Lifelong learning: Master of Public Health in Family and Community Medicine

Family physicians and other primary care clinicians are at the frontline of public health. They spot emerging problems, run screening programs, promote healthy lifestyles and advocate for underserved patients. Just as clinical skills need developing, so do public health skills. 

The Master of Public Health in Family and Community Medicine (MPH-FCM) program focuses on this interface between public health and primary clinical practice. Offered in collaboration with the Dalla Lana School of Public Health, the program gives family physicians and other primary care practitioners knowledge and skills to enhance their roles as public health leaders, scholars and care providers.

The program consists of core courses and a practicum covering public health, enhanced primary care and faculty development skills including leadership, management and administration.

Jordan Levinter, a physician assistant who will graduate from the MPH-FCM program in spring 2021, says he joined the program to learn how to best educate the future generation of healthcare providers. Through this program he was also able to learn additional research, quality improvement and public health skills that he was able to apply immediately to his clinical work, as he completed the program on a part-time basis.

“The MPH-FCM is a small program, which allows students to interact with their professors. It also allows enough flexibility that as a working physician assistant I was able to complete the degree without taking time away from work.”

MPH-FCM Advanced Standing

Recently, the MPH-FCM program opened an advanced standing stream for doctors currently licensed in Canada, giving even more flexibility to the program. This unique opportunity allows candidates to complete their full MPH with only half the course credit load. This stream is an ideal fit for family doctors who want to gain a broad perspective of public health as it relates to patient and population care, as well as gaining knowledge in their areas of interest. 

“We developed this model by evaluating the public health competencies that Canadian licensed doctors attain during their training programs,” explains Dr. Julia Alleyne, the MPH-FCM program director. “We were able to demonstrate that Canadian licensed doctors have already satisfied 50% of the required course credits, meaning that advanced standing could be granted with their offer of admission. This is a win-win situation where physicians can apply their existing knowledge and gain a full MPH degree in a shorter time period. Harvard University has a similar advanced standing option but we are breaking ground in Canada.”

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues, public health knowledge and skills are more relevant than ever. Primary care providers have played a key role in screening and managing COVID patients to help keep overloaded hospitals moving.

For Levinter, the MPH-FCM experience has been invaluable during the pandemic. 

“Public health education has given me the language and tools to advocate for my patients and some contextual understanding of their situation. Particularly in the COVID-19 pandemic, my public health training has given me the ability to help boost the frontline effort by founding an emergency department vaccination program using skills I learned in my MPH coursework.”

Admissions for both streams of the MPH program are now open. For more information about admission deadlines and procedures, please visit the MPH program website or read the full MPH-AS stream announcement here. 

Admissions for the Master of Science in Community Health in Family and Community Medicine (MScCH-FCM) and the Master of Science in Community Health in Health Practitioner Teacher Education (MScCH-HPTE) are also open. You can find more information about these programs and a testimonial from a recent graduate on their respective program pages.

Please contact familymed.grad@utoronto.ca if you have any questions.