Fall/Winter 2018


JSU Has Only Accredited School of Public Health in Mississippi


Delaware State FROM PAGE 1


no victims here,” but are fully empowered to direct their own development agendas, and should be held equally responsible with China for the debt structure they accept. He notes that several African nations have begun to draw back from automatic acceptance of China’s money, citing the case of Sierra Leone, which has just canceled a large infrastructure project that was to be funded by loans from Bejing.


BY L.A. WARREN William B. Bynum Jr


Dr. Lynda Brown-Wright Jackson State University’s School


of Public Health (SPH) is now the only program of its kind in the state to earn accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).


SPH, which now designates itself as the “Mississippi School of Public Health@JSU,” began the credentialing


arduous process legislature. JSU President William B. Bynum


Jr. said JSU continues to be a leader on the national stage.


Bynum said, “This is a remarkable accomplishment for Jackson State and the state of Mississippi and beyond. Our goals are to continue to make impactful advances for our state and nation in the field of public health and increase life expectancy and the public’s well-being.


Dr. Lynda Brown-Wright, provost and vice president for


Academic


Affairs, described the watershed moment as one of the greatest accom- plishments destined to shape the quality of health of all mankind.


CEPHBrown-Wright said, “The


faculty in the School of Public Health were among the original architects of the Jackson Heart Study. Through this accreditation, Jackson State continues to show significant leadership in demonstrating


the importance of


HBCUs, and I anticipate that the School of Public Health will continue its vision in advancing research and the delivery of quality healthcare in Mississippi and the region.”


In addition, Brown-Wright said,


“With the national push to address the health concerns of the underserved, the accreditation of the School of Public Health places Jackson State at the center of the national conversation and future national and global research agendas.”


interim dean in 2016, Dr. Mohammad Shahbazi


“public


Meanwhile, after he was named immediately


began


reorganizing the academic programs housed inside Mall, declaring


the Jackson Medical that


health


practices have added 25 years to the life expectancy of people in the U.S.” He


in 2016 when


it gained significant support from administrators, Gov. Phil Bryant and special


appropriation from the state Dr. Mohammad Shahbazi


commends professionals in the field for keeping food and water supply safe, preventing outbreak of infectious diseases, eliminating health disparities and providing access to healthcare.”


Proudly, Shahbazi


accreditation means that the JSU SPH has voluntarily


held


said, “Such itself


to


a set of quality standards and will continue to do so. It means the school will continue to attract the brightest and best students and researchers. Prospective students can feel confident knowing that JSU SPH has received the stamp of approval from the only accrediting body of public health schools and programs in the world.”


Furthermore, he said, “It also


means that employers of our students can feel confident about our graduates’ knowledge and skills. They are well prepared


to enter the workplace


and take on challenges as leaders to prevent diseases and promote and protect the health of people they will be charged to serve. Additionally, the public can feel confident knowing that graduates from the JSU SPH are optimally prepared professionals who will solve public health problems and change health outcomes that can lead to increased life expectancies.”


Shahbazi is also quick to point


out that credit for the accreditation is widespread. He named administrators, faculty, staff, students and community representatives for the milestone and a self-study report that resulted in a favorable site visit from CEPH in May 2018.


An official notice from the


governing board was released earlier this month:


“On behalf of the Council on


Education for Public Health … we are pleased to advise you that the CEPH Board of Councilors acted at its Nov. 2, 2018, meeting to accredit the Jackson State University School of Public Health for a five-year term, with an interim report due in fall 2019.”


to build upon its work by launching online


welcoming


Shahbazi said SPH will continue programs,


dual


degrees and expanding its mission globally to focus on the social determinants of health.


Exploring and then publicizing the inherent power relationships between China and Africa is an example of serious


scholarship with a strong potential to impact economic policy on a global level.


“Delaware State University is committed to supporting our faculty in conducting such research,” said Dr. Tony Allen, Provost and Executive Vice President. “As we move forward in our partnership with the African Peer Review Mechanism of the African Union, work like that being done by Dr. Hagos establishes the intellectual capital that the University brings to the table.”


The HBCU Advocate


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