Feedback for CPH Strategic Plan

As the College of Public Health’s Strategic Planning process continues to advance, college leadership, the college’s Strategic Planning Committee and the University Strategic Planning office invite your feedback. Please share your thoughts on our proposed ambition statement, goal areas and initiatives we think will support those goals. We look forward to your thoughts.

Please provide feedback by posting a comment below.

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7 thoughts on “Feedback for CPH Strategic Plan

  1. These 6 items really don’t contain much, if any, student focus. Maybe the Educational Excellence one could be perceived that way. The other 5 are just about the CPH itself and it’s staff members. The entire reason the CPH exists is students. Were any students included in this panel to get their perspective, or was it just all employees? It would be great to see something in the list about developing students for the workforce, job placement, career preparation, etc. Students come to college to get jobs, and the staff’s job is to prepare them. Shouldn’t that be Priority #1? Research should come well after that, because again, without students paying tuition, there are no faculty to conduct research. The diversity comment is nice, but it again seems to only be referring to staff. What about recruiting diverse students? The current 6 items, as well as the order in which they are listed, is putting the cart before the horse. I don’t mean to sound negative, but this list just seems misguided and out of touch.

  2. I value the goals and initiatives for engagement and impact. I see it as a common thread for recruiting students and faculty, supporting their careers, and building opportunities for innovative research with relevant partners. Higher education has been losing value but we can rebuild that value and regain trust if we create pipelines for students and researchers to do work that has measurable impact for the communities they live in and serve.

  3. Ambition Statement: I would argue that the CPH is not only “Trusted” but is “Sought- Out” as a recognized and respected professional and expert public heath resource. Regarding “clearing obstacles”……no idea what obstacles the CPH can officially “clear?” “Successfully Negotiating” obstacles that present themselves….that is something I can get behind and support….and is likely more realistic.

  4. Thank you for asking for public comments on the Strategic Plan. I take issue with the ambition statement where it says, “influencing policies and practices that promote health and prevent disease,”. This statement is not comprehensive as to what public health is; rather the statement needs to reflect the fact that public health not only seeks to address disease, but also the social factors that cause disease and exacerbate these problems among oppressed communities. We cannot “promote health and prevent disease” if we do not first address racism and white supremacy. I believe that the ambition statement should mention advocacy for policies that not only promote health and prevent disease, but also policies that intentionally address social justice issues (think environmental racism, neighborhood segregation and red-lining, and a criminal justice system that preys on the Black community). We cannot promote public health without promoting social justice, and this should be the central tenet of our ambition statement; social justice work should at the minimum be tied to one of the goal areas, which I see that explicitly, it is not. We, as a college, should not tip-toe around issues of social justice in an attempt to remain non-controversial. We need to face these issues head-on and take a stance, as the health of the public is inherently tied to equity and justice for all peoples.

  5. In the context of accomplishing the ambition statement, I suggest that there be a focused, acknowledged effort to explain what public health encompasses as well as what it could be and should be. The combination of COVID-19, the protests and recent inconsistent public leadership actions have clearly demonstrated that the necessary interaction between public policy, a more complete formal interaction between and among health providers (institutional and professional), ancillary programs/corporations, and public health systems need to be signifcantly improved and organized. Addtionally, more intense effort to inform the citizens of the “goodness” that public health does and what public health COULD be! Public health needs to be seen as more than the “mandater” of vaccines and masks. It needs to be seen as the community’s assistant in solving the “roots causes” of health problems, regardless of whether that means rodent control, vaccinations, nutrition deficiencies, “food deserts”, creation of true community health systems, epidemic preperation and reaction, etc. CPH could have a really ambitious objective – defining a broader meaning of public health and leading the efforts to transition to that meaning. Regardless of the status of the preceeding and any transition, clearly communicating the purpose and then postive benefits of public health intiatives to the citizenry should be part of the .

  6. The ambition statement needs to be aspirational and inspirational. And, we must remember it needs to be succinct. To that end, consider beginning with “Nationally recognized as a trusted voice”. I think “clearing obstacles” is confusing and provides no benefit. Consider “Nationally recognized as a trusted voice for Ohio and beyond, enhancing our shared future”. The next section “influencing policies and practices” appears that the College is only contributing to others and not also developing influential and innovative policies and practices. I agree with Louden.30 that “promote health and prevent disease” does not seem to address social determinants.

    The goals and initiatives section only refers to alumni for the purpose of philanthropy. A vibrant and strong alumni network brings untold benefits, including fund-raising, especially since so many hold leadership positions across the country. A separate goal addressing initiatives aimed at alumni should be considered.

  7. I would encourage the plan to explicitly state that the College seeks to be/continue being a *leader* in health equity and justice at the university. There is no more appropriate home for health equity and justice — which are foundational to our field — than the College of Public Health. If we don’t stake our claim as the leaders in that space, who/what might fill the gap?

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