In 2021, faculty and university leaders identified the need for a vision for public health education and research at UT. An ad hoc working group was established, with representatives from colleges and schools, with the aim of building on enthusiasm for a new interdisciplinary vision of public health at UT. This was charged to:
- Map UT Austin public health assets, including programs, faculty, and research;
- Investigate undergraduate Public Health education and make recommendations for degree coursework, faculty oversight, and scalability of student research opportunities and internships; and
- Consider the UT Austin research landscape alongside peer/aspirational comparisons and new directions in the field of public health.
In 2022, the working group recommended the development of a campus-wide public-health entity to coordinate research, teaching, and community impact across UT. They proposed dedicating faculty leadership and staff time to design the entity, consider other models from peer institutions, and strengthen ties with UTHealth School of Public Health Austin Campus.
In 2023, Provost Wood dedicated resources to create the UT Public Health Coalition to elevate:
- Research: Coordinate a network of researchers (350+ faculty across 45 units) to scale public health research at UT, activating interdisciplinary synergy for collaboration and impact in key areas of strategic advantage.
- Teaching: Integrate and coordinate curriculum and career possibilities for undergraduate and graduate students. Explore intercollegiate degrees in interdisciplinary public health. Articulate degree pathways: accelerated master’s with UTHealth SPH Austin, and MD, JD, PharmD, PhD pathways.
- Community Impact: Coordinate with community organizations and projects to build stronger communities ties, foster faculty and student opportunities and collaborations, and improve community health.
We invite you to join our efforts to redefine public health education and research at UT Austin. Email us at utpublichealthcoalition@utexas.edu to find out more.