Master of Public Health and Tropical Medicine

• Assess key elements affecting the pathogenesis and transmission of infectious diseases commonly found in the tropics.
• Assess the risk factors influencing tropical disease prevention, control and diagnosis.
• Apply identification appropriate techniques, as they relate to specific tropical disease pathogen and vector.
• Critique relevant methods for planning and evaluating tropical disease control and prevention programs.
• Apply appropriate diagnostic and treatment techniques for tropical diseases (clinical track only).

Students applying to master’s programs at SPHTM must meet the school’s general admission requirements and submit materials per the application requirements.

Students interested in the clinical focus of study must hold a MD, DO, DVM, equivalents or be concurrently enrolled in the Tulane University School of Medicine. Other qualified health professionals, such as RN, will be considered on a case-by-case basis.

The MPH&TM degree requires a total of 42 credits that include:  

SPHTM Foundational Requirements (15 credits)

• SPHL 6020 Foundations of Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6050 Biostatistics for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6060 Epidemiology for Public Health (3)
• SPHL 6070 Health Systems, Policy and Management (3)
• SPHL 6080 Design Strategies for Public Health Programs (3)

Program Course Requirements (16 to 20 credits)

• TRMD 6050 Medical Helminthology (2)
• TRMD 6070 Medical Protozoology (2)
• TRMD 6090 Parasitology Laboratory (1)
• TRMD 6330 Microbial Diseases of the Tropics (2)
• TRMD 6350 Disease Prevention and Control in Developing countries (2)
• TRMD 7000 Tropical Medicine Seminar (1) or TRMD 7020 Infectious Disease Seminar (1)

AND 

1.  Public Health focus (9 credits)

• TRMD 6010 Biological Basis of Disease (3) 
• TRMD 6060 Medical Entomology (3)*
• TRMD 6420 Tropical Virology(3)**

OR 

2. Clinical Focus (5 credits)

• TRMD 6310 Clinical Tropical Medicine (2)
• TRMD 6340 Diagnostic Lab Methods in Microbiology (2)
• TRMD 6360 Clinical Tropical Medicine Case Presentations (1)

Electives (7-11 credits)

Selected from courses offered within the department, school, or university in consultation with an academic advisor.

Additional Clinical Track Recommended Coursework

Physicians and other eligible health care professionals interested in deepening their knowledge of diagnoses and treatment of tropical diseases will take additional courses on the clinical aspects of tropical diseases. To be eligible for the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health offered by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, students are required to successfully complete the courses below.

• TRMD 6310 Clinical Tropical Medicine (2)
• TRMD 6340 Diagnostic Laboratory Methods in Microbiology (2)
• TRMD 6360 Clinical Tropical Medicine Case Presentation (1)

Students in the clinical track must take Tropical Medicine Seminar (TRMD-7000) at least once to fulfill the specialty requirements.     

Applied Practice Experience (SPHL 9980) 

The Applied Practice Experience (APE) (formerly practicum) is a supervised practice experience conducted in an agency or organization external to the university to gain practical experience.  The APE allows students to demonstrate attainment of at least five competencies, including at least 3 from the foundational competencies (CEPH Criterion D2). The APE is conducted after completion of the foundational courses. After identifying the APE setting and defining the competencies, students enter the information into Terra Dotta. An APE report is required that summarizes the field experiences. 

Integrated Learning Experience (SPHL 7950)

All students must complete an Integrated Learning Experience (ILE) (formerly culminating experience) that demonstrates the synthesis of foundational and concentration competencies. Students in the MSPH in Biostatistics conduct a public health analysis.

Model Course Schedule 

All MPHTM students take courses in the SPHTM core (15 credits) and the tropical medicine foundation (11 credits). In addition, the student may then either focus on public health or clinical aspects of tropical medicine.

The public health focus includes courses on disease prevention and control, microbial disease in the tropics and impact evaluation (6 credits).

The clinical focus includes training in the diagnosis and treatment of tropical diseases (5 credits). Physicians completing these courses will be eligible to take the Certification Exam in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health offered by the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

SPHTM Core Course Requirements (15 credits)

• BIOS 6030 Introductory Biostatistics (3)
• EPID 6030 Epidemiological Methods 1 (3)
• GCHB 6030 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Global Health (3)
• GEHS 6030 Survey of Environmental Health (3)
• GHSD 6030 Introduction to Health Systems Administration and Management (3)

Program Course Requirements (20 or 16 credits)

TM Foundation Courses (11 credits)

• TRMD 6050 Medical Helminthology (2)
• TRMD 6070 Medical Protozoology (2)
• TRMD 6090 Parasitology Laboratory (2)
• TRMD 6330 Microbial Diseases of the Tropics (2)
• TRMD 6350 Disease Prevention & Control in Developing Countries (2)
• TRMD 7000 Trop Med Seminar or
• TRMD 7020 Infectious Disease Seminar (1+1)

AND EITHER

• 1. Public Health Focus (9 credits)    
  • TRMD 6010 Biological Basis of Disease (3)
  • TRMD 6060 Medical Entomology (3)    
  • TRMD 6200 Impact Evaluation in Global Health (3)

OR

• 2. Clinical Focus (5 credits)    
  • TRMD 6310 Clinical Tropical Medicine (2)
  • TRMD 6340 Diagnostic Lab Methods in Microbiology (2)
  • TRMD 6360 Clinical Tropical Medicine Case Presentations (1)

Electives (7 or 11 credits)

Selected from courses offered within the department, school, or university in consultation with an academic advisor.

Practicum (SPHL 9980)

All students in the program complete a 200-hour practicum to gain practical experience. The practicum is usually occurs after the completion of core courses.

The practicum is a planned, supervised practice experience in the field, designed to integrate and apply core and program knowledge while building skills in a practice setting. It culminates with a written practicum report and 3-way evaluation by the student, the advisor, and the preceptor of the practicum site.

Students can satisfy the practicum requirement by participating in a wide range of activities related to health care provision or implementation of disease control strategies. Students may find placement with a health agency, a clinical laboratory, or an individual health professional working on a project related to public health in the United States or abroad. Ideally, the practicum experience should be relevant to diseases prevalent in tropical or developing countries.

Students in the joint MD/MPHTM program will be assigned practica according to the regulations of the joint MD/MPH degree program.

Culminating Experience (SPHL 7950)

The required culminating experience is the means by which students synthesize and integrate knowledge acquired through successful completion of course work.  Students pursuing degrees in public health complete a public health analysis (PHA) to fulfil the culminating experience requirement. Through it, students demonstrate learned skills and analysis of real world problems in public health.

The PHA is a planned project that addresses a public health issue. Students should identify a specific issue, question, or problem related to tropical medicine and/or public health; then state goals and objectives related to this question or problem. The PHA can be based on research results generated by the student, analysis of a data set available to the student, or a search of the literature..

Department Chair: Preston Marx, PhD

Program Director: Mark Wiser, PhD

Department Administrator: Kasi Guillot

Email: tropmed@tulane.edu

Phone: (504) 988-3558