University of Minnesota School of Public Health
| Mission | Through excellence in education, research and community engagement, the University of Minnesota School of Public Health advances health — from scientific discovery to public impact — by enhancing population health and preventing disease in the U.S. and globally. |
|---|---|
| Type | Public, public health |
| Established | 1944 |
| Dean | Melinda Pettigrew |
Academic staff | 123 primary |
| Students | 1,025 |
| Address | Mayo Building , 420 Delaware Street SE Minneapolis, MN 55455 |
| Campus | Urban |
| Website | www.sph.umn.edu |
The University of Minnesota School of Public Health (SPH) is located in Minneapolis, Minnesota, and it is fully accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. The school enrolls more than 1,000 undergraduate and graduate students from countries around the world. Its faculty members manage the #3 most highly funded research portfolio at the University of Minnesota.
The school is principally located in the Mayo Memorial Building on the east bank of the Mississippi River, though many of its divisions and centers are located elsewhere on the University campus and the University Research and Outreach Center. The school was built within the traditional homelands of the Dakota people and the School of Public Health has the enduring responsibility to respect and support the Dakota people’s tribal rights.
In 2021 and in the wake of George Floyd’s murder by police fewer than five miles from the School of Public Health, the school launched its Strategic Plan for Antiracism (SPAR) to make diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and antiracism central to the school’s operations, culture, and mission. Its guiding value is that health is a human right.
The School of Public Health is one of the only top ranked schools of public health between Chicago and Seattle. It has a close relationship with the Minnesota Department of Health and many Fortune 500 companies. Minnesota is the birthplace of health maintenance organizations (HMOs) and many of the nation’s top healthcare organizations, including the Mayo Clinic. It also is a base for medical device innovators, such as Medtronic. There is a widespread current of health awareness and action across the state.
The School of Public Health is among only a handful of schools in the country that shares a campus with five other health sciences schools — nursing, dentistry, medicine, and veterinary medicine. This gives students and faculty opportunities for collaboration and innovation with a diverse array of topic experts.
The school is home to more than 20 renowned research centers, including:
- Nutrition Coordinating Center
- Rural Health Research Center
- State Health Access Data Assistance Center (SHADAC)
- Upper Midwest Agricultural Safety and Health Center (UMASH)
Recently founded centers that are addressing long-existing and emerging public health challenges include: