Faculty of the Community-Oriented Public Health Practice program
(COPHP) continually refine our curriculum to support an anti-racist, inclusive program
culture. COPHP faculty draws the most from successful contributions to their own
learning, including trial and error, expert and personalized coaching, clear social and
cultural expectations, and constructive feedback. COPHP “community of learners”
begins to take shape at the first contact prospective students make with the program, as
faculty and a graduate student coordinator assess applicants’ potential to succeed in
COPHP and in using the problem-based learning (PBL) method. Program culture
continues to evolve through a busy orientation week designed to prepare new students
for the unique demands of PBL and introduce library research methods and the roles of
public health workers. Perhaps the most important orientation week activity is “Case
0”, a practice PBL case through which students learn about the radical history of public
health, adult learning theory, and institutional racism. In analyzing the case, students
are exposed to a classroom culture that support formative, reiterative learning as well as
self-reflection and equitable team roles and processes. The combination of COPHP’s
dynamic learning culture, social justice orientation, and student leadership strives to
support student activism and community service. In the recent years, COPHP students
have helped form two important student-led organizations that address racism,
oppression, and reproductive rights. Graduates tend to maintain strong relationships
with the program, faculty, and local organizations, further extending COPHP’s vital
community.
Keywords: Admissions, Anti-racism, Collaboration, Culture, Graduation, Group
skills, Multi-cultural, Norms, Orientation, Personal growth, Service, Studentdriven.
