Student and Faculty Research

Research is an integral part of the teaching and service missions of the Oregon MPH Program.  MPH faculty and students are engaged in a wide range of basic and applied public health research, and much of this work is completed in collaboration with other agencies, community groups, and organizations.  

Student Involvement in Research  

There are multiple opportunities for Oregon MPH students to be involved in research, both basic and applied.  All students participate in curricula through which they gain skills in defining questions for investigation, determining methods for answering these questions, collecting data, analyzing information, presenting results, and drawing conclusions from their findings.  Each of the specialty tracks include learning competencies and/or learning components with research foci.

All students foster basic research skills in Principles of Epidemiology and Introduction to Biostatistics. Other track required and elective courses (e.g., Program Evaluation, Quantitative Research Design & Analysis, and topic-specific courses in Epidemiology, Public Health Toxicology and Risk Assessment, Program Planning/Proposal Writing, and Qualitative Methods) further provide students with opportunities to develop a variety of basic and applied research skills.  Students from throughout the program may also select field experience sites and projects that include research components, allowing them to apply the skills they have developed during their coursework. 

In addition to curricular emphasis on the development of research skills, students may also become involved in faculty grant activity, research contracts, and unfunded projects.  Student involvement in such activities can include design and administration of surveys or other instruments; collecting, compiling, managing, and analyzing data; conducting literature reviews; co-authoring publications; providing consultation and project training; organizing conferences; and/or presenting at professional and other conferences. 

Oregon MPH Student Symposium

The annual Student Symposium provides opportunity for students to submit an abstract for review, to present their work in a poster or oral presentation session, and to have their posters reviewed by a panel of faculty judges from throughout the program.  The symposium also serves as a forum for students to network with Oregon MPH Program faculty and alumni, and practitioners and researchers from around the state.   

Oregon MPH  Faculty Research Activity

OMPH faculty are actively involved in research with applied, educational, clinical, and theoretical implications for public health, and regularly disseminate their findings through scholarly publications and presentations. 

Core faculty from throughout the OMPH Program are engaged in collaborative and community-based research with agencies and community organizations.