Research grants at the School of Public Health have grown exponentially in the past several years. In fact, a public health professor recently became the only faculty member at Drexel University to receive a MacArthur Fellowship, and the school was recently awarded the largest research grant in the university's history – a $14M grant from the National Institutes of Health – to lead a national autism research network. In addition, the school also hosts the nation’s only online information clearinghouse for emergency preparedness in minority communities and an innovative project that raised child hunger and poverty in America into the national spotlight.
While these initiatives certainly make headlines, the school’s faculty and students work closely each day with community partners to engage in leading research that impacts the quality of life and health of populations across the globe. The school hosts several research centers, and full-time, MPH students are required to lead a first-year practicum project and a Community-based Masters Project (CBMP) during their second-year. The CBMP provides an opportunity for the student to collaborate with faculty and a community organization in a public health research project that creates an immediate impact in the lives of others.
Students at the School of Public Health don’t need to wait until after graduation to make a difference. They get hands-on research experience as students. It is a hallmark of the educational program at the School of Public Health, and a big reason for its success.