Creating training opportunities for public health practitioners

In response to several reports issued by the federal government and private foundations on the under-training of public health practitioners, Joseph L . Mailman School of Public Health of Columbia University (SPH) and the New York City Department of Health (NYC DOH) initiated the Public Health Schola rs program (SPH-PHS) to make degree-level public health training available to NYC DOH employees. Public Health Scholars receive a 50% tuition scholars hip and enroll part-time while working full-time at NYC DOH. Sixteen schola rs have enrolled during the past three years. The SPH-PHS program is consid ered a success by both SPH and NYC DOH. This article details the history of the collaboration between the two agencies and the structure of the progra m and provides a critical analysis of the SPH-PHS program based on intervie ws with 16 scholars. It also examines the cost and benefit to other schools of public health of implementing such a program.