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The Context
The School of Public Health is part of a larger academic enterprise--Saint Louis University, one of the premier Catholic universities in the country dedicated to providing excellence in education and health care. The first university established west of the Mississippi River, it is the second oldest of the 28 Jesuit colleges and universities in America. Located in the heart of St. Louis, the University is a green, beautifully landscaped oasis identified in the St. Louis skyline by its copper-topped buildings. The University enrolls more than 11,000 day and evening students.

The School of Public Health
Saint Louis University School of Public holds the distinction of being the only school of public health in Missouri, and the only school of public health in the United States sponsored by a Catholic college or university. Another significant feature of the School was its early and continuing recognition of the need to establish strong ties between the School and the practice communities in cities and counties, the state and the nation.

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Established in 1991, the School was founded as an essential component of the University’s commitment to population-based education that prepares students for careers in health services, health promotion, and disease prevention. The University and its Health Sciences Center have a long history of leadership in graduate education, research, service and continuing education in the core disciplines of public health. In 1947, the University was a pioneer in creating a formal curriculum leading to a degree in hospital administration. Eventually, the focus of this program expanded from hospital to health services management and policy.

The University supported the creation of the School of Public Health’s predecessor, the Center for Health Services Education and
Research, in 1979 and placed the existing health administration and community health programs within it. This new Center became a focal point for public health education and scholarship during the 1980s at Saint Louis University. Its programs and faculty members attracted recognition from accrediting bodies, research foundations, public and private agencies, and its many graduates for its commitment to academic and research excellence and its linkages to the practice community. The School’s existing doctoral program in health research, established in 1958, was moved to the Center for Health Services Education and Research and is now the Doctoral Program in Public Health Studies.

The Center fostered growth in all three basic areas of academic endeavor-- teaching, research and service—through its masters and doctoral degree programs. The activities of the Center culminated in 1991 with its designation by the University as the Saint Louis University School of Public Health and its initial accreditation by the Council on Education for Public Health in 1995. The School was reaccredited in 2000 for the maximum seven years.

The School of Public Health Mission
 "The Saint Louis University School of Public Health is dedicated to the discovery, translation, and dissemination of public health knowledge to improve the health and well being of all." Click here for more about our mission and strategic focus.

The School of Public Health Vision
Consistent with the Jesuit traditions of the University, the School of Public Health continually strives for excellence in scholarship through nationally and internationally recognized performance in teaching, research and service. In so doing, we hold ourselves account-able to the expectations of the communities we serve and our peers in public health. Our educational programs produce leadership for public health. Our research improves health policy, programs and service delivery. Our service builds capacity for public health practice.

The Saint Louis University Mission
The University’s mission is the pursuit of truth for the greater glory of God and for the service of humanity. The University seeks excellence in the fulfillment of its corporate purposes of teaching, research and community service. It is dedicated to leadership in the continuing quest for understanding of God’s creation and for discovery, dissemination and integration of the values, knowledge and skills required to transform society in the spirit of the Gospels. As a Catholic, Jesuit university this pursuit is motivated by the inspiration and values of the Judeo-Christian tradition and is guided by the spiritual and intellectual ideals of the Society of Jesus.

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School of Public Health
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