About

Working at the Intersection of Public Health Research and Practice

The Department of Population Health Sciences, established in June 2011, houses Virginia Tech's public health undergraduate and graduate programs including our Bachelor of Science in Public Health and our Master of Public Health degrees. Our faculty also mentor PhD and MS students enrolled in the Biomedical and Veterinary Sciences Program, Translational Biology, Medicine, and Health Program, and other programs across campus. Our faculty are nationally recognized for their work in One Health, rural and Appalachian health, environmental health and policy, social and spatial epidemiology, infectious diseases, and community-engaged research. We are committed to and engaged with communities across Southwest Virginia in meeting our region’s most pressing public health needs.

• Population health focuses on analyzing and improving health outcomes for groups of people or populations. Using a One Health lens, we focus on the interconnection between the health of humans, animals, and environments.
• The undergraduate program offers a major and a minor in public health. Students can enter the program directly or through transfer from another VT degree program. 
• The professional Master of Public Health (MPH) program provides students with the advanced skills and expertise necessary to join the public health workforce. Students can choose an MPH concentration in infectious diseases, public health education, or environmental health.

Our Public Health Program is administered by the Virginia-Maryland College of Veterinary Medicine (VMCVM), with collaboration from the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, the program is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health.

Mission

The mission of the Public Health Program is to improve health regionally and globally by training students, conducting impactful research, and empowering communities to seek solutions that recognize the interconnectedness of human, animal, and environmental health.  

Goals

1. Learning: The program combines practical, experiential learning opportunities with professional preparation to equip students to meet current and future public health workforce needs.
2. Discovery: Faculty, in partnership with students and external collaborators, conduct and disseminate high-impact research aligned with local and regional public health needs.
3. Engagement: Students, faculty, and staff address public health needs through mutually beneficial partnerships with communities, institutions, and other collaborators.

Accreditation