The UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and Texas Department of State Health Services Announce Academic Health Partnership

The UTHealth Houston School of Public Health is proud to announce a groundbreaking academic health partnership with the Texas Department of State Health Services.

 “We are proud to form the first academic partnership at the state level in Texas,” says Robert Hammarberg, DrPH, MPA, assistant director and faculty associate, Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement, Department of Management, Policy and Community Health, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. “It is an honor to be a leader in these enriching endeavors that offer innovative elements to increase access to valuable expertise, advance the sharing of technology and research, and facilitate day-to-day efficiencies.”

 Academic health departments are often referred to as the public health equivalent of teaching hospitals and they enhance the advantages of the link between the education of public health professionals and the practice of public health.

 “Having a strong public health workforce is critical to our work to create a healthy Texas,” said DSHS Commissioner Jennifer Shuford, MD, MPH. “These kinds of partnerships help talented and enthusiastic students get real-world experience in public health and then transition to a career serving the people of Texas.”

 “This partnership promises enriched educational opportunities for students, a pipeline to employment for graduates, and increased professional development for the public health workforce,” explains Kimberly Baker, DrPH, assistant dean and assistant professor, Office of Public Health Practice and Engagement, Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences, UTHealth Houston School of Public Health. “Other benefits include the streamlining of public health research and bringing public health innovation closer to the reach of all Texans.”

 This agreement is the progression of a long-standing mutually beneficial collaboration between the UTHealth Houston School of Public Health and the Texas Department of State Health Services.

 The Texas Department of State Health Services serves the population of nearly 30 million Texans. The Academic Health Partnership engages with the state’s first and largest School of Public Health, and its resources across the state, capitalizing on a network established in 1967.