Public Mental Health Research Certificate Program
OVERVIEW
This program is offered through the Department of Mental Health and provides graduate training in understanding the causes and consequences of mental disorders in populations. Courses describe clinical and behavioral features, the incidence and prevalence of disorders, and identify factors that promote or influence the occurrence, persistence, or severity of mental and behavioral disorders. Effective research strategies in public mental health include operationalization of case definitions, measurement in populations, design of prevention strategies, and analytical techniques. The goals are to increase the epidemiologic expertise of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals, and to increase the number of epidemiologists, biostatisticians, and health policy makers, with an interest in psychiatric disorders.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES
Upon completion of this certificate program, students will have enhanced understanding of the complex field of research in public mental health. After completing core and elective courses, students will be able to:
- Understand and discuss the organization of diagnoses of mental disorders used in clinical and public health settings, as well as the available modalities for measuring the diagnoses in populations;
- Realize and discuss the burden of mental disorders in the global population;
- Recognize and describe the wide range of social and biological etiologic factors related to mental disorders;
- Evaluate methods of prevention and treatment for mental disorders;
- Be able to describe the system of treatment for mental disorders in the United States and around the world.
ADMISSIONS
Contact information and complete certificate program admissions information is available on the certificate program page on the BSPH website.
Sponsoring Department
Department of Mental Health

