Strategic Plan Letter from Dean Hakim Goals About
Local Impact
National Influence
Global Reach
We are dedicated to promoting the health and wellness of individuals and communities with an emphasis on achieving health equity through education, research and service.
In January 2000, the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health (MEZCOPH) was officially established by the Arizona Board of Regents. With financial support from Mel and Enid Zuckerman a building fund and endowments were created to provide the bricks and mortar for a building and to initiate the process of securing funds that were needed to create the College. In recognition of this support, on July 1, 2002, the College was officially named the Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health and is referred to as MEZCOPH throughout this document. In 2003, MEZCOPH received its initial CEPH accreditation as a college; in 2005, the College was re-accredited for a maximum of seven years. The College was just reviewed to extend its accreditation through 2027.
Public Health is synonymous with improving the human condition within Arizona and beyond. Each academic unit within MEZCOPH works to decrease health disparities by engaging communities within the state, nation, and world through scientific inquiry, teaching, and community engagement. MEZCOPH has already established itself as a leading school of public health with its focus on the Southwest and its orientation on community engagement for health promotion and disease prevention. MEZCOPH has established several research and academic centers that include our Zuckerman Family Center for Prevention and Health Promotion (ZFCPHP), The Center for Rural Health (CRH), The Global Health Institute (GHI), The Environment, Exposure Science and Risk Assessment Center (ESRAC), The Center for Firefighter Health Collaborative Research (CIEHR), The Center for Health Disparities Research (CHDR), the Applied Health Policy Institute (AHPI) and is the home of several nationally funded training programs.
Community engagement and outreach define the very core of public health. With the community as the site for implementation of the public health discipline, the college must have effective partnerships and linkages with community agencies, organizations, and the broader general community. Our success in building and strengthening these partnerships is directly related to those resources that are devoted to supporting College endeavors in building health equity and the elimination of health disparities, building, and strengthening collaboration, targeting healthy Arizona goals, and strengthening public health preparedness. Our College plays a very special role in continuing education activities for the public health community in Arizona through the Western Regional Public Health Training Center (WRPHTR).
At MEZCOPH, we strive for Inclusive Excellence. At the center of Inclusive Excellence is the recognition and acceptance of the talents, worldviews, perceptions, cultures, and skills that diverse communities bring to the education enterprise that can be harnessed to prepare students for leading, living, and working in a diverse world. Native American, LGBTQ, Asian American, White, Latino, African American, women, veterans, people with disabilities, Jewish, Christian, International, Muslim, fraternities and sororities, athletes, alumni and many other communities of students, staff and faculty contribute positively to all dimensions of the university. Every individual and group at MEZCOPH is a critical component of and contributor to diversity and inclusiveness. Making a difference in diversity at the University of Arizona is the essence of inclusive excellence.
Strategic Planning Pillars
Education
Through a learning experience tailored to individual student needs, the University of Arizona will graduate future leaders who have the skills to apply their knowledge and solve the world's grand challenges. MEZCOPH has set instructional goals focused on addressing global challenges, particularly climate change and health disparities. We aim to expand educational offerings related to climate change and health, create an MPH concentration in Population Aging and Long-term Care, and address the mental health crisis exacerbated by COVID-19. We also plan to enhance public health nutrition education, promote social justice and health equity, and recruit a diverse student body. We will invest in undergraduate and graduate education, the Phoenix campus, distance learning, and global programs. Additionally, we aim to collaborate with community colleges, strengthen existing programs, and offer new online opportunities. We will respond to market demand for doctoral-trained professionals in various public health areas, including maternal, child, and adolescent health, as well as public health policy and management. We will leverage partnerships and work with stakeholders to expand and improve programs in family and child health.
MEZCOPH will innovate public health education to develop leaders who will transform public health practice and research, and promote wellness, equity, and inclusiveness by focusing on these primary goals for undergraduate, graduate, and online students:
- Increase student recruitment and enrollment,
- Foster/support student success and engagement,
- Develop innovative marketing strategies,
- Build capacity and resources for all programs,
- Improve educational program quality, and,
- Expand global health educational offerings.
Research
Research is an integral part of the mission and function of MEZCOPH. Our faculty, staff, and students have profoundly contributed to reducing health inequity and promoting the health and wellness of regional and global populations via conducting innovative, interdisciplinary, and community-engaged research. Facing regional and global challenges to public health, MEZCOPH has identified five strategic areas for focused research development: 1) climate change and health, 2) global health, 3) mental health and substance abuse, 4) health innovation through digital epidemiology & and digital health, and 5) indigenous health, which all significantly impact men and women, old and young, and rural and urban populations from different racial and ethnic backgrounds and with different working and life experience. Recognizing fundamental intersections of research activities with education, training, and community engagement/services, MEZCOPH is aimed to achieve four complementary and synergetic goals:
- Resource Enrichment — strengthen our efforts and ability to increase external research funding.
- Community-Engaged-Research Enhancement — increase community-engaged research activity and impact.
- Investigator Cultivation — recruit, retain, and support brilliant and motivated trainees and investigators, including students, postdoctoral researchers, and junior faculty from diverse backgrounds.
- Research Innovation — foster the development and application of innovative methodologies in population health study.
Community Engagement and Outreach
Community engagement and outreach define the very core of public health, and our college continues to develop and implement the latest evidence-based opportunities in our community, bringing together research, teaching, practice, and service. MEZCOPH has a long history of service in communities throughout the state, region, nation, and internationally. This commitment is reflected in the mission of our college. MEZCOPH continues to center the community as the site for the implementation of the public health discipline, we look forward to continuing to work alongside the community to promote public health.
2022-2027 Community Engagement and Outreach Strategic Plan:
- Center minority population concerns in MEZCOPH activities.
- Develop a centralized database for MEZCOPH to share knowledge for the university and the public that focuses on translational science.
- Embed professional and interprofessional training in a curriculum that includes experiential and service-learning opportunities.
- Provide service activities for students to support MEZCOPH communities
- Collaborate with community stakeholders to develop student internships
- Help to develop the workforce utilizing our community stakeholders
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI)
MEZCOPH is at the forefront of diversity and inclusion efforts, both at the University of Arizona as well as across CEPH-accredited schools and programs. Our students, faculty, and staff represent diverse populations. Current and planned efforts recognize that best practices and approaches to ensuring a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment are dynamic and require us to continuously improve and be responsive to changing needs.
We have established 5 major goals for DEI:
- Be Inclusive
- Elevate knowledge and skills in diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Improve the College climate and sense of belonging.
- Improve the integration of DEI in coursework.
- Develop methods and research approaches that work toward achieving health equity in alignment with the College’s mission
