FHS Announces Accreditation

The Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) is pleased to announce that our Masters of Public Health and undergraduate BA and BSc programs have been recently accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH).  CEPH (www.ceph.org) is an independent Council established by the American Public Health Association and the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH) to evaluate and accredit public health schools and programs.  Among their principles of accreditation include an external peer review process and a focus on the professional competencies, knowledge, and skills that students acquire through programs of study.  To be recognized by the Council means that a public health program has undergone a formal comprehensive evaluation and was judged to have met CEPH’s stringent standards for quality public health education.  The acknowledged global leadership of CEPH in setting these standards also means that acquiring accreditation from them has become one of the highest international designations that top public health institutions and programs around the world are measured by.  The Faculty of Health Sciences at Simon Fraser University is proud to become Canada’s first internationally accredited Anglophone public health program.

The accreditation procedures included a self-evaluation of FHS programs, preparation and submission of a self-study document, an on-site visit by a team of professional external peer reviewers, and formal review by an independent board of directors comprised of academics, public health practitioners, and community members.  The self-evaluation occurred over many months and was a result of critical analyses of program objectives and outcomes. During their October 19-20, 2009 accreditation site visit, a CEPH-led team inspected FHS facilities, reviewed documentations, and interviewed university officials, administrators, faculty, students, alumni, and community leaders and representatives. 

CEPH accreditation serves multiple purposes for different constituents. In general, specialized accreditation attests to the quality of an educational program that prepares for entry into a recognized profession. Some of the benefits include:

• For the public, accreditation promotes the health, safety and welfare of society by assuring competent public health professionals.
   
• For prospective students and their parents, accreditation serves a consumer protection purpose. It provides assurance that the school or program has been evaluated and has met accepted standards established by and with the profession.
   
• For prospective employers, it provides assurance that the curriculum covers essential skills and knowledge needed for today's jobs.
   
• For graduates, it promotes professional mobility and enhances employment opportunities in positions that base eligibility upon graduation from an accredited school or program.
   
• For public health workers, it involves practitioners in the establishment of standards and assures that educational requirements reflect the current training needs of the profession.

  Click here to see an interview with Dean John O'Neil regarding the Accreditation.