Public health has made unique contributions to the improvements of health and quality of life of human being. Institutions of public health education play critical role in public health through education, research, and socail services. However, how public health education can be strengthened in meeting the needs of communities in situations of social and economic development, changes in demograthic structure, health transition, and health systems reform, is facing both challenges and opportunities.
Over the past eight decades, School of Public Health (SPH), Peking University has established its reputation in achievements of education and research through efforts by our distinguished colleagues and students. SPH is now in a new stage to take its responsibilities of and academic institution for improving the population health.
SPH devotes to development of solutions to public health issues of the people, contributions to decision making in health systems, and academic development of public health, through which SPH can have the opportunities to be developed. For achieving this development idea, we need to have advanced vision about public health, well-designed education programs, innovative knowledge contributions and enthusiasm to serve the society and people.
Our goal of education on the undergraduate and graduate students is that those talents can have leadership capacity in public health after they graduate from the school. The leadership has four aspects: enthusiasm and spirit to serve the population health, systematic public health thinking, advanced public health knowledge and skills, and ability working with the communities. Demands for those graduates mainly come from four areas: health service facities (Center for Disease Prevention and Control, maternal and child health institutions, hospitals, etc.), health administration authorities, academic institutions, health-related companies and organizations. For training the leadership capacities, we need qualified faculties, good working condition and administration services. SPH of Peking University has the best source of student recruitment, which is the foundation for us to achieve this aim.
Development of SPH needs openness and inclusiveness: open to the outside world, to the nonmedical disciplines, to health service providers, and to each other, and inclusive in faculty teams with different academic backgrounds. Peking University has unique advantages and good traditions for collaborations for its comprehensive disciplinary and well developed health care system.
Peking University School of Public Health cannot develop well without support from many organizations and individuals, especially the alumni and colleagues from other schools of public health. We will continue to try the best in education and research for a better health system.
Siyan Zhan
School of Public Health
Peking University
