Master of Public Health & Tropical Medicine

Mission Statement

The mission of the MPH&TM program is to prepare health professionals with clinical backgrounds to deal with the important public health problems of tropical developing countries.

Program Description

By combining a core public health curriculum with coursework on the clinical, epidemiological, and control aspects of tropical diseases, this program prepares physicians to assess tropical medicine from various perspectives; it also prepares the participants to evaluate and plan disease prevention and control programs.

Program Competencies

Graduates of the MPH&TM degree program will have the following knowledge and skills:

• To describe the clinical aspects of the major tropical infectious diseases, including their descriptive epidemiology, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnostic methods, and treatment.  Tropical infectious diseases include parasitic, bacterial, mycobacterial, viral, fungal, rickettsial, and HIV/AIDS-related infections.Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6330, TRMD 6360, TRMD 6050, TRMD 6070
  
• To demonstrate the clinical approach to specific disease syndromes commonly seen in the tropics, such as fever, hepatosplenomegaly, and altered sensorium.Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360
  
• To  describe the diagnosis and management of nutritional deficiencies in both children and adults.Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360
  
• To perform routine diagnostic tests for tropical diseases using a microscope, including hematologic, bacteriologic, and parasitologic studies. Competence must be demonstrated with hands-on laboratory experiences. They should also be familiar with appropriate use of specialized diagnostic tests, including culture techniques, antigen detection tests, serologic tests, and clinically relevant molecular techniques. Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6340, TRMD 6090
  
• To diagnose and treat non-infectious diseases or conditions common in the tropics, including food and venomous creature intoxications, heat disorders, high-altitude illness, and tropical dermatological problems.Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360
  
• To describe the basics of pretravel counseling and disease prevention, including immunizations, malaria prophylaxis, and diarrhea management.  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360
  
• To demonstrate the appropriate use of radiologic studies in the management of tropical diseases, including plain X-rays and more sophisticated techniques (ultrasound, CT, MRI, contrast studies).Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6360
  
• To train and supervise paramedical personnel such as nurse practitioners and health promoters in the management of common tropical disease syndromes, identification of ill or at-risk children through neonatal examination and growth monitoring, basic follow-up of pregnant women with criteria for referral, and immunization programs. Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6310, TRMD 6320 or 6350
  
• To identify and be able to describe the principles of infectious disease transmission in communities, as well as strategies for outbreak control at the community and regional level. Pertinent courses/activities:  TRMD 6320 or 6350

Admission Requirements

Degree Requirements

Course Requirements