[ Mission Statement ]

The mission of the UCLA School of Public Health is to enhance the public’s health by conducting innovative research, training future leaders and health professionals from diverse backgrounds, translating research into policy and practice, and serving our local communities and the communities of the nation and the world. The Health & Aging Concentration provides a focus on a specific target population: older adults.

[ Overview ]

• While there is no formal certificate or minor in Public Health and Aging, masters and doctoral students at the UCLA School of Public Health (SPH) can design a Public Health and Aging concentration by taking at least four courses from the aging-related courses offered in the departments of Community Health Sciences, Epidemiology, and Health Services.
• Masters students may apply for summer internships at gerontological health related sites.
• Fellowships are available to support a limited number of aging-related student field experiences (the call for applications is in the spring).
• Doctoral level students may choose advisors from among the many faculty with research interests in health and aging.

[ Program Activities ]

The School of Public Health’s Concentration in Health & Aging provides educational opportunities to enrich students’ gerontological education within their chosen department. Students can select electives in Health & Aging, pursue an aging-related internship, and work with faculty on research relevant to older adults.

Graduate courses that are regularly offered in Health and Aging include:

• Community Health Sciences
  • 291: Health Policy and Aging
  • 290: Race, Class, Culture and Aging
  • 273: Social Epidemiology of Chronic Conditions
  • 283: Evidence-based Health Promotion Programs for Older Adults

• Epidemiology
  • 240: Cardiovascular Epidemiology
  • 246: Epidemiology of Aging
  • 247: Epidemiology of Injuries in the Elderly

• Health Services
  • M252: Medicare Reform

• Internships
  • Internships have been at locations such as the National Institute on Aging (Washington, DC), Centers for Disease Control (Atlanta, GA), Insight Center for Community Economic Development (Oakland), Senior Support Program of the Tri-Valley (Pleasanton, CA), Gay & Lesbian Senior Housing (Los Angeles), WISE & Healthy Aging (Santa Monica), and the Veteran’s Administration. Each department has different internship requirements. For details see: http://www.ph.ucla.edu/fieldstudies/about.html.
  • The Wilshire Foundation Fellowships support internships for MPH students at sites with a focus on aging when the site is otherwise unable to support the student. Look for the Wilshire Foundation Internship application in Spring Quarter. It is distributed to all current students.

[ Faculty ]

View/Download a complete faculty list here.

[ Contact Us ]

Steven P. Wallace, Ph.D.
Professor, Community Health Sciences
310-794-0910
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

To apply for a degree in Public Health, go to http://www.ph.ucla.edu/students_apply.html.

[ Links ]

- American Public Health Association, Aging & Public Health Section
- U.S. Centers for Disease Control, Healthy Aging for Older Adults
- Federal Interagency Forum on Aging-Related Statistics
- Resource Centers for Minority Aging Research (RCMAR)