Governor, state legislature approve $1 million appropriation

MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Plans for a new School of Public Health at West Virginia University are moving forward, thanks to a $1 million appropriation in the state budget approved this week by the state legislature and signed by the governor.

“This is a significant milestone in the history of the Health Sciences Center,” Christopher C. Colenda, M.D., M.P.H., chancellor for health sciences, said. “The new School of Public Health will be a tremendous asset to the people across West Virginia who are working to solve the state’s health problems.”
 
Chancellor Colenda thanked Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin, the legislative leadership and members of the state legislature for supporting the new school.

“At a time when state governments across the United States are rolling back support for higher education, they had the foresight and wisdom to provide us with the resources we need to continue to meet our mission of service,” Colenda said. “Most of the faculty and other requirements needed for a nationally accredited school are already in place here.”

Some public health programs are offered in the WVU School of Medicine and enrollment has been increasing rapidly. The Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program has doubled enrollment since 2008. WVU also offers a master’s degree in school health education and a Ph.D. program in Public Health Sciences. Several community-based health programs developed at WVU are having national and international impact.

For more information about current public health offerings at WVU Health Sciences, go to www.hsc.wvu.edu/som/cmed.