Why Public Health?

The origins of Columbia’s public health school—now known as Mailman School of Public Health—can be traced to a study of a local problem, Typhoid Mary. But the school soon took on national importance, and its research and service projects are now found in more than 100 countries throughout the world.

In recognition of National Public Health Week, CUMC congratulates Mailman on the success of its multiple missions: educating and training the next generation of public health leaders; creating public health programs that can serve as models and be replicated across the country and worldwide, to reach large numbers of people with life-saving interventions; focusing on urban health care; and emphasizing prevention through smoking cessation initiatives, school-based clinics, and programs to address such issues as obesity, aging, incarceration prevention, and the health implications of climate change.

Learn more about the Mailman School of Public Health through this video, “Why Public Health,” which asks public health students why they chose to study public health.