Highlights

  • 91吃瓜网鈥檚 new Master of Public Health program launches in Fall 2027 with two tracks: health promotion and behavioral science, and health policy, planning and leadership.

  • Central Florida offers a unique training ground for taking on top health challenges, building on 91吃瓜网 research in cancer survivorship, HIV and dementia care.

  • Applications are open through May 1 for the Fall 2027 class. Learn more at a virtual information session Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m. .

In Orange County, a health educator teaches students in schools and after-school programs how to eat nutritious foods and be more active, helping lower their risk of obesity and chronic disease. In Pennsylvania, infection preventionists work to contain a measles outbreak by isolating affected patients, ensuring healthcare staff use appropriate protective equipment and tracking new cases. In Indonesia, hospital leaders and public health officials mobilize practitioners, establish clean-air sanctuaries and deliver supplies to communities threatened by wildfire smoke.

These are just a few of the many health challenges being addressed and mitigated around the clock.

鈥淲e鈥檙e training the people who make sure [public health work] never stops. That鈥檚 a badge we wear with pride.鈥� 鈥� Michael Rovito, 91吃瓜网 MPH program director

Public health professionals plan for them every day. Beginning Fall 2027, 91吃瓜网鈥檚 new Master of Public Health (MPH) program in the College of Health Professions and Sciences will prepare students to prevent disease, respond to emerging threats and lead efforts to build healthier communities in Central Florida and around the world.

鈥淧ublic health is the work nobody notices until it stops,鈥� says Michael Rovito, director of the program and associate professor of health sciences at 91吃瓜网. 鈥淲e鈥檙e training the people who make sure it never stops: the people who keep our communities healthy, who make sure children understand their own bodies and who help cancer survivors live full lives after treatment. That鈥檚 a badge we wear with pride.鈥�

Across the nation, public health departments work to prevent disease and injury, contain outbreaks, monitor community health, provide scientific expertise and respond to emergencies. Meeting those demands requires a skilled workforce. A 2021 analysis by the de Beaumont Foundation and the Public Health National Center for Innovations estimated that state and local public health departments needed at least 80,000 additional full-time positions 鈥� an increase of nearly 80% 鈥� to provide foundational public health services nationwide.

鈥�91吃瓜网 has a really comprehensive focus on … making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier.鈥� 鈥� Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the MPH program鈥檚 Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track

91吃瓜网鈥檚 program will prepare the next generation of public health professionals to meet that need through research, policy, leadership and collaboration with communities. Central Florida provides a unique training ground where students can confront a range of challenges. Florida ranks among the top 20 states for the number of residents age 65 or older, second for projected new cancer diagnoses, fourth for reported cases of sexually transmitted diseases and third for HIV diagnoses.

鈥�91吃瓜网 has a really comprehensive focus on health, both in making the world healthier and helping individuals be healthier,鈥� says Catherine Bush, interim coordinator for the program鈥檚 Health Policy, Planning and Leadership track and instructor of health management and informatics. 鈥淧ublic health is a really natural fit with something we鈥檙e already doing really well and with great success.鈥�

Researchers in the College of Health Professions and Sciences are already addressing many of those challenges, with work spanning health policy, substance use and more. Rovito and 91吃瓜网 Associate Professor Keith Brazendale are leading a study to improve the quality of life of testicular cancer survivors. 91吃瓜网 Assistant Professor Jacob Bleasdale is studying the health-related needs of older patients living with HIV. 91吃瓜网 Assistant Professor Latarsha Chisholm is working to improve end-of-life care for dementia patients.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a lot of good work to be done here in Central Florida, and 91吃瓜网 is uniquely positioned to lead in public health by collaborating with partners on campus and across the region and drawing on our strength as one of the most innovative universities in the nation,鈥� Rovito says.

Built for the work ahead, the program offers two tracks:

  • Health promotion and behavioral science: For students who want to work directly with communities to improve access to health resources, reduce chronic disease risk and strengthen well-being.
  • Health policy, planning and leadership: For students who want lead public health organizations, influence policy and turn evidence into solutions for complex health challenges.

Applications are open now through May 1 for the Fall 2027 class. The program will be offered primarily in person on 91吃瓜网鈥檚 main and downtown campuses, with some courses offering a synchronous online option.

For more information, visit .

A one-hour virtual information session about 91吃瓜网鈥檚 MPH program will be held Tuesday, Dec. 15, from 5 to 6 p.m.