Department of Preventive Medicine

Overview | Objectives | Seminars & Conferences | Extra curricular activities | Staffs | Contacts

Objectives

The primary aim of the DPM is the provision of graduate study and research training opportunities leading to MPH and PhD degrees in epidemiology, field epidemiology and other preventive medicine fields.

Training objectives: To train leaders in applied epidemiology and preventive medicine practice; problem solving issues of public health concern and strengthen the capacity of other universities.

Research objectives: To conduct research activities on priority public health problems and improve communications and networking within the country and worldwide.

Service objectives: To provide epidemiologic services to national and sub-national health governmental, international and non-governmental organizations in Ethiopia.

Currently, the DPM has 20 members of academic staff: one professor, six associate professors, five assistant professors and eight lecturers. Of the total staff members of the Department, eight have PhD degrees. One of the two female faculty members in the Department does also have a PhD. The Department members are multidisciplinary in their areas and comprise epidemiologists, biostatisticians, environmental and occupational health scientists, and social scientists and qualitative researchers. Members of the faculty have rich experience in training, research and provision of community services at the University.

The DPM currently offers three graduate programs: MPH in Epidemiology, MPH in Environmental and Occupational Health, and MPH in Field Epidemiology. PhD in Public Health with specialty track in epidemiology also belongs to this department. The Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (FELTP), run in collaboration with the Ministry of Health (MoH), is a competency-based practical curriculum offered for two years, leading to MPH in Field Epidemiology. In addition, the Department runs the Leadership and Strategic Information (LSI) training program in collaboration with SPH and EPHA. Both programs are financially supported by the CDC Ethiopia/CDC Atlanta through the EPHA. The different programs at the Department offer opportunities for staff and students to gain new outlook compared with the traditional MPH program.

One of the future plans of the Department is to strengthen the graduate programs both at the Master’s and PhD levels, including the establishment of new programs such as MSc in Applied Biostatistics, MSc and PhD in Environmental Health Sciences, MSc in Occupational Health and Safety, MSc and PhD in Behavioral Health Sciences, PhD in Epidemiology, and PhD in Occupational Health Sciences. In the near future, the Department is planning to begin a short-term course in health research methodology to meet the needs of individuals working in academia, governmental, non-governmental and international agencies.

Although the Department staff members are mainly engaged in teaching graduate public health students, they are also engaged in teaching public health and research method courses to undergraduate and postgraduate students in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy and nursing. The demand for epidemiology and biostatistics courses across the CHS from undergraduate to post-graduate programs is enormous. Thus, there are many courses, particularly epidemiology, biostatistics and research methods delivered by the DPM for Master’s and PhD students from other programs like Physiology, Anatomy, Pharmacology, Microbiology, Nursing, and Medical Laboratory Technology and clinical residents in Dermatology, Neurology, Emergency Medicine, and Family Medicine, depending on their respective curriculum.

To strengthen the graduate programs and research, DPM collaborates with several universities, including the University of Bergen (Norway), Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania), Umeå International School of Public Health (Sweden), INDEPTH Network, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (USA), University of Southern California (USA), University of Nottingham (UK), Brighton and Sussex Medical School at the University of Brighton (UK), Harvard School of Public Health (USA), Emory University School of Public Health (USA), and Yonsei University (South Korea). The Department also collaborates with FMOH, EHNRI, EPHA, Ethiopian Medical Association (EMA), CDC-Ethiopia, and regional health bureaus, and regional universities such as Hawassa University.

The current research areas in the Department focus on health problems of major public health or social importance. The broad research areas include HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, environmental health, occupational health and safety, indoor and outdoor air pollution, disease outbreak, climate change and health, domestic violence and mental health, social and behavioral aspects of health and disease, behavioral change and communication, bioethics, substance use, neglected tropical diseases such as leishmaniasis and podoconiosis, and disease surveillance using health and demographic surveillance systems (HDSS). Current research and capacity building projects that involve collaboration between the Department and collaborating researchers in Ethiopia and beyond include:

• Reduction of the burden of injuries and diseases due to occupational exposures through capacity building in low income countries (2014-2018), funded by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad/NORHED). Project number: 1300646-12. It is a collaborative capacity building project between SPH/AAU, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (Tanzania) and the University of Bergen (Norway). The Ethiopian Principal Investigator is Dr.. Wakgari Deressa.
• Combining indoor residual spraying and long-lasting insecticidal nets for malaria prevention, a cluster randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia (Short name: MalTrial) (2013-2016), funded by the Research Council of Norway ((Research Project – GLOBVAC), Application Number: ES498076, Project Number: 220554). It is a collaborative research project between SPH/AAU, Aklilu Lemma Institute of Pathobiology (ALIPB) at AAU, Hawassa University, University of Bergen (Norway) and Norweigian University of Life Sciences (Norway). The Ethiopian Principal Investigatoris Dr.. Wakgari Deressa.
• Centre for Intervention Science in Maternal and Child Health (CISMAC): Does insecticide-treated net and indoor residual spraying for malaria prevention before and during pregnancy improve birth weight and child growth? A cluster randomized controlled trial in Ethiopia (2013-2017), funded by the Research Council of Norway (Project Number: 223269/F50). This is a collaborative research project between SPH/AAU, Hawassa University and the University of Bergen (Norway). The Ethiopian Principal Investigator is Dr.. Wakgari Deressa.
• Situational Analysis and Needs Assessment: environmental exposures, occupational safety, and climate change in Ethiopia. Establishing a GEOHealth Hub for East Africa (Aug 2013-Sep 2014.). This is a collaborative project between SPH/AAUand University of Southern California, USA. The Ethiopian Principal Investigatoris Dr.. Abera Kumie.
• Using Cultural Ceremonies to Reduce Intimate Partner Violence and HIV Transmission: Randomized Trial (2013-2016), funded by MIT and J-PAL. It is a collaborative research project between SPH/AAUandMIT, J-PAL, and EPHA. The Ethiopian Principal Investigator is Dr.. Negussie Deyessa.
• Podoconiosis mapping, behavioral studies and clinical trial, funded by NIH and Welcome Trust. This is a collaborative research project between SPH/AAU and Brighton and Sussex Medical School at the University of Brighton (UK). The Ethiopian Principal Investigator is Dr.. Fikre Enqusellassie./
• The Ethiopian Malaria Prediction System (EMaPS) project (2007-2013), funded by the Norwegian Programme for Development, Research and Education (NUFU). A multidisciplinary collaborative research project between SPH/AAU, ALIPB/AAU, National Meteorology of Ethiopia, Arba Minch University and the University of Bergen, (Norway). The Ethiopian Principal Investigator is Dr.. Wakgari Deressa.