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Mission, Goals, Objectives, and Values

Mission

The mission of the University of Washington School of Public Health and Community Medicine (SPHCM) is to promote population health, prevent illness, disability, and injury, and ensure efficient, effective, and equitable health care systems through education, research, and service.

Goals

To fulfill its mission, the SPHCM has the following goals:

  1. Educate innovative, effective, and culturally competent public health researchers, faculty, and practitioners.
  2. Advance knowledge in the public health sciences through research and discovery.
  3. Contribute to sound public health policies and increase the recognition of the importance of public health through dissemination and community collaboration.

Objectives

The three goals of the SPHCM are both distinct and inter-related. For example, we believe that a critically effective way to support our teaching and service is through a strong emphasis on research. On the other hand, teaching and research are enhanced enormously through faculty and student involvement in policy and service activities. This is reflected in our goals and in the interdependence of our objectives for achieving them.

We pursue each of our goals through meeting the objectives listed under them.

  1. Educate innovative, effective, and culturally competent public health researchers, faculty, and practitioners.
    • Recruit and retain outstanding faculty in the range of disciplines and specialities consistent with SPHCM’s mission.
    • Recruit graduate and undergraduate students of the highest academic capabilities who are committed to public health.
    • Provide a multicultural setting for public health learning.
    • Provide excellent educational programs and opportunities.
    • Apply innovative pedagogical methods to enhance teaching and learning.
    • Promote lifelong learning.
  2. Advance knowledge in the public health sciences through research and discovery.
    • Develop new programs in response to emerging health problems, new technologies, and advances in the public health sciences.
    • Foster an environment that promotes creativity, collaboration, and interdisciplinary research.
    • Develop the infrastructure to support state-of-the-art research.
    • Compete successfully for research funding in the public health sciences.
    • Contribute scientific knowledge in the public health disciplines.
  3. Contribute to sound public health policies and increase the recognition of the importance of public health through dissemination and community collaboration.
    • Disseminate public health knowledge and research findings to policy-makers, public health professionals, and the general community.
    • Engage in collaborative research, training, and service activities with governmental and non-governmental organizations.
    • Build community alliances that will bridge science and practice.

Values

The School periodically reviews its values and evaluates them in relation to the Strategic Plan. Extensive review is conducted at intervals according to the strategic planning process and during the intensive Self-Study. The list below reflects the current values of the School, as determined by faculty and students.

  1. Objectivity and professional integrity in research, education, and service
  2. Creativity and interdisciplinary approaches in solving local, national, and global public health problems
  3. Pursuit of knowledge to better understand human health, environmental health, and their interconnections
  4. Scientifically rigorous evaluation of evidence to inform public health recommendations
  5. Building partnerships between academic public health and communities to improve
    human and environmental health
  6. Compassion, equity, and social justice in defi ning and addressing health
  7. Expanded opportunities for learning beyond the classroom to individual mentorship
    and applied experience in the community
  8. Educational outreach to the public health workforce
  9. Respect for and inclusion of diverse values, beliefs, and cultures in research and teaching
  10. Vigilance to recognize and forecast threats to public health