What Is ASPPH and What Does aspph.org Offer?

Updated

ASPPH is the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health, a membership organization that represents and supports academic public health in the United States and globally. Its website, aspph.org, serves as a hub for prospective students, current students, faculty, researchers, and public health practitioners. If you are looking for information on graduate public health education, ASPPH's centralized application service (SOPHAS), advocacy efforts, or workforce development resources, this site is a primary destination.

What ASPPH Does

ASPPH champions academic public health by supporting education, research, advocacy, and practice. Its stated mission is to improve health worldwide through these efforts. The organization works with member schools and programs to advance public health training, shape policy, and connect academia with real-world practice.

Key areas of work include:

  • Education: Supporting curriculum development, accreditation, and teaching innovation through initiatives like Framing the Future, which aims to build a resilient education system centered on science, health equity, and practice.
  • Research: Conducting institutional research, publishing findings, and sharing member research through outlets such as Public Health Reports.
  • Advocacy: Issuing policy statements, engaging in policy and advocacy efforts, and promoting priorities like public health funding and voting as a public health issue.
  • Practice: Running the Center for Public Health Workforce Development, facilitating academic-practice partnerships, and offering applied learning and training opportunities.

Main Sections of aspph.org

The site is organized around several core functions:

About ASPPH

This section covers the organization's strategic plan (including ASPPH Strategic Plan 2030), governance, history, staff directory, careers, annual reports, and partner organizations.

What We Do

Here you can explore initiatives such as:

  • AI for Public Health
  • Climate Change & Health
  • Framing the Future
  • Global Action
  • Gun Violence Prevention
  • Healthy Longevity
  • Transforming Academia for Inclusive Excellence

There is also an IDEA Exchange podcast and an IDEA Institute.

Explore Public Health

This area is aimed at students and career explorers. It includes guidance on deciding to study public health, applying to graduate school, financing your degree, finding your career, and getting involved in TIPH (This Is Public Health). SOPHAS, the centralized application service for public health, is a key resource here.

Educate

For educators and academic institutions, this section addresses academic public health accreditation, the scholarship of teaching and learning, and the Framing the Future initiative.

Practice

This section focuses on workforce development, academic and practice partnerships, workforce research, applied learning and training, and credentialing and continuing education.

Conduct Public Health Research

Includes institutional research, published research, member research, Public Health Reports, and special collections like Covid-19 Storytelling and the Opioid Crisis.

Get Involved

Options include becoming a sponsor, donating, and engaging with ASPPH's advocacy efforts.

Who Uses aspph.org

  • Prospective and current students: To learn about public health careers, find graduate programs, and use SOPHAS to apply.
  • Faculty and administrators: To access accreditation resources, teaching tools, and research collaborations.
  • Public health practitioners: To find workforce development, continuing education, and partnership opportunities.
  • Institutions: To join as members, sponsors, or partners.

Membership and Contact

ASPPH offers membership to schools and programs of public health. The site provides a contact page and a MyASPPH login for members. You can also sign up to receive the Friday Letter newsletter. For specific membership benefits and eligibility, check the About section or contact ASPPH directly.

In short, aspph.org is the central online presence for the leading association of academic public health, offering resources for education, research, advocacy, and practice across the public health community.