of populations. This mission

is congruent with the missions of the Division of Health Sciences (DHS), and the University of Nevada,

Reno (UNR) where the program is located.

The SCHS is one of four schools in the Division of Health Sciences. The four schools, SHCS, School of

Medicine, School of Nursing, and School of Social Work are tied together by the need to find solutions

for and help people towards improving their health and well-being through education, research, clinical

care and public service. The Division of Health Sciences provides an important linkage between the

schools and supports the mission of the SCHS.

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is a constitutionally established, land-grant university. The

university served the state of Nevada as its only state-supported institution of higher education for over

75 years. In that historical role, it has emerged as a doctoral-granting university which focuses resources

on doing a select number of things well. The mission of the University of Nevada, Reno supports and

engages the SCHS by offering high-quality undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees in the

liberal arts, sciences, and selected professions in agriculture, engineering, health care, education,

journalism, and business. UNR creates new knowledge through basic and applied research, scholarship,

and artistry, in strategically selected fields relevant to Nevada and the world. The University improves

economic and social development by engaging Nevada's citizens, communities, and governments and

seeks to reflect the gender, ethnic, cultural, and ability/disability diversity of the citizens of Nevada in its

academic and support programs, and in the composition of its faculty, administration, staff, and student

body. In particular, the 2015-2021UNR strategic plan addresses the goal of improving the physical and

mental health of Nevadans and this translates into support for the development of a full School of Public

Health by adding more MPH areas of specialization and implementing a PhD in Public Health. The

alignment of missions throughout the university structure provides strong endorsement for the SCHS

programs and for public health in general. 2015-2021 UNR Strategic Plan

b. A statement of values that guides the program. SCHS’s Vision: Foster equitable and healthy communities. We achieve this vision through these values:

http://www.unr.edu/Documents/provost/provosts-office/forms/Strategic%20Plan%20Final%20Jan%202015.pdf


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Advancing knowledge

Embracing diversity

Demonstrating integrity

Inspiring learning

Succeeding through collaboration Description of values: Advancing Knowledge: We are committed to asking and answering important questions to advance public health through influential research. Embracing Diversity: We value the backgrounds and experiences of our students, faculty, and staff as partners with diverse communities to reduce disparities and promote equal opportunities to achieve optimal health. Demonstrating Integrity: We strive to be consistent in all endeavors, in demonstrating honesty, fairness, and respect to promote mutual trust and understanding. Inspiring Learning: We cultivate a dynamic learning environment that includes meaningful conversations and experiential learning to engage and inspire professionals who are committed to advancing community health. Succeeding through collaboration: We appreciate the importance of partnerships for achieving public health outcomes and endeavor to strengthen existing partnerships and develop new ones.

c. One or more goal statements for each major function through which the program intends to attain its mission, including at a minimum, instruction, research and service.

The goals of the SCHS programs are:

To prepare future public health practitioners, researchers, educators and leaders

To develop the knowledge base for public health through research

To be recognized for leadership in innovative approaches to public health

To engage with multiple communities through professional and scholarly service

To expose students to diversity in multiple venues

d. A set of measurable objectives with quantifiable indicators related to each goal statement as provided in Criterion 1.1.c. In some cases, qualitative indicators may be used as appropriate.

Table 1.1.d. SCHS Goals and Objectives

Outcome measures Data Source Responsible person

Goal 1: “To prepare future public health practitioners, researchers, educators and leaders.”

Objective 1: Recruitment/Admissions

1a. By 2018, 80% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have an overall undergraduate GPA that exceeds 3.2.

MPH application file

CPE Director

1b. By 2018, 40% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have verbal and quantitative GRE scores that exceed the 50th percentile.


CPE Director


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1c. By 2015, historically underrepresented racial/ethnic populations will comprise 10% of the students accepted to the MPH program. By 2018, 20% of MPH applicant pool will include students representative of target diversity groups.


CPE Director

Objective 2: Education/Training

2a. Bu 2018, 90% of MPH students will receive grades of B- or higher in the MPH core and required courses ( first time they take the course)

My Nevada CPE Director

2b. By 2018, 60% of undergraduate CHS majors will have a GPA of 3.0 at graduation.

Institutional Analysis

CPE Director

2c.By 2015, 95% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper. By 2018, 90% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper in the same semester during which they were enrolled in the Capstone course.

Capstone course

CPE Director

2d. By 2018, 30% of MPH students participate with faculty in research activities. Digital Measures

CPE Director

2e. By 2015, 75% of MPH students will be involved in leadership roles and/or providing service to the community or university. By 2018, 60% of MPH students will be involved in providing service to the community or university, in addition to coursework, the internship or paid work.

Student Survey

CPE Director

2f. By 2018, 90% of MPH students completing internships will be rated by their preceptors at “good” or above.

Preceptor evaluation

CPE Director

2g. By 2018, 75% of undergraduate students completing their internship will be rated at “good” or above.

Preceptor evaluation

CPE Director

2h. By 2018, 80% of MPH students will rate the quality of their internship as being “good” or above

Student internship evaluation

CPE Director

Objective 3: Graduation/Post-Graduation

3a. By 2018, 90% of full-time MPH students will complete their degree within 3 years of matriculation.

Graduate School Database

CPE Director

3b. By 2018, the 3-year graduation rate of juniors will be 75%. Institutional Analysis

CPE Director

3c. By 2018, 75% of recent MPH graduates will become employed in public health or settings closely related to their degree within 6 months of graduation.

Alumni Survey

CPE Director

3d. By 2018, 5% of MPH graduates within the past year will be admitted to a program for further academic training (PhD, MD, etc.).

Alumni Survey

CPE Director

3e. By 2018, 10% of MPH graduates will have local, regional or national leadership positions in public health.

Alumni Survey

CPE Director

3f. By 2015, 60% of employed UNR MPH graduates are located in Nevada and the Intermountain West. By 2018, 50% of employed UNR MPH graduates are located in Nevada.

Alumni Survey

CPE Director

3g. By 2018, 20% of graduating students will take the CPH exam within one year of graduation.

CPH report CPE Director

3h. By 2018, 80% of graduating students who take the CPH exam will pass it. CPH report CPE Director

3i. By 2018, 40% of CHS BS graduates will be tracked for post-graduation activities.

Outcomes Survey

CPE Director

Goal 2: “To develop the knowledge base for public health through research.”

Objectives:


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1. By 2018, 60% of faculty will publish one article in a peer-reviewed journal per year.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

2. By 2018, 70% of faculty will present research results at one scientific conference per year.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

3. By 2018, 70% of faculty will submit one proposal for grant funding per year. Digital Measures

CPE Director

4a. By 2015, Total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% Over three years (by 2018), the total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.

Financial spreadsheet

CPE Director

4b. By 2015, Number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% Over three years (by 2018), the number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

Goal 3: “To be recognized for leadership in public health.”

Objective:

1. By 2018, 25% of faculty will hold positions on review panels, study sections, editor positions, and other influential bodies.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

2. By 2018, 30% of faculty will share health-related information with community or media by 2015.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

Goal 4: “To engage with multiple communities through professional and scholarly service.”

Objectives:

1. By 2018, 40% of faculty will co-author reports and publications with colleagues at other units on campus.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

2. By 2018, 30% of faculty will co-author reports, publications, and presentations with community members.

Digital Measures and staff Survey

CPE Director

3. By 2018, 15% of faculty will provide workshops, trainings and continuing education opportunities to public health professionals.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

4. By 2018, 15% of faculty will provide technical assistance to the community, including but not limited to, program evaluations, consulting, data analysis, grant partnerships.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

5. By 2018, 50% of UNR faculty are members of community boards or committees.

Digital Measures

6. By 2018, 10% of UNR SCHS committees will include a community member. (includes SCHS standing committees, CAB, ad hoc committees, MPH committees)

Program Director

CPE Director

7. By 2018, 40% of faculty will serve as reviewers of journal articles and grant applications.

Digital Measures

CPE Director

8. Annually, the SCHS Community Advisory Board will represent at least 6 different professional fields or community groups.

CAB Minutes

CPE Director

Goal 5: “To expose students to diversity in multiple venues.”

Objectives:

1. Faculty and staff are representative of women, underrepresented minority, and other diverse groups in the relevant labor markets by 2015.

Relevant Labor Markets Women Faculty:54% Staff: 46% Minority Faculty:16% Staff: 21%

Admissions Forms Faculty and Staff Survey

CPE Director/SCHS Director


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By 2018, faculty and student populations will meet diversity goals as follows: Faculty: 20% Latino, 5% African American, and 3% Native American/Alaska Native *Grad students: 20% Latino, 5% African American, 3 % Native American/Alaska Native, 30% first generation college Undergraduate students: 20% Latino, 10% African American, 5% Native American/Alaska native, 30% first generation college

2. There will be 1 new effort to recruit students to meet 2018 diversity goals*(either locally or outside of local market) for the MPH program per year.

Diversity report

SHCS Director

3. By 2015, Applicants for faculty positions will meet UNR’s applicant pool diversity requirements and there will be at least 1 new effort to either recruit or hire diverse faculty and staff for any new searches that year. By 2018, SCHS will meet all diversity requirements for all searches at the first report.

Search Committee Report

CPE Director

4. By 2018, 55% of MPH applicants will report experience working with underrepresented populations.

MPH admission forms

CPE Director

5. By 2018, 85% of faculty address issues affecting underrepresented populations in their work. (teaching, research and service)

Digital Measures

CPE Director

Note: Italicized objectives are new and were created in 2015 with targets set for 2018.

e. Description of the manner through which the mission, values, goals and objectives were developed, including a description of how various specific stakeholder groups were involved in their development.

The mission and goals were originally developed for the MPH program when it was formed in 2000. The

process used faculty committees with student input and the language was voted on by the entire

faculty. During the initial accreditation self-study, the mission and goals were revised by faculty and

student committees and input from the newly formed Community Advisory Committee was solicited.

Outside constituents (adjunct faculty and public health professionals) were also asked for input.

The mission and goals are reviewed every two years since the formation of the MPH program in 2000

and are revised as needed. The faculty hold school-wide retreats twice a year at the beginning of each

semester. Strategic planning, which includes reviewing goals and mission, occurs annually. The mission,

vision and values were reviewed and approved in Spring of 2012 at a faculty retreat including the

Community Advisory Board (CAB). At that meeting a school tagline was also discussed. From three

phrases suggested by the faculty, a school wide vote was taken with hundreds of student participating.

“Making Health Happen” was the clear winner and has become a vibrant tagline for the SCHS.

Measureable objectives tied to the mission and values for the MPH program were first developed in

SCHS faculty subcommittees and were initially adopted in the fall of 2009. Input was sought from

students and external constituents before final approval. Data sources were identified at that time and

new evaluation materials created to ensure objective measurements would be available in future years


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for review and revision. Measurable objectives have been updated twice since accreditation in 2011 to

represent more realistic goals. The updates have been proposed by a faculty subcommittee and were

discussed and voted on by the faculty during retreats and meetings. As new faculty have joined the

department, new ideas and perspectives have invigorated the process of defining success and

measuring outcomes. The last revision of the objectives was started by a subcommittee in fall of 2014

and completed in summer 2015 after significant faculty discussion and vote. New objectives for the

undergraduate program were added at that time. The Community Advisory Board reviewed the mission,

goals, values and objectives at their summer meeting in June 2015 and suggested changes that were

incorporated and voted on at the August 2015 faculty retreat.

f. Description of how the mission, values, goals and objectives are made available to the program’s constituent groups, including the general public, and how they are routinely reviewed and revised to ensure relevance.

The mission, goals and values have been prominently displayed in the halls of the School of Community

Health Sciences. This year when the mission and values were updated, the students assisted in

producing a more engaging and exciting display. They are made available on the School’s website and

partially included in program materials. The student handbook includes the information and is available

on the website. The objectives and measurements have not been displayed but plans include identifying

selected objectives to be displayed in a dashboard and in future annual reports. About CHS

Three years ago as the university began to emerge from the recession, the school was asked to create a

strategic plan. A plan to grow to a School of Public Health was drafted by the director and was

subsequently revised and approved by the faculty in 2013. The plan has been endorsed by the Vice

President of the Division and the University president. The plan includes a significant increase in faculty

over a 7 year period and the creation of additional MPH areas of specialization and PhD programs. It

includes an emphasis on increasing research activity and creation of supporting infrastructure. The plan

is being funded as requested and this prompted a reexamination of the mission, goals and values

initiated fall 2014 and completed in summer 2015. The work was done by a faculty and student

subcommittee and reviewed by the CAB. This was particularly important in light of the growth of the

School, the evolution to a school of public health, and increasing engagement with the community. This

resulted in revision of the mission statement and a new values statement to reflect more energy and

engagement. The changes were voted on by the faculty at large and adopted in August 2015.

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs/about


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g. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion is met. Strengths:

This program has relied on a mission statement, goals and objectives since inception and has made regular efforts to keep these up-to-date and relevant.

The goals of increasing faculty and encouraging faculty to engage in education, research and community service are realistic and supported by the President, Provost, Vice President Division of Health Sciences and leadership at UNR.

Weaknesses:

The faculty are still in search of better outcome measures for educational attainments for both the undergraduate and graduate programs.

Plans:

Continue to review goals and objectives yearly and identify existing data that will provide objective measurements.

Consider instituting an annual review of progress towards goals (dashboard) to be posted on our website and shared with our Community Advisory Board and community partners.

Creating an annual report with quarterly updates distributed via email and on the website has been proposed by the CAB and is in process with a completion date of March 2016.


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1.2 Evaluation. The program shall have an explicit process for monitoring and evaluating its overall efforts against its

mission, goals and objectives; for assessing the program’s effectiveness in serving its various

constituencies; and for using evaluation results in ongoing planning and decision making to achieve its

mission. As part of the evaluation process, the program must conduct an analytical self-study that

analyzes performance against the accreditation criteria defined in this document.

a. Description of the evaluation processes used to monitor progress against objectives defined in Criterion 1.1.d, including identification of the data systems and responsible parties associated with each objective and with the evaluation process as a whole. If these are common across all objectives, they need be described only once. If systems and responsible parties vary by objective or topic area, sufficient information must be provided to identify the systems and responsible party for each.

The Director of the Center for Program Evaluation (CPE, a center within the SCHS) was hired part time to

collect and analyze data and provide quarterly and annual reports. She reviews and uploads data from

the on-line Digital Measures reporting system that faculty complete each year capturing

accomplishments in service, teaching, and research, to measure the objectives related to faculty

accomplishments. She also reviews and analyzes the MPH student evaluation surveys of courses and

faculty. Data for student efforts are available from recruitment and admission records, instructor

records in My Nevada, alumni surveys collected by the CPE, and internship and preceptor evaluations.

The CPE director has access to all data sources to ensure objective reporting. She shares the evaluation

material with the graduate committee for discussion and action. Each objective defined in Criterion 1.1d

is noted in Table 1.1d and is followed by the data source and responsible person.

Undergraduate assessment efforts are centralized and unit specific. The UNR undergraduate core

curriculum has undergone substantial change over the last 3 years as has the assessment process. UNR

now collects undergraduate student evaluation of faculty in a centralized database and shares with the

SCHS. Previously each CHS course was evaluated using paper assessments. The assessments were

comprehensive and analyzed student opinion regarding their own growth and learning. This system was

not efficient since it required staff to translate written comments into reports for faculty. The SCHS tried

an online evaluation with the same form but student participation was poor. With UNR centralization,

there is not as much information available and with the SCHS BS undergraduate program significantly

changed, the undergraduate committee is responsible for evaluating assessment activities and

suggesting changes to the objectives for undergraduate students. Data are available from UNR

Institutional Analysis for graduation rates, GPA and diversity. Current data sources that may be tapped

in the future include faculty evaluation data from students (the UNR measurement system) and results

of the new competency survey for undergraduates that was designed and piloted in 2014-2015 by SCHS

faculty. An objective related to faculty performance has been discussed but has not yet been added. In

addition, a new UNR alumni survey, Outcomes Survey, is being piloted by Career Studio to track student

outcomes. Preliminary data showed a 34% response rate last year 9 (all UNR) but some schools had high

response rates if faculty encouraged participation. It is unclear if this will give the SCHS sufficient data

for our undergraduate outcomes (track 25% of our undergraduates by 2018) however it is proving to be

far more successful than previous attempts . (May 2015 Grad outcomes in e-resource: Survey)


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An annual diversity report is due to UNR administration each November and data for this is collected by

the SCHS director from Division of Health Sciences advisor reports on student demographics, from MPH

student enrollment forms, from search reports and from internship placement information.

b. Description of how the results of the evaluation processes described in Criterion 1.2.a are monitored, analyzed, communicated and regularly used by managers responsible for enhancing the quality of programs and activities.

Annual evaluation updates are prepared to show progress in meeting stated objectives. The data are

reviewed and discussed by the faculty starting in the graduate and undergraduate committees,

composed of faculty and students, and then going forward to the general faculty.

For objectives not meeting or making progress towards defined levels, discussions and

recommendations are made for a vote. Actions are identified and responsible parties are assigned. The

graduate/undergraduate director is ultimately responsible, along with the SCHS Director for

implementing needed changes. An example of changes resulting from evaluation is the response to not

meeting defined levels for diversity in 2012. A graduate student from an ethnic minority was engaged as

a graduate assistant to help with the development of recruiting materials and to participate in recruiting

events. This proved to be so successful that every year a graduate assistant position is dedicated to

improving diversity recruitment and works closely with the graduate director and the Coordinator for

Field Studies and Community Engagement.

Student evaluation information from student surveys of courses and faculty are addressed by the

graduate and undergraduate committees. For graduate courses, after the CPE director reviews and

analyzes information, each faculty member and the graduate director receive a copy of their evaluation.

Information from this survey is used to refine courses, change course progressions, and alter electives.

Internship and preceptor evaluations led to a change in 2014 in the required classes that must be passed

before an MPH student can take their internship. For undergraduate courses, student evaluation

information is accessible to each faculty member, the undergraduate director and the SCHS Director.

Changing content, delivery methods, and updating syllabi have all resulted from committee

deliberations. All curricular changes are recommended to the faculty for vote at general meetings. Last

year, the University committed to participate in a new initiative, the Student Success Collaborative

tracking undergraduate student outcomes via online portals throughout their college experience. The

intent of this initiative is to continuously evaluate student outcomes and provide information to colleges

and faculty for use in advising and assessment activities. The go-live date for this initiative is April 2016.

The undergraduate curriculum committee chair and SCHS director will be participating in the planning

and implementation of this system. When the data elements in this program are better known, the

undergraduate committee will review and potentially revise the objectives to use these data for ongoing

improvement activities. There is no parallel system for graduate students at this time.


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c. Data regarding the program’s performance on each measurable objective described in Criterion 1.1.d must be provided for each of the last three years. To the extent that these data duplicate those required under other criteria (eg, 1.6, 2.7, 3.1, 3.2, 3.3, 4.1, 4.3, or 4.4), the program should parenthetically identify the criteria where the data also appear. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

Table 1.2.c. SCHS Goals and Objectives—Performance Data 2013-2015

Outcome measures Target 2012-

2013 2013-2014

2014-2015


Objective 1: Recruitment/Admissions

1a. By 2018, 80% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have an overall undergraduate GPA that exceeds 3.2.

80% 67% 83% 53%

1b. By 2018, 40% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have verbal and quantitative GRE scores that exceed the 50th percentile.

40% 44% 48% 33%

1c. By 2015, historically underrepresented racial/ethnic populations will comprise 10% of the students accepted to the MPH program.

By 2015 10%

46%

18%

36%

By 2018, 20% of MPH applicant pool will include students representative of target diversity groups (Latino, African American, Native American/Alaska Native, first generation college).

(New) By 2018

20%

N/A

N/A

36%


2a. By 2018, 90% of MPH students will receive grades of B- or higher in the MPH core and required courses ( first time they take the course)

90% 93% 93% 94%

2b. By 2018, 60% of undergraduate CHS majors will have a GPA of 3.0 at graduation.

(New) By 2018

60%

71% 61% 60%

2c. By 2015, 95% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper. By 2018, 90% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper in the same semester during which they were enrolled in the Capstone course. (2014-15 baseline)

By 2015 95%

By 2018

90%

100% 96% 100%

2d. By 2018, 30% of MPH students participate with faculty in research activities.

30% 58% 64% 49%

2e.By 2015, 75% of MPH students will be involved in leadership roles and/or providing service to the community or university. By 2018, 60% of MPH students will be involved in providing service to the community or university, in addition to coursework, the internship or paid work.

By 2015 75%

By 2018

60%

68% 64% 45%

2f. By 2018, 90% of MPH students completing internships will be rated by their preceptors at “good” or above. (2014-15 baseline)

(New) By 2018

90%

-- -- 100%

2g. By 2018, 75% of undergraduate students completing their internship will be rated at “good” or above. (2014-15 baseline)

(New) By 2018

75%

-- -- 95%

2h. By 2018, 80% of MPH students will rate the quality of their internship as being “good” or above (2014-15 baseline)

(New) -- -- 100%


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2013 2013-2014

2014-2015

By 2018 80%


3a. By 2018, 90% of full-time MPH students will complete their degree within 3 years of matriculation.

90% 100% 100% 93%

3b. By 2018, the 3 year graduation rate of juniors will be 75% (2014-15 baseline)

(New) By 2018

55%

Not yet availabl

e

3c. By 2018, 75% of recent MPH graduates will become employed in public health or settings closely related to their degree within 6 months of graduation.

75% 92% 93% 93%

3d. By 2018, 5% of MPH graduates within the past year will be admitted to a program for further academic training (PhD, MD, etc.).

5% 0% 13% 12%

3e. By 2018, 10% of MPH graduates will have local, regional or national leadership positions in public health.

10% 23% 20% 12%

3f. By 2018, 50% of employed UNR MPH graduates are located in Nevada.

By 2018

50%

64% 82% 88%


(New) 20%

-- 29% 9%

3h. By 2018, 80% of graduating students who take the CPH exam will pass it.

(New) 80%

-- 100% 50%


(New) 25%

-- -- 5%


Objectives:

1.By 2018, 60% of faculty will publish one article in a peer-reviewed journal per year.

60% 69% 58% 71%

2. By 2018, 70% of faculty will present research results at one scientific conference per year.

70% 70% 92% 71%

3. By 2018, 70% of faculty will submit one proposal for grant funding per year.

70% 71% 64% 89%

4a. By 2015, Total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% (2010-2011 baseline=$16,334/faculty FTE) Over three years (by 2018), the total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.

5% increase from baselin

e

$10,191/FTE 38%

decrease from

baseline

$19,121/FTE 17%

increase from

baseline

$32,287/FTE 98%

increase from

baseline

4b. By 2015, the number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% (baseline 1.2/FTE) Over three years (by 2018), the number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.


e

1.4/FTE 1.2/FTE 1.2/FTE


Objective:


15



2013 2013-2014

2014-2015

1. By 2018, 25% of faculty will hold positions on review panels, study sections, editor positions, and other influential bodies.

25% 46% 46% 40%

2. By 2018, 30% of faculty will share health-related information with community or media.

30% 33% 41% 53%


Objectives:

1. By 2018, 40% of faculty will co-author reports and publications with colleagues at other units on campus.

40% 50% 53% 44%

2. By 2018, 30% of faculty will co-author reports, publications, and presentations with community members.

30% 38% 40% 50%


15% 33% 41% 47%


15% 56% 47% 58%


50% 56% 59% 63%

6. By 2018, 10% of UNR SCHS committees will include a community member. (includes SCHS standing committees, CAB, ad hoc committees, MPH committees)

10% 62% 74% 55%

7. By 2018, 40% of faculty will serve as reviewers of journal articles and grant applications.

40% 73% 86% 93%

9. Annually, the SCHS Community Advisory Board will represent at least 6 different professional fields or community groups.

(New) 6

-- -- 8


Objectives:

1. (2015) Faculty and staff are representative of women, underrepresented minority, and other diverse groups in the relevant labor markets by 2015. Women: Faculty 54% Staff: 46% Minority: Faculty 16% Staff 21%

By 2015

Women Faculty:

61% Staff: 100%

Minority Faculty:

22% Staff: 0%

Women Faculty:

59% Staff: 100%

Minority Faculty:

20% Staff: 0%

Women Faculty:

60% Staff: 100%

Minority Faculty:

25% Staff:

0% (2018) faculty and student populations will meet diversity goals as

follows:

Faculty: 20% Latino , 5% African American, and 3% Native American/Alaska Native *Grad students: 20% Latino, 5% African American, 3 % Native American/Alaska Native, 30% first generation college

Undergraduate students: 20% Latino, 10% African American, 5%

Native American/Alaska native, 30% first generation college

(New) By 2018

-- -- See

Template 1.8.1

2. By 2018, there will be 1 new effort per year to recruit students to

meet diversity goals (either locally or outside of local market) for

the MPH program.

1 new effort

Met Met Met


16



2013 2013-2014

2014-2015

3. By 2018, SCHS will meet all diversity requirements for all searches at the first report.

100% 100% 100%

4. By 2018, 55% of MPH applicants will report experience working with underrepresented populations.

55% 63% 71% 64%

5. By 2018, 85% of faculty address issues affecting underrepresented populations in their work. (teaching, research, service)

85% 81% 87% 89%

Note: Italicized objectives are new and were created in 2015 with targets set for 2018.

d. Description of the manner in which the self-study document was developed, including effective opportunities for input by important program constituents, including institutional officers, administrative staff, faculty, students, alumni and representatives of the public health community.

The Director and the undergraduate program chair attended the CEPH meeting in August 2014. The

SCHS director set out tasks and timelines at the fall 2014 retreat appointing lead faculty to organize the

assessment of curricula and competencies for the MPH emphases in Epidemiology (KCN), Social

Behavioral Health (PD), new emphasis in Health Administration and Policy (MM), and for the

undergraduate program BS in Public Health and Kinesiology (DC). Faculty doing evaluation were tapped

to identify needed changes and ensure that discussion was scheduled and votes taken. The Coordinator

for the Field Studies and Community Engagement provided data on the internship experience,

recruiting, and community participation. The CPE director prepared templates and narrative on

evaluation sections. The UNR Institutional Analysis office provided important data. An ad hoc committee

composed of Drs. Daniel Cook, Roman Pabayo, Julie Lucero, and Gerold Dermid wrote narrative and

edited content to create the section on diversity. Graduate students completed the E-resources

document, reviewed catalogs, websites and handbooks for data matching, reviewed the self-study and

provided comments. The UNR budget office provided comment on the financial sections. Self-study

components were discussed and votes were taken on some of the changes at the fall retreat in August

2015; further modifications were discussed and voted on at the September 2015 faculty meeting. The

final draft was reviewed, discussed and edited by faculty.

The preliminary self-study document was posted on the SCHS shared drive website in August 2015. The

SCHS Community Advisory Board reviewed selected parts of this version at their September 2015

meeting. A few adjunct faculty of the SCHS were given access to the document in early September 2015

for review. Patty Charles, DrPH completed final review and editing and will be available to serve in this

role during the fall 2015 semester as it is anticipated that final refinement will be accomplished in

response to the comments of the preliminary self-study by reviewers (fall 2015) and further input will be

requested. Letters requesting input were mailed out in mid-December with an option to send comments

to the program as well as directly to CEPH. The requests went out to all adjunct faculty, the Community

Advisory Board, many alumni, and some community partners. In addition, posters were placed in

classrooms and on boards requesting input from undergraduate and graduate students. (See e-resource:

Third party comment)


17

e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met, and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion is met. Most goals have been met as well, however, progress towards goal for number of

new grants per FTE and amount of grant funding per FTE faculty has been variable. With the increase in

the number of faculty the grants per FTE may continue to move down and the funding per FTE may level

and necessitate new goals. The CPH exam is relatively new and a lack of requirement of CPH certification

for many jobs impacts the MPH graduates completion of the exam. Knowledge of the CPH is now part of

the curriculum so further tracking may show an increase to meet goals.

Strengths:

The program has an explicit evaluation plan with objective data sources, responsible personnel

and regular reporting.

The evaluation activities continue to improve with creation of better surveys and participation in

annual updates to CEPH.

Weaknesses:

Data sources, particularly Digital Measures, can be difficult to use and data is not always

classified the same by faculty when they fill out the form. This requires more effort by the

evaluation team.

Financial data that is prepared by centralized sources is not detailed enough to accurately

describe revenue and expenses and it is not done in a timely fashion.

New data sources (Student Success Collaborative, Outcome Survey) are not sufficiently

implemented to provide data for our CHS undergraduate students.

Plans:

A detailed information sheet was created to help faculty fill out Digital Measures but has not

been updated or shared with all new faculty. An updated information sheet was shared during

December 2015 and plans are to update it every year.

A new, detailed set of spreadsheets will be created to update financial data for the school.

The faculty plan to create incentives for students to fill out the Outcome survey to improve data

on our alumni.

The undergraduate committee will explore the best way to use the Student Success

Collaborative platform to assist students in being successful in the CHS majors.


18

1.3 Institutional Environment. The program shall be an integral part of an accredited institution of higher education.

a. A brief description of the institution in which the program is located, and the names of accrediting bodies (other than CEPH) to which the institution responds.

The School of Community Health Sciences (SCHS) is a unit of the Division of Health Sciences of the

University of Nevada, Reno.

The University of Nevada, Reno (UNR) is a constitutionally established (1874), land-grant university

classified by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Education as a Comprehensive Doctoral

institution with medical and/or veterinary medicine. Within the university, nine colleges offer a range of

undergraduate and graduate majors. Graduate-level training and research, including doctoral-level

programs enhance the university's mission to create scholarly activity.

Nevada is listed as one of the top 120 universities in America for funded research, according to the

Carnegie Foundation. With more than $175 million in research expenditures (FY 2014), the University is

the leading research enterprise in Nevada's higher-education system.

The Division of Health Sciences (DHS) includes the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Social Work and

Community Health Sciences, and several freestanding centers. Its chief administrative officer is the Vice

President for Health Sciences (VPHS). The VPHS is currently also the Dean of the School of Medicine, Dr.

Thomas Schwenk. Trudy Larson, MD, was hired as Director of the School of Community Health Sciences

in 2011. The Director reports to the Vice President for Health Sciences and the level of authority and

reporting lines are equivalent to those of the Directors of the Schools of Nursing and Social Work. Dr.

Larson has standing monthly meetings with the vice president and communicates directly with him

whenever needed.

UNR is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities and is recognized by the

Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. The university has

maintained accreditation status since 1938. On February 12, 2014, the NWCCU reaffirmed the

accreditation based on the continuous process of review instituted in 2011. There are also numerous

university programs accredited by national professional accrediting organizations. These specialized

accrediting organizations, recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, are in the E-

resource files.

b. One or more organizational charts of the university indicating the program’s relationship to the other components of the institution, including reporting lines and clearly depicting how the program reports to or is supervised by other components of the institution.

The president is the university’s chief executive, with ultimate decision-making responsibility for all

aspects of the institution. The Executive Vice President and Provost reports directly to the president and

is the university’s chief academic officer. Other aspects of university operations, such as administration

and finance, information technology, development, student services and sponsored research are the

responsibility of distinct vice presidents. Academic programs of the university are divided into colleges


19

defined along subject-matter lines. Each college is headed by a dean who reports to the Provost.

Departments are grouped within colleges and department chairs report to their respective deans. In

general, departments are the fundamental academic units of UNR.

The University’s Division of Health Sciences departs from this general structure. The division, which

includes the Schools of Medicine, Nursing, Community Health Sciences and Social Work, is headed by

the Vice President for Health Sciences who has a direct reporting line to the president, as well as to the

provost. Because of this reporting line, the division is viewed as a higher administrative unit than the

colleges. The Dean of the School of Medicine and the Directors of the Schools of Nursing, Community

Health Sciences and Social Work all report to the VPHS. Schools that have directors, rather than a dean,

are regarded as intermediate units with attributes of both colleges and departments.

The vice presidents and deans interact regularly with the president and provost. Chairs of academic

departments relate primarily to the deans of their colleges, while in the Division of Health Sciences,

directors of schools interact in a similar way with the VPHS. In most situations, the deans and the VPHS

represent the departments and schools to higher administrators. However, school directors may

communicate with the provost and meet with him when the need arises.


20

University Organizational Chart

http://www.unr.edu/Documents/president/office/Univ-OrgChart_091714.pdf


21


22

c. Description of the program’s involvement and role in the following: – Budgeting and resource allocation, including budget negotiations, indirect cost recoveries,

distribution of tuition and fees and support for fund-raising

The university administration sets the non-grant portion of academic unit (colleges, schools, division)

budgets in consultation with the deans and vice presidents. Directors work with the vice president and

chief financial officer of the DHS to set budgets. Under the university’s funding formula unit budgets are

proportional to the number of instructional faculty. Units also receive 7.75% of indirect costs receipts for

grants involving unit faculty. Tuition and fees are not returned directly to the units that generate them,

but are part of the pool of funds available to the administration to meet the university’s operating

expenses and growth. Fund-raising support is typically provided at the college or division level by

specialized development staff. Self-supporting budgets from a variety of sources (contracts and grants)

add revenue to the unit for support of faculty, staff, graduate assistants, operations, equipment, and

supplies and are controlled by the School.

– Personnel recruitment, selection and advancement, including faculty and staff

Faculty recruitment, selection and advancement are handled internally by the school and the division.

Searches for tenure-track faculty are initiated by the school through a request process from the provost.

Proposals are reviewed and authorized by the vice president and then sent to the provost for approval.

The areas in which new faculty are recruited are determined by the schools in consultation with the vice

president. When a search is successful and a candidate is identified, the selection is made by the school

and requires approval from the vice president and the provost. There is considerable flexibility in hiring

grant-funded, non-tenure track faculty, but approval of the vice president is still required.

Faculty promotion and tenure applications are also initiated by the school following a standard

schedule. Applications are reviewed within the school by a faculty committee, reviewed by the vice

president and by a faculty committee at the university level. Recommendations for promotion and

tenure must be approved by the vice president and the provost. Awards of tenure require final approval

by the Board of Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Classified staff positions are governed by the policies and procedures of the Nevada State Personnel

System. An RFP process to the vice president and provost is used to request new staff positions. Staff

recruitment is done by the school in conjunction with Human Resources. Staff are evaluated within the

units according to state personnel policies. The vice president must review and approve staff evaluations

but is usually not involved directly.

– Academic standards and policies, including establishment and oversight of curricula

Academic standards and policies are established by the Board of Regents and operationalized through

the UNR Provost’s office. Curricula are developed and managed within academic units like the SCHS.

Proposals for new curricula and changes to existing ones are reviewed by division and university

committees on courses and curricula. Graduate curricula are also reviewed by the University’s Graduate

Council. These reviews tend to be concerned primarily with the potential for duplication of courses and

programs within the university and working within common course numbering within the entire higher

education system. Proposals for new majors and new degrees also require approval by the Board of


23

Regents. Unless significant changes are proposed, oversight of curricula is within the purview of the

academic unit.

Minimum academic standards for graduate degrees are set by the UNR Graduate School. Academic units

may set additional requirements if they do not conflict with graduate school policies. For example, a unit

may establish the number of credits required for a degree, as long as that number is no less than the

minimum established by the graduate school.

d. If a collaborative program, descriptions of all participating institutions and delineation of their relationships to the program. Not Applicable

e. If a collaborative program, a copy of the formal written agreement that establishes the rights and

obligations of the participating universities in regard to the program’s operation. Not Applicable.


24

f. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion is met.

Strengths:

The SCHS is part of an accredited university with well-defined processes and reporting structure.

The university administrative structure supports the activities of the SCHS and allows for autonomy in many functions.

Weaknesses:

The classified staff system is governed by the state rather than the university. This is not always a good fit for academic activities as rules reduce flexibility in job assignments and supervisory processes such as discipline are cumbersome

There are significant procedural requirements for approvals from the DHS and the UNR administration that are currently done by paper

Plans:

The university is moving towards a paperless administration that will improve efficiencies and communication. Although the implementation will be difficult, the outcome will enhance the function of the SCHS within the university.


25

1.4 Organization and Administration. The program shall provide an organizational setting conducive to public health learning, research and

service. The organizational setting shall facilitate interdisciplinary communication, cooperation and

collaboration that contribute to achieving the program’s public health mission. The organizational

structure shall effectively support the work of the program’s constituents.

a. One or more organizational charts delineating the administrative organization of the program,

indicating relationships among its internal components. Over the last two years, the School of Community Health Sciences has grown in the number of faculty,

from 16 to 24, and the number of units, from 1 to 3 supporting the goals of learning, research and

service. In particular, the SCHS now includes the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL) that

serves the entire state in support of public health and the Center for Survey Research housed with the

Nevada Center for Health Statistics and Surveys. These are newly incorporated into the school and they

both have capacity to add to the educational, research and service functions through collaborations with

faculty and students. The NSPHL houses the Newborn Screening program in addition to all the

laboratory support for preparedness, communicable disease surveillance, and food safety. The newly

updated laboratory director position (search in process) will hold a faculty appointment in SCHS. The

missions of the lab and the SCHS are complimentary and synergistic. The Center for Survey Research

already collaborates with faculty in the SCHS (BRFSS for example) and the merger creates efficiencies to

collaborations and enhances research opportunities for both.

One important faculty addition, starting in January 2016, is an Associate Director. The Associate Director

will be responsible for overseeing the academic activities of the school and will serve as the graduate

and undergraduate curriculum director. Duties also include working closely with staff on scheduling and

recruiting adjunct faculty and mentoring new faculty. This position will be key in providing the

infrastructure to support all the missions of the SCHS as the school continues to grow.


26


27

b. Description of the manner in which interdisciplinary coordination, cooperation and collaboration occur and support public health learning, research and service.

Public health learning within the SCHS is coordinated and monitored by the Associate Director acting as

graduate and undergraduate director and the curriculum committees. The committees include members

of all the public health disciplines to promote internal coordination with content, scheduling and

evaluation. Both graduate and undergraduate courses require support from a cadre of well-educated

adjunct faculty, many of whom are employed in public health. The SCHS Director and the Associate

Director work with a dedicated classified staff member to coordinate the adjunct faculty selection, hiring

and support. Adjunct faculty are supported by full-time faculty to coordinate learning objectives, deliver

consistent content, and utilize campus resources. Classes from other colleges such as College of Business

are integrated into the curriculum for the Health Administration and Policy MPH and the relevant faculty

coordinate schedules to ensure access for students. This is also true for electives for the MPH emphases

that are taught in other departments like Psychology or the Social Justice program. In undergraduate

classes, faculty from other disciplines routinely present guest lectures (Nutrition in CHS 102 for

example).

Over the last two years, public health learning has been integrated into the University of Nevada School

of Medicine (UNSOM) curriculum. Two faculty members from SCHS sit on the UNSOM Year 1-2

curriculum committee and work with UNSOM faculty to integrate public health curriculum throughout

the first two years. This important collaboration is supported by the Dean of UNSOM and spearheaded

through the Office of Medical Education. Much has been learned by this interdisciplinary coordination

and it has now expanded to include the Schools of Nursing and Social Work along with the School of

Medicine in the delivery of services at the Student run outreach clinic. In addition, a new program with

family medicine residents just started where residents will complete their residency in four years with a

MPH. This program is jointly administered by the graduate director of SCHS and the family medicine

residency director.

The Cultural Considerations in Health conference is an annual conference created and coordinated by

the Division. In its fourth year, this event is a product of interdisciplinary planning among the Schools of

Medicine, Community Health Sciences, Social Work and Nursing. Students serve as primary planners,

supported by faculty from each school and work in a committee to plan and implement this two-day

event on campus for students and faculty. The conference serves an important role in highlighting

cultural issues in health and focuses on different dimensions each year. Students become aware of other

disciplines and have the opportunity to listen and participate in sessions and engage in hands on

learning. Public health emerges as a foundational topic for this conference and increases awareness of

the discipline among attendees.

The SCHS has a strong relationship with both the local and state public health authorities. Many aspects

of these relationships are coordinated through the Coordinator for Field Studies and Community

Engagement. The Nevada State Division of Public and Behavioral Health provides internship

opportunities for students, contracts with faculty for evaluation services and continuing education, and

partners with faculty and the public health laboratory on grants. The Coordinator supports all aspects of

the internship relationship as well as participating in the Western Region Public Health Training Center


28

program that is establishing continuing education for working professionals. The local health authorities

in Washoe County and Carson City also work with the Coordinator. The SCHS director maintains regular

communication with the health authorities in the state through participation in the Nevada Public

Health Foundation board (all health authorities are represented on the board) and through joint

programs supporting research and service.

Contracts and grants with local and state agencies support research and serve the community. In

addition to opportunities identified through the Coordinator, faculty have developed excellent

relationships with external constituents that include school districts, community non-profits, and

foundations. The Center for Program Evaluation has a number of these contracts and utilizes a

philosophy that supports significant collaboration and input from contracted entities. Within the

university, joint research projects have engaged faculty from Computer Science, Engineering, Medicine,

Nursing, Environmental Science and Education to work with the school’s faculty. These projects have

both originated with faculty and engaged faculty as co-investigators and budgets provide support across

schools.


29

c. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion is met.

Strengths:

The SCHS is organized to support the growth of the school through strong collaborative networks and a defined reporting structure.

Interdisciplinary teaching, research and service are well established in the school.

Weaknesses :

The lack of administrative positions within the SCHS has made it difficult for the director to cover all aspects of teaching, research and service.

The Coordinator has been an excellent addition but burgeoning student populations have stressed that position.

Plans:

The arrival of the new Associate director will significantly help manage growth and facilitate cooperation

Graduate students are now being assigned to assist the coordinator and potential for an added part time position will be assessed over the next year.


30

1.5 Governance. The program administration and faculty shall have clearly defined rights and responsibilities

concerning program governance and academic policies. Students shall, where appropriate, have

participatory roles in the conduct of program evaluation procedures, policy setting and decision

making.

a. A list of standing and important ad hoc committees, with a statement of charge, composition and current membership for each.

Undergraduate Committee: lead by the undergraduate director, is responsible to:

monitor the quality of undergraduate program including conducting periodic review of the

curriculum and assessment of learning outcomes;

provide recommendations pertaining to changes, modifications, or additions to the

undergraduate curricula, and recommend actions to the Director and the faculty at large (FAL);

develop policy and procedures for field studies and independent studies;

develop an assessment plan, conduct assessment activities, and provide assessment

data to the university’s assessment office;

determine students/ eligible candidates for undergraduate scholarships and awards and recommend to the FAL ;

review student grade appeals or grievances and recommend action if requested to

do so by the Director; and,

recommend possible promotional literature or events for student recruitment

All faculty members with at least 0.5 FTE in the School are eligible to serve on the Committee. The SCHS

Director makes appointments of members to the committee with input from the faculty. Terms are

three years, unless another term is agreed upon. There is no minimum or maximum number of

members. The committee meets at least monthly during the semester.

Current Members: Dan Cook (chair), Nora Constantino, Jim Wilson, Jeff Angermann, Karla Wagner, So

Young Ryu, Amy Fitch, Julie Smith-Gagen, Raina Benford (student)

Graduate Committee: lead by the graduate director, is responsible to:

monitor the quality of the graduate program

develop competencies and the means to assess the extent to which competencies are met

conduct regular reviews of curriculum, competencies, and assessment results and

recommend changes needed to ensure that competencies are met

regularly review accreditation criteria set by CEPH and other relevant bodies and

recommend changes needed to ensure compliance

develop an assessment plan, conduct assessment activities, and provide assessment

data to the university’s assessment office

recommend to the FAL, candidates for graduate scholarships and awards;

provide recommendations pertaining to changes, modifications, or additions to the

graduate curricula, graduate curriculum matters, and recommend actions to the Director and

the FAL

process graduate applications for admission to the graduate program


31

review applications for Graduate Assistant positions, and make recommendations to

the Director

develop marketing programs to increase student enrollment in the graduate programs

All faculty members with at least 0.5 FTE in the School are eligible to serve on the Committee. The SCHS

Director makes appointments of members to the Committee with input from the faculty. Terms are

three years, unless another term is agreed upon. At least one graduate student shall serve on the

Graduate Committee. The committee meets at least monthly during the semester.

Current Members: Wei Yang (Chair), Elizabeth Christiansen, Kristen Clements-Nolle, Gerold Dermid, Erin

Grinshteyn, Paul Devereux, Julie Lucero, Michelle Granner, Roman Pabayo, Taylor Lensch (student) and

Alison Cladianos (student).

Personnel/Promotion & Tenure Committee: lead by a rotating chair, is charged to:

develop, in consultation with the Director and with input from the FAL, consistent,

reproducible standards for evaluation of faculty performance in accordance with

bylaws, regulations, and policies of higher levels of governance

inform the faculty of these standards

advise and make recommendations to the Director regarding faculty performance,

roles and goals, promotion and tenure

review, along with the Director, annual goals of all School faculty members to assure

compliance with the School’s mission and needs

at the request of the Director, to advise regarding other faculty personnel issues

All faculty members with at least 0.5 FTE in the School are eligible to serve on the Committee. The

Committee has at least four members, at least three of whom are current, tenured faculty. The fourth

member may be a lecturer, research faculty member, or a tenure-track faculty member that is in the

first or second year of service. Members of the Personnel and Promotion and Tenure Committee are

elected by the FAL. Potential members can be nominated by self or other. All those who accept

nomination will be placed on a ballot and an election is held. The nominee(s) with the greatest

number(s) of votes is elected to the Committee. Terms are for three years for all faculty. Terms are to be

rotated so that at least one tenured position is open for appointment each year. The committee meets

to review evaluations in the spring, promotions in the fall and as needed in response to Director

charges.

Current members: Minggen Lu (chair), Judith Sugar, Jeff Angermann, and Kristen Clements-Nolle.

Steering Committee: lead by the Director, is charged to ensure coordination between and among School

committees and academic programs and to advise the SCHS Director on the mission, goals, and direction

of the School. Membership includes the Director of Undergraduate Education and the Director of

Graduate Education (now represented by a single person, the Associate Director), the Personnel/P&T

Committee Chair, the leaders of each specialty area and the SCHS Director. At the discretion of the

Director, other members may be appointed. The Steering committee acts as the self-study committee

for CEPH.


32

Current members: Trudy Larson (chair), Mel Minarik, Kristen Clements-Nolle, Paul Devereux, Nora

Constantino, Minggen Lu, Dan Cook, Wei Yang, Roy Oman (Associate Director).

Community Advisory Board (CAB): The School of Community Health Sciences (SCHS) Advisory Bard

serves as a bridge between the School and the community-offering advice, collaboration and support to

enhance the mission of the School. SCHS is dedicated to developing and sustaining long-term

relationships with the community to ensure the ongoing relevance and vitality of our programs.

Members to the Board will be from the School’s key constituent groups, including public health

agencies, non-profits, health care providers and alumni. Members are selected by the Director with

input from the CAB chairs for terms of 3 years with ability to renew. The CAB meets quarterly.

Current Members: Rota Rosaschi, Nevada Public Health Foundation (Co-Chair), Marena Works, Nevada

Health Centers and alumnus MPH (Co-Chair ), Gerald Ackerman, Nevada State Office of Rural Health,

Faculty for the School of Medicine, Ihsan Azzam, Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health,

Valerie Clark, Clark & Associates Insurance Solutions, Karen Ross, NV Energy and alumnus MPH, Richard

Whitley, Nevada Department of Health and Human Services, Ty Windfelt, Hometown Health and SCHS

alumnus, Mathew Wolden, Stanford University Medical Center and MPH alumnus, Kevin Dick, Washoe

County Health District, Health Officer, Harry Hull, H.F. Hull & Associates, LLC, former WHO/CDC

employee, Joan Hall, Nevada Rural Hospital Association.

Ad hoc committees: time limited committees appointed and charged by the Director.

Bylaws: Last constituted in 2013-14 and charged by the Director to address needed

amendments to capture current practice.

Space committee: Last constituted in 2012-2013 to address space planning to serve the faculty

needs for research and teaching. Newly configured as a vision committee (2015) to begin early

planning for a new building.

Search committees: search committees constituted over the last 3 years include: Epidemiology

search committee for 3 positions, Biostatistics search committee for 2 positions, Social

Behavioral Search committee for 2 positions, Environmental Health search committee for one

position, Health Administration and Policy search committee for one position, Associate Director

SCHS search committee for one position. Search committees for 2015: Biostatistics (chair

Minggen Lu, SCHS), Health Administration and Policy (chair, Jeanne Wendell, College of

Business), and Kinesiology (chair, James Fitzsimmons, Center for Recreation and Wellness).

Program Review Committee: charged to oversee the university program review process and documentation every 8 years (chair, Michelle Granner). The Provost has agreed to accept the CEPH accreditation process as satisfying the program review requirement.

Scheduling committee: Operational in nature to ensure that courses are scheduled to meet

sequencing issues for both MPH and undergraduate students (chair, Roy Oman).


33

b. Identification of how the following functions are addressed within the program’s committees and organizational structure: – general program policy development – planning and evaluation – budget and resource allocation – student recruitment, admission and award of degrees – faculty recruitment, retention, promotion and tenure – academic standards and policies, including curriculum development– research and service expectations and policies

The governance and general program policy development of the School of Community Health Sciences is

established in the school’s bylaws under the authority of the bylaws of the Division of Health Sciences

and the bylaws of the University of Nevada, Reno and the Code of the Nevada System of Higher

Education.

Within the School of Community Health Sciences, the director is the primary level of governance and

final authority. The director is appointed by the president of the university on the recommendation of

the vice president for health sciences and the faculty of the school. The faculty constitutes the second

level of governance. Rights and responsibilities of the faculty are established by the Bylaws of the

University (Chapter III, sec. 39 E-resource, UNR bylaws). Under the bylaws of the school, the faculty

provides input regarding policies and procedures. Policy recommendations are developed by standing or

ad hoc committees of faculty and brought forward to the director for consideration. The director may

also develop policies and procedures needed for the operation of the school. The director leads strategic

planning initiatives. The Steering committee serves as an initial reviewer for policies, procedures and

planning changes. The faculty votes on matters affecting the mission, programming and functioning of

the school. Approval by majority vote of the faculty is required for curriculum changes (described

below), establishment of new academic programs and centers, appointment of adjunct faculty, and

amendment of the bylaws. In other matters, votes of the faculty are advisory to the director. Decisions

of the director can be appealed by a majority vote of the faculty, which may petition the Vice President

for Health Sciences if resolution cannot be reached internally. The university bylaws provide further

mechanisms for resolution of faculty grievances.

Planning and evaluation are addressed by the Director, Associate Director, the curriculum committees

and the steering committee. Strategic planning is initiated by the Director and vetted by the faculty

through discussion. Curricular planning and evaluation are under the purview of the designated

undergraduate or graduate committee and includes the director of the Center for Program Evaluation in

her role as evaluator for the SCHS. Program evaluation and self-study are overseen by the Director with

committee input as noted in section 1.1.

Budget and resources for the programs of the School of Community Health Sciences are provided

through the budget of the SCHS as described in 1.6. The budget is determined by the UNR

administration in consultation with the Vice President of DHS and the director. The state budget

includes lines for faculty, staff, and student salaries and operations for the school as a whole. The

director determines budget reallocations as needed. Contracts and grants provide additional resources

and are allocated by the principal investigators (faculty). Additional budget allocations are determined

by the director in consultation with faculty for program support, equipment, travel, and teaching

resources. The graduate director allocates graduate assistant positions to faculty to support teaching.


34

Classrooms (rooms not in the central pool of classrooms) and administrative space is shared by all of the

school’s programs. Office and research space is assigned by the school director according to criteria

specified in the bylaws and faculty may request changes to their office space. The director is responsible

for budget and resource requests and for managing expenditures. The Division of Health Sciences Chief

Financial Officer provides financial planning, facilitates resource requests, and assists with budgeting

support for the director.

Student recruitment, admission and award of degrees are managed at the University and school level.

Undergraduate recruitment and admission is conducted by UNR Student Services. Student recruitment

to the SCHS degrees is done by faculty and the health sciences advisors. The BS degree is awarded by

the School upon successful completion of the course of study determined by the faculty of the SCHS and

attainment of university prescribed credits (120 credits).

The graduate committee sets admissions standards for the MPH program, reviews applicants to the

program, and develops materials and strategies for marketing and student recruitment. A recruitment

plan is in place that was developed by the graduate committee and involves faculty and students.

Student progress towards graduation is monitored by the Graduate committee. Graduate degrees are

awarded by UNR’s Graduate School after approval by the faculty of SCHS.

Faculty recruitment, retention, promotion and tenure are managed at the level of the school and the

division (with approvals required at the university level). Searches for new faculty are initiated by the

school director in consultation with the faculty and must be authorized by the Vice President for Health

Sciences and the provost. The specific areas in which new faculty are recruited are prioritized according

to the strategic plan developed by the SCHS. Development of a school of public health is a high priority

in faculty recruitment, and all new tenure-line faculty members are expected to contribute. Searches for

new faculty members are conducted by an ad hoc search committee approved by the director. The

search committee is responsible for advertising, interviewing, and recommending candidates to the

director, who makes the final selection, with approval by the vice president and provost.

UNR Bylaws and NSHE Code require that faculty are evaluated annually for research, teaching and

service. At the beginning of each calendar year, faculty submit a role statement listing goals for the year.

At the end of the calendar year, faculty submit an annual review document summarizing productivity

recorded on Digital Measures (university online system). Evaluations must include student evaluations

of teaching. Program faculty are evaluated initially by the School of Community Health Sciences

Personnel/Promotion & Tenure Committee, which recommends an evaluation to the director. The

director then produces an evaluation report, which takes the committee’s input into account. The

director’s report is shared with the faculty member in writing and discussed in a meeting, and is then

forwarded to the vice president for review and approval.

Promotion and tenure actions are also initiated within the school. Tenure track candidates are reviewed

at year 3 by the Director and the Vice President for progress towards tenure. At year 4 and 5 the

candidate has a tenure review conducted by the Director. Upon successful review, candidates prepare

an application package that is defined by UNR Bylaws and NSHE Code. This document, along with letters

from external referees that have been solicited by the director, is reviewed initially by the


35

Personnel/Promotion & Tenure Committee. Following the P&T committee’s review, the director makes

a written recommendation to the vice president that refers to the recommendation of the committee

and the external referees. Recommendations for promotion and tenure require further approval by the

university promotion and tenure committee. Awards of tenure must be approved by the Board of

Regents of the Nevada System of Higher Education.

Academic standards and curricular activities are under both university and SCHS policies. Academic

standards and policies for the undergraduate program are developed by the Regents, UNR Provost’s

office and colleges and schools. In 2012 the UNR undergraduate core program was studied by an

appointed faculty committee and recommendations for a new core program were developed and

submitted for faculty vote. The Silver Core plan was approved by the faculty and a UNR committee of

faculty and administrators was appointed to construct an implementation plan. A dedicated position

was created to oversee the implementation of the Silver Core plan and full implementation is set for Fall

2016. Each school was tasked with restructuring their major requirements to include the core

competencies as developed in the silver core. The SCHS faculty have updated courses and syllabi to

reflect updated student learning outcomes and all courses have undergone core committee review and

approval for inclusion in the catalog. The SCHS undergraduate committee as defined in the bylaws and

noted in 1.5a, has had primary responsibility for overseeing the updating of the curriculum and defining

the major requirements. Curriculum changes are voted on by the faculty at large and require a majority

for implementation.

Academic standards and curricular activities for the graduate programs are developed by the SCHS

Graduate Program Committee subject to the regulations of the Graduate School. The graduate

committee and functions are shown in 1.5.a. The committee is required by the bylaws to have at least

one member who is a graduate student. Student members typically serve for one academic year. The

standards, policies and procedures are disseminated to students in the MPH Student Handbook and to

faculty during orientation for advisors and in the guidelines for MPH Advisors. (E-resource: Advising &

Career Counseling: MPH advisor timeline; Handbooks: MPH Handbook)

Both the undergraduate and graduate committees meet monthly during the academic year and have

primary responsibility for establishing, reviewing and monitoring the curriculum, core competencies and

evaluation.

Proposals for new courses and curriculum changes must be reviewed and approved by the faculty and

director of the school, and subsequently by the Division of Health Sciences Courses and Curriculum

Committee, the University Courses and Curriculum Committee, and Graduate Council (for graduate

courses). The school has a representative on the Division Courses and Curriculum Committee. The

Division, in turn, has a representative on the university-level committee and the Graduate Council who

represents the interests of the School of Community Health Sciences, as well as the other units in the

division.

Research and service expectations of faculty are defined during the annual evaluation process but follow

general research and service expectations of UNR as noted in the UNR bylaws. A generally accepted


36

division of duties is 40% teaching, 40% research and 20% service that is comprised of university,

professional and/or community service. Each faculty member creates a role statement that may match

or vary from the standard percentages that is discussed with and approved by the director. The SCHS

personnel committee is tasked with presenting recommendations for research and service expectations

to the director for consideration. These changes are brought forward by the director for general faculty

discussion and vote. The changes are then included in the policies that define the expected research and

service contributions of faculty. The most current revision was adopted by the faculty in September

2015 for implementation 2016.

c. A copy of the bylaws or other policy document that determines the rights and obligations of administrators, faculty and students in governance of the program, if applicable.

School of Community Health Sciences By-Laws (E-resource, SCHS bylaws)

Board of Regents Handbook (Title 2 is NSHE’s formal Code)

http://system.nevada.edu/tasks/sites/Nshe/assets/File/BoardOfRegents/Handbook/T2CH01OrganizationandAdministrationoftheNSHE%282%29.pdf

Board of Regents Policies and Procedures Manual http://system.nevada.edu/tasks/sites/Nshe/assets/File/BoardOfRegents/Procedures/PGMCH06ACADEMICPROCEDURES%282%29.pdf

UNR procedures and policies:

University of Nevada, Reno Bylaws UNR Bylaws

University Administrative Manual University Administrative Manual

University Administrative Manual: Students

d. Identification of program faculty who hold membership on university committees, through which

faculty contribute to the activities of the university.

Division Committees:

Committee Full time faculty member SCHS

Courses and Curriculum Judith Sugar

Excellence in Teaching Mel Minarik

Council on Diversity Initiatives Dan Cook

Conflicts of Interest Dan Cook

Council on Diversity Dan Cook

Interdisciplinary Gerontology Curriculum Committee (IGCC) Judith Sugar, Erin Grinshteyn

UNSOM Block directors Julie Smith-Gagen

Upstream Nevada Project Mel Minarik

School of Nursing Task Force Wei Yang



http://system.nevada.edu/tasks/sites/Nshe/assets/File/BoardOfRegents/Procedures/PGMCH06ACADEMICPROCEDURES%282%29.pdf

http://system.nevada.edu/tasks/sites/Nshe/assets/File/BoardOfRegents/Procedures/PGMCH06ACADEMICPROCEDURES%282%29.pdf

http://www.unr.edu/facultysenate/bylaws/UNR%20Bylaws/unr-bylaws-8-10-2015.pdf

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/2000-2999-personnel/academic-and-administrative-personnel

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/3000-3999-students


37

University Committees:

Committee Full time faculty member SCHS

Faculty Senate Judith Sugar

Institutional Review Board Paul Devereux

Service Learning Council Gerold Dermid

Core Ethics Advisory Committee Erin Grinshteyn

Core Board and Core Objective 4 committee Nora Constantino

Campus Affairs Veronica Dahir

Tibbitts Teaching Award committee Kristen Clements-Nolle

Center for Recreation and Wellness Nora Constantino

Campus Bicycle Committee Amy Fitch

Faculty Senate Professional Leave Committee Paul Devereux

Gender, Race, Identity Studies Dan Cook

University Athletic committee Mel Minarik

Tobacco Free University Implementation Team Dan Cook

Special Hearings Committee Kristen Clements-Nolle

e. Description of student roles in governance, including any formal student organizations.

Students play a significant role in governance through a variety of mechanisms that include participation

on important school committees, by actively evaluating faculty, courses, and internships, and

participating in self-studies.

Undergraduate students are included in the undergraduate curriculum committee (a recent decision

spearheaded by the Associated Students of the University of Nevada (ASUN)) and are asked to evaluate

every course and the faculty who teach the course. The undergraduate club, the Public Health Coalition,

elects officers and undertakes many activities during the school year. They are a registered club under

the ASUN and have access to funds to support their activities. They also raise money for public health

initiatives. They actively participate in the planning and implementation of the SCHS co-sponsored

Cultural Considerations conference every spring.

Graduate students are active participants on the graduate committee and are involved in all decisions

except those that involve student progress. In addition, graduate students are appointed to every

faculty search committee, usually one student per search, and all graduate students are asked to

formally evaluate all candidates. Students are asked to join ad hoc committees such as the

Mission/Values committee and they provide valuable insight. Graduate students provide a more

rigorous evaluation of graduate classes and experiences through formal evaluations. These evaluations

are important in changing courses and curriculum and in the evaluation of faculty. The graduate

students have a newly revised student Graduate Society of Public Health that elects officers and is a

recognized member of the Graduate Student Association (the UNR association that utilizes student fees

for programs and activities). MPH students have been members on the GSA board. The club hosts


38

gatherings for many purposes including having speakers from the faculty and outside agencies,

discussing current internal and external issues, and planning graduation activities.

Graduate students are participating in the preparation of the CEPH self-study by gathering documents,

reviewing websites and documents for consistency, and will be asked to comment on the drafts of the

self-study when they return to campus for the fall semester. In addition, the formal six-year program

review for UNR is starting in fall 2015 and graduate students will be collecting data, helping craft

responses and will be meeting with program reviewers in the spring.


39


This criteria is met.

Strengths:

The SCHS has an active and participatory committee structure that includes graduate students

with responsibilities for important school activities. All faculty are expected to contribute.

The bylaws are regularly reviewed and revised to reflect changing operations of the school.

Weaknesses:

The undergraduate students just recently suggested that they be included in the curriculum

committee.

Community Advisory Board members are not as connected to the program as they would like

Plans:

With the arrival of the Associate Director in January, part of the bylaws and structure will need

revision.

After faculty discussion, it was agreed to ask for a student volunteer for the undergraduate

curriculum committee.

Each meeting of the Community Advisory Board will include student introductions and

presentations.


40

1.6 Fiscal Resources. The program shall have financial resources adequate to fulfill its stated mission and goals, and its

instructional, research and service objectives.

a. Description of the budgetary and allocation processes, including all sources of funding supportive

of the instruction, research and service activities. This description should include, as appropriate, discussion about legislative appropriations, formula for funds distribution, tuition generation and retention, gifts, grants and contracts, indirect cost recovery, taxes or levies imposed by the university or other entity within the university, and other policies that impact the fiscal resources available to the program.

Each institutional President is responsible for recommending to the Board of Regents of the Nevada

System of Higher Education (NSHE) for approval the allocation of resources to (instruction, academic

support, student services, etc. within the college or university budget. Institutional Presidents have

flexibility in establishing a budget plan and institutional priorities, and are held accountable for final

performance outcomes as measured by student success, increased grant funding, alignment with state

goals and the like.

A new funding model for NSHE was adopted in the 2013 Legislative session and consists of two

components – a base formula driven by course completions and a performance pool driven by

performance metrics that align with the goals of the State. The base formula allocates state resources

(General Fund dollars) to teaching institutions based upon completed courses as measured by student

credit hours. Student credit hours are weighted by discipline cluster in an expanded matrix that is cost

informed and independently developed by the National Center for Higher Education Management

Systems (NCHEMS). Funding is determined by measuring completed course work, with funding set-aside

to support small community colleges and the operations and maintenance of dedicated research space

at UNLV and UNR. A fundamental premise of the new formula remains the campus retention of student

fees and out of state tuition collected without offset to state general fund appropriations. Retention of

student fees and tuition at UNR coupled with substantial student growth, estimated to reach a total of

20,900 students fall 2015, has been the primary driver of the additional funds to support faculty and

infrastructure development. State support, when combined with student fee revenues generated by an

institution, represents the total funding available to an institution in a given fiscal year.

The adoption of the NSHE’s performance pool came about as part of the funding formula study that

considered methods for rewarding institutions for graduating students. The performance pool is based

on a carve-out of state funds over an initial four-year implementation period. The carve-out percentage

will be set aside and depending on an institution’s performance in a defined year they can “earn back”

the set aside funds. An institution’s performance is measured based on seven metrics (two of which

have sub-metrics for under-served populations). The majority of the metrics are based on the number of

students graduating, including metrics for students graduating in defined populations (underserved

populations, STEM, allied health, etc.). In addition, increasing sponsored project activity, transfer and

articulation, and general efficiency are encouraged. Institutions that do not earn 100 percent of their


41

performance funds in the first year of the performance cycle will be given the opportunity to earn back

those funds in the second year of the cycle. UNR has earned 100% of these performance funds. (E-

resource, Fiscal resources, NSHE fund form)

The funding formula governs the allocation of state funds to the institution as a whole, rather than to

academic units and programs within the university. Internally, the university administration sets the

non-grant portion of academic unit budgets in consultation with the deans and vice presidents. Tuition

and fees received by the university are not returned directly to the units that generate them, but are

part of the pool of funds available to the administration to meet the university’s operating expenses.

Faculty salaries are the largest component of the state funds allocated to units. This sector of the budget

is dictated by the number and rank of occupied faculty positions allocated to the unit in a given fiscal

year. Tenure-line faculty positions in the School of Community Health Sciences are fully state-supported,

so state funding for these positions supports teaching, research, and service activities. Classified staff

positions are handled similarly in that the number of state-supported positions is determined by the

university administration. Funds for staff positions are also allocated annually according to the job title

and seniority of the incumbents. SCHS retains faculty vacancy savings and the funds are not swept

centrally. This policy allows the unit to manage its budget and respond internally to added demand for

instructional sections, faculty development, or other short-term needs. The university also allocates

funds for general operations, including equipment, supplies, communications, travel, and student

recruitment. Annual operating budgets are typically based on the budgets for previous years. For the

first time in several years, the SCHS received a 2.5% increase to its operating funds this fiscal year.

Funds for graduate assistantships are provided by the Graduate School and Provost. The number of full-

time equivalent assistantships allocated to each academic program is determined by the Provost and the

Dean of the Graduate School and is typically based on prior number and is increased for additional new

faculty positions. Graduate Assistant salaries were increased from 15,500 to 17,000 between Fiscal 2015

and Fiscal 2016 in an effort to improve competitiveness for top quality graduate students. In addition,

the School of Community Health Sciences has the option to split fulltime assistantships into full- and

half-time positions. The school receives 7.75% of indirect costs received by the university for faculty

grants. Faculty in the school provide contracted services as well. Funds for teaching classes between

semester are shared between the faculty member and the school. Further details of the school’s budget

are outlined in section 1.6.b

Additional funds for instructional support and special projects are provided by UNR and the Division of

Health Sciences on request from the school. At the beginning of each academic year, the school submits

an estimate of the number of credit hours to be taught by temporary and contract faculty and a budget

based on this estimate using a standard contract rate set by the university. These requests are circulated

to UNR through the DHS office. These requests are routinely granted.

The DHS has developed a faculty development fund that faculty may apply to support conference

presentations, attendance at faculty development events etc. These funds are matched by the SCHS.

The school director may occasionally request other funds from the vice president. This process was


42

used, for example, to equip a video conference facility that is used for meetings and distance education.

More recently, funds have been requested and used to purchase kinesiology equipment.

b. A clearly formulated program budget statement, showing sources of all available funds and expenditures by major categories, since the last accreditation visit or for the last five years, whichever is longer. If the program does not have a separate budget, it must present an estimate of available funds and expenditures by major category and explain the basis of the estimate. This information must be presented in a table format as appropriate to the program. See CEPH Data Template 1.6.1.

The school currently has an annual budget of approximately $2.78 million, including university funds,

grants/contracts and indirect-cost recovery. University funds are the largest component, totaling

approximately $1.9 million in the current fiscal year, including $1.38 million for faculty salaries, $87,500

for staff salaries, $193,340 for general operations, $138,000 for instructional support and $107,000 for

graduate student stipends. Grant income in the last 5 years ranged from $162,856 in 2012-2012 to

about $795,600 in 2014-15. Part of the variation is due to the departure of research intense faculty in

2011 and in 2014 the merger of the Center for Survey Research into the SCHS. Indirect cost receipts on

faculty grants generate income averaging $2,100-9,600 per year. In addition, the university provided

research startup funds to new faculty supporting the public health program. The school does not receive

a direct appropriation from the state or a share of tuition and fees and does not have an endowment.

Gifts are typically modest from individual donors with the exception of a Chinese Scientific Society gift in

2010-2012 (for visiting scholars) and one large gift in 2014-15. The endowments support the SCHS

scholarship funds for both graduate and undergraduate students.

UNR support for the program has increased substantially over the last 2 years to support the addition of

new faculty. This follows 3 years of salary and operations reductions. In fiscal 2011, mandatory furloughs

for all faculty and staff were implemented in addition to a 2.4% salary reduction. This was in response to

the continued recession and downturn in state revenues. With a slowly improved financial status, the

salary reduction was removed in FY 2014 and merit was awarded in FY 2015 and the furloughs were

removed in FY 2016 (July 2015). Merit was not approved for the upcoming biennium but a cost of living

increase of 2% will occur July 2016.

Funding from grants and contracts increased slowly from 2011-2013 but is now trending much higher.

New faculty are contributing to this increase through more grant submissions and more senior faculty

are receiving grant awards as the school gains more prestige in the community. Multi-year grants will

contribute to more resources and funding from research activities. The addition of the Nevada State

Public Health Laboratory and the Center for Survey Research has the potential to increase revenue as

well. The laboratory is funded through the state with additional resources from grants and service

contracts. (E-resource, Fiscal resources, Financial Report for NSPHL).

Funds in excess of expenditures often result from grant expenditures that are uneven over the course of

a contract/grant. In addition, funds from overload teaching and contracts are carried over fiscal years for

discretionary funding of equipment, stipends for special projects, and other miscellaneous items under

the control of the Director.


43

Table 1.6.1 Sources of Funds and Expenditures by Major Category, 2010-11 (FY11) to 2014-15 (FY15)

2010-2011 2011-2012 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

Source of Funds

University Funds 1,529,074 1,485,926 1,475,926 1,608,999 1,906,338

Grants/Contracts 867,020 188,423 162,856 388,153 795,599

Indirect Cost Recovery 9,617 3,239 2,130 3,666 6,247

Endowment 900 1,610 1,490 3,515 2,646

Gifts 24,826 31,726 1,225 3,375 51,827

Extended Studies (overload teaching)

12,117 16,081 29,783 27,133 35,078

Start-up funds (UNR) 10,000 15,000 10,800 44,000 36,334

Total 2,477,480 1,742,005 1,682,985 2,075,466 2,782,242

Expenditures

Faculty Salaries & Benefits

1,428,337 1,130,292 1,226,931 1,431,891 1,709,277

Staff Salaries & Benefits

85,867 74,621 89,260 97,720 182,470

Operations 90,095 54,313 91,425 110,056 323,789

Travel 4,096 1,935 8,628 6,775 33,181

Student Support 123,957 88,829 102,483 153,064 193,902

Tuition and fees (Graduate Assistants)

4,036 1,240 505 6556 10,774

Contracted Faculty 55,461 71,324 66,770 85,065 150,843

Start-up funds 10,000 15,000 10,800 44,000 36,334

Indirect costs (UNR rates)

138,221 39,374 23,504 64,873 72,201

Subcontracts 392,116 46,593 No subcontracts

No subcontracts

6,325

Participant support No support 400 No support 1,554 No support

Total 2,320,235 1,508,921 1,609,926 1,953,558 2,682,355

1. Reported as academic years July1, 20XX-June 30, 20XX. 2. State funded benefits are paid from a centralized pool and are not included in the figures above. 3. Grant funded benefits follow a standard rate. (E-resource: Fiscal resources, fringe benefits ) 4. Equipment included in operations 5. Contracted faculty for both instruction and research


44

c. If the program is a collaborative one sponsored by two or more universities, the budget statement must make clear the financial contributions of each sponsoring university to the overall program budget. This should be accompanied by a description of how tuition and other income is shared, including indirect cost returns for research generated by public health program faculty who may have their primary appointment elsewhere. Not applicable

d. Identification of measurable objectives by which the program assesses the adequacy of its fiscal resources, along with data regarding the program’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

Table 1.6.d Financial resources

Outcome Measures Target 2012-

2013 2013-2014

2014-2015

Goal 2 Objective 4a. Total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% by 2015 (2010-2011 baseline=$16,334/faculty FTE) Over three years (by 2018), the total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.

5% increase

from baseline

$10,191/FTE 38%

decrease from

baseline

$19,191/FTE 17%

increase from baselin

e

$32,287/FTE

98% increase

from baseline

Goal 2 Objective 4b. Number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% by 2015 (base line 1.4/FTE) Over three years (by 2018), the number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline.

5% increase

from baseline

1.4/FTE 1.2/FTE 1.2/FTE


45

e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criteria is met with commentary.

Strengths:

The SCHS budget is increasing through both university and grant funding. The administration

intends to support the growth to a School of Public Health and have committed to 13 new

positions over the next 5 years.

New faculty are bringing grants with them and current faculty are increasing their grant activity

with success.

Weaknesses:

The grants and contracts funding is still not sufficient to support a robust research enterprise.

Budgets are developed at the University level and the school is dependent upon the DHS

personnel being strong advocates for complete funding.

Plans:

New faculty will have more formal mentoring to increase their success with research.

The Director will work with the development office to create a marketing and development plan to improve donations.


46

1.7 Faculty and Other Resources. The program shall have personnel and other resources adequate to fulfill its stated mission and goals,

and its instructional, research and service objectives.

a. A concise statement or chart defining the number (headcount) of primary faculty employed by the program for each of the last three years, organized by concentration. See CEPH Data Template 1.7.1.

Table 1.7.1 Headcount of Primary Faculty

2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2015-2016

Epidemiology MPH/PhD 5 5 5 5

Social Behavioral Health MPH/PhD

6 3 3 5

Health Administration and Policy MPH

n/a 4 4 4

Biostatistics MPH n/a n/a n/a 3

CHS BS 4 4 n/a n/a

Kinesiology BS n/a n/a 1 1

Public Health BS n/a n/a 4 4

n/a=program not yet available for enrollment or no longer enrolling for CHS: BS

The headcount of primary faculty over the last three years takes into account the hiring of three new

epidemiology faculty, one new health policy faculty, one new environmental health faculty and one new

social behavioral health faculty. One social behavioral faculty member retired, one switched

concentration to kinesiology and one epidemiologist moved. The headcount includes faculty who teach

both undergraduate and graduate classes and the primary designation reflects commitment of >.5 FTE

to either the MPH/PhD concentrations or the BS degrees.

The CHS BS underwent revision in Fall of 2014 and split into either Kinesiology BS or Public Health BS.

There are CHS BS degree students who will continue in the general degree until their graduation. The

FTE calculations for the CHS: BS degree are reflected in the Kinesiology BS and Public Health BS degree

lines since they take the same classes. The faculty designations reflect primary faculty for these

undergraduate degrees. Undergraduate classes are also taught by faculty with >.5 FTE in the graduate

programs. All faculty in the SCHS with the exception of three administrative faculty with research or

program responsibilities are included above.

b. A table delineating the number of faculty, students and SFRs, organized by concentration, for each of the last three years (calendar years or academic years) prior to the site visit. Data must be presented in a table format (see CEPH Data Template 1.7.2) and include at least the following information: a) headcount of primary faculty, b) FTE conversion of faculty based on % time devoted to public health instruction, research and service, c) headcount of other faculty involved in the program (adjunct, part-time, secondary appointments, etc.), d) FTE conversion of other faculty based on estimate of % time commitment, e) total headcount of primary faculty plus other (non-primary) faculty, f) total FTE of primary and other (non-primary) faculty, g) headcount of students by department or program area, h) FTE conversion of students, based on definition of


47

full-time as nine or more credits per semester, i) student FTE divided by primary faculty FTE and j) student FTE divided by total faculty FTE, including other faculty. All programs must provide data for a), b) and i) and may provide data for c), d) and j) depending on whether the program intends to include the contributions of other faculty in its FTE calculations.

Table 1.7.2 Faculty, Students and Student/Faculty Ratios by Department or Specialty Area

HC Primary Faculty

FTE Primary Faculty

HC Other Faculty

FTE Other Faculty

HC Total Faculty

FTE Total Faculty

HC Students

FTE Students

SFR by Primary Faculty FTE

SFR by Total Faculty FTE

2013-2014

Epidemiology: MPH

5 4 3 .3 8 4.3 23 19.75 4.9 4.5

Social Behavioral Health: MPH

3 1.8 3 .9 6 2.7 22 16.5 9.2 6.1

Health Administration and Policy: MPH

4 2.4 1 .4 5 2.8 5 4 1.7 1.4

BS: CHS 4 2.5 26 7.4 30 9.9 828 704 282 71

2014-2015

Epidemiology: MPH

5 4.1 2 .2 7 4.3 23 17.5 4.3 4

Social Behavioral Health: MPH

3 1.9 4 1.1 7 3 17 15 7.8 5


4 2.4 4 .7 8 3.1 11 9 3.8 2.9

#Public Health BS/CHS BS*

4 2.5 37 8.2 41 10.7 238/474 570 228 53

Kinesiology BS*

1 .8 8 2 9 2.8 244 220 305 79

2015-2016

Epidemiology: MPH/PhD

5 4.4 2 .2 7 4.6 25 22.5 5.1 4.9

Social Behavioral Health: MPH/PhD

5 3.3 4 1.1 9 4.4 13 12 3.6 2.7


4 2.4 4 .7 8 3.1 10 9.5 4 3

Biostatistics MPH

3 2.7 0 0 3 2.7 0 0 0 0

#Public Health BS/CHS BS

4 2.4 35 5.9 39 8.3 688 573 239 69

Kinesiology: BS

1 .8 9 2.1 10 2.9 435 395 494 136


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Primary faculty >.5 FTE to program (either graduate or undergraduate). Calculated FTE as follows: each class=.1 FTE, research=.4 FTE and is considered as graduate directed public health research, service total is .2-.3 FTE divided by program emphasis. Service defined by emphasis (ie. Undergraduate director is given .2 FTE to undergraduate program). The non-primary FTE by full time faculty is reflected under other faculty HC and FTE.

For students, 1 FTE = 1 student taking 9 or more semester-credits per semester.

*2014-15 was a new year for the public health and kinesiology BS students.

#The curriculum for CHS:BS and CHS: Public Health BS are very similar so the FTE were added for those two groups.

c. A concise statement or chart concerning the headcount and FTE of non-faculty, non-student personnel (administration and staff) who support the program.

The school has three full-time administrative assistants who provide support for all the programs in the

School. Bonnie Coker, Administrative Assistant (AA) 4, is the assistant to the SCHS Director and has

responsibility for maintaining the school’s financial accounts and personnel documents. In addition, she

supervises administrative assistants and student staff. Jenna Hartman, AA 3, supports the

undergraduate and graduate programs. In that role, she records the transactions of the graduate and

undergraduate committees, schedules courses, assists with adjunct faculty identification and

recruitment, helps with admission and maintains student and alumni records. A new AA 3 position is

currently in recruitment and will responsible for grants related paperwork, budgets, and provide back up

to the AA 4. An open AA 1 position, does general office work, manages travel, collects time sheets and

shares duties with Ms. Hartman in maintaining the program website. Part-time student employees assist

with general office work and miscellaneous assigned duties.

The Center for Research Survey is headed by director Dr. Veronica Dahir, at .25 FTE. She supervises two

full-time staff (an administrative and a program assistant) who monitor up to 20 graduate and

undergraduate students in conducting survey work. This work supports contracts and research projects

headed by CHS faculty and others.

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory (NSPHL) is headed by a Laboratory Director (TBD) and

Administrator, Stephanie Van Hooser, who supervise 32 staff and oversee all the work of the laboratory

in support of public health for the state. The NSPHL provides opportunities for research for both faculty

and graduate students.

The Center of Program Evaluation is headed by Dr. Elizabeth Christiansen, 1 FTE, who provides .2 FTE

time for SCHS program evaluation and graduate student advisement. Her primary mission is to provide

evaluation and assessment services for university and community partners. She routinely provides

research assistantships to our MPH students through her grants and contracts.

d. Description of the space available to the program for various purposes (offices, classrooms, common space for student use, etc.), by location.

The Program has access to approximately 7600 sq. ft of administrative, faculty and research office space

in the Lombardi Center on the main UNR campus. Details are noted in E-resource, Space Allocation and

a brief description follows.


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Office and Administrative Space. Every full-time academic faculty member has a private office of

approximately 130-150 sq. ft. with a telephone and networked personal computer with standard

software. An administrative suite totaling 1100 sq. ft. includes offices for the school director, three

administrative assistants and part-time student workers, and a staff workroom. A 400 sq. ft. conference

room with computer projection and video-conferencing capabilities is available for meetings and

seminars. UNR IT provides timely administrative support for all technology issues including during

emergencies.

Research Space. Three areas are available in the Lombardi Center for sponsored research projects.

These areas typically provide work space for grant-supported graduate assistants and secured storage

for research projects. In addition to the space in the Lombardi building, two affiliated centers have

additional space on campus. The Center for Program Evaluation has two offices in the Annex XXX near

the medical school and the Center for Survey Research occupies approximately 2000 sq.ft.in Sarah

Fleishman building on the southern part of the main campus. Additional research space (approx. 1500 sq

ft) is located in the Applied Research Facility and these laboratories are described below in section 1.6.e.

Classroom Space. SCHS has access to a variety of classrooms across campus through central scheduling.

The Lombardi classrooms are usually occupied with SCHS classes but other colleges use them as well.

Classrooms throughout campus are “smart classrooms” equipped with networked computers connected

to the internet, LCD projectors and document cameras. With the growth in students, there are sufficient

classrooms but scheduling must be at relatively unpopular times of the day. There is a concerted effort

by UNR administration to construct a policy that will spread classes throughout the 5-day week and

provide opportunities for weekend classes as well. Many graduate courses are offered in the evening to

meet the needs of working professionals, and have been scheduled throughout campus. The school

currently does not have its own instructional computer laboratory, but several such facilities are

available on campus and are utilized for epidemiology and biostatistics courses

Student Areas. State-supported graduate assistants have assigned carrels in a shared 385 sq. ft. office

with 11 workstations. No other dedicated work space is available for graduate students who are not

employed as research or teaching assistants. A common area (approximately 850 sq. ft.) with tables and

chairs is provided on the second floor of the building, and students have very convenient access to the

Joe Crowley Student Union, which offers study space, restaurants, a bookstore and a convenience store,

and to the IGT-Matheson Knowledge Center that has extensive areas for study and research.

The Program’s current space in the Lombardi Center is at capacity. There are no more faculty offices

available and faculty meetings now take place at the JCSU to accommodate the increase in faculty

numbers. Research offices were converted to faculty offices. More graduate student workspace and a

computer teaching lab are needed. Approximately 2800 sq. ft. of space is being renovated for faculty

offices and research space in the Savitt Building in the medical school complex and will be available by

March 2016.


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e. A concise description of the laboratory space and description of the kind, quantity and special features or special equipment.

Laboratory space is available in the Lombardi Center and in the adjacent Applied Research Facility (ARF).

A human subjects facility used for clinical research is located on the ground floor of the Lombardi

building. This laboratory is approximately 1200 sq. ft., including a private room for interviewing or

examinations, and is equipped with clinical manipulation tables, a GE Dual Energy X-Ray Absorptiometer

for measuring body composition, a Precor treadmill, and a Cosmed K4b2 portable metabolic system. An

exercise physiology laboratory, also located in Lombardi, is used primarily for undergraduate teaching. A

349 sq. ft. lab on the 2nd floor of Lombardi houses facilities for statistical data analysis used by the

Nevada Center for Health Statistics and Informatics. The lab has 6 computer work stations and a 16 TB

memory size data analysis server.

In the ARF the SCHS controls a 1000 sq. ft. main research laboratory (ARF 315) and a 150 sq. ft. ancillary

lab (ARF 111) that support activities relating to translational medicine, environmental and cellular

physiology, histopathology, molecular biology, microscopy, environmental toxicology, and cell / tissue

culture. Specialized equipment is available for use by researchers in the school, the Division of Health

Sciences, and other researchers in the UNR community, on a collaborative basis. (E-resource: Faculty

Research, Environmental Health Laboratory)

ARF 328 and 330 are laboratory spaces for survey research and analysis of statistical data occupied by

the Nevada Center for Health Statistics and Informatics. This includes a total of 410 sq. ft. used for data

collection and a survey lab with 4 workstations equipped with PCs and software for Computer Assisted

Telephone Interview functions.

f. A concise statement concerning the amount, location and types of computer facilities and resources for students, faculty, administration and staff.

All full-time administrators, faculty and staff have their own dedicated, networked computer

workstations. Two high-speed networked printers are available in the Lombardi Building and most

faculty members also have local printers. All faculty and staff computers are connected to the Internet

and are equipped with standard software for communication, word processing and data analysis. The

university has site licenses for numerous software packages for such specialized tasks as statistical

analysis, and for general office use, and these are available for faculty, staff and students at no or

reduced cost. In addition, computing capacity has been improved through the addition of secured

servers and access to HIPPA compliant systems are available through the University of Nevada School of

Medicine. The university also provides free email service to employees and students.

Computing facilities are available to students in several locations on campus. Graduate research and

teaching assistants have access to a student office with 11 networked workstations on the second floor

of the Lombardi Building. Graduate assistants working on research projects have access to additional

computers in faculty research offices and laboratories. In addition to the school’s on-site facilities, a fully

equipped, state-of-the-art computer laboratory is available to students in the adjacent IGT-Matheson

Knowledge Center. All computers on the UNR domain require a login and can connect to the campus

network by cable or wireless. Computers vary from basic desktop workstations and checkout laptops to

high-end systems for research and special projects. All computers supported by the campus IT staff are


51

purchased through approved vendors, run the latest operating systems and security software, and

receive regular maintenance. Faculty, staff and administration office computers are available through

the department or campus replacement program. Routine computer replacement was on hiatus for 5

years during the recession but has recently been renewed.

All students, faculty, staff, administration and guests have access to standard IT user support through a

centralized Help Desk in the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center. The Help Desk is available by phone,

email and a walk-up counter. Service requests that cannot be resolved immediately are recorded and

maintained in an electronic work order system. Information on IT supported systems and user support,

plus self-help documentation is available on the UNR IT website at UNR IT

g. A concise description of library/information resources available for program use, including a description of library capacity to provide digital (electronic) content, access mechanisms, training opportunities and document-delivery services.

The Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center is uniquely positioned as one of the most technologically

advanced university libraries in the country, providing the discovery, acquisition, and access to diverse

forms of knowledge that the university’s students and faculty need. Building highlights include:

automated book retrieval system; reading rooms and quiet study-areas; computing laboratories and

large format printing; wireless network and computer access throughout; smart classrooms and

conference rooms; coffee shops and group study areas.

The collection contains more than 1 million volumes of books and journals, 23,000-plus e-journals and

more than 50,000 e-books. Plus, hundreds of general and specialized research databases available

online. More specifically, the collection boasts more than 600 electronic journal subscriptions relating to

public health and many, many more general health sciences titles. The University of Nevada Savitt

Medical Library (located just north of the school) has designated funds with which to purchase new

titles in public health.

Recognizing the synergy between information and technology, the Knowledge Center has consolidated

library services, research, and computing help into the second floor atrium. The Library & Research

Services counter pulls together reference, circulation, electronic reserves, and document delivery

services. The Computing Help Desk staff tackles software and hardware problems, wireless access, and

computing related questions generally.

The circular @One desk sits in the middle of first floor with both library and technical staff available to

field any question that a computer lab user might have. It functions as a hub for poster printing and

laminating, general software assistance, and DataWorks Lab support. A variety of audio/video and

computing equipment is available for checkout to UNR students, faculty, and staff in the @One Digital

Media Checkout office. Digital video and still cameras, lighting kits, tripods, audio recorders, laptops,

and digital projectors are only a few of the dozens of items available. Digital Media Services supports the

Dynamic Media Lab and the videoconference room located in @One. The Multimedia Center has a

circulating collection of approximately 15,000 videos, as well as music CDs and audio-books

http://www.it.unr.edu/

http://guides.library.unr.edu/libservices/circulation

http://guides.library.unr.edu/reserves

https://illiad.library.unr.edu/illiad/logon.html

https://illiad.library.unr.edu/illiad/logon.html


52

Currently enrolled UNR students, faculty or staff members are eligible for off-campus access to licensed

resources upon providing necessary identification. Wireless network and computer access is available

throughout the Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center.

h. A concise statement of any other resources not mentioned above, if applicable.

The Nevada State Public Health Laboratory is administratively associated with the SCHS. It is a 18,888 sq.

ft. facility with staff, equipment, and space to support the laboratory needs of public health throughout

Nevada. Current programs include bio-surveillance, clinical lab studies, newborn screening, disease

outbreak investigation support, and other work that supports the Nevada Division of Public and

Behavioral Health and local health districts. There is great potential for collaborative research with the

Lab and this will be developed.

i. Identification of measurable objectives through which the program assesses the adequacy of its resources, along with data regarding the program’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

Although a measurable objective specific to resources like faculty and space has not been crafted, there are increased resources being expended to support the SCHS (see Table 1.6.m and budget). However space is the most critical issue at present for the SCHS.


53

j. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criteria is met with commentary.

Strengths:

The budget is increasing to support expansion of the SCHS. Administration is very positive about the plan to grow to a School of Public Health and many faculty positions are being added.

The laboratories are well equipped and computer technology readily available.

The Knowledge Center provides excellent resources, both digital and in specialized personnel.

Weaknesses:

The school is adding needed faculty but does not have the space to support this growth. There is insufficient office and research space to support the expanding research enterprise.

Plans:

When the new Recreation and Wellness Center is built, additional space in Lombardi will be

available for the school. This space is best utilized by the undergraduate kinesiology program for

expansion of facilities for teaching and research. Lombardi does not provide an ideal lay out to

support public health program growth.

An interim plan is currently underway to renovate space in the Savitt Medical building for office

and research space. This will house the epidemiology and biostatistics faculty and will be

completed in March 2016.

In concert with the vice president of DHS and UNR president, a plan is being proposed to build a

new structure to house most of the SCHS exclusive of the kinesiology program. Ideally, the new

building will address the aging issues of the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory as well as

locating all the programs of the SCHS back into one site. Additional resources such as a new

student computer lab, survey research laboratory, research and graduate student space will be

part of the overall plan.

Measures for adequacy of faculty and resources will be discussed for inclusion in objectives and

measures next year.


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1.8 Diversity. The program shall demonstrate a commitment to diversity and shall evidence an ongoing practice of

cultural competence in learning, research and service practices.

a. A written plan and/or policies demonstrating systematic incorporation of diversity within the program. Required elements include the following:

i. Description of the program’s under-represented populations, including a rationale for the designation.

SCHS has defined under-represented populations in the program based on population demographics

and public health workforce needs.

The undergraduate program collects demographic (i.e. Race/ethnicity and gender) information. It is

difficult for SCHS to track students due to the large number, over 1000, and movement of students in

and out of the major. Figures are reported for the Division of Health Sciences as a whole and also

specifically for CHS (Figure 1) Under-represented populations include Hispanic (20% of the northern

Nevada population), Black (8%), Alaskan Native (3%), and males (specifically within public health,

nursing and social work).

Figure 1. (based on UNR 2011 data)

ETHNICITY Number (total 1863) Percentage in DHS pop. CHS (not exclusive)

Alaskan Native 61 3.27% 2%

Pacific Islander 58 3.11% 3%

Asian 186 9.98% 10%

Black 104 5.58% 7%

Hispanic 295 15.83% 11.4%

Undeclared 13 0.70%

Caucasian 1391 74.66% 75%

GENDER

Male 367 20% 36%

Female 1496 80% 64%

CHS MAJORS 642 34%


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The Graduate MPH program identified 5 target populations as under-represented in 2011. These include

Hispanic/Latino, American Indian/Alaskan Native, Black, First generation college attendees, and rural

populations. These populations were selected based on northern Nevada demographics and Nevada

specific public health needs. In 2011 Latino/Hispanic persons represented 20% of population, Native

American/Alaskan natives 2.4%, and Blacks 1.8%. 34.5% of UNR freshman were first time college

attendees and represented a broad group of more diverse students that included students from lower

socioeconomic groups and those from rural/frontier Nevada population. These populations are

considered to be underserved for all health professions including public health. Faculty targets

benchmarked community demographics representative of the workforce in 2011 as an initial goal.

In 2015, a committee updated the diversity populations to include faculty, graduate and undergraduate

students who identify as Latino, American Indian/Alaska Native, and African American. In addition, the

frequency distribution of first generation college students will be measured for undergraduate and

graduate students. Goals were established based on population demographics and public health needs

and prior data indicating reasonable targets. We decided on the measurement of first generation college

goers used by UNR as a surrogate for geographic disparities. (More information from the Center for

Cultural Diversity Office: UNR Cultural Diversity Office

ii. A list of goals for achieving diversity and cultural competence within the program, and a description of how diversity-related goals are consistent with the university’s mission, strategic plan and other initiatives on diversity, as applicable.

Goals for achieving diversity and cultural competence within the SCHS include:

1. Recruiting and retaining diverse faculty and staff representative of women, under-represented minorities and other diverse groups in Northern Nevada.

2. Retaining and graduating diverse undergraduate students within the SCHS majors

3. Recruiting and graduating diverse graduate students in the MPH emphases

4. Ensuring that students are exposed to courses that explore cultural, global, ethical, professional, and spiritual domains

5. Participating in experiences that are in diverse communities or address the needs of diverse communities.

6. Conducting research that addresses the area of diversity in many settings.

These goals operationalize the UNR strategic plan to create a more diverse community on campus that is engaged and aware of the benefits of attaining cultural competence. The UNR strategic plan explicitly discusses goals and measurements for diversity on campus.

UNR Strategic Goals:

2014 2021

Diversity of academic

faculty

21% 25%

Goal 2: Recruit a high-achieving, diverse student body and provide access and a clear path to graduation. • Provide scholarships to academically meritorious students including those with financial need.

http://www.unr.edu/cultural-diversity/programs-and-services/annual-reports


56

• Increase the diversity of the student body. • Move from emerging Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) to a designated HSI. • Provide University housing and facilities that promote a culture of learning and a sense of community.

Goal 2 Metrics 2014 2021

6-year graduation rate 54.8% 60.8%

National Merit, Achievement, Hispanic 49 60

National Hispanic Scholars 4 50

Diversity of undergraduate student body 36% 45%

Goal 3: Provide high-quality graduate programs taught by research-active faculty. • Increase the number of graduate teaching and research assistantships. • Strategically develop new PhD programs. • Increase diversity of graduate students.

Goal 3 Metrics 2014 2021

Graduate Teaching Assistant

lines at UNR

476 700

PhD enrollment at UNR 789 1,000

Diversity of graduate

students at UNR

21% 25%

iii. Policies that support a climate free of harassment and discrimination and that value the contributions of all forms of diversity; the program should also document its commitment to maintaining/using these policies.

The Nevada System of Higher Education’s (NSHE) Board of Regents sets policies for all the universities, colleges, and community colleges within Nevada. There is a strong policy that prohibits sexual harassment and discrimination that was adopted and is reviewed and measured on a system wide basis. The University of Nevada Reno implements these policies and has a well-defined process for training faculty and staff, investigating and enforcing compliance. Harassment can be cause for termination.

UNR Sexual Harassment Policy

The NSHE and UNR have an affirmative action plan that is updated and reaffirmed annually. The policies in the plan reflect both non-discrimination and affirmative action in supporting a diverse campus environment.

Affirmative Action Policy

For example, to support diversity in all its forms, a non-discrimination statement is seen on all recruitment materials.

http://www.unr.edu/eotix/sexual-harassment-policy

http://www.unr.edu/drc/equal-access-policies/affirmative-action-policy


57

EEO/AA Statements to be included in all print and jobs.unr.edu web announcements: “The University of Nevada, Reno is committed to Equal Employment Opportunity/Affirmative Action in recruitment of its students and employees and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, age, creed, national origin, veteran status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, genetic information, gender identity, or gender expression. The University of Nevada employs only United States citizens and aliens lawfully authorized to work in the United States. Women, under-represented groups, individuals with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.”

Through full time administrative support and grievance processes, the policy is enacted and upheld.

These policies pertain to both students and faculty.

Within the SCHS, statements in the mission, values and vision support diversity. In the annual evaluation

process of faculty, the professionalism section measures the professional nature of relationships within

the school and promotes respect and tolerance. At present, this section does not impact the overall

evaluation but is used during evaluation meetings with the director to consider corrective plans.

To further establish an environment that respects diversity, course syllabi include statements that

promote a tolerant and respectful atmosphere in the classroom. (E-resource: syllabi)

iv. Policies that support a climate for working and learning in a diverse setting. In addition to the UNR strategic goals and subsequent policies, the school is supported in its diversity

efforts by various programs throughout the university and through the UNR commitment to diversity.

Three programs on campus focus on diversity and offer undergraduate majors or minors, master’s

degrees, certificates, or specialization. The Gender, Race, and Identity Program is dedicated to assuring

that UNR students develop a deep understanding of the impact of race, socioeconomic status, ethnicity,

and gender on their identities, as well as their society. This Program has several core faculty and over 30

affiliate faculty drawn from a diverse field of departments from a number of faculties on campus. Three

members of our school (Devereux, Cook and Sugar) are Faculty Affiliates of this program. Other

programs include the Developmental Disabilities Program and Women’s Studies program.

v. Policies and plans to develop, review and maintain curricula and other opportunities including service learning that address and build competency in diversity and cultural considerations.

Through measurement objectives, the curriculum is reviewed by both the graduate and undergraduate

curriculum committees and the general faculty to identify content that addresses diversity and cultural

considerations. Students, employers, and alumni also provide input on the efficacy of the school’s

efforts to address cultural diversity issues in the curriculum through direct feedback to faculty and

through course competency evaluations, and alumni and employer surveys. Course competencies are

edited as needed by faculty and approved by the full school faculty and university courses and curricular

committees and then are placed online for public view. Sections were added to provide diversity

content for students. For example, CHS 360, Disabilities Issues, a requirement in the Kinesiology

emphasis, has added two new affiliate faculty to teach additional sections. (see E-resource: Syllabi). CHS

345, ethics and professionalism, a Public Health emphasis requirement, has added coursework on ethics.

CHS 340, Health Policy (PH emphasis), provides content that examines health disparities. As noted in the

competencies, courses that address diversity and/cultural competencies in the undergraduate degree

are 101 introduction to community health, 102 personal health, 310 health communication, and 466


58

teaching adaptive physical education, to diverse populations across the lifespan. All undergraduate

students must complete a capstone course in their junior or senior year in which issues of ethics and

diversity are explored. In the MPH degree, competencies addressing diversity are reflected in 701

social/behavioral health, 705 theory, 720 program planning, 721 program evaluation, 747 applied

research, 756 organizational behavior, 796 capstone, and 798 field studies. In addition, although not

listed as fully achieving a competency in the area, diversity issues have been explicitly identified to be

addressed and are covered in the course content (e.g., readings/assignments) for 700 research methods,

and 712 epidemiology. We have also implemented a series of professionalism workshops for all MPH

students in which training to effectively work with others is a major emphasis. In the PhD, diversity

competencies are linked to the core courses 706 social epidemiology, 711 advocacy, 726 biopsychosocial

foundations, and 791 doctoral seminar.

Faculty service and research is also addressed in this goal (85% of faculty will address diversity issues in

their work). In addition, the internship sites are reviewed with a goal of placing 45% of students in sites

that serve or involve diverse populations. The CHS support opportunities for working and learning in

other countries including courses in Kenya, South Africa, Bangladesh, Turkey, and China and has

committed to promoting international collaboration.

vi. Policies and plans to recruit, develop, promote and retain a diverse faculty. Recruitment starts with placement of advertisements for positions in diverse sources, includes a

diversity target in recruitment pools has a diversity representative in each search committee, and

promotes successful diversity hires through administrative support. Within the SCHS, search committee

chairs and the diversity representative (advocate) promote inclusion of diversity in the pool of

candidates by conducting Skype interviews that provide more opportunity to explore all aspects of a

candidate’s application. From the initial Skye, decisions about campus visits always include a

conversation about the inclusion of diverse candidates.

Diverse Recruitment

Specific retention practices have been suggested by UNR’s Chief Diversity Officer. One issue that

emerged from faculty who were looking at positions at UNR was the lack of identifiable “communities”

for under-represented minorities. The Officer helped identify campus networks in support of faculty

from diverse backgrounds to help link new faculty with existing communities.

Within the SCHS, an official mentoring project has been proposed for years. Now that faculty have

reached a critical mass, this program will be implemented to help transition faculty into their new role

and their new environment.

vii. Policies and plans to recruit, develop, promote and retain a diverse staff. Staff policies are set by the State of Nevada and are reflected in the classified staff recruitment and

hiring documents. Individual institutions and schools have very little input other than participation in

search committees to hire staff.

UNR and SCHS policies on supporting a diverse campus apply to all the classified and program assistant

staff but procedures involving staff are governed by the State. The Human Resources department is split

between faculty and classified personnel. The classified HR department assists with all the tasks needed

to recruit, develop, promote and retain staff and offer classes for supervisors.

http://www.unr.edu/Documents/education/college/accreditation/4recruitment-diverse.pdf


59

Within the SCHS, staff are recognized in the bylaws as an essential part of the school and are treated

with respect. Although the process for promotion is regulated by the state, supervisors can initiate the

process and this is an important aspect of retention.

viii. Policies and plans to recruit, admit, retain and graduate a diverse student body. Implementation of the strategic plan for enhancing diversity at UNR involves the whole campus

community. For undergraduate students, Student Services has plans and many programs that promote

all aspects of creating a diverse community on campus. (Commitment to Diversity).The TRIO program,

the McNair’s scholar program and Upward Bound are just a few programs that actively engage diverse

students to improve their success. The SCHS participates in Upward Bound and faculty have mentored

McNair scholars.

Within the SCHS, the diversity plan includes specific activities to create a diverse student body for both

undergraduate and graduate students. It starts with outreach to a local high school, Reed High School,

to present public health topics to a selected group of students who participate in the HOPE academy, a

magnet program for health careers. Students are diverse and often from families where higher

education has never been a priority. In addition, work with the community colleges has resulted in the

development of an AA degree for Community Health Sciences that seamlessly melds with the curriculum

at UNR. These students are more diverse than the incoming UNR students. Activities are planned on

campus to highlight cultural diversity and increase awareness. Retention is greatly facilitated by the UNR

Center for Student Cultural Diversity (the Center) where a myriad of resources support students as they

move through their years of school. Faculty identify promising undergraduate students and provide

important one-on-one advisement to encourage them to apply to graduate school. The SCHS

undergraduate program is a major source of MPH students.

For graduate students, recruitment activities include attendance at graduate fairs and conferences. In

particular, California has more diversity than Nevada and has been the primary area for recruitment. The

Community Advisory Board created a scholarship 3 years ago for a diverse student to help with

recruitment. Wording on the GRE admission requirement was changed in response to diverse students

stating that taking and passing the GRE was one of their greatest concerns. It now requires that students

take the GRE, and it is hoped that the GRE performance climbs, but the admission committee looks at

other factors as well. On campus, the new GradFIT program, “Fully Inclusive Training for Diverse

Graduate Students” addresses the needs of diverse graduate students in order to prepare them for

success. SCHS faculty met with a few students this year and intends to become a regular part of this

program.

Retention is assisted by advisement and appropriate referral to resources like the Center. In syllabi,

reference to the Math and Writing Centers is standard and students are encouraged to ask their

professors for assistance. Further, respect and tolerance are expectations that are included in syllabi and

are addressed by faculty. This contributes to an environment that supports diverse student success.

Grad Fit Program

ix. Regular evaluation of the effectiveness of the above-listed measures. UNR requires an annual report on the diversity goals of each unit and how they are being met. This

provides the SCHS a way to evaluate their goals and objectives. (E-resource: Diversity: MPH diversity

http://www.unr.edu/student-services/resources-and-downloads/comittment-to-diversity

http://www.unr.edu/gradfit


60

plan).The goals and objective measures are reviewed and discussed and faculty comment on ways to

improve our statistics. During occasional Community Advisory Board meetings, members are asked to

review our measures and participate in identifying new or existing topics we should be addressing to

improve the diversity of our school.

In Nevada, the demographics show a less diverse population, especially in northern Nevada, so the

diversity goals are often aspirational. To address this, one component of the plan is increasing the

number of graduate student recruitment sites to include out-of-state sites that have a more diverse

student body. The number of students who come to the table, the number of inquiries resulting from

the contact, and the number of students who fill out admission forms helps determine if that site will be

included in subsequent years. Determining the success of these measures is important in identifying

what is most efficient and cost effective and this is done annually in the graduate committee. Admission

information identified that having more graduate assistantships targeted for diverse students resulted in

the enrollment of more qualified students. This strategy will be continued. The Community Advisory

Board scholarship helped recruit a diverse, qualified student and a plan to add more scholarships is in

process.

Diversity Annual Reports

b. Evidence that shows that the plan or policies are being implemented. Examples may include mission/goals/objectives that reference diversity or cultural competence, syllabi and other course materials, lists of student experiences demonstrating diverse settings, records and statistics on faculty, staff and student recruitment, admission and retention.

The SCHS values diversity within its students, faculty, and staff. The latest mission/values statement

(approved in fall 2015) includes a number of statements that reference diversity, inclusiveness, and

cultural competence.

School’s Vision: Foster equitable and healthy communities.

We achieve this vision through these values:

Advancing knowledge

Embracing diversity

Demonstrating integrity

Inspiring learning

Succeeding through collaboration Description of values: Embracing Diversity: We value the backgrounds and experiences of our students, faculty, and staff as partners with diverse communities to reduce disparities and promote equal opportunities to achieve optimal health. Demonstrating Integrity: We strive in all endeavors to consistently demonstrate honesty, fairness, and respect to promote mutual trust and understanding. Diversity issues are interspersed throughout the curriculum and the MPH curriculum addresses the

majority of the ASPPH competencies in diversity and culture (60% of the competencies in the MPH core

http://www.unr.edu/cultural-diversity/programs-and-services/annual-reports


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and 100% in the Social and Behavioral Health specialty area). For undergraduate students, CHS 360,

Disabilities Issues, has been described as a “life changer” for its impact on the awareness of students to

the many different barriers facing people with disabilities. CHS 345, Ethics and Professionalism in Public

Health provides an interactive curriculum exploring cultural issues, discrimination and ethical dilemmas.

These are required courses for the major. Many other courses focus on diversity issues, including world

health, cultural diversity, rural health issues, and HIV/AIDS and are offered as 400/600 classes for both

undergraduate and graduate students.

The undergraduate and graduate committees provide important suggestions for activities to promote

diversity. This has included changes in competencies measures (e.g., adding more diversity

competencies to core MPH courses), changes in recruitment sites to enhance diverse student

recruitments, and changes in how faculty conduct classes (role of explicitly stating student and faculty

expectations as they pertain to professional behavior).

The internship experience for both graduates and undergraduates includes projects and agencies that

serve minority or underserved populations. Examples of these placements include working at NN HOPES

an FQHC, ACCEPT, Disabled Sports, Walker River Diabetes Program (native American) and the Children’s

Cabinet serving vulnerable children. Faculty are measured on including diversity topics in their classes

and this is demonstrated in the curriculum map. (See Criteria 2.8 and 2.6 for curricular mapping to

diversity competencies).

Measurements for faculty, staff, and student diversity have shown improvement over the last three

years. One difficulty in meeting faculty measures is the lack of diversity in northern Nevada. We

continue to concentrate on the hiring of Latino and American Indian faculty and students as that

demographic is increasing in our area.

c. Description of how the diversity plan or policies were developed, including an explanation of the constituent groups involved.

UNR has had a diversity plan for many years and reports to the NSHE Board of Regents on an ongoing

basis. The plan is updated during UNR Strategic planning that involves the entire campus community. A

significant part of the UNR diversity plan was achieved when the Center for Student Cultural Diversity

was established to coordinate efforts to improve student diversity and achievement for UNR. As a

centralized resource, the Center has published an annual diversity report since 2009 and includes

reports from the SCHS. Although diversity has always been a strong force within the SCHS in

recruitment, teaching, research and service, a coordinated plan was not created prior to 2011.

The 2011 SCHS diversity plan was developed by a committee composed of the Graduate director, SCHS

director and a graduate student, in response to CEPH concerns at the initial accreditation visit. The

committee developed a plan that fit the goals and measurements that had already been created with

assistance from the Director of the Center for Student Cultural Diversity. The plan was approved by the

faculty and implementation has begun. This initial plan only included the MPH program and was further

expanded to officially include the undergraduate students in 2015 although inclusion of undergraduate

students in diversity activities has been well-documented since 2011. The Community Advisory board


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helped craft the most recent diversity measures and participated in the final approval process in fall

2015 during the faculty retreat. Graduate students have been an important voice in ensuring that the

diversity plan is appropriate and updated.

d. Description of how the plan or policies are monitored, how the plan is used by the program and how often the plan is reviewed.

The annual diversity report is compiled by the SCHS director and shared with the faculty during faculty

meetings. This report reviews diversity targets (students and faculty) and discusses the activities that

have been undertaken to improve diversity over the last year. Discussion of relevant issues (ie. faculty

search changes, internship site placements, professionalism in the classroom) occurs at the meeting and

opportunities identified to improve diversity outcomes or processes. The graduate committee often

reviews strategies to recruit a more diverse MPH group. These conversations help identify successful

activities from unsuccessful ones and help the plan/policies change as needed to keep on track with

SCHS goals. The plan is officially reviewed and edited, including measurements, approximately every two

years by an ad hoc committee of faculty and students and suggested changes must be voted on by the

entire faculty. The last committee suggested revisions to the diversity measurements and changes in our

vision and values statement.

e. Identification of measurable objectives by which the program may evaluate its success in achieving a diverse complement of faculty, staff and students, along with data regarding the performance of the program against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Data Template 1.8.1. At a minimum, the program must include four objectives, at least two of which relate to race/ethnicity. For non-US-based institutions of higher education, matters regarding the feasibility of race/ethnicity reporting will be handled on a case-by-case basis. Measurable objectives must align with the program’s definition of under-represented populations in Criterion 1.8.a.

Template 1.8.1. Summary Data for Faculty, Students and/or Staff

Category/Definition Method of Collection

Data Source Target 2011

2012-2013

2013-2014

Target 2014-2015*

Latino

Undergraduate Self-report Institutional Analysis

15% 11% 18% 20% 18%

Graduate Self-report Admissions form 20% 4% 8% 20% 15%

Faculty Self-report Survey 20% 6% 6% 20% 5%

African American


7% 7% 6% 10% 6%

African American



American Indian/Alaskan Native


2% 2% 1% 5% 1%



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Template 1.8.1. Summary Data for Faculty, Students and/or Staff

Category/Definition Method of Collection

Data Source Target 2011

2012-2013

2013-2014

Target 2014-2015*


First Generation College


35% NA NA 40% NA


Women faculty Self-report Survey 54% 61% 59% N/A 60%

Women Staff Self-report Survey 46% 100% 100% N/A 100%

Minority faculty Self-report Survey 16% 22% 20% N/A 25%

Minority Staff Self-report Survey 21% 0% 0% N/A 0%

*New targets established in 2014-2015 and old targets discontinued (N/A)

Additional diversity measurements:

Table 1.8.e

Outcome Measures Target 2012-

2013 2013-2014

2014-2015


1c. By 2015, historically underrepresented racial/ethnic populations will comprise 10% of the students accepted to the MPH program.

By 2015 10%

46%

18%

36%

20% of MPH applicant pool will include students representative of target diversity groups (Latino, African American, Native American/Alaska Native, first generation college).

(New) By 2018

20%

N/A

N/A

36%


1. (2015) Faculty and staff are representative of women,

underrepresented minority, and other diverse groups in the

relevant labor markets by 2015. Women: Faculty 54% Staff: 46%

Minority: Faculty 16% Staff 21%

By 2015 See Template

1.8.1.

See Template 1.8.1.

See Template 1.8.1.

(2018) faculty and student populations will meet diversity goals

as follows:

Faculty: 20% Latino , 5% African American, and 3% Native American/Alaska Native Grad students: 20% Latino, 5% African American, 3 % Native American/Alaska Native, 30% first generation college

Undergraduate students: 20% Latino, 10% African American, 5%

Native American/Alaska native, 40% first generation college

(New) By 2018

See Template

1.8.1.

See Template 1.8.1.

See Template 1.8.1.

2. There will be 1 new effort to recruit underrepresented

populations (either locally or outside of local market) for the

MPH program per year.

1 new effort

Met Met Met

6. SCHS will meet all diversity requirements for all searches at the first report.

Diverse pool

100% 100% 100%

7. 55% of MPH applicants will report experience working with underrepresented populations.

55% 63% 71% 64%

8. 85% of faculty address issues affecting underrepresented populations in their work.

85% 80% 93% 88%


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Diversity at the SCHS is increasing but targets have not all been met. In particular, it is difficult to recruit diverse faculty since Nevada is not very diverse except for Latino populations and there are few supportive organizations in the community. Talented Native American students often have multiple acceptances and UNR is unable to compete. Within the graduate student population, more scholarships and personal recruitments from faculty are helping to increase the diversity of our students but it requires a sustained and persistent effort. SCHS just recently joined SOPHAS and current applications for the MPH and PhD programs are much more diverse and represent students from other parts of the country.


65


This criteria is met. Strengths:

The diversity plan has guided efforts and resources to increase the emphasis on diversity. UNR

has a robust diversity plan that provides assistance to the school to help with programs and

ideas.

The student body is becoming increasingly diverse.

Faculty recruitments are subject to diversity targets and search committees strive to bring in a

diverse pool of candidates.

Weaknesses:

Nevada is not diverse except for a growing Hispanic population. That has influenced the need to

recruit out of state and has affected faculty and student recruitment due to the lack of

supportive networks.

Plans:

The SCHS continues to assess barriers to enrollment and barriers for successful recruitment of

faculty.

Increasing the number of scholarships to support diverse candidates for our programs is a goal.

UNR CEPH Self-Study 2016 | 2.0 Instructional Programs

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2.0 Instructional Programs

2.1 Instructional Programs The program shall offer instructional programs reflecting its stated mission and goals, leading to the

Master of Public Health (MPH) or equivalent professional master’s degree. The program may offer a

generalist MPH degree and/or an MPH with areas of specialization. The program, depending on how it

defines the unit of accreditation, may offer other degrees, if consistent with its mission and resources.

a. An instructional matrix presenting all of the program’s degree programs and areas of specialization, including bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees, as appropriate. If multiple areas of specialization are available, these should be included. The matrix should distinguish between professional and academic degrees for all graduate degrees offered and should identify any programs that are offered in distance learning or other formats. Non-degree programs, such as certificates or continuing education, should not be included in the matrix. See CEPH Data Template 2.1.1.

Table 2.1.1. Instructional Matrix – Degrees & Specializations

Academic Professional

Bachelors Degrees

Specialization/Concentration/Focus Area Degree*

Public Health BS

Kinesiology BS

Community Health Sciences (stopped enrolling 2014 but will continue until all have graduated)

BS

Masters Degrees

Specialization/Concentration/Focus Area Degree*

Epidemiology MPH

Social Behavioral Health MPH

Health Administration and Policy MPH

Biostatistics MPH

Joint Degrees

2nd (non-public health) area Degree*

MD MD/MPH

MSN MSN/MPH

Doctoral Degree

Public Health: Epidemiology PhD

Public Health: Social Behavioral Health PhD

All other previous MPH emphases (generalist and environmental health) have been discontinued.


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b. The bulletin or other official publication, which describes all degree programs listed in the instructional matrix, including a list of required courses and their course descriptions. The bulletin or other official publication may be online, with appropriate links noted.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Community Health Sciences offers two specialization areas, Public Health and Kinesiology. Both of the degrees include core and elective courses that introduce broad public health concepts as well as more specialized material. The BS degree requires 120 credits and includes a practicum experience. The catalog explaining the degree programs and instructional matrix with course requirements and descriptions is found at:

Public Health emphasis: Course Catalog: Public Health Major

Website information: CHS Public Health Major Information

Kinesiology emphasis: Course Catalog: Kinesiology Major

Website information: CHS Kinesiology Major Information

The MPH degrees are offered in three specializations, Epidemiology, Social and Behavioral Health and

the newer Health Administration and Policy specialization. The MPH in Biostatistics has been approved

but has not yet enrolled any students. Two joint degrees in nursing and medicine are offered that

require choosing one MPH emphasis. The catalog explaining these degree programs with course lists

and course descriptions can be found at:

MPH degrees: Course Catalog: MPH Degrees

More detailed information about the courses and proposed course sequencing can be found on the CHS

website: MPH Handbook

http://catalog.unr.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=12&poid=5721

http://dhs.unr.edu/Documents/dhs/chs/academics/CHS-Public-Health-Major-2014.pdf


http://dhs.unr.edu/Documents/dhs/chs/academics/CHS-Kinesiology-Major-2014.pdf

http://catalog.unr.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=12&poid=5473&returnto=2910

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs/academics/mph/handbook


68



The bachelor’s degree is a long standing program with a strong public health focus. The splitting

of the degrees has provided important specialization among students who want to pursue more

exercise science based activities.

The catalog is now fully online and provides a readily available source of information for

students. It is updated annually.

Weaknesses and Plans:

The curriculum is undergoing a fundamental change to redefine the undergraduate core

curriculum based on learning outcomes and competencies. This will be fully implemented in fall

of 2016. This has required substantial faculty work to re-do syllabi, apply for approval from the

core board, and find courses that fulfill all the requirements. When implemented there will be

more work to refine and improve courses and sequencing.


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2.2 Program Length. An MPH degree program or equivalent professional master’s degree must be at least 42 semester-

credit units in length.

a. Definition of a credit with regard to classroom/contact hours. The student credit hour is an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified

by evidence of student achievement that is an institutionally established equivalency that reasonably

approximates not less than:

(1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction (defined as a nominal 50 minute classroom hour)

and a minimum of two hours of out‐of‐class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks

for one semester hour of credit or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or

(2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other

academic activities as established by the institution, including laboratory work, internships, practica,

studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours. The amount of academic

credit awarded for such other academic activities is specified in UAM 6,081. (UNR Administrative

Manual).

UNR Administrative Manual: Definition of Student Credit Hour

Therefore, a course with 3 hours of lecture per week during a 15-16 week semester is equated with 3

student credit hours.

b. Information about the minimum degree requirements for all professional public health master’s degree curricula shown in the instructional matrix. If the program or university uses a unit of academic credit or an academic term different from the standard semester or quarter, this difference should be explained and an equivalency presented in a table or narrative.

The MPH degree requires 18 semester credits of core courses, 6 credits of practicum, 3 credits for the

capstone/culminating experience, and 6 credits of elective courses. Each specialization requires 12

credits in required courses specific to the discipline. Each MPH degree requires 45 credits and conforms

to accepted standards regarding program length and objectives of the credentials. Students in the dual

MD/MPH program must choose to complete one of the 3 specializations and complete the required 45

credit components with the practicum cross linked into the MD credits.

c. Information about the number of professional public health master’s degrees awarded for fewer than 42 semester credit units, or equivalent, over each of the last three years. A summary of the reasons should be included.

There were no MPH degrees awarded for fewer than 45 credits over the last three years.

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/6000-6999-curricula-teaching-research/courses-and-curricula/6081-requirements-for-lecture-lab-ratio-for-a-course

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/6000-6999-curricula-teaching-research/courses-and-curricula/6082-definition-of-student-credit-hour


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d. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.


The curriculum is 45 credits with each course accounting for 3 credits except for the internship that is 6 credits.

Weaknesses and Plans: There are limited electives for students as noted by the students. The faculty believe that even

fewer electives may be reasonable (especially for Health Administration and Policy) to ensure

that graduates have the necessary skills to be successful.


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2.3 Public Health Core Knowledge. All graduate professional public health degree students must complete sufficient coursework to attain

depth and breadth in the five core areas of public health knowledge. The areas of knowledge basic to

public health include the following:

Biostatistics – collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and interpretation of health data; design and

analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; and concepts and practice of statistical data

analysis;

Epidemiology – distributions and determinants of disease, disabilities and death in human

populations; the characteristics and dynamics of human populations; and the natural history of

disease and the biologic basis of health;

Environmental health sciences – environmental factors including biological, physical and chemical

factors that affect the health of a community;

Health services administration – planning, organization, administration, management, evaluation and

policy analysis of health and public health programs; and

Social and behavioral sciences – concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences relevant to

the identification and solution of public health problems.

a. Identification of the means by which the program assures that all graduate professional public health degree students have fundamental competence in the areas of knowledge basic to public health. If this means is common across the program, it need be described only once. If it varies by degree or specialty area, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each. See CEPH Data Template 2.3.1.

Table 2.3.1 Required Courses Addressing Public Health Core Knowledge Areas for MPH Degree

Core Knowledge Area Course Number & Title Credits

Biostatistics CHS 780 Biostatistics in Public Health 3

Epidemiology CHS 712 Epidemiology in Public Health 3

Environmental Health Sciences CHS 725 Health and the Environment 3

Social & Behavioral Sciences CHS 701 Social and Behavioral Dimensions of

Health

3

Health Services Administration CHS 755 Health Policy and Administration 3

In addition, all MPH students are required to complete CHS 700, Research Methods in Public Health, CHS 798 MPH Internship, and CHS 796 MPH Capstone.


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b. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.


There is a well-established core curriculum that covers the fundamental competencies in basic

public health knowledge. All specializations must take these core courses.

The additional requirement of CHS 700 helps ground students in core research competencies

prior to taking other classes.


Competencies are revised regularly but lag behind needs assessment data. Better and regular

communication between the faculty doing the needs assessments and the core faculty will

improve the relevance of the core.


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2.4 Practical Skills. All graduate professional public health degree students must develop skills in basic public health

concepts and demonstrate the application of these concepts through a practice experience that is

relevant to students’ areas of specialization.

a. Description of the program’s policies and procedures regarding practice placements, including the following:

Practical public health skill development is an integral part of the MPH program, regardless of program concentration, requiring 270 hours (6 credit hours) of professional work experience in a public health agency (clerical-level work is not accepted). While students are encouraged to take these six credits in two consecutive semesters (3 credits), the program is flexible regarding the time frame in which students complete the internship, provided that 45 hours of internship coincide with each credit.

– selection of sites

Students are responsible for locating and arranging their own internship experience, with support from their faculty advisor and the internship coordinator. Sites are selected through department recruitment, existing partnerships, and new partnerships pursued by the internship coordinator, faculty member, and/or student. Sites must adhere to all guidelines set out in the CHS 798 syllabus and accompanying documentation (MPH Internship Roles and Responsibilities document and MPH Contracts Meeting Acknowledgement).

Working with their faculty advisor and the internship coordinator, students begin planning for the internship at least six months before the desired start date by examining interests, program concentration, competencies, and goals for the internship. The internship coordinator and students locate sites and preceptors based on all of these factors. Once a site and preceptor are arranged, the student completes: the MPH Internship Agreement (similar to a Memorandum of Understanding) and the Student Learning Contract outlining student goals, competencies to be addressed, and scope of work for the internship (project management plan). Upon student completion of these documents, it is reviewed and signed by the preceptor, faculty advisor, and internship coordinator to ensure common understanding among all parties in moving forward. Only then can the student begin work on the internship.

– methods for approving preceptors

Faculty advisors and the internship coordinator maintain ongoing communication with former site

preceptors to facilitate new student placements and partnerships in state and local health departments

and community agencies, and continuously work to foster new community relationships with potential

preceptors in order to develop further student opportunities. Potential internship preceptor/project

recruitment letters are sent out to community partners during the fall semester each year. Responses

from this recruitment solicitation are compiled into a list that is communicated to MPH students at the

MPH internship orientation meeting in November of each year. The SCHS maintains a strong network of

preceptors that include past preceptors of MPH students, past preceptors of undergraduate field studies

students, and potential new preceptors that have shown an interest in mentoring our students.

Preceptors are approved by the faculty advisor and the internship coordinator. Preceptor qualifications

are based on position in the organization and extent of public health background, including number of

years in practice as well as educational degrees earned.


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– opportunities for orientation and support for preceptors

Effective communication and orientation to the internship process is essential to the ongoing success of

the program. Orientation and support of preceptors to the internship process is conducted in the

following ways:

1. Formal written communication about the background and goals of the internship program during the

preceptor/project recruitment process

2. During the MPH student contracts meeting in which the student, internship coordinator, preceptor,

and faculty advisor review the roles and responsibilities of each team member to the success of the

internship (acknowledged through the signing of the MPH Internship Roles and Responsibilities

document by all parties) as well as review the guidelines for successful completion of the internship

(acknowledged through the signing of the MPH Internship Contracts Meeting Acknowledgement)

3. During a Midterm Student Site Visit in which successes and challenges of the internship are discussed

in a team-based approach

4. During ongoing online communications with the internship coordinator, student, and faculty advisor

throughout the internship process

– approaches for faculty supervision of students

As noted above, a team-based approach is utilized for faculty supervision of students. The Internship

Coordinator leads the internship orientation, assists students in identifying the internship site,

coordinates all paperwork and meetings between student, preceptor, and faculty advisor, facilitates the

internship course (CHS 798), leads the midterm site visit, monitors progress, assesses quality, and

communicates effectively with the internship team throughout the experience.

The Faculty Advisor serves in a supportive role for students throughout the internship process. The

Advisor meets with the student to discuss interests, assists the student with appropriate internship

selection, works with the internship team to develop appropriate objectives and targeted competencies,

determines final approval on preceptor and internship site in collaboration with the Internship

Coordinator, takes the lead on any student projects requiring IRB approval, and communicates

effectively with the internship team throughout the experience.

– means of evaluating student performance

Internship emphasis is placed on developing an experience that will provide the student with

opportunities to: enhance skills learned during coursework, develop new skills and experiences in which

the student will be working in a professional capacity, address competencies, and evaluate the site and

overall experience. Students are required to focus on six Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH)

competencies during the internship coursework, three of which are pre-defined (one leadership [H-5],

one professionalism [J-10], and one communication [F-7]), and three of the student’s choice, to be

determined by areas of special interest or an identified need to enhance specific skills, and which apply

to the individual internship experience.

In addition to the 270-hour work requirement, students must complete two presentations and two

reports during their internship work. The Midterm Student Site Visit Presentation and Final Student


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Internship Presentation allows students to reflect on strengths and challenges of the internship

experience, reflect on the progress for achieving the scope of work and competencies, and discuss any

further development needs. The Midterm and Final Reports require students to research the

organization for which they are working, describe their own role in addressing the agency’s mission and

vision, and reflect on their progress in working toward the goals and competencies identified in the

student learning contract. In addition to overseeing student on-site work, preceptors provide midterm

(at 135 hours of internship completed) and final (at 270 hours of internship completed) evaluations of

student performance, strengths, areas for improvement, and readiness to enter the public health

workforce.

– means of evaluating practice placement sites and preceptor qualifications

Placement sites and preceptors are evaluated by the student on such topics as: relevance of the

experience to student goals and competencies, professional work environment, engagement of

preceptor and other agency staff, and strengths and weaknesses of the site for future internships. The

internship coordinator and faculty advisor also contribute evaluations from their perspectives of the

effectiveness of each site and preceptor and recommendation of the site and preceptor for future

placements.

– criteria for waiving, altering or reducing the experience, if applicable

Internship participation is required for all MPH students.

MD/MPH dual degree students select an internship experience that will count for both their MPH

internship and their medical school electives. The process still requires ongoing communication between

the student, site preceptor and advisor and the expectations are the same in terms of addressing

competencies and using this experience for their professional paper and capstone experience.

b. Identification of agencies and preceptors used for practice experiences for students, by specialty area, for the last two academic years.

Table 2.4.b. MPH Internship Placements for Academic Years 2013 -- 2015

Internship Site Preceptor

Epidemiology Emphasis

UMC Trauma Center, Las Vegas

Debrorah Kuhls, MD; Professor; Chief of Critical Care; Associate Dean, Academic Affairs; Program Director, Surgical Critical Care Fellowship; Principal Investigator, Center for Traffic Safety Research

Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health

Julia Peek, MHA; Manager, Office of Public Health Informatics and Epidemiology

Washoe County Health District Lei Chen, PhD; Senior Epidemiologist


Melanie Flores, MSW; Quality Improvement Manager


Ingrid Mburia, MPH; Health Program Specialist, Maternal and Child Health Epidemiology Bureau of Child, Family and Community Wellness


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Nevada Water Science Center Angela Paul, MS; Water Quality Specialist


Lacy Matsley, MBA; Health Program Specialist, Office of Public Health Informatics and Epidemiology

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Michael Kosoy, PhD; Laboratory Chief, Division

of Vector-Borne Diseases

Nevada Office of Rural Health John Packham, PhD; Director of Health Policy Research

Safe Kids Washoe County Melissa Krall, LSW; Director of Community Outreach and Coordinator of Safe Kids Washoe County

Envirolution David Gibson; Community Services Director


Don Ariyakumar, MS; Health Program Manager

Washoe County Health District Sara Dinga, MPA; Director of Programs and Projects

Ascel Bio, LCC James Tunkey, MBA; Chief Executive Officer

Immunize Nevada Heidi Parker, MA; Executive Director


Dan Mackie, MPH, MS; State Epidemiologist


Danika Williams, MPH; Rural Epidemiologist and Preparedness Coordinator

Nevada Primary Care Association Nancy Bowen, MS; Deputy Director

Desert Research Institute Adrienne Breland, PhD; Staff Research Scientist Analyst/Programmer


Michael Lowe, PhD; Epidemiologist, CDC State Assignee

Nanchang University, School of Public Health (China)

Yuan Zhaokang, PhD, MD; Professor & Dean at Nanchang University

University Medical Center, Las Vegas John Varras, MD; Associate Professor; Chair of Internal Medicine

Social/Behavioral Health Emphasis

University of Nevada, School of Medicine Mary Beth Hogan, MD; Professor, Pediatric Allergist/Immunologist

Nevada Cancer Coalition Cari Herington, MBA; Executive Director


Kimisha Griffin, MPH; Nevada Health Access Initiative Coordinator

Tahoe Forest Health System Caroline Ford, MS; Executive Director, Wellness Neighborhood/Community


Julia Peek, MHA; Manager, Office of Public Health Informatics and Epidemiology


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Safe Kids Washoe County Melissa Krall, LSW; Director of Community Outreach and Coordinator of Safe Kids Washoe County


John Whitehill, MPH; Health Program Specialist


Emily Brown, MPH; Accreditation Coordinator

Kitovu Hospital Anita Mago, MPH; Medical Director, Kitovu Hospital

Renown Health Gayle Hurd, MA; Best Practices Administrator


Marjorie Franzen-Weiss, MPH; Diabetes Prevention and Control Program Coordinator

Washoe County Health District Randall Todd, DrPH; Director, Epidemiology & Public Health Preparedness

Susan G. Komen Foundation Heather Goulding, MBA; Executive Director

Washoe County School District, Wellness Department

Laura Thurston, MPH; Wellness Coordinator

Samburu Girls Foundation Josephine Kulea; Executive Director

Nevada Primary Care Association Patrick Chang, MPH; Health Policy & Research Coordinator


Stephanie Woodard, Psy.D; Program Director


Kathie Lloyd, MSN, RN, CNM, CNS; Division Immunization Special Projects Manager



Nanchang University, School of Public Health (China)

Yuan Zhaokang, PhD, MD; Professor & Dean at Nanchang University

Community Chest, Inc. Adrienne Sutherland, LCPC, LCADC, NCC, MA; Clinical Director/Therapist

Kocaeli University, School of Medicine Nilay Etiler, MD; Professor and Women’s Health Director

Children's Cabinet Kathleen Sandoval, MS; Director of Operations

Willow Springs Adolescent Behavioral Health

Jeremy Matuszak, MD; Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist

Health Administration and Policy Emphasis



Nevada Health Co-Op Bobbette Bond, MPH; Chief Project Officer


Lindsey Dermid-Gray, MPH; Statewide Breastfeeding Coordinator


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Community Chest, Inc. Adrienne Sutherland, LCPC, LCADC, NCC, MA; Clinical Director/Therapist

Renown Health Keith Payne, MS; Director of Transformational Health Care

Students may not work with SCHS/MPH faculty for their internship experience. All Preceptors listed are either external to the university or working in other schools (specifically the School of Medicine).

c. Data on the number of students receiving a waiver of the practice experience for each of the last three years.

There were no students receiving waivers.

d. Data on the number of preventive medicine, occupational medicine, aerospace medicine and general preventive medicine and public health residents completing the academic program for each of the last three years, along with information on their practicum rotations.

Not applicable.


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There is a well-defined process for selecting internship sites and preceptors and continual evaluation ensures that the site remains competent.

The timeline is communicated and students and advisors understand their roles.

Ongoing communication allows for more immediate remediation in case of internship difficulties.

There are more internship sites and proposals than there are MPH students and this allows for a better match of students to agencies.

Weaknesses:

Occasionally the agency is unsuccessful in providing data to students in a timely fashion and this

influences the ability of students to use their internship experience for their professional paper.

Plans:

Continue to refine the process of placing interns in agencies through a strong insistence on data

being available and projects being immediately ready for implementation.


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2.5 Culminating Experience. All graduate professional degree programs identified in the instructional matrix shall assure that each

student demonstrates skills and integration of knowledge through a culminating experience.

a. Identification of the culminating experience required for each professional public health degree program. If this is common across the program’s professional degree programs, it need be described only once. If it varies by degree or specialty area, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each.

The MPH culminating experience at UNR has three components: 1) the internship/field studies; 2) the MPH professional paper and presentation; and 3) the capstone course. Through the MPH culminating experience students demonstrate proficiency in public health knowledge and competencies. Successful completion of all three components of the culminating experience is evidence that the MPH graduate is prepared to become a public health professional. After students complete their internship experience (described in section 2.4), they are prepared to

complete their MPH professional paper and presentation, and the capstone course.

MPH Professional Paper

Students complete a MPH professional paper that represents the culmination and mastery of the MPH

curriculum. The MPH professional paper is typically based on the student’s internship experience and

represents a product that the student has developed. Students may need to take the work from their

internship a step further to ensure that the product is suitable for the professional paper. Some

examples of professional products that could be the basis of the paper include: a needs assessment, a

program plan, a program evaluation, product or curriculum development, primary data analysis,

secondary data analysis, policy analysis, or grant development.

Before beginning the MPH professional paper, students must: 1) establish a professional paper

committee; 2) obtain committee approval for their proposed paper topic; and 3) obtain committee

signatures on their program of study. Please see the MPH professional paper guidelines, professional

paper approval form, and timeline in the E-resource: Culminating Experience. If the work contributing to

the professional paper involves human subjects and meets the definition of research, students must

receive appropriate approval from the University of Nevada, Reno Office of Human Research Protection.

IRB approval must be obtained before any data collection with human subjects can begin. If the intent of

the project is to meet agency needs and fulfill the MPH Professional Paper requirements only, IRB

approval is not needed.

The professional paper committee includes:

The student’s academic advisor (committee chair)

A faculty member from inside the School of Community Health Sciences (member)

A graduate faculty member outside the School of Community Health Sciences (graduate school representative)

A professional practice representative typically from the student’s field studies site (highly encouraged, but not required)


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Through the MPH professional paper students will:

Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the context of professional and public health activities (ASPPH Competency F7)

Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences (ASPPH Competency C8)

Apply evidence-based principles and scientific knowledge base to critical evaluation and decision-making in public health (ASPPH Competency J3)

Analyze determinants of health and disease using an ecological framework (ASPPH Competency J6)

In addition, students work with their faculty advisor to choose one competency within their area of

emphasis and one cross-cutting competency that they will emphasize in their professional paper.

Committees use a standard evaluation rubric based on the MPH paper guidelines and competencies to

evaluate the student’s MPH professional paper. This evaluation rubric and a summary of student’s

professional paper scores from the past three years can be found in the E-resource: Culminating

Experience.

Oral Presentation

Students orally present their professional paper to their committee, other MPH faculty, and MPH

students during spring semester. A standard evaluation rubric based on curriculum competencies is used

to evaluate the oral presentation. A copy of this evaluation rubric and a summary of oral presentation

scores can be found in the E-resource: Culminating Experience. Following the presentation and general

questions from the audience, the committee is given time alone to discuss whether the student has

provided evidence of mastery of the MPH curriculum and competencies in their professional paper and

presentation. Revisions are typically requested and must be made before the student can file for

graduation.

The MPH Capstone Course

The MPH capstone course provides the resources structure students need to complete their

professional paper and oral presentation. Several scientific writing and oral presentation workshops are

provided and students are given the opportunity for peer evaluation during the course.

The capstone course also addresses professional development. Special sessions and assignments related

to professional development will vary based on student needs, but may include topics such as: public

speaking, group facilitation, conflict resolution, how to be a good supervisor, resume development, how

to land a job, public health ethics, and the future of public health as a profession. As a course

assignment, students reflect on their mastery of MPH competencies and identify competencies that

need to be further developed in a post-graduation professional development plan.

In addition to the competencies related to the professional paper and presentation, the following

professional development competencies are addressed through the capstone course:


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• Embrace a definition of public health that captures the unique characteristics of the field (e.g., population-focused, community-oriented, prevention-motivated and rooted in social justice) and how these contribute to professional practice (J9)

• Value commitment to lifelong learning and professional service including active participation in professional organizations (J11)

• Apply basic principles of ethical analysis (e.g. the Public Health Code of Ethics, human rights framework, other moral theories) to issues of public health practice and policy (J2)

• One competency within area of emphasis that needs development (student choice) • One competency outside area of emphasis that needs development (student choice)


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b. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion.

This criterion has been met.

Strengths:

The internship, professional paper, and the capstone course are integrated into a

comprehensive culminating experience.

The capstone course provides students with the structure and feedback needed to successfully

complete their professional paper and presentation in a timely manner.

Evaluation of the professional paper and presentation is standardized and provides valuable

feedback for the students and the capstone course instructor.

Many students present their professional paper findings at state and national public health

conferences (E-resource Culminating Experience)

The competencies for the professional paper and the capstone course balance academic and

professional development.


MPH students complete a professional paper, not a thesis. While the committee structure

provides students with the support they need to complete their professional paper, outside

committee members do not always understand that a professional paper is based on applied

public health experience. To address this, standard language has been developed to

differentiate a professional paper from a thesis and this is shared with the committee at the

paper proposal meeting. In addition, an evaluation of committee structure and requirements

for professional papers in all CEPH accredited schools and programs is being conducted. Data

from the evaluation will be shared with the graduate school to determine whether an academic

committee structure is needed for a professional paper.

The field studies experience does not always produce a product that can be used for the

professional paper. Agency priorities and timelines change, data may not be as useful as

anticipated, or other unexpected “real life” issues may emerge such as staff turnover. In an

attempt to ensure that students are carving out a master’s level project, a mid-internship on-

site site visit has been added. The student, faculty advisor, field studies coordinator, and agency

representative meet to discuss progress and identify the focus of the MPH professional paper.

The MPH professional paper orientation has been moved to the spring semester before

students begin their internship and halfway through their internship students complete a

capstone assignment where they read and evaluate MPH professional papers from previous

years. Doing this assignment during their internship has given students greater context for

determining the focus of their professional paper.


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2.6 Required Competencies. For each degree program and area of specialization within each program identified in the instructional

matrix, there shall be clearly stated competencies that guide the development of degree programs.

The program must identify competencies for graduate professional, academic and baccalaureate

public health degree programs. Additionally, the program must identify competencies for

specializations within the degree programs at all levels (bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral).

a. Identification of a set of competencies that all graduate professional public health degree students and baccalaureate public health degree students, regardless of concentration, major or specialty area, must attain. There should be one set for each graduate professional public health degree and baccalaureate public health degree offered by the program (e.g., one set each for BSPH, MPH and DrPH).

Table 2.6a. UNR MPH Core Competencies

Domain: Biostatistics

A1. Describe the roles biostatistics serves in the discipline of public health

A2. Describe and apply basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical

probability distributions

A3. Illustrate preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when

assumptions are not met

A4. Identify and explain the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of

statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions

A5. Calculate descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data

A6. Apply common statistical methods for inference

Domain: Environmental Health Sciences

B1. Compare the direct and indirect human, ecological and safety effects of major environmental and

occupational agents

B2. Describe genetic, physiologic and psychosocial factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health

outcomes following exposure to environmental hazards

B3. Explain federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines and authorities that control

environmental health issues

B5. Describe approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental hazards that pose

risks to human health and safety

B6. Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a toxic response to various environmental

exposures

B7. Review various risk management and risk communication approaches in relation to issues of

environmental justice and equity

Domain: Epidemiology

C1. Describe key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes

C2. Demonstrate the principles and limitations of public health screening programs

C3. Illustrate a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place


85


C4. Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic and political

discussion of health issues

C5. Apply basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and

dissemination of epidemiologic data

C6. Describe the basic terminology and definitions of epidemiology

C7. Calculate basic epidemiology measures

C8. Summarize epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences

CHS Epi_1. Apply causal inference and hypothesis testing

CHS Epi_2. Illustrate the purposes, strengths and weaknesses of various study designs

CHS Epi_3. Calculate and illustrate random error and systematic error (bias)

CHS Epi_4. Describe and demonstrate whether confounding and/or effect modification is present

C10. Illustrate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports

Domain: Health Policy and Management

D1. Identify the main components and issues of the organization, financing and delivery of health

services and public health systems in the US

D2. Describe the legal and ethical bases for public health and health services

D4. Illustrate the basic policy process for improving the health status of populations.

D7. Explain quality and performance improvement concepts to address organizational performance

issues.

D8. Apply "systems thinking" for resolving organizational problems.

D9. Communicate health policy and management issues using through written and oral

communication

Domain: Social and Behavioral Sciences

E1. Identify basic theories, concepts and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines that

are used in public health research and practice

E2. Identify the causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and

populations from an ecological perspective

E3. Identify individual, organizational, and community concerns, assets, resources and deficits for

social and behavioral science interventions.

E6. Describe the role of social and community factors in both the onset and solution of public health

problems

E7. Describe the merits of social and behavioral science interventions and policies

E10. Specify multiple targets and levels of intervention for social and behavioral science programs

and/or policies

Domain: Communication and Informatics

F. 2. Describe how societal, organizational, and individual factors influence and are influenced by

public health communications

F7. Demonstrate effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the

context of professional public health activities


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Domain: Diversity and Culture

G1. Describe the roles of, history, power, privilege and structural inequality in producing health

disparities.

G3. Explain why cultural competence alone cannot address health disparity

Domain: Leadership

H5. Demonstrate team building, negotiation, and conflict management skills.

H8. Apply social justice and human rights principles when addressing community needs

Domain: Professionalism

J2. Apply basic principles of ethical analysis (e.g. Public Health Code of Ethics, human rights

framework, other moral theories) to issues of public health practice and policy

J3. Apply evidence-based principles and the scientific knowledge base to critical evaluation and

decision-making in public health.

J6. Analyze and assess determinants of health and disease using an ecological framework

J9. Explain and apply a definition of public health that captures the unique characteristics of the field

(e.g. population-focused, community-oriented, prevention-motivated and rooted in social justice) and

how these contribute to professional practice.

J10. Demonstrate the importance of working collaboratively with diverse communities and

constituencies (e.g. researchers, practitioners, agencies and organizations)

J11. Propose a commitment to lifelong learning and professional service including active participation

in professional organizations

Domain: Program Planning

K7. Compare between qualitative and quantitative methods in relation to their strengths, limitations,

and appropriate uses, and emphases on reliability and validity

Table 2.6a. Public Health PhD Core Competencies: Epidemiology and SBH core classes

CHS 782 Analysis of Categorical Data

CHS_PHD3. Evaluate, justify, and apply appropriate methodological and analytical approaches to

address public health research questions

CHS_PHD6. Manage and analyze data using classic and modern approaches appropriate for various

study designs using software packages such as SAS, R, STATA, SPlus, and WinBugs

CHS_PHD7. Interpret results from statistical analyses of epidemiologic studies

CHS_PHD8. Defend analytical models and the results from statistical inferences to diverse audiences

through written and oral presentations.

CHS_PHD9. Test statistical theory and methodology in public health and medical research

CHS 726 Biopsychosocial Foundations for Health

CHS_PHD1. Critically evaluate and synthesize scientific literature

CHS_PHD2. Develop original research hypotheses and research questions that will advance public

health knowledge


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CHS_PHD5. Effectively defend research methodology and findings through concise scientific writing

and oral presentations

CHS_PHD11. Construct and evaluate models for causal inference and demonstrate their practical

application to epidemiologic data

CHS_PHD12. Synthesize the biopsychosocial model and relevant theories and their influence on

health and illness

CHS_PHD14. Model theoretical knowledge about the influence of diversity and social determinants on

health

CHS 745 Advanced Survey Methods in Public Health


health knowledge



CHS_PHD4. Apply ethical principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination

of public health data





CHS_PHD10. Formulate appropriate sampling strategies

CHS_PHD13. Design, implement, and evaluate psychometric properties of health surveys

CHS 786 Biostatistical Analysis in Cohort Studies







through written and oral presentations.

CHS_PHD9. Test statistical theory and methodology in public health and medical research

CHS 710 Grant Writing for Public Health Research



health knowledge



CHS_PHD4. Examine ethical principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use, and

dissemination of public health data




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CHS 791 Seminar in public health








CHS_PHD14. Demonstrate theoretical knowledge about the influence of diversity and social

determinants on health

CHS 799 Dissertation



health knowledge



CHS_PHD4. Examine ethical principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and




CHS_PHD16. Demonstrate an interdisciplinary approach by integrating an outside academic area into

scholarly work

Table 2.6a Core Competencies BS Degree in Community Health Sciences

Core Student Outcomes for BS degree in Community Health Sciences

Student Outcome 1: Describe the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society

Student Outcome 2; Apply the basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis and explain why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice

Student Outcome 3: Distinguish the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations

Student Outcome 4: Recognize the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course

Student Outcome 5: Compare the socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities

Student Outcome 6: Demonstrate the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation

Student Outcome 7: Evaluate the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as to the differences in systems in other countries


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Table 2.6a Core Competencies BS Degree in Community Health Sciences

Core Student Outcomes for BS degree in Community Health Sciences

Student Outcome 8: Discuss the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy, and the roles, influences and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government

Student Outcome 9: Practice the basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

b. Identification of a set of competencies for each concentration, major or specialization (depending

on the terminology used by the program) identified in the instructional matrix, including professional and academic graduate degree curricula and baccalaureate public health degree curricula.

Competencies for MPH:

Table 2.6b. Epidemiology Specialization Competencies


A. 3. Evaluate preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical methods when

assumptions are not met

A. 4. Compare, evaluate and debate the different measurement scales and the implications for

selection of statistical methods to be used based on these distinctions

A. 5. Construct and justify descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data

A. 6. Decide common statistical methods for inference

A. 7. Recommend descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for

answering a particular research question

A. 8. Verify basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the

description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation

A. 9. Compare and judge results of statistical analyses found in public health studies

A.10. Create and develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public

health professionals and educated lay audiences

CHS.Epi.5. Design, apply and evaluate data analysis using a statistical software package (SAS)


C.1. Evaluate key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes

C.3. Evaluate and distinguish a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place

C.5. Assess and compare basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance,

use and dissemination of epidemiologic data

C7. Analyze, apply and judge basic epidemiology measures

CHS Epi 1. Assess, verify and evaluate causal inference and hypothesis testing

CHS Epi 2. Analyze and assess the purposes, strengths, and weaknesses of various study designs

CHS Epi 3. Investigate, judge and verify random error and systematic error (bias)

CHS Epi 4. Investigate, verify and analyze whether confounding and/or effect modification is present

C.10. Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic reports

Domain: Informatics


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Table 2.6b. Epidemiology Specialization Competencies

F. 1. Describe how the public health information infrastructure is used to collect, process, maintain,

and disseminate data

F. 3. Explain the influences of social, organizational and individual factors on the use of information

technology end users

F. 5. Evaluate legal and ethical principles to the use of information technology and resources in public

health settings

F. 6. Explain collaboration with communication and informatics specialists in the process of design,

implementation, and evaluation of public health programs

F. 7. Develop effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the

context of professional public health activities

F. 8. Analyze information technology to access, evaluate, and interpret public health data

F. 9. Investigate informatics methods and resources as strategic tools to promote public health

F.10. Describe how informatics and communication methods can be used to advocate for community

public health programs and policies


K. 2. Develop the tasks necessary to assure that program/study implementation occurs as intended

K. 8. Develop a program budget with justification

K. 5. Compose goals, measurable objectives, related activities, and expected outcomes for a research

proposal

Table 2.6b. Social and Behavioral Specialization Competencies


A. 5. Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data

A. 6. Apply common statistical methods for inference

A. 7. Develop methods and study designs to answer a particular research question


D. 10. Demonstrate leadership skills for building partnerships


E. 1. Evaluate basic theories, concepts and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines

that are used in public health research and practice

E. 2. Evaluate causes of social and behavioral factors that affect health of individuals and populations

from an ecological perspective

E. 4. Justify the selection of critical stakeholders for the planning and implementation of public health

programs, policies and interventions

E. 5. Design and evaluate the steps and procedures for the planning and implementation of public

health programs, policies and interventions

E. 7. Justify and assess the merits of social and behavioral science interventions & policies

E. 8. Apply and propose evidence-based approaches in the development of social and behavioral

science interventions


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Table 2.6b. Social and Behavioral Specialization Competencies

E. 9. Apply and assess ethical principles to public health program planning and implementation


SBH.1. Collect, manage and organize data to produce information for different audiences

F. 4. Apply theory and strategy-based communication principles across different settings and

audiences.


context of professional and public health activities


G. 2. Analyze how professional ethics and practices relate to equity and accountability in diverse

community settings

G. 5. Comprehend the basic concepts and skills involved in culturally appropriate community

engagement and empowerment with diverse communities

G. 6. Comprehend the principles of community-based participatory research to improve health in

diverse populations

G. 8. Differentiate between linguistic competence, cultural competency, and health literacy in public

health practice

G. 9. Identify and evaluate situations where consideration of culture-specific needs resulted in a more

effective modification or adaptation of a health intervention

G. 10. Develop public health programs and strategies responsive to the diverse cultural values and

traditions of the communities being served


K. 2. Distinguish and evaluate the tasks necessary to assure that program implementation occurs as

intended

K. 3. Justify how the findings of a program evaluation can be used

K. 4. Evaluate the contribution of logic models in program development, implementation, and

evaluation

K. 5. Create goals, measurable objectives, related activities, and expected outcomes for a public

health program

K. 6. Assess the purposes of formative, process, and outcome evaluation

K. 7. Distinguish between qualitative and quantitative evaluation methods in relation to their

strengths, limitations, and appropriate uses, and emphases on reliability and validity

K. 9. Assess individual, organizational, and community concerns and resources for public health

programs

Domain: Systems Thinking

L. 2 Assess unintended consequences produced by changes made to a public health system

L. 7 Evaluate how changes in public health systems (including input, processes, and output) can be

measured

Table 2.6b. Health Administration and Policy Specialization Competencies



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D. 4. Illustrate the basic policy process for improving the health status of the population.

D. 7. Explain quality and performance improvement concepts to address organizational performance

issues.

D. 8. Apply "systems thinking" for resolving organizational problems.

D. 9. Communicate health policy and management issues using appropriate channels and information

system technologies.

CHS HAP 1. Distinguish the main components of the policy process as it applies to improving

population health outcomes.

CHS HAP 2. Utilize aspects of program planning, development, economic evaluation, management,

collaboration, and evaluation to develop a comprehensive policy analysis.

CHS HAP 3. Assess collaborative aspects of policy development and develop plans for systems-level

implementation of these collaborations.

CHS HAP 4. Analyze evidenced-base by understanding statistical analyses with which to applying

decision-making.


E. 4. Justify the selection of critical stakeholders for the planning, implementation and evaluation of

public health programs, policies and interventions

E. 5. Design the steps and procedures for the planning, implementation and evaluation of public

health programs, policies and interventions

E. 8. Apply evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of social and behavioral

science interventions

E. 9. Develop ethical principles to public health program planning, implementation and evaluation


F. 3. Compare influences of social, organizational and individual factors on the use of information

technology by administrative and clinical end users.

F. 4. Apply theory and strategy-based communication principles across different settings and

audiences.

F.6. Relate with users of communication and informatics specialists in the process of design,

implementation, and evaluation of health services programs.


context of professional and public health activities.

F. 8. Appraise information technology for Quality Improvement to assess, evaluate, and interpret

health services and patient data.

F. 9. Justify informatics methods and resources as strategic tools to assist communities in

understanding health services.

F. 10. Identify informatics and communication methods for Quality Improvement of health services.


G. 4. Prescribe the importance and characteristics of a sustainable diverse public health workforce.

G.10. Develop public health programs and strategies responsive to the diverse cultural values and

traditions of the communities being served.


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Domain: Leadership

H. 6. Role model transparency, integrity, and honesty in all actions.

H. 9. Role model strategies, to motivate others for collaborative problem solving, decision-making,

and evaluation.

CHS HAP 5. Critique in writing or, if called upon, verbally his or her understanding of the implications

that knowledge workers have for the contemporary workforce.


K. 5. Create goals, measurable objectives, related activities, and expected outcomes for a public

health program

K. 9. Assess individual, organizational, and community concerns and resources for public health

programs

Domain: Systems Thinking

L.9. Illustrate the effects of political, social and economic policies on public health systems at the

local, state, national and international levels.

Table 2.6b. Biostatistics Specialization Competencies


A. 3. Evaluate and decide preferred methodological alternatives to commonly used statistical

methods when assumptions are not met

A. 4. Evaluate the different measurement scales and the implications for selection of statistical

methods to be used based on these distinctions

A. 5. Construct and justify descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data

A. 6. Decide common statistical methods for inference

A. 7. Decide and evaluate descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study

design for answering a particular research question

A. 8. Verify basic informatics techniques with vital statistics and public health records in the

description of public health characteristics and in public health research and evaluation

A. 9. Compare and evaluate results of statistical analyses found in public health studies

A.10. Create and develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analyses for both public

health professionals and educated lay audiences

CHS.Epi.5. Apply, design, and construct data analysis using a statistical software package (SAS)


C.1. Evaluate key sources of data for epidemiologic purposes

C.3. Distinguish a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place

C.5. Compare basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use and

dissemination of epidemiologic data

C7. Apply and analyze basic epidemiology measures

CHS Epi 1. Verify and evaluate causal inference and hypothesis testing

CHS Epi 3. Judge and evaluate random error and systematic error (bias)


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Table 2.6b. Biostatistics Specialization Competencies

CHS Epi 4. Verify whether confounding and/or effect modification is present

Domain: Informatics

F. 1. Describe how the public health information infrastructure is used to collect, process, maintain,

and disseminate data

F. 3. Explain the influences of social, organizational and individual factors on the use of information

technology end users

F. 5. Evaluate legal and ethical principles to the use of information technology and resources in public

health settings

F. 6. Explain collaboration with communication and informatics specialists in the process of design,

implementation, and evaluation of public health programs

F. 8. Analyze information technology to access, evaluate, and interpret public health data

F. 9. Investigate informatics methods and resources as strategic tools to promote public health

F.10. Describe how informatics and communication methods can be used to advocate for community

public health programs and policies

Competencies for Ph.D. Program:

Table 2.6b. Epidemiology Ph.D. Specialization Competencies



address public health research questions CHS_PHD6. Manage and analyze data using classic and modern approaches appropriate for various




through written and oral presentations

CHS_PHD9. Test statistical theory and methodology in public health and medical research CHS_PHD11. Construct and evaluate models for causal inference and demonstrate their practical


Table 2.6b. Social and Behavioral Health Ph.D. Specialization Competencies



health knowledge







CHS_PHD11. Construct and evaluate models for causal inference and demonstrate their practical


CHS_PHD12. Synthesize the biopsychosocial model and relevant theories and their influence on

health and illness


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Table 2.6b. Social and Behavioral Health Ph.D. Specialization Competencies

CHS_PHD13. Design, implement, and evaluate psychometric properties of health surveys

CHS_PHD14. Demonstrate and interpret theoretical knowledge about the influence of diversity and

social determinants on health

CHS_PHD15. Critically examine the major principles of CBPR and compare across case studies

CHS_PHD17. Examine and evaluate qualitative research methodology


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Table 2.6.b. BS competencies by specialization

Student Outcome BS in Community Health Sciences: Public Health

Student Outcome 1. Demonstrate completion of a literature search on a health issue using a variety of academic and public resources.

Student Outcome 2: Appraise evidence-based approaches to public health practice.

Student Outcome 3: Evaluate regulatory dimensions of health care and public health practice

Student Outcome 4: Employ effective written and oral skills for communicating with different audiences in the context of professional and

public health activities.

Student Outcome BS in Community Health Sciences: Kinesiology

Student Outcome 1: Evaluate existing conditioning programs for safety and effectiveness.

Student Outcome 2: Demonstrate the ability to promote and maintain successful physical activity programming in diverse settings and

situations.

Student Outcome 3: Describe a theoretical framework for valid and reliable assessment and evidence-based modification of an individual’s body

structure and physical capacity.

Student Outcome 4: Demonstrate process of incoming sensory information and subsequent motor output.

c. A matrix that identifies the learning experiences (e.g., specific course or activity within a course, practicum, culminating experience or other degree requirement) by which the competencies defined in Criteria 2.6.a and 2.6.b are met. If these are common across the program, a single matrix for each degree will suffice. If they vary, sufficient information must be provided to assess compliance by each degree or specialty area. See CEPH Data Template 2.6.1.

Competency Table matrix for MPH Core found in E-resource: Competencies, Table 2.6.c MPH Core Competencies. Competency Table matrix for MPH Specializations (Epidemiology, Social and Behavioral Health, Health Administration and Policy, and Biostatistics) found in E-resource: Competencies: MPH Competencies: Table 2.6.c MPH Specialization Competencies. Template 2.6.c: Ph.D. Core Course Competencies and Specialization Competencies (Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral) found in

E-resource: Competencies: PhD Competencies.

Template 2.6.1: Courses and activities through which BS degree Student Learning Objectives are met (please see 2.8 d Template L)


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d. Analysis of the completed matrix included in Criterion 2.6.c. If changes have been made in the curricula as a result of the observations and analysis, such changes should be described.

MPH Epidemiology:

Competency assessment (described in section 2.7) demonstrated the need for more SAS analysis before

students begin their internship experience. Therefore, CHS 753-Health Informatics was moved to spring

semester (year 1) and this course was revised to include more SAS data management and descriptive

analysis skills. This course was coordinated closely with CHS 703R-Applied Health Analysis which is

taught the same semester and focused more on advanced analytic techniques. Covering the

competencies for CHS 709-Epidemiologic Research Design was not possible with a 2 credit course, so

this course was changed to 3 credits and CHS 708-Epidemiology II was changed from a 4 credit course to

a 3 credit course, including 1 SAS lab credit. After a few semesters of competency assessment, course

instructors for CHS 712-Epidemiology for Public Health and CHS 780-Biostatistics in Public Health

collaborated more closely to ensure that epidemiology and biostatistics course material was

complementary. One biostatistics competency was moved from CHS 712 to CHS 780 and different

aspects of shared competencies are taught in each class. For example, CHS 712 focuses on systematic

error, while CHS 780 focuses on random error.

MPH Social and Behavioral Health:

Based on employers’ requests that students have more training in survey and mixed methods, a new

course, CHS 747 Applied Research Methods in Public Health, was developed and required to be

completed before social/behavioral students commence their internship. Relatedly, CHS 700 Research

Methods in Public Health was increased from 1 to 3 credits and is required for all MPH students.

A related concern was that the MPH cultural diversity class was only required for the social/behavioral

health students yet workforce needs require that all students be skilled in partnering with diverse

groups. Therefore, our competencies were revised in an effort to address cultural diversity issues

throughout the curriculum for all MPH students.

MPH Health Administration and Policy:

Our non-SCHS HAP faculty along with SCHS faculty met in Fall 2013 to review the current HAP

curriculum. It lacked more quantitative courses and financial courses. At that time, we added the Health

Care Finance course to our curriculum and hired two LOA faculty to develop the course and teach it in

Spring 2014 with mixed success. While it was a good first step, feedback from our Finance instructors as

well as the instructors for Health Economics and Health Policy Analysis indicated poor skills and

competencies with quantitative content. These faculty now coordinate their curriculum topics together

in order to provide better overlapping materials to students. In addition, our HAP students’ feedback

from their internships in summer 2015 indicate more is needed.

So, while our students were achieving the competencies, it was not translating to other courses and

then to internship. We have not yet achieved the appropriate level of content for the HAP students to

be successful. We anticipate in 2016, we will be better prepared in these areas as it is now the second

time around for all courses for HAP students, and faculty have made adjustments coordinating more,

and have clearer expectations of assignments that will achieve the competencies.


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In addition, we also changed the competencies for CHS 755 – to make it more system focused and less

administration focused. We dropped several of the competencies and focused on policy and system

competencies.

MPH Internship:

The graduate committee analyzed the internship experience and identified that there were a set of

competencies that were needed to successfully complete the internship and prepare for the culminating

experience. The graduate committee and faculty from each discipline identified the courses needed to

be taken and passed before commencing an internship. Each discipline also changed course sequencing

to ensure that students would be well prepared for their experiences (see section 2.6d above).

In 2014, the Student Learning Contract in CHS 798-MPH Internship was revised to include more

professionally relevant student competencies that were mentioned in midterm and final student

evaluations of the past years. The Student Learning Contract now also incorporates a Project

Management Plan with SMART objectives and an hour distribution tracking mechanism, as well as a

methods section to discuss the methods that will be utilized in the internship project. Resources and skill

based tracking assessment has also been incorporated to ensure that the students are embarking on

their internships with the necessary skill sets to succeed.

MPH Capstone:

MPH professional paper evaluations and student competency assessment revealed the need to provide

students with more structure for writing the methods and results section for their professional paper.

Two new class sessions and accompanying materials focused on structuring quantitative and qualitative

methods and visually displaying data were added to CHS 796-MPH Capstone. The need to begin the

professional paper earlier also emerged and three required writing workshops were added to the

semester before the capstone course begins.

e. Description of the manner in which competencies are developed, used and made available to students.

MPH and PhD Competency Development. MPH core competencies were identified by a core

competency subcommittee consisting of faculty who teach required core courses and a student

representative. Core course instructors developed competency plans (see E-resource file: Competencies)

that mapped each competency to specific learning and assessment activities. After all competency plans

were developed, the competency subcommittee reconvened to approve individual course competency

plans and to develop the matrix that maps all core competencies with the required courses. A similar

process was followed for the development of area of specialization course competency plans and the

competency matrix for each area of specialization. Core and area specialization competencies are

presented and approved by the graduate committee and faculty-at-large. Competencies are reviewed by

individual course instructors and the competency subcommittee every semester. If changes are

recommended by this subcommittee, the changes are reviewed by the graduate committee which

includes MPH student representatives. The graduate committee and faculty-at-large need to vote on

any competency changes and these changes are typically made the following year for the incoming

cohort. All competencies were evaluated and refined this last academic year, 2014-15. PhD core and

specialization competencies were developed by a PhD curriculum and competency subcommittee


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consisting of faculty who will teach required courses. The PhD competency subcommittee met several

times a semester to discuss course progression and develop competencies Fall 2013-Fall 2015. The PhD

curriculum and competency subcommittee was mindful of ensuring that courses and competencies

required for the PhD did not overlap with requirements for the MPH and reflect a higher level of

scientific reasoning. The PhD core and specialization competencies were approved by the faculty-at-

large on January 12, 2016.

Competency Use. The core and area of specialization competencies form the basis for all MPH and PhD

curricular development, assessment, and revision. Each semester, the MPH competencies are evaluated

by students and faculty (see section 2.7) and a similar process will begin for the PhD competencies when

classes begin. Core and area faculty meet to review the evaluation data and make curricular

adjustments. Competencies are also used to make sure all courses are taught consistently. We

encourage MPH students to share the list of competencies addressed in completed courses when

discussing possible internship placements with preceptors. Finally, the competencies form the basis for

MPH student planning and participation in field studies and the culminating capstone course. Students

select competencies to target for individual development during each course and complete self-

assessment of chosen competencies. Students in the MPH capstone course also identify competencies

that they plan to address through professional development after graduation (see sections 2.4 and 2.5).

Availability of Competencies to Students. All syllabi for MPH and PhD core courses and required courses

for each area of specialization include the approved competencies. The competencies are also available

for download on the school’s website (MPH Course Competencies), in the student handbooks (see e-

resource: competencies). The University catalogue is currently being updated to include all MPH and PhD

competencies (revisions will be reflected fall semester, 2016). The competency assessment plans are

distributed during courses or posted for students on their course websites. In addition, the university’s

assessment office recently agreed to recognize our developed competencies as the required student

learning outcomes for each MPH class and will add our competencies to the university catalog by end of

spring 2016.

f. Description of the manner in which the program periodically assesses changing practice or research needs and uses this information to establish the competencies for its educational programs.

A survey of undergraduate CHS student conducted in 2010 indicated that 67% of students would be very

interested in a degree in kinesiology or allied health. Inclusion of exercise physiology and kinesiology

and their prerequisites in biology slowed student progress through the CHS BS degree. Students more

interested in public health wanted to be able to take more electives in public health. This information

sparked the split of the CHS BS degree into the two emphases. Exploration of other programs in

kinesiology helped in the formation of the kinesiology curriculum. In addition, the state of Nevada did

not have any programs that would certify secondary physical education teachers. Identification of the

components needed to certify teachers showed that addition of a few courses to the kinesiology

curriculum would fulfill that requirement.

A public health workforce development survey was completed in 2013 and 2015. The survey in 2013

assessed educational and skill needs. The 2015 survey concentrated on an assessment of essential public

health competencies. Important information gleaned from these surveys indicated that over 60% of

http://dhs.unr.edu/Documents/dhs/chs/academics/MPH_Course_Competencies.docx


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working public health professionals did not have MPH or public health training. The competency survey

in particular noted a need for basic skills related to epidemiology, program planning and evaluation, and

a desire to use technology more effectively. Based on this and internship feedback, the curriculum

changed to address quantitative and qualitative evaluation competencies before the internship

experience.

An alumni survey is completed every year and graduates reflect on the usefulness of their core MPH

coursework for their current employment positions (see section 2.7c). While this survey does not

evaluate specific objectives the overall ratings of courses on a 4 point scale are high: CH 700-Research

Methods for Public Health (3.45), CHS 701-Social and Behavioral Dimensions of Health (3.23), CHS 712-

Epidemiology in Public Health (3.83), CHS 725-Health and the Environment (3.28), CHS 755-Health Policy

and Administration (3.18), and CHS 780-Biostatistics in Public Health (3.68). Core and specialization

competency committees review findings from the workforce development surveys, alumni surveys, and

internship supervisors to assess the need to revise competencies and course progression. In addition, an

employer survey is being developed to more specifically evaluate whether our current competencies

meet the needs of employers.

Competencies are reviewed by individual course instructors and the competency subcommittee every

semester. The subcommittee also considers feedback from the workforce development surveys, the

Community Advisory Board, and the Alumni Surveys, preceptor feedback and when available, workforce

information. If changes are recommended by this subcommittee, the changes are reviewed by the

graduate committee which includes MPH student representatives. The graduate committee and faculty-

at-large need to vote on any competency changes and these changes are typically made the following

year for the incoming cohort.


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This criterion is met with commentary.

Strengths:

A well-developed competency-based curriculum is in place.

Competencies are revised based on student input, faculty assessments and workforce needs.

Weaknesses:

Workforce surveys have been conducted, however they have focused more on professional

development needs rather than specifically evaluating the school’s competencies. More specific

assessments of program-wide competencies would provide useful data. While internship

preceptors evaluate internship-related competencies there is a need to more comprehensively

assess core and specific competencies to address workforce needs.

The PhD degree has not enrolled students, so competency assessment data are not available.

Plans:

The 2015 workforce survey data are currently being analyzed in greater detail and results will

be shared with faculty to determine competency gaps. A plan to address these gaps will be

developed in the upcoming year.

Survey results are being presented to stakeholders throughout Nevada during the month of

October 2015. Feedback from these community roundtables also will be used in revising the

competencies.

Development of an employer survey focused on competencies.

Careful evaluation of the PhD competencies during the first two years of the program.


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2.7 Assessment Procedures. There shall be procedures for assessing and documenting the extent to which each student has

demonstrated achievement of the competencies defined for his or her degree program and area of

concentration.

a. Description of the procedures used for monitoring and evaluating student progress in achieving the expected competencies, including procedures for identifying competency attainment in practice and culminating experiences.

Beginning in Fall 2014, the School of Committee Health Sciences instituted an Exit Exam for graduating

students with a declared CHS major in the Bachelor of Science degree program. The exam has been pilot

tested for two semesters (Fall 2014 and Spring 2015).

The exam consists of a single case study drawn from a chapter in Savage Inequalities (Kozol 1991). We

created twelve short answer questions that assess students’ competency in six domains: social

behavioral health, health policy, public health ethics, environmental health, epidemiology, and public

health biology.

The first pilot test (Fall 2014) was designed to examine feasibility and logistical issues related to

administering the exam. The exam was administered anonymously via the UNR WebCampus platform to

students in the CHS 494 “Field Studies in Public Health” course, which is required for all CHS majors in

the last year of their degree progression. All students in CHS 494 were randomized to take one of two

versions of the exam, each of which consisted of six questions (one question per domain). Participation

was incentivized by raffling three gift certificate worth $10 each to students who completed the exam by

the last day of class. Seventeen out of 55 (31%) students completed the exam . Students were given two

weeks to complete the exam. On average, students spent over 2 hours completing the exam. Students

who completed the exam had earned an average of a 90% in CHS 494. The Undergraduate Curriculum

Committee reviewed the exam results and formulated several recommendations for improving response

rate and addressing logistical barriers that emerged in the first pilot. These included:

1. Increase student participation through: further incentivizing participation, explaining the

purpose and importance of the exam, reducing the time burden

2. Improve student experience and reduce logistical barriers through: changing the administration

to a more user friendly web interface, allowing students to select one question per domain

rather than randomly assigning

In the second pilot test (Spring 2015), the Undergraduate Curriculum Committee instituted several

changes in response to the recommendations from the first pilot. The exam was administered

anonymously using Google Survey, which reduced the logistical burden associated with WebCampus

and allowed students to select questions from each domain to answer. The exam was described in the

CHS 494 syllabus and assigned a point value – credit was earned for completing the exam but was not

based on the students’ scores. The Director of the Undergraduate Program wrote a letter to students

explaining the rationale for and purpose of the exam. Seventy-six out of 113 (67%) CHS 494 students

completed the exam – a considerable improvement over the 31% participation rate in the first pilot.

Two second-year MPH students, who were trained by Undergraduate Curriculum Committee, graded


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the exams. The average score on the exam was 2.14, on a four-point Likert-type scale (1-4). The

Undergraduate Curriculum Committee is in the process of reviewing the exams and formulating

recommendations for future implementation. Deliberations will include:

1. Characteristics of the exam – Are the questions appropriate for measuring the public health

competencies outlined by the program? Is it appropriate to assess all the competencies at the end

of the four-year course progression, or should the program implement interim exams that assess

competencies immediately after required coursework? Can the short-answer questions be replaced

or supplemented with multiple choice questions, which would reduce burden and facilitate

consistency in grading?

2. Quality of the grading – Were the responses graded appropriately? How can the program ensure

appropriate and consistent grading of short-answer responses year-to-year and grader-to-grader?

3. Student participation – How can students be further incentivized to commit sufficient effort to the

exam? How can the participation rate be improved further?

4. Content of the undergraduate curriculum – After addressing measurement and logistical issues that

might impact results, how can the results of the exit exam be used to improve student learning

thorough their progression in the CHS major?

In September 2015, we met with the University Assessment Office to determine our assessment plan.

The office has additional capacity to support specialized assessment in each major and has added staff

analysts and survey software. We devised a plan with three surveys identifiable to student names

throughout the course progression: CHS 101, early in the semester, as a pre-test; CHS 280, by the end of

semester, as a mid-point assessment; CHS 494, towards end of semester, as the post-test. The survey

questions will include self-assessment about the program SLO’s.

Every required MPH and area of specialization course has a competency plan (E-resource: Competencies:

Competency assessment plan). The competency plan includes assessment and evaluation methods that

serve the basis for monitoring whether students are achieving expected competencies (e.g., exams,

assignments, papers, projects, and final course grades). Using the evaluation methods identified in the

competency plans, faculty members meet once a semester (or more as needed) to assess student

progress in mastering the core and area of specialization competencies (before the drop date and near

the end of the semester).

Since 2010, MPH competencies have been assessed in two ways for each required and core course—by

the course instructor and by student self- assessment. At the beginning of the semester, instructors of

core and required courses provide students with a course competency plan, which describes the

competencies covered in the course along with the topics, readings and assignments/assessments

associated with each competency. Faculty use this plan throughout the semester so that students are

familiar with it. A course competency survey was developed for each of the core and required courses in

the program and is administered to students at the end of the semester. The survey lists each of the

competencies for the course along with the sample topics, readings, and assignments related to that

competency. Then, students are asked to rate their degree of proficiency with each competency on a


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scale from 1 = Very Poor to 5 = Excellent. In addition, the instructors conduct their own assessments of

the course, reflecting on results from course assignments and tests and their observations throughout

the semester regarding the strengths and weaknesses of the course. Upon reviewing the student’s self-

assessment of competencies and/or based on their own course assessments, instructors determine how

to address weaknesses. Competency assessment data from fall 2012 through fall 2015 for the core and

required MPH courses are presented in the E-resource: Competencies: survey and results. A similar

competency assessment strategy will be used for the PhD courses.

The internship preceptor completes a student evaluation based on competencies identified in the

Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) (see section 2.4 Practical Skills). In addition, students establish

an MPH professional paper committee (see section 2.5) that evaluates students’ achievement of course-

and student-identified competencies using a standard evaluation tool (E-resource: Culminating

Experience: Evaluation). The evaluations are both qualitative and quantitative. Students must receive

approval from their committee members that they have demonstrated in their final paper and

presentation the ability to synthesize public health knowledge and apply it to the solution of public

health problems.

Faculty committee members and audience members rate students’ MPH professional papers and oral

presentations on eight different competencies using a scale from 1 = Needs Improvement to 10 =

Excellent. For the professional paper, using the same 10-point scale, faculty rate students’ writing

competency for each of seven parts of the paper, along with five additional competencies. From 2013 to

2015, mean professional paper ratings ranged from 8.7 to 9.0, while mean presentation scores ranged

from 9.3 to 9.4 Professional paper and presentation competency assessment data are presented in E-

resource: Culminating Experience: evaluation.

b. Identification of outcomes that serve as measures by which the program will evaluate student achievement in each program, and presentation of data assessing the program’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years. Outcome measures must include degree completion and job placement rates for all degrees included in the unit of accreditation (including bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees) for each of the last three years. See CEPH Data Templates 2.7.1 and 2.7.2. If degree completion rates in the maximum time period allowed for degree completion are less than the thresholds defined in this criterion’s interpretive language, an explanation must be provided. If job placement (including pursuit of additional education), within 12 months following award of the degree, includes fewer than 80% of graduates at any level who can be located, an explanation must be provided. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

The SCHS has defined a number of goals and objectives that serve as important outcomes measures for

both the undergraduate and graduate programs. In addition to graduation in a defined period of time,

additional outcome measures include maintaining GPA above 3.0 for both undergraduate and graduate

students and having internship ratings of the students that are good or above. MPH student outcomes

include successfully defending the professional paper in a timely manner, being involved in faculty

research, and providing service to the community or university outside usual course work. Post-

graduation outcomes for MPH students include successful employment, admittance into additional

academic training, being in leadership positions and successfully taking the CPH examination. In


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addition, diversity outcomes are measured for both undergraduate and graduate students (see Table

1.8.1)

Graduation rates for the MPH degree follow a predictable pattern based on whether students are full

time with an expectation to graduate in two years or whether they are part-time and take classes over

years. All masters graduate students must complete their degrees in 6 years.

Table 2.7.1.

Students in MPH Degree, By Cohorts Entering Between 2009-2010 and 2104-2015

Maximum Time to Graduate = 6 years*

Cohort of Students 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15

2009-

10

# Students entered 16

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0

# Students graduated 0

Cumulative graduation rate 0.0%

2010-

11

# Students continuing at beginning

of this school year

16 16

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 4 0

# Students graduated 9 3

Cumulative graduation rate 56.2% 18.8%

2011-

12


of this school year

3 13 16

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0 3 1

# Students graduated 2 6 0

Cumulative graduation rate 68.8% 56.3% 0.0%

2012-

13


of this school year

1 4 15 32

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0 0 3 4

# Students graduated 1 2 7 3

Cumulative graduation rate 75.0% 68.8% 43.8% 9.4%

2013-

14


of this school year

0 2 5 25 27

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0 0 0 0 3

# Students graduated 0 1 1 19 2

Cumulative graduation rate 75.0% 75.0% 50.0% 68.8% 7.4%

2014-

15


of this school year

0 1 4 6 22 32

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0 0 0 0 0 0

# Students graduated 0 1 2 3 13 4

Cumulative graduation rate 75.0% 81.3% 62.5% 78.1% 55.6% 12.5%


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Table 2.7.b

Outcome Measures Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015



2a. 90% of MPH students will receive grades of B- or higher in the MPH core and required courses ( first time they take the course)

90% 93% 93% 94%

2b. 60% of undergraduate CHS majors will have a GPA of 3.0 at graduation. (New) By 2018 60%

71% 61% 60%

2c.By 2015, 95% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper. By 2018, 90% of MPH students will successfully defend their MPH professional paper in the same semester during which they were enrolled in the Capstone course.

By 2015 95%

By 2018

90%

100% 96% 100%

2d. 30% of MPH students participate with faculty in research activities. 30% 58% 64% 49%


By 2015 75%

By 2018

60%

68% 64% 45%

2f. 90% of MPH students completing internships will be rated by their preceptors at “good” or above.

(New) By 2018 90%

N/A N/A 100%

2g. 75% of undergraduate students completing their internship will be rated at “good” or above.

(New) By 2018 75%

N/A N/A 95%

2h. 80% of MPH students will rate the quality of their internship as being “good” or above

(New) By 2018 80%

N/A N/A 100%


3a. 90% of full-time MPH students will complete their degree within 3 years of matriculation.

90% 100% 100% 93%

3b. By 2018, the 3-year graduation rate of juniors will be 75%. (New) By 2018 75%

N/A N/A Not availa

ble

3c. 75% of recent MPH graduates will become employed in public health or settings closely related to their degree within 6 months of graduation.

75% 92% 93% 93%

3d. 5% of MPH graduates within the past year will be admitted to a program for further academic training (PhD, MD, etc.).

5% 0% 13% 12%

3e. 10% of MPH graduates will have local, regional or national leadership positions in public health.

10% 23% 20% 12%

3f. By 2018, 50% of employed UNR MPH graduates are located in Nevada. By 2018 50%

64% 82% 88%


(New) 20%

N/A N/A 9%

3h. By 2018, 80% of graduating students who take the CPH exam will pass it.

(New) 80%

N/A N/A 50%


(New) 25%

N/A N/A Est. 5%

N/A is not applicable for the new measurements. Baseline is 2015. The 3 year graduation rate for juniors

will be a special request to institutional analysis. They have not yet been able to configure this analysis.

If they are unable to assist, we will develop another marker of graduation success.


107

Undergraduate students in the CHS BS degree program often start UNR as “undecided” or in another

degree program. In addition, the community colleges offer an AA degree in Community Health Sciences

that is readily transferrable to UNR. Students who transfer into CHS may have a more prolonged

undergraduate career to attain the required courses needed to graduate. The unprecedented growth at

UNR affects the ability of students to enroll in required classes. There has been a concerted effort to

prioritize admittance into CHS classes for seniors to complete their required courses in a timely fashion.

To address the growth, additional budget allocations for faculty (full time and adjunct) were received

over the last three years.

The standard measure for graduation success nationwide is 6 years and that is what is used in Template

2.7.1 for the BS degree. Few students declare their major as freshman so the information presented is

not an accurate representation of graduation success in the school. Rates are only tracked from a cohort

of freshman and do not include information on students who transfer into the major during their

sophomore through senior years. Institutional analysis has indicated they may not be able to track

students who enroll in the major after 60 credits (junior status).

Other measurements may provide some relevant information. For the last three years, we have

information on the number of graduates, the time to graduation, graduating GPA and fall-to-fall

retention.

Degree statistics Category 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 Undergraduate degrees granted 141 148 186 Undergraduate time to degree (years) 4.9 4.9 5.1 Undergraduate GPA 3.19 3.13 3.10 Undergraduate fall to fall retention rate (2nd -3rd year) 78% 85% 85%

To address the inability to track graduation success, the school will work with the Assessment office to

create a better way to track this figure. Classic rates may not be useful given the influx of students into

the major in their later years of college. The new student tracking system may assist with this.


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These numbers are based on students who enrolled in the CHS major as freshmen. This represents a

minority of SCHS undergraduate students.

Cohort of Students 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2014-15

2005-06 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 21


# Students graduated 0

Cumulative graduation rate 0.00%

2006-07 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 13 44

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 2 10

# Students graduated 0 0

Cumulative graduation rate 0.00% 0.00%

2007-08 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 11 30 49

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 2 7 21

# Students graduated 0 0 0

Cumulative graduation rate 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

2008-09 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 9 23 28 70

# Students withdrew, dropped, etc. 0 1 15 34

# Students graduated 2 0 0 0

Cumulative graduation rate 9.52% 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%

2009-10 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 6 22 13 36 63




2010-11 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 1 14 13 31 34 62











7 Cumulative graduation rate 12.24% 7.14% 0.00% 0.00% 0.70% 0.00%





2014-15 # Students continuing at beginning of this school year 4 12 57 82 52




Table 2.7.1. Students in BS Degree, By Cohorts Entering Between 2008-2009and 2014-2015


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Template 2.7.2 Destination of MPH Graduates by Employment Type *

2011-2012 2012-2013 2013-2014

Employed 19 90.5% 10 71.4% 17 77.3%

Continuing education/training (not employed) 1 4.8% 3 21.4% 5 22.7%

Actively seeking employment 1 4.8% 1 7.1% 0 0

Not seeking employment (not employed and not continuing education/training, by choice)

0 0 0 0 0 0

Unknown 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 21 14 22

*Additional employment information described in narrative 2.7 c.

Template 2.7.2 Destination of BS Graduates by Employment Type

(Cumulative data for all 12 years is the only reported figure due to the small response rate).

2000-2012 combined

n=282

UNR comparison

n=13728

Employed 202 72% 10,880

79%

Continuing education/training (not employed) 65 23% 1922 14%

Actively seeking employment 5 1.5% 544 4%

Not seeking employment (not employed and not continuing education/training, by choice)

10 3.5% 347 2.5%

Unknown 0 0 37 .5%

Total 282 13,728

Undergraduate employment information has been difficult to track. UNR has conducted an alumni

survey since 2001. Data for CHS is limited but does provide some insight into comparative experiences

for CHS compared to UNR. Alumni surveys do not reach many graduated students primarily because of

the difficulty of finding graduates after they leave UNR. One strategy just implemented by UNR is that

students can keep their unr.edu email address after they leave. This may improve the ability to track

graduates. The faculty added the development of a SCHS undergraduate tracking system to the goals

and objectives in 2015.

c. An explanation of the methods used to collect job placement data and of graduates’ response rates to these data collection efforts. The program must list the number of graduates from each degree program and the number of respondents to the graduate survey or other means of collecting employment data.

An online survey of the current years’ MPH graduates is conducted each fall three to five months

following graduation. The graduate survey includes questions about the graduate’s employment or

continuing education status, employment sector, employer and location. Additionally, graduates are

asked to evaluate the quality of the MPH program, including the faculty, courses, strengths, and

challenges. A graduate employment update survey is administered to MPH graduates a year after


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graduation. This brief survey includes questions about the graduate’s employment or continuing

education status, employment sector, and location. MPH graduate job placement data is derived from

these two surveys and supplemented with employment information that faculty members have received

directly from graduates who did not complete the surveys.

Of the 2012 MPH graduates, 19 of 21 completed the graduate survey yielding a 90% response rate. The

2013 graduate survey was completed by 13 of 14 graduates in fall 2013 for a 93% response rate. A

survey of 2014 MPH graduates was administered online in fall 2014 and completed by 15 of 22

graduates for a 68% response rate. The employment update survey for 2014 graduates is ongoing

currently in fall 2015. Final results of the 2014 graduate employment update survey will be updated

prior to the spring 2016 site visit. While graduate survey response rates are not 100%, we have been

able to gather complete employment placement information for MPH graduates by supplementing with

faculty members’ information about graduates’ employment.

In fall 2012, 97 MPH alumni were invited to complete an online survey, which included items relating to

their employment status, sector, location, employer, and their scholarship, service and leadership

related to public health. Of the 97 invited, 39 completed the survey for a 40% response rate (46%

response rate after adjusting for 12 invalid email addresses). Most of the respondents (84%) were

employed; 13% were pursuing further education; while one respondent (3%) was not employed. The

majority 70% of employed respondents were located in the state of Nevada; and, 6% in other

Intermountain West states (Utah, Idaho, Arizona, Colorado, or New Mexico). The highest percentages of

respondents were employed in the government and healthcare sectors.

The UNR alumni survey has been conducted by phone interviews. A sample of graduates is contacted

and a standardized script is used to collect the data. The study size has been limited. For the last two

years there have been no respondents from SCHS (due in part to the changes in assessment activities at

UNR). The full survey can be seen in the E-resource: Surveys section.

d. In fields for which there is certification of professional competence and data are available from the certifying agency, data on the performance of the program’s graduates on these national examinations for each of the last three years.

The MPH graduates have begun to take the CPH exam. For the last two years seven students have taken

the test and 5 have passed. Students who did not pass took the test prior to finishing their courses.

Students are being encouraged to take this test after they graduate.

Our BS degree is not associated with any national credentialing at this point.

e. Data and analysis regarding the ability of the program’s graduates to perform competencies in an employment setting, including information from periodic assessments of alumni, employers and other relevant stakeholders. Methods for such assessment may include key informant interviews, surveys, focus groups and documented discussions.

Combining responses from 2011 through 2014 MPH graduate survey respondents (n=55; 82% response

rate), on a scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree, 92% of MPH graduates agreed or strongly

agreed that “overall, the MPH Program advanced my career objectives.” Graduate survey respondents


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also were asked to indicate, on a scale from 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree, the extent to which

they agreed that each of the six core courses gave them a solid foundation in public health principles.

Mean ratings across the courses from 2011-2014 graduate survey respondents ranged from 3.2 to 3.8.

Graduate survey comments about the strengths of the MPH program also provide evidence of how the

program has prepared alumni to perform competencies in the employment setting.

“Overall, the MPH program had many strengths. Here are my top 3. First, most of the classes provided me

with the information I needed to succeed in the field of public health. Second, there were many

opportunities that allowed me to show my skills and abilities (GAships, GSPH, recruiting, etc.), which

opened many doors. Third (and probably the most important), the professors and faculty cared about the

students and were willing to provide as much guidance and help as needed (as long as the students are

willing to work).”

“[The program has] made huge steps to ensure the graduates of the MPH program have all the

opportunity available to succeed after graduation.”

“Overall I have learned so much and have honestly felt prepared for my next academic research

opportunity.”

“The field experience was the best learning experience. Also, the electives taught by professionals in the

field gave me the most real-life lessons that have benefited me to this day in my public health profession.

Plus, advisers/professors who really wanted their students to learn and were involved often gave the best

learning opportunities to my cohort.”

“This program gave me a strong research foundation. The skills that I learned in the MPH Program have

already enabled me to contribute to large-scale changes in our community.”

An MPH alumni survey was conducted online in 2012 with the primary purpose of collecting MPH

employment data (N=39; 40% response rate). While alumni were not specifically asked about their ability

to perform competencies in an employment survey, one comment from survey respondent relates to that

topic,

“The internship gave me the experience needed to capture a great/amazing first job.”

The UNR alumni survey asks employers for their assessment of the importance of selected skills and how

well UNR graduates were able to demonstrate those skills. Overall, respondents felt that CHS graduates

were well-prepared and covered skill sets they felt were important to their work. (see full undergraduate

alumni survey in E-resources) Ratings in all categories were above 60% for very well prepared. In particular,

employers felt CHS students were very prepared to consider ethical behavior in their work (90%) and

being comfortable in diverse environments (83%).


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This criteria is met with Commentary. Strengths:

There is well-developed system to track the graduation rates and destinations of MPH students.

Graduates are active participants in the surveys.

Weaknesses:

The UNR alumni and employer surveys are done annually but the number of responses has

always been small. It is difficult to identify themes that will help change the curriculum.

Specific data about the ability of MPH graduates to perform competencies in an employment

setting, including information from periodic assessments of alumni, employers and other

relevant stakeholders is lacking.

Plans:

Faculty are developing a survey to send to employers of the MPH program’s graduates and revising the alumni survey in order to better assess this criterion.

A new undergraduate alumni survey, the Outcome Survey, is being piloted for general use. Enhanced use of this survey will provide more detailed and relevant data for the program. The faculty can increase the response rates through classroom notifications.


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2.8 Bachelor’s Degrees in Public Health. If the program offers baccalaureate public health degrees, they shall include the following elements:

Required Coursework in Public Health Core Knowledge: students must complete courses that provide

a basic understanding of the five core public health knowledge areas defined in Criterion 2.1, including

one course that focuses on epidemiology. Collectively, this coursework should be at least the

equivalent of 12 semester-credit hours.

Elective Public Health Coursework: in addition to the required public health core knowledge courses,

students must complete additional public health-related courses. Public health-related courses may

include those addressing social, economic, quantitative, geographic, educational and other issues that

impact the health of populations and health disparities within and across populations.

Capstone Experience: students must complete an experience that provides opportunities to apply

public health principles outside of a typical classroom setting and builds on public health coursework.

This experience should be at least equivalent to three semester-credit hours or sufficient to satisfy the

typical capstone requirement for a bachelor’s degree at the parent university. The experience may be

tailored to students’ expected post-baccalaureate goals (eg, graduate and/or professional school,

entry-level employment), and a variety of experiences that meet university requirements may be

appropriate. Acceptable capstone experiences might include one or more of the following: internship,

service-learning project, senior seminar, portfolio project, research paper or honors thesis.

The required public health core coursework and capstone experience must be taught (in the case of

coursework) and supervised (in the case of capstone experiences) by faculty documented in Criteria

4.1.a and 4.1.b.

a. Identification of all bachelor’s-level majors offered by the program. The instructional matrix in Criterion 2.1.a. may be referenced for this purpose.

The BS in Community Health Sciences degree requires 120 credits for graduation. The program has UNR

core requirements as well as specific requirements for the two emphases in kinesiology or public health.

The coursework that is required can be seen in the link below and covers courses in SCHS as well as

other units on campus to ensure a well-rounded education.

b. Catalog information for the BS degrees.

The BS degree requires 120 credits and includes a practicum experience. The catalog explaining the

degree programs and instructional matrix with course requirements and descriptions is found at:

Public Health emphasis: Course Catalog: Public Health Major

Website information: CHS Public Health Major

Kinesiology emphasis: Course Catalog: Kinesiology Major

Website information: CHS Kinesiology Major


http://dhs.unr.edu/Documents/dhs/chs/academics/CHS-Public-Health-Major-2014.pdf


http://dhs.unr.edu/Documents/dhs/chs/academics/CHS-Kinesiology-Major-2014.pdf


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c. Identification of required and elective public health courses for the bachelor’s degree(s).

Template K matrix: Experiences that ensure introduction to domains

DOMAINS Courses and other learning experiences through which

students are introduced to the domains specified

Science: Introduction to the

foundations of scientific knowledge,

including the biological and life

sciences and the concepts of health

and disease CHS 102, CHS 200; Gen Ed Core Science;

Social and Behavioral Sciences:

Introduction to the foundations of

social and behavioral sciences CHS 101, CHS 102, CHS 473; Gen Ed Core Social Science

Math/Quantitative Reasoning:

Introduction to basic statistics CHS 280, CHS 473; Gen Ed Core Math

Humanities/Fine Arts: Introduction

to the humanities/fine arts Gen Ed Core Humanities and Core Fine Arts

CHS Undergraduate Core

Template L matrix: Exposure to domains

PUBLIC HEALTH DOMAINS Course Name and Number

CHS 101, Intro PH

CHS 102, Pers H&W

CHS 200, PH Biology

CHS 280, Biostats

CHS 473, Epi

CHS 4xx Cap-stone

CHS 494 Field Studies

Overview of Public Health: Address the history and philosophy of public health as well as its core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society

Public Health History C C

Public Health Philosophy I C C

Core PH Values C C

Core PH Concepts I C

Global Functions of Public Health C C C

Societal Functions of Public Health I C C

Role and Importance of Data in Public Health: Address the basic concepts, methods, and tools of public health data collection, use, and analysis


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CHS 101, Intro PH

CHS 102, Pers H&W

CHS 200, PH Biology

CHS 280, Biostats

CHS 473, Epi

CHS 4xx Cap-stone


and why evidence-based approaches are an essential part of public health practice

Basic Concepts of Data Collection I I C C

Basic Methods of Data Collection I I C C

Basic Tools of Data Collection I C C

Data Usage I C C C

Data Analysis C C

Evidence-based Approaches I C C C

Identifying and Addressing Population Health Challenges: Address the concepts of population health, and the basic processes, approaches, and interventions that identify and address the major health-related needs and concerns of populations

Population Health Concepts I I C C

Introduction to Processes and Approaches to Identify Needs and Concerns of Populations I I C C C

Introduction to Approaches and Interventions to Address Needs and Concerns of Populations I I C C C

Human Health: Address the underlying science of human health and disease including opportunities for promoting and protecting health across the life course

Science of Human Health and Disease C C C

Health Promotion C I C C

Health Protection C I C

Determinants of Health: Address the socio-economic, behavioral, biological, environmental, and other factors that impact human health and contribute to health disparities

Socio-economic Impacts on Human Health and Health Disparities I C C

Behavioral Factors Impacts on Human I C C


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CHS 101, Intro PH

CHS 102, Pers H&W

CHS 200, PH Biology

CHS 280, Biostats

CHS 473, Epi

CHS 4xx Cap-stone


Health and Health Disparities

Biological Factors Impacts on Human Health and Health Disparities I C C C

Environmental Factors Impacts on Human Health and Health Disparities I C C

Project Implementation: Address the fundamental concepts and features of project implementation, including planning, assessment, and evaluation

Introduction to Planning Concepts and Features C

Introduction to Assessment Concepts and Features C

Introduction to Evaluation Concepts and Features C

Overview of the Health System: Address the fundamental characteristics and organizational structures of the U.S. health system as well as to the differences in systems in other countries

Characteristics and Structures of the U.S. Health System I I C

Comparative Health Systems I C

Health Policy, Law, Ethics, and Economics: Address the basic concepts of legal, ethical, economic, and regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy, and the roles, influences and responsibilities of the different agencies and branches of government

Legal dimensions of health care and public health policy I

Ethical dimensions of health care and public health policy I

Economical dimensions of health care and public health policy I

Regulatory dimensions of health care and public health policy C


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CHS 101, Intro PH

CHS 102, Pers H&W

CHS 200, PH Biology

CHS 280, Biostats

CHS 473, Epi

CHS 4xx Cap-stone


Governmental Agency Roles in health care and public health policy I

Health Communications: Address the basic concepts of public health-specific communication, including technical and professional writing and the use of mass media and electronic technology

Technical writing C

Professional writing C C

Use of Mass Media I

Use of Electronic Technology I C

Key I – Introduced C-covered A matrix that indicates the experience(s) that ensure that students demonstrate skills in each of the domains indicated in Criterion 4.3. Template M requires the program to identify the experiences that introduce and reinforce each domain.

TEMPLATE M

Skills

Courses and other learning experiences through which students demonstrate the following skills.

Methods by which these skills are assessed.

Public Health Communication: Students should be able to communicate public health information, in both oral and written forms and through a variety of media, to diverse audiences

Oral communication CHS 494 & Capstone course Class presentation

Written communication CHS 494 & Capstone course 20-page paper

Communicate with diverse audiences CHS 494 & Capstone course Field site project and evaluation

Communicate through variety of media CHS 494 & Capstone course Video project, Prezi project

Information Literacy: Students should be able to locate, use, evaluate, and synthesize information

Locate information CHS 101, 211, 473, Capstone Annotated bibliography

Use information CHS 101, 211, 473, Capstone Worksheet assignments

Evaluate information CHS 101, 211, 473, Capstone Group project, Semester paper

Synthesize information CHS 101, 211, 473, Capstone Semester papers

Note: CHS students have experiential opportunities in several courses. These culminate with the required Capstone course (CHS offers 9 topics) and the Field Studies course in which students master integration and synthesis (Core Objective 13) and application of concepts (Core Objective 14).


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Template N matrix: Cumulative and experiential activities to integrate, synthesize and apply knowledge.

Cumulative and Experiential Activity (internships, research papers, service-learning projects, etc.)

Narrative describing how activity provides students the opportunity to integrate, synthesize and apply knowledge.

CHS 4xx Capstone Course Paper

The capstone course (required university-wide) assigns a significantly weighted project paper that integrates concepts from across the core curriculum and knowledge from the major.

CHS 494 Field Study - Internship

Create public health learning objectives for internship and complete these through 100 hours of internship experience. Present experience in poster session and with video.

Other courses with service learning

Various courses have service-learning units within; ex. CHS 360 Disability Issues

Template O: Curriculum exposes students to concepts of public health

Concept Manner in which the curriculum and co-curricular experiences expose students to the concepts

Advocacy for protection and promotion of the public’s health at all levels of society

PED 466, CHS 360, CHS 310, CHS 421, Capstones

Community dynamics PED 466, CHS 360, CHS 362, CHS 494

Critical thinking and creativity CHS 211, Capstones

Cultural contexts in which public health professionals work

PED 466, CHS 360, CHS 345

Ethical decision making as related to self and society

PED 466, PED 391, CHS 345

Independent work and a personal work ethic

PED 466, PED 391, CHS 494

Networking CHS 345, CHS 494

Organizational dynamics CHS 360, CHS 340, Capstones

Professionalism CHS 345, CHS 360, CHS 494

Research methods CHS 473

Systems thinking CHS 340, PED 466, CHS 360

Teamwork and leadership CHS 310, PED 391, CHS 494

d. Syllabi for all required coursework. See E-resource, Syllabi: Undergraduate courses

e. Examples of student work. See E-resource, Undergraduate Assessment

f. Cumulative and field exposure experiences.

Practical public health skill development is also an integral part of the undergraduate program. CHS 494:

Field Studies in Public Health requires all student to complete 100 hours (3 credit hours) of unpaid

professional work experience on a public health project for which the student is independently

responsible during their senior year of the program. Internship participation is required for all

undergraduate students. Students are responsible for locating and arranging their own internship

experience with support from the internship coordinator. CHS 494 is offered on campus during the fall


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and spring semester and is offered internationally during winter and summer semesters.

The internship coordinator maintains ongoing communication with former site preceptors to facilitate

new student placements and partnerships in state and local health departments and community

agencies, and continuously works to foster new community relationships with potential preceptors in

order to develop further student opportunities. Potential internship preceptor/project recruitment

letters are sent out to community partners two months prior to the upcoming semester (fall/spring).

Responses from this recruitment solicitation are compiled into a list that is communicated to students

via WebCampus resources prior to the start of each semester.

Once a site and preceptor are arranged, the student and preceptor complete: the CHS 494 Internship

Agreement (similar to a Memorandum of Understanding) and a Project Management Plan. The

preceptor is also provided with a Supervisor Handbook with essential aspects of the course clearly

outlined. Internship emphasis is placed on developing an experience that will provide the student with

opportunities to: enhance skills learned during coursework and develop new skills and experiences in

which the student will be working in a professional capacity. Students complete the course using a

service learning model incorporating the three main areas of: Knowledge, Action, and Reflection. All

student assignments relate to one of these three key areas to enhance the student learning

experience. Students have the opportunity to network through the Making Health Happen Seminar

Series and the opportunity to present their work through a professional poster presentation

and through a final student film presentation.

g. Documentation: handbooks, files, and instructions E-resource: Practical/internship experience: undergraduate internship


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h. Assessment of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans. This criteria is met. Strengths:

We have been graduating students from a Bachelor of Science program with a strong public

health philosophy grounded in the ecological approach to population health for two

decades.

Graduates often find careers in public health and various other health professions.

Our campus now requires measurable student learning outcomes of all courses and

programs, and the Community Health Sciences B.S. program intentionally aligned its

program SLOs and course SLOs with nationally recognized public health competencies

during the transition.

Weaknesses:

The assessment plan is the last piece of the campus transition to best practice in curriculum

development. The faculty curriculum committee was charged with assessment while the

university assessment office lost resources during the recession and budget crisis. The original

assessment plan was to pick a competency and assess it before moving on to other

competencies. Effective writing was the competency selected. There were vastly different

assignments and levels of writing competency. What some faculty viewed as competent, others

did no. It because less about meeting writing competencies and more about creating a clear

vision of effective writing. With the loss of support from the institution, this was dropped. Other

assessment surveys were piloted with varying success. Those experiences have informed the

plans for assessment.

Plans:

Our undergraduate advising office has expanded its staff capacity recently to keep up with the

campus growth.

The university assessment office has a reinvigorated mission and abundant support for faculty in

the disciplines. An improved assessment plan is being implemented to evaluate student learning

outcomes. We plan student assessment surveys three times during the curriculum progression,

and the central university office can keep track of specifically identified students by name. This

new assessment philosophy and procedure, not unlike the ongoing assessment already in place

for the masters program, will allow the faculty to focus on continuous quality improvement

while teaching.


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2.9 Academic Degrees. A MS degree is not offered at this time. The BS degree is described in section 2.8 and the doctoral degree (PhD in Public Health) is described in 2.10. 2.10 Doctoral Degrees. The program may offer doctoral degree programs, if consistent with its mission and resources.

a. Identification of all doctoral programs offered by the school, by degree and area of specialization. The instructional matrix may be referenced for this purpose.

A PhD in Public Health with a specialization in Epidemiology and Social and Behavioral Health is offered.

Please see the instructional matrix in Criterion 2.1a.

b. Description of specific support and resources available to doctoral students including traineeships, mentorship opportunities, etc.

We offer full-time (20 hours/week) and part-time (10/hours/week) graduate assistantships. The GAs

provide a partial tuition waiver, monthly stipend, health insurance and offer opportunities in teaching

and research. We have both school (state) -supported and faculty grant-supported positions and plan to

offer support to all admitted PhD students. GA positions are guaranteed for the 1st two years for full-

time doctoral candidates contingent upon performance, with the expectation that students will

continue to be supported beyond that time. The school has four scholarships in addition to

assistantships to support graduate training. In addition, the graduate school has a general graduate

student scholarship and one focused on diverse students. Also, the Graduate Student Association has a

number of resources available including: funding to travel to conferences, funding to support the

student’s research, funding for students with need (food and clothing, childcare support, computer

loans, etc.).

c. Data on student progression through each of the program’s doctoral programs, to include the total number of students enrolled, number of students completing coursework and number of students in candidacy for each doctoral program. See CEPH Template 2.10.1.

The PhD program will start with admissions into the Fall 2016 cohort for both Epidemiology and Social

Behavioral Health. The SCHS joined SOPHAS to enhance the ability to recruit qualified candidates and

this is producing a promising pool of potential PhD students. The deadline for the PhD application

process is in March at which time there will be additional information about number of applications and

acceptances however enrollment data won’t be available until August 2015.

d. Identification of specific coursework, for each degree, that is aimed at doctoral-level education.

The doctoral degree curriculum was designed to be distinguished from the MPH degree. All Ph.D.

students must complete a minimum of 72 graduate-level credits (68 credits beyond the master’s pre-

requisite requirements) to graduate. The Ph.D. program requires passing of a written comprehensive

exam after coursework is completed, a written and oral dissertation prospectus, and a dissertation

defense.


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The core required classes for the Epidemiology specialization (29 credits)

• CHS 713: Epidemiology III (3 credits)

• CHS 782: Analysis of Categorical Data (3 credits)* focus at higher level for PhD

• CHS 726: Biopsychosocial Foundations of Health (3 credits)

• CHS 745: Advanced Survey Methods in Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 786: Biostatistical Analysis in Cohort Studies (3 credits)* focus at higher level for PhD

• CHS 784: Conduct and Analysis of Clinical Trials (3 credits)

• CHS 710: Grant Writing for Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 791: Seminar in Public Health (8 credits minimum)

Currently approved elective classes for the Epidemiology specialization (6 credits)

• CHS 754: Health Informatics Methods (3 credits)

• CHS 706: Social Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 723: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (3 credits)

• CHS 724: Environmental Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 707: HIV/AIDS Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 740: Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Diseases (3 credits)

• CHS 739: Cancer Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 748: Epidemiologic Surveillance (3 credits)

• CHS 749: Outbreak Investigation (3 credits)

• CHS 735: Introduction to Exposure Assessment and Control (3 credits)

• CHS 781: Environmental and Occupational Health Risk Assessment (3 credits)

• CHS 783R: Regression and Multivariant Analysis in Health Sciences (3 credits)

• CHS 731: Advanced Evaluation in Public Health (3 credits)

The core required classes for the Social and Behavioral Health specialization (29 credits)

• CHS 706: Social Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 711: Advocacy in Health Promotion (3 credits)

• CHS 782: Analysis of Categorical Data (3 credits)

• CHS 726: Biopsychosocial Foundations for Health (3 credits)

• CHS 745: Advanced Survey Methods in Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 786: Biostatistical Analysis in Cohort Studies (3 credits)

• CHS 710: Grant Writing for Public Health Research (3 credits)

• CHS 791: Seminar in Public Health (8 credits minimum)

•

Currently approved elective classes for the Social and Behavioral Health specialization (6 credits)

• CHS 731: Advanced Evaluation in Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 708: Epidemiology II (3 credits)

• CHS 713: Epidemiology III (3 credits)

• CHS 715: Strategic Leadership in Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 754: Health Informatics Methods (3 credits)


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• CHS 753: Health Informatics (3 credits)

• CHS 723: Epidemiology of Infectious Diseases (3 credits)

• CHS 724: Environmental Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS XXX: Qualitative Research Methods (3 credits)*

• CHS XXX: Theoretical Approaches in Health Promotion (3 credits)*

• CHS 707: HIV/AIDS Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS738: Public Health and Aging (3 credits)

• CHS 740: Epidemiology of Cardiovascular Disease (3 credits)

• CHS 739: Cancer Epidemiology (3 credits)

• CHS 746: Cultural Diversity Issues in Public Health (3 credits)

• CHS 748: Epidemiologic Surveillance (3 credits)

• CHS 749: Outbreak Investigation (3 credits)

• CHS 783R: Regression & Multivariant Analysis in Health Sciences (3 credits)

• CHS 784: Conduct and Analysis of Clinical Trials (3 credits)

*In development

For both specializations, students must also complete 9 credits in an outside area and CHS 799:

Dissertation (24 credits minimum). For more information, see the PhD Student Handbook (E-resource:

Handbooks).


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e. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met.

This criteria is not met.

Strengths:

The PhD program has been approved by the university and graduate school and applications are being collected.

A competency-based curriculum developed with input from faculty, students, and community interests is in place.

Additional graduate assistantships were given to the SCHS to support PhD students. Weaknesses:

The program has not yet enrolled any students so there is no evaluation information to share.

There are only two programs proposed at this time.

Plans:

Hiring of faculty and fulfilling the strategic plan will result in another PhD proposal coming forward in two years.

Faculty are completing syllabi and are eager to work with PhD students in research endeavors.


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2.11 Joint Degrees. If the program offers joint degree programs, the required curriculum for the professional public health

degree shall be equivalent to that required for a separate public health degree.

a. Identification of joint degree programs offered by the program. The instructional matrix in Criterion 2.1.a may be referenced for this purpose.

The Orvis School of Nursing and the School of Community Health Sciences offer a dual degree MSN/MPH

program. The dual degree program prepares BS/RN nurses to draw upon advanced knowledge and a

variety of skills to define, critically assess, diagnose, and collaborate with communities to plan care and

resolve public health problems. The program includes academic and clinical practice preparation for

nurse practitioners delivering primary health care in public health settings.

Both degrees when completed separately are two-year degrees. Students in the combined program can

complete the plan of study in less time than it takes to earn each degree separately. Students enroll in

courses in Nursing and Public Health each semester to enhance interdisciplinary learning and practice.

Students complete the core courses in both the public health and nursing program; however, there is

some overlap.

MD/MPH: Course Catalog: MD/MPH Dual Major

MSN/MPH: Course Catalog: MSN/MPH Dual Major

Admission requirements to the MPH/MSN program include those set by both programs. Students must

apply to both programs separately and then be admitted to each of them before embarking on the dual

program. Course Catalog: MSN/MPH Dual Major

For the MD/MPH student, there is an accelerated one-year program of study, with the field studies and

capstone course following in year two. There is some flexibility offered for the initiation of the MPH

curriculum.

There is a 6-unit overlap with the medical students in their clinical rotations which will have a public

health emphasis and therefore may be used for their MPH internship credits. Upon completion of the

clinical rotations, the students will return for the following spring semester to complete their MPH

capstone course. Apart from the 6-unit overlap, MD/MPH students are required to complete all other

requirements just like other MPH students, and to demonstrate attainment of all identified public health

competencies. Course Catalog: MD/MPH Dual Major

This year the MPH program was expanded to include Family Medicine and Internal Medicine residents

who wished to complete their MPH during their residencies. This is a 3-year program that incorporates

MPH classes during the second through fourth years of the residency program. Progression of classes is

dependent on the emphasis chosen by the residents. An example of student progression is seen in the E-

resource: Joint degrees.

http://www.unr.edu/nursing






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b. A list and description of how each joint degree program differs from the standard degree program. The program must explain the rationale for any credit-sharing or substitution as well as the process for validating that the joint degree curriculum is equivalent.

The MSN/MPH dual degree is currently undergoing revision and there have been no enrollees in the last

3 years. The primary reason for this is that both degrees require full course work without allowing any

substitution (ie. taking nursing epidemiology class in addition to CHS epidemiology class). Students

cannot complete both degrees in three years. There is new interest in exploring the MSN/MPH degree

again in the context of newer MSN requirements.

The MD/MPH dual degree requires medical students to take all of the required courses for their

specialization. The only credit sharing is done for the internship experience. Courses have been

designated as meeting the public health requirement for content as well as the medical content. If

students identify a unique experience, an evaluation is done by the internship coordinator/advisor to

ensure that the experience meets the public health requirements and competencies before accepting

the experience as fulfilling the internship experience.


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There is a clear description and procedure for dual degree students to enroll and commence their program.

The mix of MD/medical students and nursing students with MPH students has been invigorating and has enhanced student participation.


For students who did not go directly into their residencies after completing medical school

and enrolled in the MPH, the decision about what classes to count from their medical

education were more complicated. The faculty are considering whether these students

should be enrolled in the MPH as a dual degree. The graduate committee will be discussing

and voting on this.


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2.12 Distance Education or Executive Degree Programs: If the program offers degree programs using formats or methods other than students attending regular on-site course sessions spread over a standard term, these degree programs must a) be consistent with the mission of the program and within the program’s established areas of expertise; b) be guided by clearly articulated student learning outcomes that are rigorously evaluated; c) be subject to the same quality control processes that other degree programs in the university are; and d) provide planned and evaluated learning experiences that take into consideration and are responsive to the characteristics and needs of adult learners. If the program offers distance education or executive degree programs, it must provide needed support for these programs, including administrative, travel, communication and student services. The program must have an ongoing program to evaluate the academic effectiveness of the format, to assess learning methods and to systematically use this information to stimulate program improvements. The program must have processes in place through which it establishes that the student who registers in a distance education course or degree is the same student who participates in and completes the course or degree and receives academic credit. Not applicable.

UNR CEPH Self-Study 2016 | 3.0. Creation, Application and Advancement of Knowledge

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3.0. Creation, Application and Advancement of Knowledge

3.1 Research. The program shall pursue an active research program, consistent with its mission, through which its

faculty and students contribute to the knowledge base of the public health disciplines, including

research directed at improving the practice of public health.

a. Description of the program’s research activities, including policies, procedures and practices that support research and scholarly activities.

All of the tenure- and research-track faculty members affiliated with the Program are involved in

research. Tenure-track faculty typically dedicate 40% effort to research during the academic year and

often do more research during the summer months. Research-track faculty devote a larger proportion of

their time to research, usually 50-90%, depending on funding and other duties.

The norm for most members of the faculty is to conduct empirical research. This typically requires grant

support and results in publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals. However, there is considerable

variation reflecting the range of academic disciplines that make up the program and the backgrounds of

individual faculty members, as shown in table 3.1.1. Much of the research conducted by the faculty

involves graduate students, typically acting as research assistants. Student research is addressed in more

detail in 3.1.e.

For the faculty as a group, both production of scholarly publications and grant support have varied over

the last 5 years. The difficulty of successfully competing for federal grants, the sizable increase in

students in the SCHS and increase in teaching load to 2:3, and the retirement/transfer of senior,

research active faculty all contributed to a downturn in funded research and fewer publications.

However, in the past two years, with the increase in the number of faculty and a reduction in teaching

load to 2:2, the number of grants and publications has increased. This trend is a result of increasing

average individual productivity, as well as increasing numbers of newly hired experienced research

active faculty.

Research support is obtained from various federal, state, university and foundation sources, with federal

grants and state contracts accounting for the largest amounts of funding. Recent funding sources

include the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the Nevada State Health Division,

National Institutes of Health and the California Cancer Research Program. A number of these projects

are community based; these are described in detail in 3.1.1.

Faculty involvement in research is highly valued by the School and by the university. Faculty members

regularly enter their research accomplishments, including publications, presentations, grant

applications, and grant and contract awards into the university’s online database (Digital Measures).

Research productivity, along with teaching and service is assessed in both annual evaluations of

individual performance and recommendations for merit pay. Evaluations emphasize the importance of

scholarship and specifically encourage activities that contribute to public health knowledge. Evaluations

for promotion and tenure also consider research: excellence in research is one of the bases for

promotion and granting of tenure.


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Faculty research is supported in several other ways. The standard teaching load for most tenure-track

faculty members at the University of Nevada, Reno is three courses per semester. However, faculty in

research-intensive programs (usually those with doctoral degrees) have a reduced load of two courses

per semester. Similarly, faculty in the School of Community Health Sciences normally teach two courses

per semester to facilitate greater engagement in research. Newly-hired faculty members receive start-

up funds and are granted reduced teaching responsibilities to help them establish a research program.

The amount of start-up support varies with the discipline and is currently provided by the Vice President

for Research and Innovation with additional needs funded by the vice president for DHS and the SCHS.

The School of Community Health Sciences also assigns state-supported graduate assistants to junior

faculty members to help with research. Additional resources for SCHS faculty include the ability to apply

for pilot grant funds to the CTR-IN (Clinical and Translational Research-Infrastructure Network) and the

INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence) programs. These two programs are statewide

and funded by the NIH to increase the research capacity of states with low numbers of federal grants.

Two associate professors have completed INBRE funding and their pilot projects are currently being

published and proposals for federal support are in process.

The university also encourages research with several types of financial incentives. A 7.75% share of

indirect cost receipts is returned to externally-funded investigators; these funds are deposited in a

university account and may be used at the investigator’s discretion for professional needs, such as

books, travel, conference registration and student support. Academic faculty on nine-month contracts

may use salary support from grants to fund overload on non-contracted days, most of which occur

during the summer. Overload is compensated at the faculty member’s daily rate (equal to academic year

salary divided by the number of contracted days). The number of days available for overload is slightly

less than half of the number of contracted days, so faculty members with sufficient grant funds can

increase their salaries substantially by conducting funded research during the summer.

b. Description of current research activities undertaken in collaboration with local, state, national or international health agencies and community-based organizations. Formal research agreements with such agencies should be identified.

The school is committed to community‐based research and has a number of projects with most

providing opportunities for student involvement. This research is sponsored by federal and state

organizations including the Center for Medicaid and Medicare Services Innovation Center, the Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institute of Health, and the Nevada Division of Public and

Behavioral Health (NDPBH). The primary community partner is the NDPBH and ongoing and important

research is done throughout the state. The outcomes from this research inform policy and resource

distribution to support prevention and other public health services. For purposes of determining

research vs. service, the following definition was used. “Research: All research and development

activities that are sponsored by Federal and non-Federal agencies and organizations. This term includes

activities involving the training of individuals in research techniques (commonly called research training)

where such activities utilize the same facilities as other research and development activities and where

such activities are not included in the instructional function. “The community collaborations provide a

way for faculty to collect data and evaluate program outcomes. Many of these research partnerships

have existed for years.


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The school is also home to the Nevada Center for Health Statistics and Survey which has formal

agreements for community-based research with the NDPBH to conduct and analyze the Behavioral Risk

Factor Survey and the Youth Risk Behavioral Survey. Primary data collection is an important function of

the SCHS faculty and provide objective information for state decision making.

c. A list of current research activity of all primary and secondary faculty identified in Criteria 4.1.a and 4.1.b., including amount and source of funds, for each of the last three years. These data must be presented in table format and include at least the following: a) principal investigator and faculty member’s role (if not PI), b) project name, c) period of funding, d) source of funding, e) amount of total award, f) amount of current year’s award, g) whether research is community based and h) whether research provides for student involvement. Distinguish projects attributed to primary faculty from those attributed to other faculty by using bold text, color or shading. Only research funding should be reported here; extramural funding for service or training grants should be reported in Template 3.2.2 (funded service) and Template 3.3.1 (funded training/workforce development). See CEPH Data Template 3.1.1.

Table 3.1.c :Research Activity from 2013 to 2015

Project Name Principal Investigator & Department (for schools) or Concentration (for programs)

Funding Source

Funding Period Start/End

Amount Total Award

Amount 2013-2014

Amount 2014-2015

Amount 2015-2016

Community-Based Y/N

Student Participation Y/N

Nevada Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System (YRBS)

Wei Yang, EPI (PI) Kristen Clements-Nolle, EPI (Co-PI)

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention through Nevada State Health Division

December 2012-December 2013

$60,000 $60,000 Y Y

REMSA: CMS Innovation Grant

Trudy Larson, HAP (PI)

Wei Yang, EPI (Co-PI)

CMS/REMSA June 30, 2013- December 31, 2015

$280,000 $100,000 $100,000 $80,000 Y Y

Nevada High School, Middle and Tribal School YRBS

Wei Yang, EPI (PI) Kristen Clements-Nolle, EPI (Co-PI)

CDC PS13-1308 and supplemental funding from NDPBH

January 2013-July 2018

$1,500.000 $300,000 $300,000 $300,000 Y Y

Screening for Adverse Childhood Experience Among Juvenile Offenders

James Kenyon, School of Medicine (PI) Kristen Clements-Nolle, EPI (Co-PI)

NIH/NV INBRE

July 2013-June 2015

$150,000 $75,000 $75,000 N Y

Implementation Science in Prevention of Maternal-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT)-Ro1

Echezona Ezeanolue, School of Medicine (PI) Wei Yang, EPI (Co-PI) Kristen Clements-Nolle, EPI (Supporting) Minggen Lu, EPI (Supporting) Trudy Larson, HAP (Supporting)

NIH September 2012- December 2013

444,836 5494

-- -- N N


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Funding Source


Amount Total Award

Amount 2013-2014

Amount 2014-2015

Amount 2015-2016

Community-Based Y/N


Real-World Vehicle Emission Characterization for the Shing Mun Tunnel in Hong Kong and Ft. McHenry Tunnel in the US

Xiaoliang Wang (PI)

Minggen Lu, EPI (Supporting)

HEI October , 2014-September 2016

$649,912 -- 1998 1998

N N

Dietary and Environmental Exposure to Cadmium and the Risk of Endometrial Cancer

Rudolf Rull, EPI (PI)

Cancer Prevention Institute of California

June 18, 2012-April 30, 2014

$105,470 $71,198.51 -- -- N Y

Cadmium, Age at Menarche, and Early Pubertal Development in Girls

Rudolf Rull, EPI (PI)

Cancer Prevention Institute of California

July 1, 2012- December 31, 2013

$35,461.36 35461.36 -- -- N N

Sex/Drug Tourism at the US/Mexico Border: Social Network Influences on HIV Risk

Karla Wagner, SBH (PI)

NIH/NIDA September 1, 2014 – August 31, 2016

$322,198.19 -- 176,310 145,888.19

N Y

Networks and normative influences on sex and drug-related HIV risk in black women

Karla Wagner, SBH (PI)

NIH/NIDA May 1, 2015-September 30, 2019

$404,611 -- -- 101,150 Y Y

State and county level income inequality and infant mortality risk: The moderating role of race and socioeconomic status

Roman Pabayo, EPI (PI)

Wei Yang, EPI (Co-PI)

NIH July 27, 2015-June 30, 2018

$439,110 -- -- 156,326 N Y

Nevada Behavior Risk Factor Surveillance (YRBS) System

Wei Yang, EPI (PI)

Veronica Dahir, CRDA (Co-PI)

CDC through NDPBH and supplemental funding from NDPBH

September 2014-January 2019

$1,175,000 $235,000 $235,000 $235,000 Y Y

Nevada Baby Birth Evaluation and Assessment of Risk Survey

Wei Yang (PI)

Veronica Dahir, CRDA (Co-PI)

NDPBH March 2014-November 2015

$136,929 $136,929 Y Y

Statistical Core for Clinical and Translational Research Infrastructure Network (IDeA-CTR)

Wei Yang, EPI (PI)

NIH/U54 August , 2013-July 2018

$285,037.80 $43,070.07 $57,008.00 $57,008.00 Y Y


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Funding Source


Amount Total Award

Amount 2013-2014

Amount 2014-2015

Amount 2015-2016

Community-Based Y/N


Centers of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE), Neuro-Science

Michael Webster, Psychology (PI)

Wei Yang, EPI Supporting, as the Population-based Core Director)

DHHS-NIH-NIGMS

September , 2012-August 2018

$9,895,950 7194.99 3393.35

0 N Y

Nevada Leadership in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities

Stephen Rock, Education (PI)

Wei Yang, EPI (Supporting)

HRSA July 2011-June 2016

$2,541,670 10,736

11,516

6854.50 y N

Comparative Effectiveness of Congregation and Facility-based Approaches: Prevention of Mother-to-Child HIV Transmission (PMTCT)

Echezona Ezeanolue, School of Medicine (PI)


NIH R01 September 2012-August 2015

$1,345,617 5000 5000 5000 N N

Resident and Preceptor Education in Nutrition and Cancer

Judith Ashley (PI)


NIH July , 2008-June 2014

$1,497,875 20,000 -- -- N N

Colorectal cancer FIT Mailing Study

Paul Devereux, SBH (PI)

Renown Health Foundation

January 2015-December 2015

$26,353 $12,940 $13,413 Y Y

Well Women Guidelines

Daniel Spogen (PI)

Michelle Granner, SBH (Supporting)

Jaren Blake (Supporting)

Catherine McCarthy (Supporting)

Stephanie Wright (Supporting)

State of Nevada Attorney General

Sept 2015-March 2017

$355, 508 10,500 N Y

Health disparities among minority and underserved women

Patricia Sharpe (PI)

Michelle Granner, SBH (Supporting)

NIH-NIDDK August 2007-July 2013

$2,713,230

0 Y N

NARCH VII: Dissemination and Implementation to Reduce American Indian/Alaska Native Health Disparities Project

Julie Lucero (PI) NARCH-IHS-NIGMS-NCI

Sept 2013-Sept 2018

$475,000 $95,000 Y Y

Totals 5,395,170 968,154 1,115,094 938,138 11/22

50%

15/22 63%

Only SCHS primary faculty grants added in total grant award column. Other columns include support for faculty from other grants (in italics). Awards do not equal expenditures (represented in the financial report)


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d. Identification of measures by which the program may evaluate the success of its research activities, along with data regarding the program’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years. For example, programs may track dollar amounts of research funding, significance of findings (e.g., citation references), extent of research translation (e.g., adoption by policy or statute), dissemination (e.g., publications in peer-reviewed publications, presentations at professional meetings) and other indicators. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

The Program has established specific goals and objectives by which research success is measured. The

four objectives assessing peer-reviewed publication, conference presentations, grant submissions, and

grant awards are tracked annually using data submitted by the faculty via the Digital Measures database

described previously. Data on the amount of grant awards are supplemented by information from the

University Office of Sponsored Projects.

Table 3.1.d


Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

Objectives:

1. 60% of faculty will publish one article in a peer-reviewed journal per year.

60% 69% 58% 71%

2. 70% of faculty will present research results at one scientific conference per year.

70% 70% 92% 71%

3. 70% of faculty will submit one proposal for grant funding per year. 70% 71% 64% 89%

4a. Total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% by 2015 (2010-2011 baseline=$16,334/faculty FTE) Over three years (by 2018), the total amount of external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline. ($32,387/FTE)


e $16,334

/FTE

$10,191/FTE 38%

decrease from

baseline

$19,121/FTE 17%

increase from

baseline

$32,287/FTE

98% increase

from baseline

4b. Number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% by 2015 (baseline 1.5) Over three years (by 2018), the number of new external fund awards per FTE will increase by 5% from the 2014-2015 baseline. (1.2)


e

1.4/FTE Not met

1.2/FTE Not met

1.2/FTE Not met

Other measures of research success are evaluated annually for individual faculty members. The

indicators considered in annual evaluations of research activity are directed primarily toward scholarly

publication and grant support. For publication, the number and types of scholarly publications, the

faculty member’s role as an author, and, for journal articles, the journals in which they appear are

considered. Some faculty members contribute to public health reports or other professional documents,

and these are also considered in performance evaluations. The impact of publications is difficult to

assess in the short-term, but narrative evidence of impact, such as influence in science or policy-making

is considered when available. Highly-cited papers and particularly influential ones are noted in

evaluations for promotion and tenure where the longer time span facilitates evaluating the impact of

publications.

Grant support is considered in faculty evaluations. All faculty members are encouraged to pursue

external research support, while recognizing that there is considerable variation among disciplines in the

need for research support and the amounts likely to be obtained. The magnitude of grant awards is


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considered to be less important than success in securing the funds needed to support a high-quality

research program. The Personal/Promotion and Tenure committee recommended recent changes in the

measurement strategies for scholarly work in the SCHS. These changes help quantify the importance of

publication and grant writing for the yearly evaluation process.

e. Description of student involvement in research. At UNR, student research is supported by the Office of Undergraduate and Interdisciplinary Research,

the Honors program, and by individual college and school’s programs. A number of grants support

undergraduate research and can be used by students in any discipline. There is ready assistance at

Undergraduate Research to help students find faculty and opportunities as well as resources to make

them successful in the research process.

In the SCHS, undergraduate research is supported by a number of initiatives from faculty. One faculty

member took students to Bangladesh on two different occasions and taught them to survey the

population and take biological samples and water samples to identify arsenic impacts. The students

learned important research skills and are now participating in the analysis of the findings. Other

undergraduate students have participated in community education programs and conducted

evaluations. SCHS faculty have participated as mentors for the Honors program to provide needed

assistance to undergraduate students doing a thesis project.

Goal 1: Objective 2. Education/Training

Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

2d. 30% of MPH students participate with faculty in research activities.

30% 58% 64% 49%

Graduate student involvement in developing new public health knowledge is a priority of the Program.

The opportunity to be involved in research and scholarly publication is an important component of

graduate training, allowing students to practice skills they learn in the classroom. (E-resource:

Culminating Experience: Student Research)

The faculty provide many opportunities for students for scholarly work, through independent work and

in a faculty partnership mentoring capacity. Research training of graduate students is accomplished by

performing well in graduate courses that include curriculum on research methods, analysis,

implementation (to name a few) and by the mentoring relationship with a faculty member when the

graduate student is a research assistant. Master’s professional projects may also involve research.

Many MPH students gain research experience through formal research assistantships. Graduate

research assistants are involved in all phases of research and carry out a wide variety of activities, such

as:

Collecting data by administering surveys, interviews, or running research protocols

Coding and entering data into a spreadsheet or statistical analysis program

Conducting literature reviews and document research

Developing and proposing new research ideas and IRB applications

http://environment.unr.edu/undergraduateresearch/


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Participating in the methodological development of a research project, including study designs,

modeling and statistical inference.

Using computer skills such as word processing, spreadsheet, scheduling and statistical analysis

software

Participating in preparation of submissions for local or regional conferences and, if accepted,

working on poster or oral presentations for professional conferences

Participating in preparing a manuscript to submit the results of your collaborative research to a

scientific journal

Mentorship and research assistantships also allow the student to work one-on-one with a faculty

member, enabling the student to gain skills and knowledge that aren't easily learned in the classroom,

such as research attitude and generation of research ideas. The extent of inclusion of students into

faculty research is documented in Table 3.1.1.


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f. Assessment of the extent to which this criterion is met and an analysis of the program’s strengths, weaknesses and plans relating to this criterion


Research active faculty are very productive. New faculty are bringing in grants. This is fueling

the increase in revenue and in papers being presented and published.


There is insufficient infrastructure to support the details of producing grants and providing

real time grants management services. We have requested an additional staff member to

take over the grants management activities and become a liaison to the Office of sponsored

projects.

There are difficulties in managing contracts with the state that results in delayed notice of

awards and difficult timelines to spend funds and complete deliverables. The OSPA is in

negotiation with the state to provide a standard process for grant awards and F&A costs.


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3.2 Service. The program shall pursue active service activities, consistent with its mission, through which faculty

and students contribute to the advancement of public health practice.

a. Description of the program’s service activities, including policies, procedures and practices that support service. If the program has formal contracts or agreements with external agencies, these should be noted.

As a land grant university, UNR maintains a commitment to community and public service programs

through dissemination of knowledge to the community, collaboration with the public and private

sectors, and provision of assistance to state and local governments. The most recent UNR strategic plan

emphasizes the importance of engagement with our community

From the UNR strategic plan: Theme 3: Engagement: Strengthen the social, economic, and

environmental well -being of Nevada citizens, communities, organizations, and governments through

community outreach and reciprocal partnerships

Goal 1: Develop and adopt a unified concept and vision for the University’s public engagement and land-grant mission.

•Recognize and highlight the public engagement of faculty across resident instruction, research, and Extension.

Metrics Goal 1: Create additional awards for community engagement Report by June 30, 2015

Develop a mechanism for tracking partnerships between on-campus education programs and community -based programs

Report by June 30, 2015

Recognize community engagement in tenure and promotion Report by June 30, 2015

The university is working towards a Carnegie “Engaged University” status as part of the implementation

of the strategic plan.

The UNR Division of Health Sciences (DHS) mission statement also illustrates a commitment to service;

“[DHS] is tied together by the need to find solutions for and help people towards improving their health

and well-being through education, research, clinical care and public service”

The mission of the School of Community Health Sciences, “Develop, disseminate, and apply knowledge

with an ecological approach to protect and promote the health of populations” highlights a commitment

to service, and one of our five core values is “succeeding through collaboration”. Goals adopted by SCHS

demonstrate our commitment to engaging in professional and scholarly service and contributing to

positive changes in the health of Nevadans. Our mission, vision and goals are satisfied through

numerous activities and commitments of the CHS faculty and are supported through the university’s and

school’s encouragement and expectations of both faculty and student involvement in service activities.

Two of the CHS goals, “To be recognized for leadership in public health” and “To engage with multiple

communities through professional and scholarly service” provide context to the types of service that the


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SCHS believe is important. Service on regional and national committees, both research focused and

professional associations, is valued by the school and the university. Professional memberships are

valued and leadership positions are recognized as an important way the CHS faculty can serve a broader

audience.

SCHS houses three centers that have ongoing partnerships and contracts with community organizations

and agencies. The Center for Program Evaluation and the Nevada Center for Health Statistics & Survey

Support are primarily involved in research and evaluation but their projects provide important service to

agencies. Examples include state-wide needs assessments for behavioral health services and Women,

Infants, and Children (WIC) services. Other services include reports (based on research such as the Youth

Risk Behavior Survey, YRBS) that help put the information into context for implementation. In addition,

the Nevada State Public Health Laboratory maintains a number of important contracts and sub-grants

that fund surveillance activities, food safety services, newborn screening, chemical and biological testing

and others. These centers provide important links to the community that provide us with capacity to

develop additional service-related collaborations.

b. Description of the emphasis given to community and professional service activities in the promotion and tenure process.

Faculty of the University of Nevada, Reno are evaluated annually on teaching, research and service

activities. The university by-laws state that “an academic faculty member being recommended for

appointment with tenure must receive a "satisfactory" rating or better in the area of service, which may

include, but not be limited to [italics added to community service elements]:

(A) Membership and participation in professional organizations; (B) Ability to work with faculty and students in the best interests of the academic community and the people it serves, and to the extent that the job performance of the academic faculty member's major unit may not be otherwise adversely affected; (C) Service on university or system committees; (D) Recognition among colleagues for possessing integrity and the capacity for further significant intellectual and professional achievement; and (E) Recognition and respect outside the System community for participation and service in community, state, or nationwide activity.

All SCHS faculty have service obligations that are outlined in annual role statements upon which they are

evaluated. The typical service commitment is 20% of each faculty member’s time. Although service

activities for SCHS faculty generally include membership and chair positions on SCHS, Division of Health

Sciences and university committees, faculty are also expected and encouraged to engage in both

scholarly and community service outside the university. The SCHS personnel committee recently revised

guidelines that provide more specific language regarding the expectation of external service (including

both scholarly and community service) for all tenured professors, tenure-track professors who have

completed at least two years toward tenure, and lecturers. These guidelines will be used for the

evaluation of faculty for 2016 and include definitions for activities that qualify as service. (In process. E-

resource: Promotion & Tenure).


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c. A list of the program’s current service activities, including identification of the community, organization, agency or body for which the service was provided and the nature of the activity, over the last three years. See CEPH Data Template 3.2.1. Projects presented in Criterion 3.1 should not be replicated here without distinction. Funded service activities may be reported in a separate table; see CEPH Template 3.2.2. Extramural funding for research or training/continuing education grants should be reported in Template 3.1.1 (research) or Template 3.3.1 (funded workforce development), respectively.

Table 3.2.1. Faculty Service from 2013-2014 to 2015-2016

Faculty

member

Role Organization Activity or Project Year(s)

Jeffrey Angermann

Councilor Society of Toxicology, Mountain West Chapter

Maintenance of website, coordination of activities at regional at national meetings

2014, 2015

Jeffrey Angermann

Invited Manuscript Reviewer External Grant Reviewer

American Heart Association American Heart Association Western Region

Circulation Research; Hypertension; Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, Vascular Biology AHA Peer Review Committee

2013, 2014, 2015

Jeffrey Angermann

External Grant Reviewer

NSF NSF EPSCoR Undergraduate Research Opportunity Program (UROP)

2013, 2014, 2015

Kristen Clements-Nolle

Committee Member Nevada Statewide Epidemiologic Outcomes Workgroup

Participate on Nevada Statewide Epidemiologic Outcomes Workgroup

2013, 2014, 2015

Kristen Clements-Nolle

Committee Member Statewide HIV Community Planning Committee

Work with representatives from Nevada State Health Division, Washoe County Health District, Clark County Health District, Carson City Health Department, and faculty from UNLV to write statewide HIV Prevention Plan. Provide advise on epidemiology and needs assessment.

2013, 2014, 2015

Nora Constantino

Committee Member American College of Sports Medicine

Special Interest Group: Minority Health and Research 2013, 2014, 2015

Nora Constantino

Committee Member Washoe County Chronic Disease Coalition

This coalition is composed of members of the health community interested in slowing the incidence of chronic disease.

2013, 2014, 2015

Nora Constantino

Board of Directors Member

Nevada Diabetes Association for Children and Adults

Nevada Diabetes Association for Children and Adults 2013, 2014

Nora Constantino


NAPHERD NAPHERD 2013

Daniel Cook Student Org Advisor (Non-Professional Org)

Nevada Statewide Coalition of Youth (Tobacco Control)

Advised a youth advocacy summit sponsored by the state and advised in planning additional advocacy events

2014, 2015

Daniel Cook Committee Member Tobacco Free University Implementation Team

Tobacco Free University Implementation Team 2014, 2015

Daniel Cook Committee Member Northern Nevada Tobacco Action Committee, Nevada Tobacco Prevention Coalition

Contribute to strategic planning on tobacco control and contribute to action implementation when appropriate

2013, 2014, 2015

Daniel Cook Officer, President/Elect/Past

Nevada Public Health Association

President Elect 2013 President 2014 Past President 2015

2013, 2014, 2015

Paul Devereux


Nevada Colon Cancer Partnership

Nevada Colon Cancer Partnership 2013, 2014, 2015

Paul Devereux

Conference Reviewer

American Public Health Association

Reviewed abstracts submitted to American Public Health Association meeting

2013

Paul Devereux

Ad Hoc Reviewer Nevada Public Health Association

Reviewed abstracts submitted for presentations at the Annual Conference of the Nevada Public Health Association

2014


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Faculty

member


Amy Fitch Member Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee

The committee provides input to the RTC on policy issues relating to bicycle and pedestrian

2013, 2014, 2015

Amy Fitch Panel Member Regional Transportation Commission

Serve on an RTC Review Panel for the Request for Approach submissions for Evans Avenue reconstruction.

2014

Amy Fitch Member UNR Master Plan Transportation Workshop

Participate in the Transportation Workshop for the master plan

2014

Amy Fitch Committee Member Truckee Meadows Bicycle Alliance

Assist in planning and implementation of Bike to Work Week event in Reno/Sparks area every May in conjunction with national Bike to Work Month.

2013

Michelle Granner

Committee Member Nevada Medical Marijuana Dispensary Advertising Panel

Advises on the appropriate use of advertising for the recently approved marijuana dispensaries

2014

Michelle Granner

Associate Editor Health Behavior and Policy Review

Associate Editor 2013

Erin Grinshteyn

Conference Reviewer

GSA (Gerontological Society of America)

Abstract Review 2014

Erin Grinshteyn

Committee Member Renown Health Working Group on Behavioral Health and Workplace Violence Prevention

Partnership comprised of Renown Health, St Mary's Regional Medical Center, Northern Nevada Medical Center, REMSA, and West Hills Hospital to address behavioral health needs in the community and workplace violence prevention.

2014, 2015

Erin Grinshteyn

faculty organizer Teach In Regarding AB 148 Faculty organizer of an on campus teach in regarding Assembly Bill 148, which proposed allowing concealed carry on campus to all CCW holders. In this role I helped plan the event, obtained speakers for the event, and spoke at the teach in

2015

Trudy Larson Committee Member Ebola Task Force for Nevada Provide expertise on Ebola and participate in planning and identifying Nevada's needs for preparation and implementation of emerging infection biological preparedness.

2014

Trudy Larson Board of Directors Member

Nevada Donor Network Board of governors is the responsible party for the Nevada Donor Network, an organ procurement organization.

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Committee Member Nevada State Medical Association: Public Health committee

Work with committee to identify public health issues and determine need for policy change

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Committee Member Pacific AIDS Education and Training Center Leadership Council

The Leadership Council is charged with providing information and recommendations to the Project Director of the PAETC in all areas.

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Liaison to the Dean SOM Organ and Tissue Donor Program

Responsible for overseeing the organ donor program, a statewide program, and coordinating with community advocates

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Medical Consultant Washoe County Health Department

Provide consultation and support for the Immunization program at the Washoe County Health Department.

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Committee Member, Officer, President/Elect/Past

Nevada Public Health Foundation

NPHF focuses on the public health needs of Nevada and looks to partner with, write grants for, and implement programs that improve the health of Nevadans.

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Committee Member Medical Advisory Committee to the Nevada State Health Division

Provides medical input to Health Division on decisions regarding HIV treatment/medications for Nevada citizens with HIV/AIDS

2013, 2014, 2015

Trudy Larson Guest Lecturer Multiple Universities in China

Gave 3 guest lectures to different School of Public Health in Nevada. 2 lectures on HIV/AIDS and 1 on innovations in Medical Education.

2014

Melanie Minarik

Executive Consultant

Nevada State Health Division

Professional and confidential consultations with 4 different members of the NSHD team regarding internal management issues.

2013, 2014


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Faculty

member


Minggen Lu External Grant Reviewer

CDC Healthy Brain Initiative Network (HBIN) SIPS 14-001 & 002 Special Emphasis Panel External Grant Reviewer

2104

Julie Smith Gagen

Associate Editor Medicine, Wolters Kluwer Associate Editor

2014

Judith Sugar Committee Chair Association for Gerontology in Higher Education

Fellows Committee 2013, 2014

Karla Wagner Working group member

Overdose/Naloxone Legislation Working Group

Research (analyzing statewide data on overdose deaths, hospital admissions, and other indicators) and service (providing expertise on national best practices, assisting with education and outreach efforts).

2014, 2015

Karla Wagner Guest Lecturer Drexel University Gave the inaugural lecture for the Community Health Forum series at the Drexel University School of Public Health, Department of Community Health and Prevention.

2014

Karla Wagner Ad Hoc Reviewer National Institutes of Health Special Review Group - ZDA1 NXR-B (June 10, 2014) 2014

James Wilson Guest Speaker NV State Ebola Task Force Provided a review of current medical intelligence regarding the West Africa Ebola response effort.

2014, 2015

Wei Yang Committee Member Nevada Statewide Youth Bisk Behavior Study Steering Committee

Steering Committee participation (statewide) 2014, 2015

Wei Yang Committee Member American Public Health Association

Committee of Statistican Involvement in Evidence-Based Public Health Practice

2013, 2014, 2015

Wei Yang Committee Member Nevada Substance Abuse Prevention & Treatment Agency

Epi Committee member advising on appropriate use of epidemiologic information

2013, 2014, 2015

Wei Yang Editorial Board Member

Journal of Nevada Public Health Association

Editorial Board Member 2013,2014

Wei Yang External Grant Review Panel Member

NIH National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences Research Linking Environmental Exposure to Neurodegenerative Disease (R01 R21)

Invited by NIH for R01/R21 Review Panel. As the core reviewer reviewed 6 applications and as the panel member reviewed total over 70 applications.

2014

See E-resource section: Service for additional service activities.

d. Identification of the measures by which the program may evaluate the success of its service efforts, along with data regarding the program’s performance against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

Goal 1. Objective 3: Graduation/Post-Graduation

Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

3e. 10% of MPH graduates will have local, regional or national leadership positions in public health.

10% 23% 20% Not yet available


Objective:

1. 25% of faculty will hold positions on review panels, study sections, editor positions, and other influential bodies.

25% 46% 46% 40%

2. 30% of faculty will share health-related information with community or media.

By 2015 30%

By 2018 40%

33% 41% 53%



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Goal 1. Objective 3: Graduation/Post-Graduation

Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015

Objectives:

1. 40% of faculty will co-author reports and publications with colleagues at other units on campus.

40% 50% 53% 44%

2. 30% of faculty will co-author reports, publications, and presentations with community members.

30% 38% 40% 50%

3. 15% of faculty will provide workshops, trainings and continuing education opportunities to public health professionals.

15% 33% 41% 47%

4. 15% of faculty will provide technical assistance to the community, including but not limited to, program evaluations, consulting, data analysis, grant partnerships.

15% 56% 47% 58%

5. 50% of UNR faculty are members of community boards or committees.

50% 56% 59% 63%

7. 40% of faculty will serve as reviewers of journal articles and grant applications.

40% 73% 86% 93%

e. Description of student involvement in service, outside of those activities associated with the required practice experience and previously described in Criterion 2.4.

The students in the SCHS have a number of opportunities for service. Through the under graduate and

graduate public health clubs and through classroom opportunities students can participate in

vaccination clinics, facilitate conferences, work with agencies on projects or any number of other

community and campus events. The undergraduate club participated in Relay for Life, World AIDS Day

celebrations, National Public Health Week and set up tables representing public health at special events

on and off campus. The SCHS gives an annual award to graduating seniors recognizing excellence in

service. These awards have gone to Corey Stone 2015 for volunteer projects abroad, Cory Guidi 2015 for

fund raising for St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital, to Bonnie Elliott 2014 and Dana Pardee 2013 as

very active Public Health Coalition presidents.

Although many students entering the MPH program already have a strong history of service, the MPH

curriculum, the Public Health Club, internships and research all encourage and support student service.

Including service as a component of the MPH curriculum provides students with exposure to the variety

of opportunities available to them. However, it is also critical that students pursue such service on their

own, recognizing the value that service brings to the community and themselves. SCHS MPH students

have demonstrated their independent commitment to service through numerous community activities.

During the 2013-14 school year, the GSPH organized a hygiene kit drive and a warm winter wear drive.

The GSPH contacted businesses in the Reno-Sparks area for donations of hygiene products like soap,

deodorant, hand sanitizer, and oral hygiene products or monetary donations to buy these types of

products and over 100 hygiene kits were made. For the warm winter wear drive, the GSPH collected 50

coats/jacket, beanies, socks and gloves. The GSPH worked with community partners to distribute the

hygiene kits and the warm winter wear. In addition to community outreach, the GSPH also participated

in health promotion activities on campus including leading a session on health disparities during the

Cultural Competencies of Healthcare conference and showing a screening of a PBS documentary on


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Childhood Trauma and PTSD. In 2014-15, the GSPH volunteered with the Northern Nevada Outreach

Team (Health department based sexual health education and screening team) during their prescription

drug roundup and collected prescription drugs at community drop off centers. In addition, GSPH co-

sponsored the screening of the documentary, Deep South and held a World AIDS Day event. Prior to this

event, GSPH members made red ribbons that people could buy for $1 to show their support for World

AIDS Day and donated the $75 raised to the Northern Nevada Outreach Team. In the spring, GSPH

participated in the Division of Health Sciences Cultural Considerations in Healthcare conference by

presenting on health literacy. Lastly, GSPH co-sponsored the screening of Feeding Frenzy with the

Washoe County Health District during public health week.

The Making Heath Happen (MH2) events have inspired students to join or start their own activities. (E-

resource; Workforce development: Making Health Happen). Students are informed of community events

and opportunities for service through a bulletin board and a WebCampus webpage that allows for mass

email distribution.

Goal 1. Objective 2: Education/Training

Target 2012-2013

2013-2014

2014-2015


By 2015 75%

By 2018

60%

68% 64% 45%

The objective was edited to reflect volunteer activities that MPH students undertook rather than activities associated with graduate student assistantships or through outside work.


145



Strengths:

Faculty are engaged in both unfunded and funded service. They serve national, regional, state and local agencies and programs.

Students are excited to participate in service events and find inspiration for their future plans. There are many opportunities both in class and outside of class


Faculty are sometimes too involved and excited about their service. The new evaluation guidelines will help faculty focus on service at higher levels.


146

3.3 Workforce Development. The program shall engage in activities other than its offering of degree programs that support the

professional development of the public health workforce.

a. Description of the ways in which the program periodically assesses the continuing education needs of the community or communities it intends to serve. The assessment may include primary or secondary data collection or data sources.

The SCHS feels it is important to periodically identify work force priorities for continuing education and

technical assistance. Many anecdotal opinions are gathered during continuing education and training

assessments but an organized approach is important in defining the content and delivery method that

can be most useful to the public health workforce. The school has conducted two surveys of the public

health workforce over the last 3 years. Both of these efforts involved primary data collection and offered

either online, paper, or phone access.

Dr. Elizabeth Christiansen and MPH student, Yasmine Mohamednur, conducted the first survey in

2013. Key findings from that survey (N=194) indicate that there is a high level of interest among

Nevada’s public health workforce to advance professionally and there is wide diversity of public

health interests. To guide the development of professional development programs or continuing

education curriculums topics such as community outreach and engagement, mental health, and

program evaluation had the highest level of interest among survey respondents. The most popular

methods of delivery as indicated by the survey respondents included: conference with breakout

sessions, hands-on workshop, and lecture. Most participants indicated that an online or webinar

option would be the most convenient way to participate in a professional development or

continuing education program. The majority of respondents believed that participating in one to

three continuing education events per year would be feasible .

The second survey was conducted through participation in the Western Region Public Health Training

Center’s need assessment process. Gerold Dermid, project coordinator, and Quinn Cartright, MPH

student, conducted this survey from November 2014-April 2015. Many public health workforce

competencies were assessed to identify key areas of need particularly as it relates to public health

department accreditation. Key findings from this survey (N=837) indicate that public health

professionals have different needs depending on their duties. Public health professionals represented

half of participants (53.8%), while directors and senior leaders represented the least (5%).

Approximately 49% of support staff felt trainings on prioritization and time management would enhance

professional growth; 54.8% of public health professionals favored trainings on evidence based programs,

policies, and practices; 67.2% of managers and leaders supported leadership skill trainings; close to 70%

of directors and senior leaders favored trainings focusing on improving program outcomes and

measures. The two most popular training characteristics for all job descriptions were on-site trainings at

workplace (60+%) and independent study computed-based training (54+%). This information will help

inform ongoing continuing education programs. In-person meetings have been conducted with the

major public health entities in the state to plan both in-person and web based educational events. A


147

Public Health ECHO program has already been implemented based on identified topics using case based

methodology. The program on Opioid Addiction and Treatment, for example, was attended via web

throughout the state.

b. A list of the continuing education programs, other than certificate programs, offered by the program, including number of participants served, for each of the last three years. Those programs offered in a distance-learning format should be identified. Funded training/ continuing education activities may be reported in a separate table. See CEPH Data Template 3.3.1 (i.e., optional template for funded workforce development activities). Only funded training/continuing education should be reported in Template 3.3.1. Extramural funding for research or service education grants should be reported in Template 3.1.1 (research) or Template 3.2.2 (funded service), respectively.


148

Table 3.3.b.List of Continuing Education Offerings of the School for the Last Three Years

Faculty Organization # of

Participants

Professional

or Academic

Description Year

Melanie Minarik Nevada State Health Division

200 Professional Executive Development for the NSHD Leadership Team - Strategic Planning, Communication, Teambuilding, Change Management, Organizational Structure Facilitation. 4 separate sessions. 12 hours.

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 22 Professional (Webinar) Data Utilization: Getting Down to the Basics

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 25 Professional (Webinar) Data Collection: Sources and Methods 2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 20 Professional (Webinar) Data Reporting: Mobilization and Sustainability

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 28 Professional Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications for Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion (Montana)

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 34 Professional Epidemiologic Principals (Samoa) 2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 33 Professional The Intersection of HIV and Substance Abuse Epidemics: Implications for Prevention (Samoa)

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 23 Professional Adverse Childhood Experiences: Implications for Substance Abuse Prevention and Mental Health Promotion

2013

Kristen Clements-Nolle SAMHSA 9 Professional Webinar: Collecting Data with Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Communities

2014

Trudy Larson REMSA 11,5 Professional Provided 2 90 minute lectures for REMSA community health paramedics on the Social Determinants of Health and finding Health Care in Washoe county

2014,

2015

Trudy Larson NN HOPES Southern Nevada Gathering

15 45

Professional Two workshops on the ACA and Ryan White for HIV providers.

2013


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Participants

Professional

or Academic

Description Year

Trudy Larson NV AIDS Education and Training Center (AETC)

25 Professional Presented an Update on HIV/AIDS for medical professional group

2013

Trudy Larson NV AETC 56 85 92

Professional Planned and presented at the Annual Autumn Update for HIV at Lake Tahoe.

2013

2014

2015

Trudy Larson Immunize Nevada

25 Professional (Webinar) Influenza in Vulnerable Populations: Children, Chronic Disease and the Elderly"

2015

Kristen Clements-Nolle,

Roman Pabayo

Nevada Division

of Public and

Behavioral

Health (NDPBH)

20 Professional Epidemiology for Public Health Professionals module 2014

Paul Devereux, Michelle

Granner, Dan Cook, Roman

Pabayo, Gerold Dermid Gray

NDPBH 20 Professional Program Planning for Public Health Professionals module

2014




NDPBH 20 Professional Program Evaluation for Public Health Professionals

module

2014




NDPBH 20 Professional Research Tools for Public Health Professionals

module

2014




NDPBH, WCHD 30 Professional Introduction to Public Health Policy: Understanding

Data and Best Practices Training

2015


150



Participants

Professional

or Academic

Description Year

Michelle Granner, Dan Cook,

Roman Pabayo, Gerold Dermid

Gray

NDPBH, WCHD 30 Professional Policy Development Training

2015



Gray

NDPBH, WCHD 30 Professional Community and External Partner Engagement Training 2015



Gray

NDPBH, WCHD 30 Professional Policy Implementation and Evaluation Training 2015


151

c. Description of certificate programs or other non-degree offerings of the program, including enrollment data for each of the last three years.

The SCHS does not offer any certificate programs at this time. However, at the master’s level, faculty

participate in the Social Justice, Gerontology, and the Gender, Race, and Identify (GRI) certificates. One

MPH student is currently enrolled in the Social Justice Certificate for which CHS 701 counts as an

elective. One MPH student is enrolled in the GRI certificate. At the undergraduate level, CHS students

have completed certificates in gerontology and addiction treatment and prevention services and certain

CHS courses can be used for electives for these certificates.

d. Description of the program’s practices, policies, procedures and evaluation that support continuing education and workforce development strategies.

Workforce development for the State of Nevada is a core mission of this university. UNR offers a

vigorous extended studies program and the strategic plan explicitly links university expertise to

economic development for the state (E-resource: Strategic Plan: UNR Strategic Plan). Faculty from SCHS

participate in the Extended Studies program to provide content expertise for working professionals

during courses but do not offer programs at this time. Extended Studies

The SCHS vision and mission statement supports active engagement and collaboration with community

partners to improve the health of Nevadans. The school’s mission statement includes five goals, with the

fourth goal being “to engage with multiple communities through professional and scholarly service.”

This goal includes engaging the public health workforce in training and development activities. The

Community Advisory Board provides an important feedback loop for our educational services and helps

identify areas of educational need. The SCHS established a training goal in Objective 3.3 to provide a

measurable outcome of workshops, training, and continuing education activities. To support this

engagement, a full-time coordinator for field studies and community engagement was hired in 2013. It is

beneficial to have a coordinator who engages the community for educational purposes also identify

engagement opportunities for research, service and education. Continuing education activities can be

seen in Table 3.3 b and funded continuing education activities can be found in Template 3.3.1 (E-

resource: Templates)

Examples of important SCHS engagement include training efforts conducted at the Nevada Division of

Public and Behavioral Health over the last three years. Topics included leadership and strategic planning

to begin the process of accreditation for the state. More recently, in 2014, sessions on Epidemiology,

Program Planning and Program Evaluation and Research Tools in Public Health assisted new and

continuing staff to refine basic skills. In 2015, modules on Public Policy and community engagement

were delivered on site at the NDPBH and at the Washoe County Health Department as part of their

accreditation preparation and in response to the needs assessment.

The SCHS was awarded the subcontract for Nevada with the Western Regional Public Health Training

Center (based in University of Arizona) to more formally identify training needs and expand training

efforts. The needs assessment information presented in 3.3a, will help define future topics but

accomplishments this year include the creation of a Project ECHO based Public Health Grand rounds that

covers cutting edge topics. Participation is web-based and includes case presentations and questions.

http://www.extendedstudies.unr.edu/index.htm


152

One major issue identified during the 2013 needs assessment was the difficulty for part-time public

health professionals from rural and frontier Nevada to attend public health conferences. Part of the

training center award provides stipends to practitioners to attend meetings. The award also supports

travel to rural Nevada for faculty to present topics on-site. The goal is to provide a network of support to

develop public health expertise in rural Nevada.

e. A list of other educational institutions or public health practice organizations, if any, with which the program collaborates to offer continuing education.

University of Nevada School of Medicine’s Project ECHO to present Public Health Grand Rounds. SCHS

provides the content, organizes the events, and markets. 4 ECHO presentations to date.

Nevada Public Health Foundation for conferences. SCHS provides the content and planning members.

Nevada Public Health Institute in collaboration to present the County Health Rankings. SCHS provides the

content and participates on the planning.

Western Region Public Health Training Center (U of AZ, U of HI, UCSF). SCHS provides services to the entire

state of Nevada through the Nevada Public Health Training Center and collaborates with other regional

affiliates to present their web-based content as well as providing web-based content for the Region.

Nevada AIDS Education and Training Center. SCHS provides content and helps plan and deliver an annual

meeting, Autumn Update.

Nevada Geriatric Education Center/Consortium. SCHS provides content.

*Immunize Nevada (Nevada Health Conference)

*Nevada Cancer Coalition

*Nevada Public Health Association (Nevada Public Health Association Annual Meeting)

* The last three are through professional development conferences/trainings.


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Strengths:

The school has a well-developed community outreach program that results in relevant continuing education activities.

Receiving the award for the subcontract for the Western Region Public Health Training Center brought important resources to expand the number and type of continuing education offerings in the state.


The latest needs assessment has been reviewed and is just now being used to target new

educational opportunities and topics. We anticipate using the assessment to provide continuing

education throughout the state.

UNR CEPH Self-Study 2016 | 4.0 Faculty, Staff and Students

154

4.0 Faculty, Staff and Students

4.1 Faculty Qualifications. The program shall have a clearly defined faculty which, by virtue of its distribution, multidisciplinary nature, educational preparation, practice

experience and research and instructional competence, is able to fully support the program’s mission, goals and objectives.

a. A table showing primary faculty who support the degree programs offered by the program. It should present data effective at the beginning of the academic year in which the self-study is submitted to CEPH and should be updated at the beginning of the site visit. This information must be presented in table format and include at least the following: a) name, b) title/academic rank, c) FTE or % time, d) tenure status or classification*, g) graduate degrees earned, h) discipline in which degrees were earned, i) institutions from which degrees were earned, j) current instructional areas and k) current research interests. See CEPH Data Template 4.1.1.

Table 4.1.1. Current Primary Faculty Supporting Degree Offerings of School or Program by Department/Specialty Area

Department (schools)/ Specialty Area (programs)

Name Title/ Academic Rank

Tenure Status or Classification *

FTE MPH/PhD

FTE BS

Graduate Degrees Earned

Institution where degrees were earned

Discipline in which degrees were earned

Teaching Area Research Interest

Epidemiology Kristen Clements-Nolle

Associate Professor

Tenured 1.0 MPH,

PhD

University of

California,

Berkeley

Epidemiology Epidemiology,

HIV/AIDS,

Vulnerable youth

interventions,

YRBS

Lyndsey Darrow

Associate Professor

Tenure track 1.0 PhD Emory

University

Epidemiology Applied Data

Analysis;

Children’s

Environmental

Health

Environmental

Exposures and

Child health

Roman Pabayo

Assistant Professor

Tenure-track .7 .3 MS,

PhD

McGill

University,

Universite de

Montreal

Human

Nutrition and

Dietetics,

Nutritional

Epidemiology,

Public Health,

Epidemiology

Epidemiology Identifying social

and physical

determinants of

health in many

populations.

Julie Smith-Gagen

Assistant professor,

Tenured .7 .3 MPH,

PhD

University of

California,

Epidemiology Public Health

biology,

Epidemiology

Health outcomes,

health disparities


155





FTE MPH/PhD

FTE BS





Davis,

California

Matthew Strickland

Associate Professor

Tenured 1.0 MPH

PhD

Ohio State

University

Emory

University

Epidemiology Environmental

Epidemiology;

Survival

Analysis

Effects of air

pollution on health

Social Behavioral Health

Paul Devereux

Associate professor

Tenured .6 .4 MPH,

PhD

San Jose State

University

University of

Nevada

General

Social

Psychology

Introduction to

Public Health,

Social

Psychology in

Public Health

Health disparities

in cancer

screening

Amy Fitch Lecturer 2 Non-tenure track

.3 .7 MPH University of

California,

Berkeley

Social

Behavioral

Health

Health

Communication

, Introduction to

Public Health,

Lifespan Issues

in Public Health

Built environment

and bicycle friendly

cities

Michelle Granner

Associate professor

Tenured .6 .4 PhD University of

South Carolina

Individual,

Social, and

Environmental

Factors in

Health

Health

Communication

Obesity, Stress

management

Julie Lucero Assistant professor

Tenure track .7 .3 MPH PhD

University of New Mexico

Epidemiology Health Communication

Social Behavioral Health; Health Disparities

Community Participatory Research; American Indian health issues

Roy Oman Professor Tenured .6 .4 PhD MS

University of Oregon

School and Community Health Sport and Exercise Physiology

Program Evaluation, Health Promotion Theory

Environmental factors, youth assets and youth risk and outcomes; program evaluation methodology


156





FTE MPH/PhD

FTE BS





Judith Sugar Associate professor

Tenured .4 .6 PhD York University,

Toronto,

Canada

Psychology Public Health

professionalism

, Public Health

and Aging

Aging and

retirement choices

Karla Wagner

Assistant professor

Tenure track .7 .3 PhD University of

Southern

California, Los

Angeles,

California

Health Behavior

Research

Public Health

Ethics

Injection drug use,

HIV/AIDS and

networks

Health Administration and Policy

Dan Cook Associate professor

Tenured .5 .5 PhD City University

of New York.

Graduate

Center

Political

Science

Health Policy,

Scientific

writing

Health and safety

regulation and

policy

Gerold Dermid-Gray

Administrative faculty

Non-tenure track

.6 .4 MBA UNR Business

Administration,

Health

Management/

Marketing

Internship

Coordinator;

Professionalism

; Health

Disparities;

Social

Networks

Health Disparities;

Health

Communications;

Social Networks;

HIV

Erin Grinshteyn

Assistant professor

Tenure track .6 .4 PhD UCLA Health

Services,

Health Policy

and

Management

Health Policy Injury/Violence

Prevention, Mental

Health, Disparities,

HIV, Gero

Trudy Larson

Professor Tenured .7 .3 MD University of

California Irvine

Medicine Vaccine policy

and regulation;

HIV/AIDS policy

Outcomes

research and

quality

improvement

Mel Minarik Lecturer 3 Non-tenure track

.4 .6 MPH

PhD

UCLA

UNR

Health Service

Management,

Educational

Leadership

Health

Administration,

Health Policy,

Organizational

Quality

Management,

Health Policy,

Organizational


157





FTE MPH/PhD

FTE BS





Behavior,

Leadership

Behavior. Personal

leadership

Biostatistics Minggen Lu Associate professor

Tenured .9 .1 PhD Northern

University,

Boston, MA

University of

Iowa, Iowa City,

IA

Mathematics,

Biostatistics

Biostatistics,

Advanced

Analytic

methods

Statistical analysis

(collaborative),

Biostatistical

methods

Soyoung Ryu

Assistant professor

Tenure track .9 .1 MS MS PhD

Florida State University University of Washington

Applied Math and Statistics; Statistics Statistics

Biostatistics; Bioinformatics

Proteomic analysis modeling

Wei Yang Professor Tenured .9 .1 PhD University of

Nevada, Reno

Environmental

Health and

Epidemiology

Informatics,

Environmental

health,

Biostatistics

Outcomes

evaluation, health

statistics and

mapping, BRFSS,

YRBS

Public Health Jeff Angermann

Assistant professor

Tenure track .5 .5 PhD University of

Nevada Reno

Environmental

Science

Environmental

Health, Public

Health biology,

Toxic

communities,

Scientific

writing

Health impacts of

arsenic exposure

Kinesiology Nora Constantino

Associate professor

Tenured .2 FTE

.8 FTE

PhD University of

Southern

California, Los

Angeles,

California

Exercise

physiology

Personal Health

and Wellness

Fitness in children

* Classification of faculty may differ by institution, but may refer to teaching, research, service faculty or tenured, tenure-track, non-tenure-track faculty or alternative appointment categories used by the school or program.


158

b. Summary data on the qualifications of other program faculty (adjunct, part-time, secondary appointments, etc.). Data should be provided in table format and include at least the following: a) name, b) title/academic rank, c) title and current employment, d) FTE or % time allocated to the program, e) highest degree earned (optional: programs may also list all graduate degrees earned to more accurately reflect faculty expertise), f) disciplines in which listed degrees were earned and g) contributions to the program. See CEPH Data Template 4.1.2.

Template 4.1.2. Other Faculty Used to Support Teaching Programs (adjunct, part-time, secondary appointments, etc.) Department (school)/ Specialty Area (program)


Title & Current Employer FTE or % Time MPH

FTE or % BS


Discipline for earned graduate degrees

Teaching Areas

Epidemiology

2015-16 James Wilson

Associate Research Professor

School of Community Health Sciences

.1 .2 MD Pediatrics Infectious disease forecasting; Public Health biology

2015-16 Randy Todd Adjunct

Faculty

Director, Preparedness

and Communicable

Disease: Washoe

County Health

Department

.1 .1 DrPH Epidemiology Disease Investigation

2015-16 Ishan Azzam Affiliate faculty Statewide Cancer

Epidemiologist: Nevada

Division of Public and

Behavioral Health

.2 MPH, PhD Epidemiology Epidemiology

2015-16 Peter

Dieringer

Affiliate

Faculty

Analyst, Nevada

Division of Public and

Behavioral Health

.2 MPH Epidemiology Epidemiology;

Biostatistics

2015-16 Denise

Stokich

Affiliate faculty Nevada Division of

Public and Behavioral

Health

.1 MPH Public Health

Leadership

Epidemiology

2015-16 Maximillian

Wegener



Health: Analyst

.1 MPH Epidemiology Epidemiology



159




FTE or % BS



Teaching Areas

2015-16 Elizabeth Christiansen

Administrative Faculty

SCHS, Director, Center for Program Evaluation

.2 MA PhD

Social Psychology Social Psychology

Program Evaluation

2015-16 Gerold Dermid

Administrative faculty

SCHS, Coordinator, Field Studies and Community Engagement

.3 MBA International Health Communications and International Strategy

Global Health; HIV/AIDS

2015-16 Andrea Esp Affiliate faculty Nevada State Public and Behavioral Health

.2 MPH Social Behavioral Health

Health and Wellness

2015-16 Amy Arias Affiliate faculty Faculty for TMCC, UNR .2 MA Communication Health Communication

2015-16 Manal Toppozada

Affiliate faculty Director and founder: The Notables

.1 MA Music Therapies Disparities

2015-16 Heather Kerwin

Affiliate faculty Consultant: Program evaluation


Introduction to public health;

2015-16 Melanie Flores

Affiliate faculty Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health

.2 MSW Community Outreach Personal Health and Wellness; HIV/AIDS

2015-16 Kelli Goatley-Seals

Affiliate faculty Washoe County Health Department; Chronic Disease coordinator

.2 MPH International Health/ Epidemiology

Personal Health and Wellness

2015-16 Robbin Vasques-Dunn

Affiliate faculty Washoe County School District; Special Education consultant

.3 MA Education; Special Education

Disparities

2015-16 Karli Epstein Affiliate faculty American Red Cross .1 MA International Development and Complex Emergencies

Disaster Management

2015-16 B. Denise Stokich


.1 RN, MPH Public Health Leadership

Personal Health and Wellness

2015-16 Kelly Morning Affliliate faculty

Think Kindness .2 MPH Social Behavioral Health

Health Communications


160




FTE or % BS



Teaching Areas

2015-16 Natalie Powell



Technical Writing in Health

2015-16 Lindsay Dermid-Gray



Health through the Lifespan

2015-16 Cicely Valenti-Smith

Affiliate faculty Self-employed .3 MS Recreation and Health Health through the Life Span

2015-16 James Seaboldt

Affiliate faculty Glaxo Smith Kline .3 Pharm D, MS

Pharmacy; Microbiology

History, Science and Politics of Vaccines; Technical Writing in Health

2015-16 Peter Reed Administrative Faculty

Sanford Center for Aging UNR

.2 MPH, PhD Aging Aging

2015-16 Philip Lovas Affiliate faculty Graduate Student; Writing Fellow

.1 MA, PhD grad student

English Technical Writing in Health

2015-16 Jennifer Carson

Affiliate faculty Consultant .1 PhD Aging and Leisure Studies

Medical Anthropology

2015-16 Ashley McHugh

Affiliate faculty Immunize Nevada .1 MPH Social Behavioral Health

Technical Writing in Health


2015 John Packham

Associate Professor, SOM

Director, Center for Rural Health, School of Medicine

.1 PhD Health Policy Health policy

2015-16 Curtis Splan Affiliate faculty Kaiser Foundation Oregon

.1 MS Management of Information Systems

Health Information

2015-16 Leonard

Hamer

Affiliate faculty Physician Select

Management

.1 .1 MBA International Business Health Finances

2015-16 Donna Knapp Affiliate faculty Consultant, MGMA .1 .1 MA Business Health Finances


161




FTE or % BS



Teaching Areas

2015-16 Sheila Leslie Affiliate faculty Washoe county Social Services

.2 MA Spanish Language and Literature

Public Health Policy

Biostatistics

2015-16 Jay Kvam Affiliate Faculty

State Biostatistician: Nevada Division of Public and Behavioral Health

.2 MS Biostatistics Biostatistics

2015-16 James

Kuhzippala



Health

.2 MPH Epidemiology Biostatistics

2015-16 Marisa Crowder

Affiliate faculty Instructor .1 PhD, MA Social Psychology Biostatistics

Kinesiology

2015-16 Michael Spevak

Affiliate Faculty

Partner: Active Physical Therapy

.3 DPT Physical Therapy Kinesiology

2015-16 Parley Anderson

Affiliate Faculty

Partner: Active Physical Therapy

.3 DPT Physical Therapy Kinesiology

2015-16 Phil

Pavillionis

Affiliate faculty PE teacher and coach:

Washoe County School

District

.5 MS Exercise Science Athletic Injuries; Motion

Analysis

2015-16 Yani Dickens Administrative

faculty

UNR .1 PhD Sports Psychology Psychology of Extreme

Athletes

2015-16 James

Fitzsimmons

Administrative

Faculty

UNR; Director Center

for Recreation and

Wellness

.2 PhD Educational

Leadership

Fitness training;

2015-16 Dean Hinitz Affiliate faculty Private practice:

Psychology

.2 PhD Sports Psychology Sports Psychology

2015-16 Sheena

Harvey

Administrative

faculty

Center for Recreation

and Wellness, UNR

.2 MS Equity and Diversity in

Educational Settings

Team and individual

Sports


162




FTE or % BS



Teaching Areas

2015-16 Jeffrey Assiff Affiliate faculty Washoe County School

District

.2 M. Ed Educational

Leadership

Adaptive PE

2015-16 Laura

McHarg

Affiliate faculty Occupational Therapy

Practice

.1 MS Occupational Therapy Motor Development

Public Health

Adaptive PE

2015-16 Logan Hamill Adjunct

Faculty

Retired .4 MPH Glutamine oral

supplementation on

cancer subjects.

Public Health Biology

2015-16 Christy

Works

Affiliate faculty Nevada Public Health

Foundation

.1 MPH Epidemiology Public Health Biology

2015-16 Theresa

Bohannon

Affiliate faculty Senior Policy Analyst, National Council of

Juvenile and Family

Court Judges

.1 MPH Epidemiology Environmental Health


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c. Description of the manner in which the faculty complement integrates perspectives from the field of practice, including information on appointment tracks for practitioners, if used by the program. Faculty with significant practice experience outside of that which is typically associated with an academic career should also be identified.

Many of the CHS courses include guest speakers from public health practice to ensure that the practical

aspects, the application of theories, are highlighted. Examples of this are seen throughout the

curriculum (see syllabi). Six full time faculty have MPH degrees, two more have MS degrees in public

health and many have had practical experience in public health work. Dr. Clements-Nolle worked with

the epidemiology department in San Francisco, Amy Fitch worked as an Education & Training

Coordinator for the Communicable Disease Program & Public Health Preparedness Program at

the Washoe County Health District and Dr. Mel Minarik was a health administrator. Dr. Julie Smith-

Gagen worked as an MPH in the Florida Department of Health and the California Cancer Registry. Before

joining UNR, Dr. Yang worked for seven years as a Physician and Clinical Epidemiologist in Occupational

Medicine, and served ten years as the Nevada State Chief Biostatistician and Director of the State Center

for Health Data and Research at Nevada State Department of Health and Human Services. Gerold

Dermid-Gray has over 10 years of experience in public health practice as a health educator, health

communications specialist, administrator, and consultant for Washoe County Health District and Dr.

Roman Pabayo has worked with three local health departments. They are strong advocates for the

inclusion of practice with theory.

Faculty also have expertise in medicine, public policy, social work, aging, psychology, and education. All

of these perspectives provide a rich foundation for programs in public health.

Our affiliate and adjunct faculty who teach bring their perspectives to the classes they teach. They

routinely work in local and state health departments, run their own consulting firms, work in their

related health fields, or are retired from careers in public health. This real world knowledge brings a

strong degree of relevance to the courses and inspires students to consider public health. In addition,

they often provide a connection to their agencies that assists in the placement of interns.

d. Identification of measurable objectives by which the program assesses the qualifications of its faculty complement, along with data regarding the performance of the program against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

Goal objective measurements

Goal 2012-13 2013-14

2014-15


Objective:

1.By 2015, 25% of faculty will hold positions on review panels, study

sections, editor positions, and other influential bodies.

25% 46% 46% 40%


Objectives:


164

Goal objective measurements


15% 33% 41% 47%


15% 56% 47% 58%


50% 56% 59% 63%


165



Strengths:

The SCHS faculty are from a diversity of backgrounds and are dedicated to public health

education, research and service. They are well qualified.

The adjunct, affiliate and part time faculty are all qualified in their field and are dedicated to

teaching students in the SCHS. Many of them repeat every semester because they feel

enriched by the experience. They bring exceptional professional backgrounds to their work.

Weaknesses

With the number of students in the SCHS, it will be important to continue to expand the number

of faculty.

Plans:

The university has committed to positions and this is essential to strike the right balance

between teaching and research.

With the planning of the PhD progressing, the use of affiliate faculty will increase to cover the

undergraduate classes and it is anticipated that PhD students will have opportunities for

undergraduate teaching as well.


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4.2 Faculty Policies and Procedures. The program shall have well-defined policies and procedures to recruit, appoint and promote

qualified faculty, to evaluate competence and performance of faculty, and to support the professional

development and advancement of faculty.

a. A faculty handbook or other written document that outlines faculty rules and regulations.

The most current UNR faculty governing documents are available from the faculty senate at UNR Bylaws

A handbook for part-time faculty is also available at Faculty Handbook

b. Description of provisions for faculty development, including identification of support for faculty

categories other than regular full-time appointments.

UNR offers a number of faculty development opportunities. Through the Vice President for Research

and Innovation there are internal awards and services that are available for faculty to increase their

research efforts. These include MICRO grants, equipment grants, travel grants, and pre-proposal reviews

through the limited submission program. There are also several awards including the Regents Awards

for Research, Outstanding Researcher and Foundation Innovation Awards designed to provide stipends

for researchers across the campus. These are competitive awards but assist faculty to continue their

productivity or explore new avenues. Faculty Awards. For the SCHS faculty in particular, CTR-IN (Clinical

Translational Research Infrastructure Network CTR-IN ) and INBRE (IDeA Network of Biomedical

Research Excellence INBRE) grants provide mentored research opportunities for health related research

and can be awarded as pilot grants , sabbatical support, mini consultations, or as development research

proposals funding up to $75,000 for two years. These grants require that faculty devote a substantial

portion of their time to work on projects by allowing for salary support and course buyout. This research

support is only for full time faculty.

At the Graduate School, there are resources for new and returning graduate directors and graduate

faculty to assist them to be effective in their roles. More information is available at Faculty Resources.

These resources are particularly valuable for new faculty as they assume advisor tasks.

Educational resources are available and include campus-wide assistance from Web Campus Learn and

Teaching and Learning Technologies (TLT) (TLT ). WebCampus is the system used on campus for all

instruction and there are numerous tutorials and sessions available for both full time and adjunct and

affiliate faculty who teach. The educational sessions are particularly helpful as they are highly interactive

and address individual faculty needs. The TLT services include many innovative techniques that faculty

can use to improve their teaching effectiveness. There are additional campus awards that recognize and

reward excellence in teaching and advising for full time faculty and staff. The F. Donald Tibbits Award

($10,000) is awarded annually for excellence in teaching at the University. Dr. Kristen Clements-Nolle

from SCHS was awarded this honor in 2014.

The University also provides staff and faculty access to reduced-rate educational opportunities. The

purpose of educational benefits is to encourage staff to pursue continued professional growth and new

http://www.unr.edu/facultysenate/bylaws/UNR%20Bylaws/unr-bylaws-8-10-2015.pdf

http://www.unr.edu/provost/faculty-and-part-time-instructor-resources

http://www.unr.edu/research-and-innovation/researcher-resources/awards-funding

http://ctrin.unlv.edu/

http://www.unr.edu/inbre/programs-and-projects/research-projects

http://www.unr.edu/grad/faculty-resources

https://teaching.unr.edu/index.html


167

or renewed intellectual achievement. This may be accomplished through study leading to completion of

a degree, whether associate, undergraduate, graduate or Ph.D., so that career effectiveness may be

enhanced, occupational usefulness increased and the University’s personnel skills strengthened.

Sabbatical and development leaves are available to academic and administrative faculty after 6 years of

service and every 10 years thereafter. This program enables faculty to be reassigned to projects that

lead to professional advancement in instructional, service, or research areas. The program permits

reassignments that may be for one-half year or less at full base salary, or more than one-half year up to

one full year at two-thirds base salary. During the recession fewer awards were available but one faculty

member, Dr. Judith Sugar, was granted a year’s sabbatical to write a book on Aging Education (2013).

The Division of Health Sciences (DHS) has a teaching award and faculty in the school have been

nominated multiple times and Dr. Clements-Nolle and Dr. Mel Minarik won in 2013 and 2014

respectively. Travel funds are available for faculty development through the DHS and many faculty

members were awarded funds to present their research. These applications are accepted twice a year.

UNSOM Funding Awards. The SCHS provides matching funds to support these faculty development

opportunities.

At the SCHS, brown bag sessions have been conducted for faculty (full time and adjunct and affiliate) to

share effective techniques for teaching. These have included discussions of classroom management and

how to write student learning objectives. In addition, faculty share syllabi and best practices informally

and in one-on-one meetings. Once a year the part time and adjunct faculty are invited to meet with full

time faculty at a breakfast meeting. The agenda always includes updates, discussion of new educational

policies, and review of university and SCHS initiatives. Research brown bag sessions are also conducted

to share research ideas, practice presentations, or discuss research related policies. Students are invited

to these sessions and some take advantage of the opportunity to present their poster or oral

presentations for faculty input.

Additional resources for faculty development that are individually controlled include indirect cost

recovery funds (7.75% of grant revenues go to the Principal investigator) and start-up funds. New faculty

positions have start-up funds allocated (from the university, DHS and SCHS) that can be used over a

three year period for variety of things including conference attendance, graduate research assistants,

equipment, and training opportunities.

c. Description of formal procedures for evaluating faculty competence and performance. Each January, faculty members electronically submit annual review documents (through Digital

measures) summarizing their accomplishments in teaching, research, and service for the previous

calendar year to the school’s personnel (P&T) committee. The committee reviews the document,

assesses strengths and weaknesses, and recommends a ranking of excellent, commendable, satisfactory

or unsatisfactory to the school director. The personnel committee uses faculty approved measures in

these reviews (see E-resource: Promotion & Tenure).These evaluations are used by the school and

university administration for retention, tenure and merit raise decisions. Faculty Evaluation Forms.

The school’s policies and procedures for evaluating faculty for tenure and promotion are included in our

bylaws (see E-resource: Bylaws). According to university policy, tenure track faculty must be tenured by

http://medicine.nevada.edu/ofd/dhs-unsom-funding-awards

http://www.unr.edu/provost/forms-and-policies


168

the end of their sixth year as an untenured assistant professor. An applicant for tenure, promotion, or

both must submit a file containing required evidence of performance in teaching, research, and service,

plus supporting materials. Materials related to teaching performance include student and peer teaching

evaluations, and summaries of courses taught and students advised. Evidence of research and

scholarship include a compilation of peer-reviewed papers, other publications, research grant

production, and presentations at scientific meetings. The file must contain evidence of service to the

school, the university, the community, and the candidate’s profession. At least five external reviews of

the candidate’s research are obtained from well-known scholars in the candidate’s field. This all follows

the procedure developed by the university’s Provosts office. For non-tenure track faculty, lecturers for

example, there is a similar process. An application from the candidate for promotion is compiled that

includes information on teaching and service (research is not a requirement for promotion in the

lecturer category). External review letters are not needed.

At the SCHS, the file is initially reviewed by the school’s Personnel/Promotion and Tenure Committee,

which consists of faculty members in the school. Applications for tenure alone are reviewed by

committee members at or above the current faculty member’s rank, and applications for promotion are

reviewed by committee members at or above the rank sought. All members may vote on lecturer

promotion applications. Tenure at or promotion to associate professor requires that the candidate be

rated excellent in scholarship or teaching, and at least good in the other areas (teaching or service).

Tenure at or promotion to professor requires that the candidate be rated excellent in scholarship,

excellent in either teaching or service, and good or excellent in the other category. All school committee

members are required to vote by written ballot; these ballots and justifications are added to the file. The

SCHS director reviews all the materials submitted and writes a letter summarizing the application and

committee decision with a recommendation. All materials are forwarded to the vice president of health

sciences, and the VP must write a letter of evaluation for inclusion in the file. The entire file is forwarded

to the provost’s office. From there the packet is evaluated by the university’s Promotion and Tenure

committee. Since 2010, all faculty (two assistant professors and two professors) who applied for tenure

successfully obtained promotion and/or tenure and one lecturer was promoted in rank.

d. Description of the processes used for student course evaluation and evaluation of instructional effectiveness.

All courses are evaluated by all students every semester. Evaluation has included both paper and web-

based forms. The initial experience with web-based forms was variable and response rates were

suboptimal. Paper forms were used for 3 years (2011-12 through 2013-14) to increase the response rate

(E-resource: Course evaluations). Since evaluations play a very important role in the improvement of

courses and the evaluation of faculty, a concerted effort was made to make the process as confidential

as possible while asking for written comments. The staff visited each class at a designated time to pass

out and retrieve the written evaluation. Questions with quantitative values were analyzed and written

comments were typed up by the staff to provide anonymity for student remarks. This information is

available to each faculty member as well as to the Director. With the increase in students, the process

became too cumbersome and an alternative online process was discussed. This coincided with university


169

efforts to create a centralized online evaluation mechanism. The system was piloted in fall 2014 in two

CHS classes and was implemented in spring 2015. Course Evaluations (E-resource: Course evaluations)

Response rates were directly tied to incentives given to students. For example, some faculty provided

extra credit, other’s made it an in-class assignment, and the university provided final grades earlier to

students who completed the evaluation. For the SCHS, response rates were 75% for the spring 2015

session. The evaluation report of each class and faculty member uses comparative values across the

university as a benchmark. The school plans to add questions to the online version to improve targeted

assessment information.

Some faculty conduct course evaluations throughout the semester rather than obtaining feedback only

at the end of the semester when the course is over. These evaluations can take many forms. Some

faculty ask for paper based mid-term self-assessments and others ask for course improvement ideas.

Faculty who receive lower student evaluations (typically below 3.5 on a 5-point scale and now 3 on a 4.0

scale) will work with more experienced faculty to establish a development plan to improve their

teaching. New faculty and affiliate faculty are mentored by more experienced faculty for some classes

already. This will be expanded. The affiliate and adjunct faculty are evaluated in the same manner and

evaluations impact future teaching opportunities.

http://www.unr.edu/assessment/course-evals


170



The university offers a number of faculty development opportunities. The travel and research

awards have been used by SCHS faculty.

Evaluation is a continuing process and there is now more support from UNR administration to

do more and focused evaluation.

There are formal and well recognized policies for faculty promotion and faculty have been

successful.


Faculty developmental funds have been limited over the last 4 years. There are now more

resources available to support faculty endeavors and it is hoped this will allow for at least one

faculty member a year to take a sabbatical.


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4.3 Student Recruitment and Admissions. The program shall have student recruitment and admissions policies and procedures designed to

locate and select qualified individuals capable of taking advantage of the program’s various learning

activities, which will enable each of them to develop competence for a career in public health.

a. Description of the program’s recruitment policies and procedures. If these differ by degree (eg, bachelor’s vs. graduate degrees), a description should be provided for each.

UNR Student Services and the Graduate School provide campus wide resources for recruitment of

undergraduate and graduate students, respectively. Student Services has a number of programs

designed to recruit and retain undergraduate students from a wide variety of backgrounds. Specific

recruitment programs target diverse students (see section 1.8) while other programs target high

achieving students, National Merit Scholars, out-of-state students, international students, and transfer

students. Policies encourage on-campus recruitment efforts run out of the Office for Prospective

Students that provide parents and students with campus tours and informational sessions. Specific

recruitment for SCHS undergraduate students may start with participation in the Upward Bound or

orientation programs. SCHS faculty and advisors talk about the major in CHS and answer questions from

prospective students and their parents. A Health FIT (Freshman Intensive Transition) program is in its

second year and helps promote enrollment in the SCHS major. The Division of Health Sciences advising

staff guide students into the SCHS major, either as a first year student or in transfer from other UNR

programs or from community colleges. The SCHS has purposefully not created a minimum GPA

requirement for students entering or transferring into the major. Many of our students enroll in CHS in

their junior year after exploring other health options or being unable to satisfy major GPA requirements

for enrollment in other programs. Although we aspire to have increasingly qualified students in our

major, the faculty believe that CHS is a major that can serve many populations and creates skilled

students who can work in a variety of settings. The SCHS undergraduate program has doubled in the last

5 years, currently at 1,123 students, and so recruitment activities now focus on encouraging students

with interest to consider the MPH programs. Faculty often identify and talk with talented undergraduate

students to encourage them to consider a career in public health by entering the MPH program.

The MPH and PhD recruitments use different tools and focus. The Graduate School has established

some new programs including the GradFIT program to encourage a diversity of students to apply to

graduate school. They also support Graduate fairs on campus. The SCHS supports a variety of

recruitment efforts including attending out of state graduate fairs and most recently joined SOPHAS to

expand recruitment especially for the PhD. Locally, faculty seek out undergraduate students at UNR and

other qualified and dedicated students with a diverse range of interests and educational and work

related backgrounds for the MPH program. These students bring into their programs of study a vast

repertoire of experiences and motivations for advancing their public health careers. UNR graduate

school policies allow 6 years for completion of a master’s degree and 8 years for a doctoral degree

which encourages working professionals to enroll and attend. Diversity students are actively recruited

(see 1.8. for more information) in keeping with the mission and vision of the school through targeted

outreach and support such as graduate assistantships and scholarships.


172

The responsibility and activities of recruitment for graduate students are multidimensional and involve

many people. The Graduate Director attempts to meet with all interested potential applicants face-to-

face when possible before applications are complete or when students become MPH graduate specials.

Graduate special students are graduate students not enrolled in the MPH program but who take core

courses as a way of evaluating their interests. These students commonly apply to the MPH program. The

graduate committee and other individual faculty assist with recruitment strategies through meeting

with interested candidates, by staffing tables and booths at conferences/fairs, and by connecting with

their professional networks. MPH students help recruit during their internship experiences as they meet

others interested in their work. The assignment of one 10-hour graduate assistant to recruitment has

been helpful at conferences/fairs as potential students enjoy talking with peers. Typically, the graduate

director or the coordinator for community engagement attends 1-2 fairs a year to recruit out of state

students that contribute to a more diverse student body. The Graduate Director and two faculty have

participated in two SOPHAS graduate recruitment online fairs (November 2015 and January 2016). The

SCHS collaborates with the UN School of Medicine and the Orvis School of Nursing in recruiting joint

degree students. As the public health curriculum becomes more complete for medical students, it is

hoped that applicants for the joint degree will increase. One important source of recruits is alumni. As

the alumni base grows, alumni referrals are becoming more common. Websites are an increasingly

important recruitment tool. The SCHS website was updated twice in an effort to promote an attractive,

professional and interactive site for prospective students. We continue to look for unique opportunities

to recruit students in different areas as identified by our current students, colleagues, alumni, and other

community support networks.

b. Statement of admissions policies and procedures. If these differ by degree (eg, bachelor’s vs. graduate degrees), a description should be provided for each.

Admissions are overseen by UNR Student Services through the Office of Admissions and Records. They

admit students according to the policies created by the Nevada System of Higher Education (NSHE)

Board of Regents. Procedures are UNR specific and cover the details of how students are admitted and

enrolled into UNR. Undergraduate students from Nevada are admitted to UNR according to the

following minimum qualifications:

must be a graduate of an approved or accredited high school

must have taken and passed: English 4 units, Mathematics 3 units, Social Studies 3 units, and natural Science 3 units:

must have taken the ACT/SAT (used for placement in first year courses and freshman scholarships): and

must have a 3.0 High School Grade-Point Average (weighted) in the above academic courses

Admission criteria are verified by official transcripts. Other categories of admission include freshmen

from Western states (Western University Exchange), transfer students and other admission categories

and requirements vary for each. The specifics of the admission process and requirements can be viewed

at UNR Admissions. This website has links for all classifications of students (including graduate students)

http://www.unr.edu/admissions


173

with information on financial aid, residence hall applications, and campus programs. Admission

materials must be complete by February 1 for freshman. A process of review of records is done by the

Office of Admissions and Records and students are notified in April that they have been admitted. There

are many resources to help students through the admissions process. These include web-based

information as well as personal communication via email and phone. There are detailed instructions for

filling out the FAFSA (parent financial aid form) so that students can receive financial aid to attend UNR.

There are a multitude of needs based and performance based scholarships including Nevada’s

Millennium scholarships awarded to students who graduate from a high school in Nevada with an

entering GPA 3.25, register for core courses and attended a Nevada college or University. Millennium

Scholarship

Graduate admissions are monitored by Student Services, the Graduate School and each program

offering graduate degrees. Overall policies are created by UNR but each program may have specific

criteria and processes. UNR admission criteria for graduate school are:

1. Bachelor’s degree or recognized equivalent from a regionally accredited institution 2. Minimum grade point average (on a 4.0 scale):

o 2.75 for a master’s degree o 3.0 for a doctoral degree

3. Online application 4. Official transcripts from every institution attended for a complete education history 5. Official GRE or GMAT test scores from an exam taken within the past 5 years (recommended

scores are determined by individual programs) 6. Resume or curriculum vitae 7. Statement of purpose 8. Three letters of recommendation

Once the admission qualifications for UNR are met, an application for admission to the MPH program

may be made. The SCHS graduate committee reviews admission requirements for the MPH program

annually to insure consistency with the program’s mission. Beginning for Fall 2016 admissions, students

apply using the SOPHAS application service.

MPH Admissions criteria (specific):

1. Baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher learning, with an undergraduate

grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4-point scale. If you graduated from an

international college or university, please contact the Graduate School for approval of your

undergraduate degree for graduate studies at UNR.

2. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) combined score of 300 (verbal plus quantitative scores), with both

verbal and quantitative scores above the 40th percentile. Other graduate entrance examinations

are also acceptable (e.g. MCAT, DAT, GMAT, LSAT, OAT, USMLE and NBVME) with a score

equivalent to the GRE combined score of 300. The GRE is not required for applicants who have

already obtained a Ph.D., M.D., D.D.S., Dr.PH, or Master Degrees from approved institutions.

Exceptions may be granted for experienced professionals but taking the GRE is mandatory.

3. Three letters of recommendation from individuals familiar with prior academic and/or

professional performance.

http://www.nevadatreasurer.gov/uploadedFiles/nevadatreasurergov/content/GGMS/Forms/Doc-FactSheet.pdf

http://www.nevadatreasurer.gov/uploadedFiles/nevadatreasurergov/content/GGMS/Forms/Doc-FactSheet.pdf

https://my.nevada.unr.edu/psp/rnporprd/UNR_APPLY/ENTP/h/?tab=UNR_TAB_APPLY_LOGIN

http://hhs.unr.edu/schs/grad_admission.html


174

4. Written statement of purpose. The essay should be at least 500 words in length, outlining the

student's interest in public health, potential research interests, and specifying the MPH track of

interest (Epidemiology, Social Behavioral Health, or Health Administration and Policy).

5. Current resume or curriculum vitae (CV) which demonstrates evidence of professional and/or

educational health-related experience.

6. Academic health-related writing sample.

7. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for applicants from non-English speaking

nations with a minimum score of 550 for the TOEFL paper exam, 80 for the internet-based

exam, or IELTS score of 6.5.

In addition, pre-requisite coursework is required for admission into the MPH Program. Applicants will

have:

1. Completed undergraduate or graduate courses in statistics. Statistics must be completed prior

to taking CHS 780: Biostatistics in Public Health and CHS 712: MPH Epidemiology. The MPH

student may be able to take a statistics course in summer school prior to starting their

progression of study in fall.

2. Students who have not completed an undergraduate patho-physiology course must complete

CHS 200 - Public Health Biology, a course that grounds a student in health science. It is

preferable that the student have this background/course before applying, but with the Graduate

Director approval, this course can be taken after admission is approved.

While relevant work in the health field is not required for admission into the MPH program, evidence of

this helps ensure a proper alignment and knowledge of public health values consistent with our MPH

program. However, we also do encourage students with non-health related backgrounds to inquire

about the program and if appropriate, to apply. It adds to the diversity of experiences of students who

will now choose public health as a future direction without having had that background in their past.

Requirements for the doctoral degree (specific):

1. Earned Master of Public Health (MPH) degree or relevant masters’ or doctoral degrees from

accredited institutions.

2. A minimum grade point average of 3.0 or higher on a 4-point scale earned in a MPH or

equivalent masters’ or doctoral program of study.

3. Graduate Record Exam (GRE) scores should be above the 50th percentile (verbal, quantitative,

and analytical writing). GRE scores will be assessed relative to other applicants in the pool. The

exam must have been taken within the last five (5) years.

4. Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can evaluate the applicant’s motivation,

academic capability, scholarship potential, and personal goals for doctoral study.

5. A current curriculum vitae (CV).

6. A written statement of personal career, educational and scholarship goals including

identification of research interests and name(s) of faculty with whom you want to work.

7. An academic health-related writing sample. For example, first-author publications.


175

8. An interview with the admissions committee (if invited).

9. Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) scores for applicants from non-English speaking

nations with a minimum score of 550 for the TOEFL paper exam, 80 for the Internet-based

exam, or IELTS score of 6.5.

In addition, pre-requisite coursework is required for both the epidemiology and social and behavioral

health specializations (see E resource file: Handbooks)

The Graduate School receives and processes required materials (transcripts and official test scores) from

the student in their information system, Nolij. Then, the graduate director (via the Administrative

Assistant by accessing Nolij) receives the other materials from the applicant. When the student’s folder,

is complete it is forwarded to the graduate director. In the future, most of these processes will be

handled via SOPHAS. The admissions committee is composed of the graduate director and

representatives from each MPH program. The committee reviews the files and identify missing

information or the need for additional information if necessary. Files are reviewed by faculty in each

specializations who recommend admission. Admissions are for fall semesters only with a final deadline

of January 10th for applications. This deadline was changed to an earlier time for program planning and

to encourage earlier commitments to the program through the offer of graduate assistantships and

scholarships.

Notifications of acceptance are sent by the graduate director via email. Students may find additional

information and instructions for their enrollment in classes and their advisor via website links. An

applicant who has one or more deficiencies in admission requirements or in prerequisite coursework

may be admitted on a provisional basis. Provisional admits can become regular admits after making up

the deficiency and obtaining above a 3.0 GPA in coursework. Students who are not admitted, will

receive an email indicating the areas that need further strengthening for a future admission. In concert,

our administrative assistant notifies the Graduate School through the Nolij computer-based information

system.

c. Examples of recruitment materials and other publications and advertising that describe, at a minimum, academic calendars, grading and the academic offerings of the program. If a program does not have a printed bulletin/catalog, it must provide a printed web page that indicates the degree requirements as the official representation of the program. In addition, references to website addresses may be included.

Recruitment materials include brochures, post-cards, and websites. For UNR, the home website

attractively displays a number of activities and information on colleges, admissions, and the school.

Academic offerings can be accessed from this home page and specific colleges have their own websites

for more information. The academic calendar is located in the Academic Central section of the website

as is the complete UNR catalog. A hard copy of the catalog is no longer published. Academic Central

For the SCHS, the newly remodeled website sits on the Division of Health Sciences website. Pictures

depicting health related scenes and easy to navigate sections provide complete information on all

http://www.unr.edu/academic-central


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programs of the school. Admission processes are detailed and community partners and alumni are

featured to provide context for careers that SCHS graduates may choose. Brochures and post cards are

new and sport a new brand developed following a branding exercise involving students, faculty, and

community partners.

Online recruitment materials:

UNR School of Community Health Sciences website: SCHS

UNR SCHS undergraduate programs: CHS Undergraduate Academics

UNR MPH Website: CHS MPH

UNR MPH Application Process: MPH Application process

UNR On-Line Catalogue: UNR Catalog

UNR Graduate School: Graduate School

UNR Academic Calendars: Academic Calendars

Other materials can be seen in E-resource: Student recruitment.

MPH Student Handbook (E-resource: Handbooks)

d. Quantitative information on the number of applicants, acceptances and enrollment, by concentration, for each degree, for each of the last three years. Data must be presented in table format. See CEPH Data Template 4.3.1.

Table 4.3.1 Quantitative Information on Applicants, Acceptances, and Enrollments, 2013 to 2015

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Epidemiology Applied 13 24 16

Accepted 10 17 13

Enrolled 9 13 12


Applied 6 10 13

Accepted 4 9 7

Enrolled 4 8 5


Applied 17 9 11

Accepted 14 9 5

Enrolled 9 8 4

Biostatistics Applied N/A N/A

Accepted N/A N/A

Enrolled N/A N/A

CHS: BS Applied No application needed

No application needed


Accepted

Enrolled 828 474 Continuing 203

CHS: Public Health BS

Applied Not yet available No application needed


Accepted

Enrolled 238 485

CHS: Kinesiology BS

Applied Not yet available No application needed


Accepted

Enrolled 244 435

PhD: Epidemiology

Applied N/A N/A Accepting applications until 4/2016

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs/academics/undergraduate

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs/academics/mph

http://dhs.unr.edu/chs/academics/mph

http://catalog.unr.edu/preview_entity.php?catoid=12&ent_oid=1207

http://www.unr.edu/grad/

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Table 4.3.1 Quantitative Information on Applicants, Acceptances, and Enrollments, 2013 to 2015

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

Accepted

Enrolled

PhD: Social Behavioral Health

Applied N/A N/A Accepting applications until 4/2016

Accepted

Enrolled

N/A=Program not yet offered.

The undergraduate programs do not require an application process. At the time of admittance to the University, students can declare their majors (and are encouraged to do so to improve advising opportunities). Some colleges and schools on campus require specific GPAs to continue as majors after their junior year. The SCHS has never required an application process nor requirements for majors, a philosophical decision that reflects the value of an education in health that can be used by a variety of people in a multitude of professions. e. Quantitative information on the number of students enrolled in each specialty area of each

degree identified in the instructional matrix, including headcounts of full- and part-time students and an FTE conversion, for each of the last three years. Non-degree students, such as those enrolled in continuing education or certificate programs, should not be included. Explain any important trends or patterns, including a persistent absence of students in any degree or specialization. Data must be presented in table format. See CEPH Data Template 4.3.2.

Table 4.3.2 Student Enrollment Data from 2013 to 2016

2013-14 2014-15 2015-16

HC FTE HC FTE HC FTE

MPH: Epidemiology 23 19.75 23 17.5 25 22.5

MPH: Social Behavioral Health 22 16.5 17 15 13 12.0

MPH: Health Administration and Policy 5 4 11 9 10 9.5

CHS: BS 828 798 474 379 203 184

CHS: Public Health BS 238 191 485 389

CHS: Kinesiology BS 244 220 435 395

f. Identification of measurable objectives by which the program may evaluate its success in enrolling a qualified student body, along with data regarding the performance of the program against those measures for each of the last three years. See CEPH Outcome Measures Template.

The SCHS uses both GPA and GRE scores as a way to identify students who are most likely to succeed. In

addition, diverse students are energetically recruited (see section 1.8).

Goal 1 Objective 1


Objective 1: Recruitment/Admissions Target 2012-

2013 2013-2014

2014-2015

1a. 80% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have an overall undergraduate GPA that exceeds 3.2.

80% 67% 83% 53%


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Goal 1 Objective 1

1b. 40% of students enrolled in the MPH program will have verbal and quantitative GRE scores that exceed the 50th percentile.

40% 44% 48% 33%

These have been aspirational goals and have fluctuated with the classes. The class size increased in the fall 2013 MPH cohort and an additional emphasis added. Class performance was not as good as in prior cohorts so admission requirements were enhanced for the fall 2015 cohort. Average GRE scores for the fall 2015 cohort are 151 for verbal and 149 for quantitative.


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UNR has an easy to use and readily available admission website and extensive assistance to help

students enroll. The SCHS website has information and admission requirements readily available

for graduate students.

The SCHS admissions process is actively supported by staff and the graduate director. The

graduate committee assists in the admission process.


There are no specific admission requirements for the undergraduate SCHS program and the

numbers are increasing rapidly. This does not allow for tracking of student GPAs for admission

or an understanding of students who are enrolled. There are no plans at this time to implement

an admission requirement but the discussion will continue.


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4.4 Advising and career counseling. There shall be available a clearly explained and accessible academic advising system for students, as

well as readily available career and placement advice.

a. Description of the program’s advising services for students in all degrees and concentrations, including sample materials such as student handbooks. Include an explanation of how faculty are selected for and oriented to their advising responsibilities.

The undergraduate and graduate programs both provide advising services. The undergraduate advising

is done through the academic advising program specific for Division of Health Sciences students. The

graduate program advising is accomplished by the School, primarily by the Graduate Director and faculty

advisors.

The mission of academic advising at UNR is to assist each undergraduate student in developing and

implementing an academic plan designed to meet his/her educational, career and life goals. The

advising process is one of shared responsibilities between students and advisors. The mechanism by

which advising is provided to students may vary by academic unit. However, it is the responsibility of

faculty and staff who serve as advisors to:

1. Be knowledgeable about the curriculum requirements for the program(s) for which they advise 2. Assist students in selecting appropriate classes and developing an academic plan that meets

degree requirements 3. Assist students in linking program requirements with relevant career and other post-graduation

opportunities 4. Be familiar with campus resources and make appropriate referrals when necessary 5. Support the achievement of campus-wide goals for increasing graduation and retention rates 6. Clarify and provide accurate and timely information about university policies, regulations and

procedures 7. Be available and accessible to student advisees on a regular basis 8. Maintain student confidentiality in accordance with FERPA 9. Be proficient in the use of the university's student information system/computerized advising

tools relevant to the advising process.

It is the student's responsibility to:

1. Seek advising assistance in a timely manner 2. Come to advising appointments prepared 3. Become knowledgeable about university, college/school, and departmental program

requirements associated with his/her major(s) or minor(s) as well as relevant policies and procedures

4. Take the initiative to become familiar with and utilize available campus resources 5. Keep his/her advisor informed of any changes that might impact or interfere with satisfactory

academic progress 6. Take responsibility for his/her actions and decisions

The role of an academic advisor is to assist, not make decisions for students. (taken from the advising

web-site as noted below)


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Students (and their parents as applicable) are informed of resources via mail, online communication,

and during orientations. The many services of Academic Advising are listed on their website. More

information and details can be found at: Academic Advising.

The DHS advising staff provide advisement for students in the schools that comprise the DHS. Students

are not assigned to an individual advisor, rather they are placed expeditiously with the next available

advisor (5 total). They provide services for freshmen, sophomores, juniors, seniors; for academic

probation/dismissed students; for student athletes; for transfer and out-of-state students; for pre-

nursing students and they assist with career counseling. There are a number of resources for freshman

including Nevada FIT (Freshman Intensive Transition) a 5 day intensive experience designed to improve

student success. There is a specific Health FIT for CHS majors that is now in its second year. It runs the

week before the fall semester begins and has an intensive agenda designed to improve the confidence

and success of freshman in CHS as they start their academic careers (agenda for Health FIT 8.15 in E-

resource: Advising & Career Counseling). More information is found at their website: Health FIT

At the school level, the Undergraduate Director works closely with the advising staff to answer

questions and address concerns for individual students and address curricular problems. Printed

information sheets about the CHS majors are available at the School’s office and on the website.

Examples of printed information include lists of required courses for each of the undergraduate majors,

suggested sequencing to graduate in 4 years, and resources for tutoring. Faculty provide informal

advisement to students after classes, through teaching assistantships, in joint research projects, during

volunteer activities, and by appointment. All faculty keep and publicize office hours to meet with

students.

Graduate students initially meet with the Graduate Director to explore options and to ask questions

about the admission process and coursework. Students with particular foci of interest are referred to

faculty in that area of specialization for more formal advisement.

Upon admission, the Graduate director matches MPH students with an advisor based upon their

program specialization and personal interests. Advisors usually are assigned two new students per year.

All faculty act as advisors with administrative faculty having a reduced assignment, typically one new

student per year. The graduate director keeps track of the number of advisees per faculty member and

will sometimes adjust advising load to equalize the numbers. The advisor assists MPH students with

their Program of Study (POS) and course selection, and begins the development of their MPH

experience. Advisors meet with students each semester to assist in planning coursework and to work

with the Field Studies coordinator and student to select and implement an appropriate internship. They

also assist the student while they are in the MPH Capstone Course, all in alignment with the student’s

career goals and objectives. During the final phases of the professional paper and presentation

development, advisors play an important role in editing and providing feedback to students and chair

the student’s committee. Faculty advisors provide letters of recommendation for students as they enter

the workforce or professional or academic training. For students who request that they be changed

from one advisor to another for various personal and professional reasons, there is now an approved

http://www.unr.edu/academic-central/academic-advising

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process to change advisors. (see E-resource: Advising & Career Counseling). These requests are

accommodated in order to ensure an optimal experience for both student and advisors.

The MPH student orientation was originally a half-day event in the fall and it now a full-day event every

August. The orientation is a time to meet faculty, other students and alumni, to become familiar with

the MPH Student handbook (E-resource: Handbooks) and to ask questions. One new session was added

to define and discuss professionalism as it applies in public health. (E-resource: Advising & Career

Counseling; MPH orientation 2015). Those who do not come to the orientation meet with the Graduate

Director and/or advisor to receive the information provided at orientation.

At UNR, students who are not officially admitted into a master’s program of study and/or are in the

process of completing their application, may take up to 9 units as Graduate Specials. When admitted to

the MPH program, these courses can transfer into their program of study. The number of Graduate

Special students is an indicator of interest in the program and of future admissions. All Graduate Special

students are initially advised by the Graduate Director and/or a course faculty member until admitted

into the program. Over the last 3 years, graduate specials have numbered 50 and 75 % have transitioned

into the MPH program. More effort is required to track and advise these students. Difficulties arise in

trying to keep them in progression or when they change their emphasis. Graduate special students stay

in contact with the Graduate Director and are tracked via an internal database to ensure smooth

progression to MPH admittance.

In addition to these more formal activities, students are encouraged to contact the undergraduate and

graduate directors and/or the school director to discuss their issues regarding the school, courses,

faculty, advisors and staff. All students may initiate comments in person or by email and faculty and staff

email addresses are readily available on the web page. A stable communication system was developed

using WebCampus to promote better and surer communication between students and faculty following

student input about lack of access to announcements. This was a very positive change in policy and

procedure initiated by student concern.

To prepare faculty in their roles as advisors there is a faculty orientation and an advisor guideline (E-

resource: Advising; MPH advisor timeline) that defines the tasks and highlights the timeline for MPH

students to complete their studies and their papers. In addition, the graduate committee provides

information to keep the other faculty members aware of changes.

b. Description of the program’s career counseling services for students in all degree programs. Include an explanation of efforts to tailor services to meet specific needs in the program’s student population.

Career counseling is formal and informal for both undergraduate and graduate students. Nevada’s

Career Studio offers a multitude of services to help UNR students, both graduate and undergraduate,

identify career paths, consider potential employers and gain important skills. The Career Studio provides

a number of tool kits for students to explore careers. Opportunities are available to students to gain an

understanding of the necessary skills, such as resume writing and interview techniques, to obtain a job

after graduation. Services can be one-on-one but most are online and offered in training sessions. The


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DHS academic advising core provides career counseling as part of their one-on-one interactions with

students and will send students to the Career Studio for additional assistance. More information can be

found at the Career Studio website: Career Studio

At the SCHS, we are a central hub for career opportunities and internship postings from many

organizations in the Northern Nevada area as well as out of the area employers. These are posted on the

undergraduate and graduate Bulletin Boards, shared on our list-serve and on our WebCampus site. We

use WebCampus postings for internships, fellowships, and job openings. The CHS Bulletin Board in the

school’s building has fliers from graduate schools and other job openings in the area and nationally.

More formal resources are available from both the Graduate School and the Graduate Student

Association GSA who represent groups committed to the professional development of UNR students.

They host a graduate school fair each fall for all UNR students to explore graduate offerings including

the MPH program. Each spring, a UNR career and internship fair is held on campus and students are

encouraged to attend. Graduate School

Professional development for undergraduate majors is formally done in the CHS 345 “Ethics and

Professionalism in Public Health” class and in CHS 494, “Field Studies in Public Health”. With Career

Studio assistance, students are required to write resumes, practice interviewing skills and discuss

appropriate and inappropriate behaviors. Student learning outcomes include development of a project

at the internship site that requires demonstration of organizational and presentation skills. Preceptors

identify these efforts as attractive skills for future employees.

Orientation for the internship experience for graduate students (CHS 798: Field Studies in Public Health)

includes a discussion of professionalism and appropriate behavior and attitudes that impact job

performance and evaluation. This has paid off with student internships evolving into student

employment opportunities. A good deal of career counseling occurs during the professional

development portion of the capstone class. Special sessions and assignments related to professional

development include: group facilitation and mediation, public speaking, how to be a good supervisor,

resume development, how to land a job, public health ethics, and the future of public health as a

profession.

Near the end of the course students complete a competency assessment to identify competencies that

need to be further developed. Students use this assessment to develop a post-graduation professional

development plan. Graded assignments include:

1) Resume 2) Job search and application development 3) Oral presentation (including professional dress and conduct) 4) Post-graduation professional development plan 5) Ethical issues in public health practice

In the less formal and more MPH program specific career counseling, there are many who contribute to

the students’ future: their advisor, other MPH faculty, alumni, and faculty/community mentors. Public

http://www.unr.edu/career

http://www.unr.edu/gsa/

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health professionals are frequent guest speakers to classes and are available during and afterwards for

students to consult with about their career choices and possibilities. As students are completing their

internships, they are encouraged to meet other people at their sites, besides the preceptor, in order to

create a broader network.

Because all students have advisors, a major source of career counseling is 1:1 mentoring related to the

job application process. Faculty review job applications, resumes, and cover letters and provide letters

of recommendation as requested for current students and alumni.

c. Information about student satisfaction with advising and career counseling services. A formal student advising satisfaction survey of UNR undergraduates was completed in the spring

semester 2015. One hundred and four students who returned surveys assessed the Division of Health

Sciences advising services from many viewpoints. Overall student satisfaction scores ranged from 3.2-4.0

on a scale of 1-5 and 50% of students ranked services as good or very good. The survey indicated good

information was presented but students at times did not feel welcomed. The Director of Academic

Advising & Student Achievement will be conducting regular student satisfaction surveys in the future.

With the new tracking system scheduled to start in April 2016, there will be faster feedback and better

detail to help improve advising services further. (E-resource: Surveys, Advising Evaluation).

Of the 2011 to 2014 graduate survey respondents, on a scale from 1=strongly disagree to 4=strongly

agree, 85% agreed or strongly agreed that “Overall, MPH faculty were supportive of my academic

interests.” Comments about strengths of the program also indicate high levels of satisfaction with

faculty support and advisement.

“Very supportive faculty who have a genuine interest in your success. Also the support with the capstone course in

completing the final paper and presentation was excellent!”

“The professors and faculty cared about the students and were willing to provide as much guidance and help as

needed (as long as the students are willing to work).”

“Advisers/professors who really wanted their students to learn and were involved often gave the best learning

opportunities to my cohort.”

“The availability of faculty, and the individual interest faculty showed in each student. I always felt I could talk any

faculty member and they were willing to work with or help me.”

“Professor involvement with students. Most took the time to know students and help them when asked. It was

also nice that there was a firm schedule on what needed to be accomplished in order to graduate.”

“The faculty are very good about taking an interest in what you hope to gain from the program and work hard to

accommodate that.”

“Strong, committed faculty who focus on student development Low professor: student ratio Plenty of

opportunities for students to be involved in leadership and/or research”


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While most MPH graduates appear to be satisfied with their experiences with faculty advising, a few

mentioned having some issues with advising, such as lack of advisor availability or involvement in the

professional paper process.

In the past three years, there have been 4 requests by students to change advisors. This is a small

percentage and is one indicator that there is satisfaction with the services provided. We also understand

and support students in seeking out advising and career support from many sources beyond their

advisor and beyond our walls.

d. Description of the procedures by which students may communicate their concerns to program officials, including information about how these procedures are publicized and about the aggregate number of complaints and/or student grievances submitted for each of the last three years.

The process for students to communicate program/academic concerns has been substantially upgraded

over the last 3 years. There is now a centralized UNR office, the Concierge Service, where forms and

procedures for concerns are initiated and followed. Details are posted on the website: Academic

Resources

The Concierge Service has seven categories in which students concerns can be filed:

General advising questions: concerns that have not already been addressed by one’s academic advisor

Grade Appeal: complaints about a grade received in a course (students are required to consult with the instructor prior to pursuing this complaint)

Poor Advising: complaints about the perceived quality and/or accuracy of academic advising Poor Instruction: complaints about the perceived quality of instruction for a course Course Availability: complaints about the availability of a course offering required for a student’s

program Course Policies: complaints about the policies being enforced in a particular course Other: academic complaints not covered in the previous categories

Upon receipt of the filed concern, the student is contacted within two business days to confirm receipt,

request additional information (if needed), and to indicate initial routing of the issue. In some cases, a

complaint may be immediately referred out to other offices for review (i.e. sexual harassment, academic

integrity, disability compliance, etc.). Names are confidential depending on the cause. The students

must disclose their names and student ID to the Concierge Service. In cases of grade appeals, the

information will move into the procedure for grade appeals described in the administrative manual and

in the General Catalog.

A grade assigned by an instructor is only subject to the appeals procedure if there was a

clerical/administrative error in the calculation and/or assignment of the grade, the grade assignment

was based on factors other than the student's performance in the course and/or completion of course

requirements or the grade assignment meant that the student was held to more demanding standards

than other students in the same section of the course. The burden of proof of these conditions rests on

the student.

http://www.unr.edu/academic-central/academic-resources

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There are four possible processes for grade appeals, the most common complaint identified in the SCHS.

1. Student consults with instructor before filing a grade appeal; 2. Student files a grade appeal using the online Concierge Service; 3. Student meets with the department chair or with both the department chair and instructor; and 4. Department chair appoints a grade appeal review committee.

There are detailed directions for each of the processes that can be found at: UNR Administrative

Manual: Grade Appeal

Follow up action is initiated if the concern or complaint is not addressed by referring it to a higher level

of authority. For SCHS this would mean involvement by the Director and if needed, the Vice President

for Health Sciences. The Concierge Service supplies a record of complaints and responses to the relevant

Associate Dean(s) and the Office of the Provost at the end of each Fall, Spring, and Summer academic

term (policy in E-resource: Grievances and Complaints and located at UNR Administrative Manual:

Academic Complaints).

As with all programs, the SCHS program strives for a professional, collegial relationship with all students.

There are other less formal opportunities for students to voice their concerns. Undergraduate syllabi

include office hours and invitations for students to meet with faculty regarding any issue but particularly

if there are concerns with academic performance. Many issues are addressed at this level. The more

formal procedures offered through UNR are available for students who may not be able to resolve issues

or are concerned about retaliation.

Depending on the type of concern the student may have, there are several options for resolution:

If the concern is about a course, students are encouraged to seek assistance first from the

course instructor, then from his or her advisor and/or graduate director. If a result is still not

satisfactory, the student may file a complaint with the Concierge Service.

If a concern involves the advisor and/or internship preceptor, the student is encouraged to seek

assistance from the graduate director and/or internship coordinator, and finally the director of

the school. Again, the route would then be to the Vice President for Health Sciences.

If a graduate assistant has an issue with their supervisor, the student can come to the graduate

director and/or then to the director of the school.

If students have issues with other students, this would be formally handled though the

instructor and/or advisor, depending on the situation.

In any case, if a student is not comfortable discussing the issue with the graduate program

director, he/she may approach the graduate curriculum coordinator or Director.

Regardless of the issue, MPH students may choose to meet with and process the issue with

another MPH student.

The SCHS Director is usually the last step in any concern resolution.

There have been 5 student grievances that came to the director in the last 3 years dealing with both

undergraduate and graduate students. One of these came from a graduate student who had complaints

http://www.unr.edu/academic-central/academic-resources/request-help

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/3000-3999-students/3510-grade-appeal-policy-and-procedures

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/3000-3999-students/3510-grade-appeal-policy-and-procedures

http://www.unr.edu/administrative-manual/3000-3999-students/3511-processing-of-student-academic-complaints

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regarding a faculty member’s responsiveness. Four came from undergraduates who had grade issues. All

were resolved at the school level and did not require further efforts. These grievances were handled by

meeting with the students and with the faculty. No systemic issues were identified.


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There is a well-established process for handling student concerns that has become more standardized and more easily accessed over the last two years. This process is overseen by a university office (as of fall 2014) to make it less intimidating for students.

The inclusion of career preparation into the undergraduate curriculum has improved the internship experience for students and their preceptors during the students’ senior year.

Weaknesses:

Lack of information for the three years preceding 2014 for grievances.

Students don’t declare their CHS major early in their academic tenure and that makes it very difficult to advise and assist students to complete their degrees in a timely fashion.

Plans:

The availability of the new students tracking system will assist the undergraduate program to do a better job with advisement and career counseling. The analytics of the program assist in identifying programs where students may find more success based on grades in key courses.

Lack of specific questions about advising on the MPH graduate and alumni surveys. Faculty will add questions to capture this information for the future.