Education

Education is a key component of the ICRC. Presently, we are involved in educating West Virginia University graduate students and medical students in the science and practice of injury control. A brief description of these efforts follows:

MPH Program

The generalist Masters in Public Health program at WVU offers a solid academic foundation in community health and preventive medicine. Core courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, environmental health science, health services administration, and social and behavioral sciences provide students a thorough understanding of public health theory and prepares them to fill decision-making roles in managed care and other integrated delivery systems, the medical products industry, health departments, and other governmental agencies, consumer groups, and community-based organizations. Several of the courses mention injury or have injury components. The injury course described below will be an elective in the MPH program.

PhD Program in Public Health Sciences

To meet the growing needs for public health professionals in West Virginia and the U.S., WVU began a new doctoral degree in public health sciences in August 2006. The program builds on a successful Department of Community Medicine-based MPH program and is a collaborative effort among multiple schools, centers and departments across WVU, as well as with the National Institute of Occuptional Safety and Health, which has three of its seven divisions in Morgantown, WV. The program is part of the Strategic Research Plan for the WVU Health Sciences Center with funding secured through the HSC Office of Research and Graduate Studies. The PhD program emphasizes both evidence-based primary prevention of disease and injury, and health promotion research and practice. It will create a pool of epidemiologic, behavioral science, demographic, environmental health, and injury prevention talent for developing highly technical enterprises in West Virginia that seek to influence health behavior at the community and policy level. The program will feature a common first-year core curriculum that includes intensive training in public health research methods, epidemiology, and biostatistics. Initially, two (Social and Behavioral Sciences, and Population Epidemiology & Biostatistics) specialist tracks will be offered. This will expand to five tracks within the next five years. The new tracks will be Health Policy, Physical Activity & Nutrition, and Environmental Health. After two years of academic training, faculty will mentor candidates in the design and conduct of their research projects over the final two years of the student’s program.

-- Injury Control Methods (PUBH 705) This new course will be an elective course in the Population Epidemiology & Biostatistics track. It will be the first injury research methods course offered by the WVU Health Sciences Center. This course will provide a foundation for students interested in pursuing a career in injury research. This course will be offered starting in the Spring semester 2008, the second academic year for the first matriculating class doctoral students.

More information on the MPH and PhD Programs can be found on the WVU Community Medicine website.

Injury Prevention for Medical Students

Another important object of our educational and training efforts is to ensure that all graduating WVU medical students have a basic understanding of injury prevention and treatment that is in line with their knowledge of other major health conditions affecting the nation. A recently published report, Training Future Physicians about Injury, from the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) has outlined recommendations for training medical students in the basics of injury control and prevention. These recommendations have been incorporated into appropriate courses within the WVU School of Medicine curriculum.