A CEPH-ACCREDITED JOINT DEGREE PROGRAM OF SUNY UPSTATE MEDICAL UNIVERSITY AND SYRACUSE UNIVERSITY

CNYMPH

Central NewYork

Master of Public Health

A Great Graduate Degree Opportunity

The MPH DegreeThe Master of Public Health is a

professional degree that is designed toprepare students to investigate andmanage public health problems. As partof SUNY Upstate Medical University’scollaboration with Syracuse University,graduates receive a joint MPH diplomafrom both Universities.

Certificate of AdvancedStudy in Public Health

We also offer a Certificate ofAdvanced Study in Public Health, anabbreviated, five-course program. Thecertificate is for those interested inaugmenting their current job orsupplementing an advanced degreewith core public health principles andpractices so they can manage publichealth problems.

Our Mission To create new knowledge about

public health through research and tostrengthen the workforce by preparing adiverse group of professionals to plan,

implement, evaluate and advocate forpopulation-based health policies andprograms.

Accredited ProgramThe Master of Public Health program

housed at SUNY Upstate MedicalUniversity is accredited by the Councilon Education for Public Health. Thecouncil is a member of the Associationof Specialized and ProfessionalAccreditors, which provides acollaborative forum and a collectivevoice for U.S. agencies that assess thequality of specialized and professionalhigher education programs and schools.

The FutureOur MPH students strive to

understand public health problems andto develop innovative methods toimprove the health of their communitiesand larger populations. Graduates of theprogram will be prepared to assumeleadership roles to reduce preventablediseases, injuries, and health disparitiesthrough a specialized focus on publichealth practice and policy.

The Best of Two Universities

The MPH program is built onthe complementary strengths ofSUNY Upstate Medical Universityand Syracuse University.

Students can take advantageof what these two prestigiousCentral New York institutionsoffer in clinical medicine, publicpolicy and administration, socialand behavioral sciences, law andthe humanities -- all in anacademic medical center settingand at the SUNY graduatetuition rate.

The program is intellectuallychallenging and equips ourstudents with the necessary skillsfor leadership in public health.

Public health is a diverse anddynamic field. It advancesimprovements in health care,safety and quality of life forentire populations. The MPHdegree prepares professionals totreat the community as thepatient.

Our students strive tounderstand public health issuesand to develop innovativemethods to solve them. And ourgraduates are well prepared toassume leadership roles toimprove the health of entirecommunities.

About the Central NewYork

Master of Public Health

Our students volunteer

in the community.

CNYMPH

Fast Track to a PrestigiousGraduate Degree • Full-time CNYMPH students may

complete the degree in 24 months,while the part-time plan allows up to five years.

• The program provides a solid groundingin the core principles of public health,plus electives tailored to specific areas of interest.

• Classes usually meet once a week, for a three hour period.

• A required practicum provides studentsexperience in a professional publichealth environment; the CulminatingExperience includes working on acapstone project analyzing a publichealth issue.

Concurrent Programs• Medical students at Upstate can obtain

a dual MD/MPH degree in as little as fiveyears.

• CNYMPH students may pursue aconcurrent Certificate of AdvancedStudy in Health Services Management &Policy at the Maxwell School of SyracuseUniversity without lengthening theirtwo-year course of study.

• Students at SUNY Environmental Science& Forestry can take advantage of aconcurrent graduate degree programwith us and earn two master’s degrees in three years instead of four.

Diverse Classes,Professional Atmosphere

Our students and degree holdersinclude recent college graduates, nurses,lawyers, administrators, physical therapists,medical students and physicians. Classesand group projects are greatly enrichedby these unique perspectives.

In addition to gaining a solid foundationin public health principles, researchmethodology and real-world application,our students choose a topic they arepassionate about and devote considerabletime to it in their capstone project.

If you can envision yourself in thisenriching environment, we encourage youto apply. It will take the best and brightestminds to protect and improve the public'shealth.

Syracuse, NY is an IdealPlace to Earn an MPH

Syracuse is New York's fourth largest cityand is in the scenic center of the state. TheCNYMPH program is located right in theheart of this college town, on University Hill.

Syracuse has a rich heritage and boastsnumerous ethnic festivals and eventsthroughout the year. There are numerousrestaurants, shopping and nightlife fun, allwithin easy walking distance of the campus,and athletic events at Syracuse University.

The Central New York region has fourdistinct seasons and plenty of opportunitiesto enjoy them. The area’s numerous parks,lakes and mountains are popular amongboaters, hikers, rock-climbers, skiers andrunners.

Things to Know aboutour MPH Program • State University of New York

tuition

• CEPH-accredited MPH program

• Expert faculty from two

universities

• Solve problems through public

health practice and policy

• Earn your MPH in 24 months

Our accredited Master ofPublic Health program is agraduate level opportunityfor students with abachelor’s degree or above.

Improving Outcomes for Momsand Babies

CNYMPH Director Martha Wojtowycz,PhD, has been on the faculty of the programsince it began in 2009. She’s been at Upstate20 years and also is affiliated with theDepartment of Obstetrics and Gynecology.

“I love working withstudents on any project– policy-oriented,maternal/child health,economics and publichealth, and programevaluation,” Dr.Wojtowycz said.

As an evaluator forSyracuse Healthy Start,a federal programaimed at reducing

health disparities, Dr. Wojtowycz, AssociateProfessor of Public Health and PreventiveMedicine, blends research and clinicalpractice.

“Much of the work I’ve done as it relatesto public health is in maternal and childhealth, but it’s not limited to that,” she said.

Dr. Wojtowycz serves on the community-wide perinatal substance abuse committeethat researchers best practices, makes policyrecommendations and provides informationto health care and human services providersand public health practitioners on pregnantwomen and smoking, drugs and alcohol use.

She’s part of a team researching andevaluating data, enlisting new communitypartners, monitoring and measuringprogress toward the ultimate goal “toimprove outcomes for moms and babies.”

A Focus on ResearchChristopher Morley, PhD, is Interim

Chair of the Department of Public Health &Preventive Medicine; Vice Chair for Research,Department of Family Medicine; AssociateProfessor of Public Health & PreventiveMedicine, Family Medicine, and Psychiatry.

Dr. Morley is a medical social scientistwith principal interests in health disparities,particularly those that occur in primary caresettings. His work recently has been largely

focused on health workforce development,systemic primary care practiceimprovement (workflow, preventive care),the use of large data derived from electronichealth records.

In particular, he studies how learnersmake choices about working as health careproviders in underserved areas and inunder-recruited areas of medicine andhealth, such as primary care and publichealth.

He has also been active in mental healthresearch, including a study of how socialfactors such as race, gender, and insurancestatus affect thediagnosis andtreatment of ADHD inprimary care. Dr. Morleyhas worked for anumber of years onprojects examining thegenetics ofSchizophrenia, BipolarDisorder, and ADHD, andwas the Co-PI of an NIHgrant to collect thelargest population sample of schizophreniapatients and health cases ever assembled,for the purposes of a Genome-WideAssociation Study, from 2008-2013.

Dr. Morley has a strong history ofscholarship. He is published in a number of areas, including tobacco control, mentalhealth, psychiatric genetics, public health,medical education, and ethics. In addition to his primary faculty appointments androles, he is also affiliated with the Center for Bioethics & Humanities and the Centerfor Global Health Studies at Upstate, theMaxwell School of Syracuse University, andthe New York State Area Health EducationCenter System.

Real-life Public Health Cynthia Morrow MD, MPH, is the Lerner

Chair for Public Health Promotion andProfessor of Practice in Public Administrationand International Affairs in the MaxwellSchool at Syracuse University. She also holdsa joint appointment as assistant professor in

the Department of Public Health andPreventive Medicine and the Department ofBioethics and Humanities at Upstate, and isa core faculty member of the CNYMPHprogram. Dr. Morrow previously served asOnondaga County’s Commissioner ofHealth from 2005 to 2014.

The wide range of public healthdisparities in Central New York make theregion an ideal training ground for studentsin the CNY Master of Public Health program,Dr. Morrow said.

“We have urban disparities and ruraldisparities, and we have opportunities tointervene and train people in real-life public health,” said Dr.Morrow. “Not manyinstitutions can offer both.”

Students in the MPHprogram also benefit fromthe public-privatepartnership of SyracuseUniversity and Upstate – atstate tuition levels -- andthe fact that Central NewYork isn’t saturated withpeople who have MPHdegrees. That translates tomore chances to explorenew areas of public health concerns.

There are many definitions of publichealth, Dr. Morrow said, including theInstitute of Medicine’s “fulfilling society’sinterest in assuring conditions in whichpeople can be healthy” and the WorldHealth Organization’s “all organizedmeasures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole.”

However it’s defined, she said, publichealth is everyone’s responsibility –government agencies, employers,corporations and small business owners,who should provide healthy “defaults” suchas providing healthy food options at thesame (or lower) cost as unhealthy options at work sites, schools, restaurants and stores.

MEET SOME OF OUR FACULTYOur Master of Public Health

graduate program boasts amultidisciplinary faculty designed tosupport the program's mission, goals,and objectives. Core faculty members

share a primary responsibility for theprogram, and are complemented byaffiliated faculty from other programsand departments at Upstate MedicalUniversity, Syracuse University or

affiliated universities. All facultysupport the program through teaching,research, or service collaborations, withan impressive list of public healthachievements that grows each year.

Cynthia Morrow,

MD, MPH

MarthaWojtowycz, PhD

ChristopherMorley, PhD

MEET SOME OF OUR STUDENTS Our MPH students are a diverse

group that includes public healthprofessionals, physicians and other

clinicians, medical students andmembers of the Central New Yorkcommunity with a passion for

improving public health. The eclecticmix makes for lively discussions in classand a variety of research interests.

2015 Paul AmbroseScholar

While an MPHstudent, Kyle Plante wasone of 40 studentscholars from acrossthe country selected asa 2015 Paul AmbroseScholar.

Kyle joined Upstate medical studentSimone Arvisais-Anhalt, who was alsoselected as an Ambrose Scholar. The pairattended a Student LeadershipSymposium in Washington, DC.

“I am both honored and excited to beselected as a Paul Ambrose Scholar,” Kylesaid. “This program is a great opportunityto obtain first-hand experience in theprocess of planning and implementingpublic health programs.”

Family Physician FoundationScholar

The American Academy of FamilyPhysicians selected Lizzy Wei McIntosh, anMD/MPH student at Upstate, to be thestudent representative to the AmericanAcademy of Family Physicians Foundationboard of trustees, the academy’sphilanthropic arm.

Lizzy also is one of 30 students andmedical residents selected to receive anAAFP Foundation scholarship. She’s ontrack to receive her MD and MPH degreesin 2017.

“We currently have a shortage ofprimary care and mental health providers

in the United States that isprojected to get even larger

over the next decade,” Lizzysaid. “A lot of that has to do

with the current fee-for-service system anddifferences in Medicarereimbursement for

different kinds of work. My MPH traininghas helped me to understand more of thatpicture, and where the opportunities arefor change in this area.”

Ronald McDonald HouseVolunteer Leads to FieldPlacement

MPH student Michael Rosenthal startedvolunteering in the kitchen at Syracuse’sRonald McDonald House, where familiescan stay while their children areundergoing extended medical treatments.

“They really liked my cooking and wordgot around,” Michael said. “Suddenly, LeeWilder, the house manager, asked if Iwould like to be a weekend manager.”

Michael enjoyed being at RonaldMcDonald House so much, he asked if hecould do his MPH field placement there aswell. He spent several days a week helpingthe house extend its mission to familiesand physicians in neighboring counties.

Volunteering with social serviceagencies was a major part of Michael’sbusy schedule. He volunteered at theSalvation Army’s Booth House, a respite for runaway and homeless teens, andhelped out at the Rescue Mission, Safe KidsCoalition and Upstate Golisano Children’sHospital.

“My work is out there,” he added,motioning toward the city’s streets. “It’shard to balance, but being a student herehas opened up a lot of doors these pastfew months.”

Internship Focused on GlobalMalaria

Jean Fidele Munezero spent thesummer putting his public health trainingto good use, analyzing and disseminatingmalaria data for USAID in Washington, D.C.

USAID (United States Aid forInternational Development) is the lead U.S.Government agency that works to endextreme global poverty.

Jean Fidele’s eight-week internshipwith USAID was his field placement in theCNYMPH program.

Jean Fidele said he’s always beeninterested in infectious diseases, in partbecause he grew up in countries that wereaffected by malaria and other diseases.

He was born in Rwanda, and at age 4fled the civil war and genocide with hisfamily, moving at first to the Congo (thenknown as Zaire) and Kenya before settlingin Togo, inWest Africa.He and hisparents andfour siblingscame to theUnited Statesin 2008through theDepartmentof State’sRefugeeResettlementprogram,and endedup in Buffalo.

Jean Fidele earned a biology degreefrom Canisius College in Buffalo and cameto Upstate in 2015.

“I like the way public healthapproaches issues, by taking a look at thebigger picture,” Jean Fidele said. “It’s goodto provide treatment to individuals, butsometimes addressing health issues on apopulation level makes a big difference; Iwant to have a wider perspective as afuture physician.”

Kyle Plante

Lizzy Wei McIntosh

Jean Fidele Munezero

Michael Rosenthal

MEET SOME OF OUR ALUMNI

Making Community

ConnectionsRoberto Martinez has “a true passion

for public health” that was evident fromhis first day on the Upstate campus,according to Simone Seward, MPH,Director of the Center for CivicEngagement.

Roberto came to Upstate in 2013from his native Nicaragua to pursue adegree in Public Health and a certificatein Health Services Management andPolicy. He earned his medical degreefrom the UNAN Medical School inManagua, the country’s capital, in 2010.

In Nicaragua, Roberto worked as themedical program coordinator for theAMOS Health and Hope agency(http://www.amoshealth.org). He led a 10-member health team providingprimary care and other services to 13,000people living in rural areas.

In Syracuse, Roberto served as projectcoordinator of a county-widecollaborative effort that aims to reducesubstance abuse among pregnantwomen. It was the essence of hisrequired capstone project for the MPH degree.

The goal of the project, funded in part by the New York State HealthFoundation, is to identify and mentor “Community Connectors” inneighborhoods affected by prenatalsubstance abuse, Roberto said.

Those connectors can be a bridge tohealth care services and provide peer-to-

peer education to youngpregnantwomen.HealthyFamilies, aprogram of theOnondaga

County Health Department, is providingmentorship and organization.

“It’s a tough task, but so far we have abig team, a broad list of partners to helpidentify Community Connectors,” Robertosaid. “We’ll aim for 20, and I hope we getfive or six. It’s about relationship building.”

Roberto feels strongly that medicalstudents and public health studentsshould have contact with communityhealth workers, both in the U.S. andabroad.

“They’ll be able to see the amount ofchange these humble people canproduce in a community,” Roberto said.“They have so much power for good. Myencounters with them have shaped mydesire to work in public health.”

Globetrotting with MPH Degree Lisa Kotyk, who graduated from the

CNYMPH Program in 2011, has workedfor Department of Defense contactorssince obtaining her MPH degree.

She has supported the Departmentof Defense’s efforts to reduce globalhealth security risks by promoting bestpractices in biological safety and security,improving partner countries’ capacities tosafely handle outbreaks and focusing onselect agents and toxins.

Lisa, as a national security analyst,administered two biosecurity webportals. One portal provided a platformon which G8 Global Partnership nationsand organization can share information

about international biosecurity programs,current engagements, research projects,and upcoming events. It is also a meansof secure communication.

In 2014, Lisa traveled with the U.S.delegation to Russia and Germany andparticipated in the Global Partnershipbiosecurity meeting in Berlin. She alsotraveled to UN Headquarters inSwitzerland, where she gavepresentations to groups includingrepresentatives from the World HealthOrganization. Her team was invited toINTERPOL Headquarters in France todeliver a similar presentation.

She is currently Team Leadsupporting biosurveillance, biosafety andbiosecurity in the Philippines. She workswith the Philippine government, localand international contractors, theDepartment of Agriculture/Bureau ofAnimal Industry and the PhilippineResearch Institute of Tropical Medicine.

“It has been on the coattails of worktravel that I’ve been able to experienceamazing places like Berlin, Cape Town,Islamabad and Phnom Penh,” said Lisa. “Itwas the MPH degree that opened thedoor to defense contracting, and everytime I experience a little bit more of theworld I’m sothankful to theCNYMPHProgram!”

Graduates of our MPH program goon to exciting careers in public healththat are tailored to their passion.

Through our specialized focus onpublic health policy and practice, theyassume leadership roles in efforts to

reduce preventable diseases andcorrect health disparities.

RobertoMartinez,MD, MPH

Lisa Kotyk, MPH

A Career in Public HealthPreparedness

Following graduation StephenMaheux, MPH, put many of his publichealth skills to test. He was a regionalpublic health preparedness coordinatorin Connecticut covering 30 towns andabout 750,000 residents. Stephen workedwith health directors, preparednesscoordinators, first responders, emergencymanagement officials and volunteers.

He was responsible for ensuring thatthe towns within that region were readyto respond to a variety of public healththreats, including natural disasters andterrorist threats. He was involved with theemergencies that resulted fromHurricane Sandy in 2012.

“In the CNYMPH Program, I had theopportunity to get involved in publichealth preparedness at the county level,”Stephen said. “I worked with a countyhealth department to update their massdispensing plan and improved theirplan’s score -- an indication of improveddispensing operations.”

Stephen works for a non-profit as asenior program analyst in Washington,DC. He continues to work in the area ofpublic health preparedness, conductingresearch and running pilot projects. Hisorganization acts on behalf of localhealth departments and serves as aliaison with the federal agencies.

Bringing Partners to the TableTwo years after graduating from the

CNYMPH program, Ian Grant said henever would have imagined that he’d be managing an annual budget of $1.5 million in state grants for populationhealth.

But that’s what he’s doing aspopulation health program manager forthe Fort Drum Regional Health PlanningOrganization in northern New York.

“My role is identifying health needsand leveraging resources to addressthose needs through partnership,” Iansaid during a visit to Upstate to speak atGrand Rounds. “We’re really bringing a lotof new partners to the table to addresspublic health in an interesting andinnovative way.”

The organization’s three-countyservice area includes the U.S. Army baseat Fort Drum, family members of thesoldiers, and the surroundingcommunities – most of them rural.

Compared to urban populations,residents of rural areas tend to be older,poorer, sicker and more likely to beuninsured, Ian said. According to statehealth statistics, North Country residentshave higher rates of adult and childobesity, binge drinking, diabetes,smoking and suicide.

Ian works with nine hospitals, threepublic health agenciesand severalcommunitybasedorganizationsto protect andimprove thehealth of morethan 250,000residents.

A Focus on Eating DisordersNicole Cifra’s passion for adolescent

medicine earned her a 2015 UnitedStates Public Health Service Excellence inPublic Health Award.

She was one of only 57 medicalstudents nationwide to earn the USPHSaward that recognizes a commitment topublic health leadership.

Nicole earned a dual MD-MPHdegree from Upstate in 2016, and is apediatrics resident at the University ofRochester’s Strong Memorial Hospital.

“Many of thechallengesadolescents faceare deeplyrooted in publichealth, which Ididn’t have anappreciation forprior to thepublic healthcurriculum,”Nicole said. “Inparticular, Inarrowed in onthe field ofeatingdisorders.”

Eating disorders represent a severedistortion of body image and an inabilityto make changes, Nicole said. “The mindplays tricks on you. It’s similar toalcoholism and its ‘repeated use, despiteharm.’ It’s a scary illness.”

Nicole’s passion for public health hasgotten her involved at the national andinternational levels, as well as in the localcommunity.

“A lot of public health initiatives focuson nutrition, obesity prevention andexercise,” Nicole said. “Eating disorders getforgotten. Adolescence is important. Alot of habits are formed in that time.

Public health affects many aspects of daily life in

communities ranging from rural villages to bustling urban

centers. Public health encompasses concepts such as food

safety; health education; infectious disease control,

environmental health; disaster preparedness; injury

prevention; and public safety legislation.

Stephen Maheux, MPH

Ian Grant, MPH, CPH

Nicole Cifra, MD, MPH

Office of Student Admissions I SUNY Upstate Medical University 1215 Weiskotten Hall, 766 Irving Avenue, Syracuse, NY 13210

CNYMPH

C E N T R A L N E W Y O R K MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Example of Job Titles ThatOur Graduates HoldExternal Affairs AssociateDisease SpecialistEnvironmental SpecialistHealth EducatorPopulation Health AnalystProject CoordinatorCommunity EducatorSenior Program Analyst for Disaster

PreparednessSocial Science Research AnalystQuality CoordinatorDirector, Bureau of Health Promotion &

Disease PreventionEHR (Electronic Health Record)

Implementation SpecialistNational Security AnalystCompliance OfficerProgram DirectorSystem Process Data AnalystCommunity & Social Services SpecialistNutrition CoordinatorCare AmbassadorSenior Research Specialist

Interested in the ExcitingField of Public Health?

Go to www.upstate.edu/cnymphto learn more about:• Admission Requirements• Courses Offered• Faculty & Staff• Concurrent Degree Programs• Students & Graduates• Public Health Careers• Open House Events• And most important...How to Apply

Application deadline is April 30

Contact us by phone or e-mail(315) 464-1700 or (315) 464-4570

cnymph@upstate.edu oradmissfa@upstate.edu

Additional information and online application:www.upstate.edu/cnymph

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