New joint degree MSOT/MPH program begins Fall 2015

The health-care professions are adapting, changing and evolving through evidence-based practice, research and technological innovations, and policy reform. In recent years, that adaptation has included broadening the clinical scope to include not only a biomedical view of health, but sociocultural, community and population perspectives as well.

 

There is a significant need locally, nationally and internationally for health-care professionals to be trained to address issues of prevention, participation, everyday functional performance, habilitation and quality of life in persons with chronic disease, disability or sociocultural disadvantage. The Program in Occupational Therapy and the Master of Public Health program at the Brown School at Washington University in St. Louis have responded to this need and paradigm shift by developing a joint degree program.

 

The Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT)/Master of Public Health (MPH) degree will give students a unique combination of skills and knowledge to benefit communities and populations, and will create new pathways of research, practice and health programming. Graduates will be prepared to work in a diverse array of settings including community agencies, government institutions and nonprofit organizations, and assume leadership roles in public policy, urban planning and advocacy.

 

“Persons trained in public health alone have limited exposure to biomedical knowledge and less focus on performance of daily life tasks. In contrast, practitioners trained solely as occupational therapists often lack sufficient community and population focus to extend their reach beyond acute care and rehabilitation settings,” says Associate Director of Professional Programs Steve Taff, PhD, OTR/L (pictured, right). “We feel that the MSOT/MPH degree offers the training required to equip new practitioners with a paradigm-spanning skill set that is needed in a new health-care landscape.”

 

“Public health brings a community and population perspective to the study and practice of occupational therapy, as well as a focus on prevention,” adds Associate Dean for Public Health Matthew W. Kreuter, PhD, MPH (pictured, left). “The combination of these two degrees will be a potent mix for health improvement in the 21st century."

 

Learn more about the joint degree MSOT/MPH program by clicking here.





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We are excited that you are considering applying to the Program in Occupational Therapy at Washington University. Please join us for a Zoom Information Session for either our entry-level MSOT or OTD degrees or our online Post-Professional OTD. Current faculty members will discuss the degree program and answer any question you may have. We are offering these sessions on the following days and times. The content is the same for each one, so you only need to sign up for one.

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