The Graduate Public Health Program at FHS is Granted Accreditation

Faculty of Health Sciences celebrates its CEPH accreditation

In December, the AUB Graduate Public Health Program at the Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) was accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH), making it the first program to receive such international accreditation outside the North American continent.

CEPH granted accreditation to the program in its meeting of September 28-30, 2006, thus culminating an international peer assessment that found the program meeting all the required standards for graduate education in public health. The accreditation decision was based on a self-study undertaken by FHS over a period of two years beginning in 2004, as well as on a site visit to AUB by a team of two leading international public health scholars and a CEPH staff member that took place in May 2006. "This accreditation decision confirms that we are meeting international professional expectations in graduate public health education," said FHS Dean Huda Zurayk. "It thereby encourages us to seek further growth and development in the service of public health in Lebanon, the region, and internationally."

Zurayk noted that the process was a group effort that allowed the faculty, supported by staff, to collaborate closely in systematically reviewing the graduate program's mission, governance, resources, and programs, while consulting with students, alumni, and stakeholders concerning their experiences with the program. "We have all worked hard to ensure the excellence and
relevance of the FHS Graduate Public Health Program," she said.

The FHS Graduate Public Health Program consists of a Master of Public Health, with concentrations in Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Behavior and Education, and Health.

Public Health Program Granted Accreditation

Management and Policy, as well as three Master of Science programs in Epidemiology, Population Health, and Environmental Sciences with an emphasis on Environmental Health. The MPH program is the longest-running program at the faculty, having been established in 1971.The Graduate Public Health Program has graduated over 800 professionals who have engaged in public health careers in a variety of public and private agencies, many of them serving in leadership positions and influencing public health in Lebanon.

CEPH is an independent agency founded in 1974 in the United States. It establishes its own accreditation policies for accrediting schools of public health and public health programs offered in settings other than schools of public health.

The Faculty of Health Sciences celebrated its 50th anniversary in 2004.