The Public Health Academic and Service Directorate is one of five directorates within the institute of health sciences, Wollega University. Under this directorate, there are three departments: Public Health, epidemiology and biostatistics, and reproductive and family health. The Public Health department is further divided into five units, namely General Public Health, Nutrition, Health policy and system Management, health economics and Health Promotion & Behavior and one coordinating office which coordinates the undergraduate public health officer program. Most of the unit/ Academic Affairs offers postgraduate programs. The department of reproductive and family health has two programs, namely Bachelor of Science (BSc) in Post Basic Family Health and Master of Public Health (MPH) in Reproductive Health with different modalities (Regular, weekend, and Summary); the department of epidemiology and biostatistics has one program namely MPH in Epidemiology which admits students through different modalities.
To enhance accessibility to education, three of the departments have introduced both regular and weekend master’s programs. The master’s programs available in the directorate include General MPH, MPH in Epidemiology, and MPH in Reproductive Health
We are proud of our continuous production of highly competent professionals, which is crucial for achieving public health goals. As Ethiopia's policy focuses on health promotion and disease prevention, skilled public health professionals and researchers are invaluable assets.
One of the directorate's significant milestones is the establishment of a PhD in Public Health program in the 2021/22 academic calendar. Currently, we have four batches of PhD students, making this a pioneering PhD program in the college. This program fosters collaboration with esteemed professors both domestically and internationally. The directorate is actively working to expand the PhD program into different specialties or tracks.
To enhance international visibility, the directorate is collaborating with international universities on research, student exchange, PhD supervision, grant acquisition, and more.
Regarding human resources, the directorate currently has 51 staff members, including 6 PhD holders with academic ranks of Assistant Professor, Associate Professor, and Full Professor. There is a total of 13 active Assistant Professors, 4 Associate Professors, and 1 Full Professor.
Aligned with the university and college's strategic plans for human resource career development, the directorate is committed to achieving its goals. To foster career development and capacity building among staff, the directorate facilitates active participation in scholarship opportunities both domestically and internationally. Through collaborations and relationships with international universities, three of our staff members have secured opportunities at Universities in Brazil and Hongkong, China. Currently, fifteen staff members are pursuing PhD education in domestic universities, and some of them are at the pipeline of completion. eight (8) are on study leave for Master's degrees. These figures demonstrate the directorate's commitment to human resource development.
The directorate currently has 110 undergraduate students and 50 postgraduate students, including PhD students. Our students benefit from high-quality education under the guidance of experienced and esteemed professors. Master's and PhD students, in particular, can expect to learn from well-respected school members and have a high likelihood of securing research grants.
Name: Mesfin Dabasa Jigi
Name: Wolkite Olani Abdi
Name: Sidise Debelo Beyene
Name of School Dean: Markos Desalegn
