MPH* Family and Community Medicine (FCM)

Description

There is a very important interface between public health and primary care clinical practice¹. It has been established that the health of a population is directly related to the availability of primary care services². Delivery of primary care services is an important determinant of health and is therefore a global public health priority. Family physicians and other primary care clinicians are at the frontline of public health in terms of identifying emerging public health problems, promoting healthy lifestyles, screening appropriate patients for disease, advocating for patients and discharging public health initiatives to their patients³. These individual-level services skillfully provided by primary care clinicians can be improved and enhanced by equipping those same clinicians with the population-level knowledge and skills offered by an MPH* degree program⁴.

The MPH* FCM consists of a set of core courses and practicum covering both the area of public health as well as enhanced primary care and faculty development skills. There are plenty of elective opportunities, enabling the learner to take additional public health and family medicine courses to satisfy their learning objectives.

Objectives

The solid grounding in public health that is provided with an MPH* will give family physicians and other primary care health professionals knowledge and skills that could be employed in future professional work related to public health. The degree will also assist learners in becoming more effective educators, scholars, and leaders in their respective clinical areas. 

We encourage MPH* FCM learners to work with the Program Leader to structure their MPH* program so that they satisfactorily cover the following core areas of public health:

1. Epidemiology
2. Biostatistics
3. Occupational and Environmental Health
4. Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
5. Health Services Administration and Policy

The Family and Community Medicine field of the MPH* is intended for licensed and regulated primary care clinicians in Canada. This program is not intended to assist applicants in becoming licensed health practitioners in Canada. 

Please visit the Department of Family and Community Medicine Graduate Studies website or contact familymed.grad@utoronto.ca for more information. 

1. Harvey B. The issue of public health. Canadian Family Physician 2009;55:1057.
2. Starfield B. Is primary care essential. Lancet 1994;344:1129-1133
3. Sikora C and Johnson D. The family physician and the public health perspective. Canadian Family Physician 2009;55:1061-3.
4. Zweifler J and Evans R. Development of a residency/MPH program. Family Medicine 2001;33(6):453-8.

Admission Requirements

• Review the general Admission Requirements.
• A valid license in a regulated health profession in Canada, or equivalent.

*known as the MHSc degree prior to September 1, 2009.

Family and Community Medicine Main Page

MPH*

• Description & Objectives
• Admission
• Course Requirements