Running Head: PUBLIC HEALTH 1

Literature Review on the school of Public Health of the University of Texas at El Paso

Maribel Dominguez

University of Texas at El Paso

PUBLIC HEALTH 2

Abstract

The field of public health is a ramification of science, in which the main focus is to

protect and improve the health of entire populations. The promoting and prolongation of health is

achieved through many incentives including community and worldwide organizations. Public

health professionals seek to prevent health predicaments, through the conduction of specified

research, educational programs, the avocation and retention of fundamental health policies. The

field of public health being an essential field for the protection of humanity, is a vital career

choice for any individual. Even though the importance of a career in public health is evidential,

the field itself has not been widely recognized. The University of Texas at El Paso has a young

yet compelling public health program that includes an extensive variety of careers. The purpose

of this literature review is to inform about the programs that help set a foundation for the career

development of UTEP students through academic opportunities. Additionally, this literature

review will define the remarkable events of the school of public health, the effects of a shortage

in public health experts and the comparison between UTEP and other Universities of the state of

Texas.

PUBLIC HEALTH 3

Public Health: A literature review of the UTEP school of Public Health

Public health is the science of prolonging life, preventing disease and promoting health

through an organized effort to sanitize the environment, control contagious diseases and health

educate the community. Public health has prevented the spread of epidemics that had the

capacity to wipe out entire populations. Public health has become fundamental in the present

time, as it maintains health stability by preventing world chaos. Yet the field of public health had

a very indirect and slow beginning, which has created a base for debate on whether the field is

thriving of remaining still. Some experts claim that the field of public health is poorly defined

and abstract. Other experts believe that the public health field has been blossoming throughout

the world. The enigmatic predicament can be examined by investigating the position of the

public health field in the knowledge of the young generation of the time.

The University of Texas at El Paso educationally prepare the students from the entire south

border. However, it has been observed that the UTEP School of public health has not been

implemented to flourish successfully. The indispensable position of this field that protects entire

populations sets an alarming position for the El Paso residents. For these reasons, the uncertainty

about the promoting of the public health field has continued. As a consequence, these four

questions must be considered:

I. What programs has UTEP constructed to help professionally prepare its public health

students?

II. What effect does the absence of UTEP public health professionals have in the El Paso

community in comparison to other communities?

PUBLIC HEALTH 4

III. What have been the most remarkable events for the school of public health in the history

of UTEP?

IV. How does the UTEP School of public health compare to other schools of public health of

other Universities in the state of Texas?

The field of public health is a necessary career field, it is of extreme importance that this career

field is being properly educated to students, who are the future of the nation. This literature

review will provide the necessary information in regards of the school of public health in the

University of Texas at El Paso.

What programs has UTEP constructed to help professionally prepare its public health

students?

The University of Texas at El Paso has a young school of public health, thus making its

programs relatively new. Despite the youthfulness of the school of public health, UTEP has

already created several programs to help prepare its students. Experts have a divided view on the

improvement of the school of public health in the University. The office of disease prevention

and health promotion government department associated with UTEP to create the Healthy People

2020 partnership to identify nationwide health improvement priorities. The healthy people 2020

is a nationwide incentive striving to increase the understanding of health disease, disability and

the opportunities possible to students as a form of fieldwork experience. The standard way of

thinking of the incentive Healthy people 2020 is that is an identical replica of the Health 2000,

the original incentive created in the year 2000. Since both initiatives are government campaigns

seeking to motivate a new generation of community minded health professionals, often people

think of the two as one incentive rather than two separate ones. These two initiatives are

ramifications of each other, which may create the misconception that they represent the exact

PUBLIC HEALTH 5

equal ideology. Yet, Healthy people 2000, indirectly opposes to the central idea of the Healthy

people 2020 initiative, as the initiative healthy people initiative, indicated that UTEP was not

part of the initiative, even though their school of public health had several years in action. Thus

enfacing on the fact that UTEP was not properly involved in the student professional preparation.

The Community Health in the 21st century book, focuses on several nationwide movements and

one of them being the Healthy people 2000. Community Health in the 21st century states that the

educational initiatives taken, “The National Health Education Standards were adopted to help

students achieve education goal set in… Healthy people 2000.” (Turnock, pg. 400). These

renewable nationwide incentives placed a target on the development of UTEP undergraduates

which allowed them to increase their knowledge on the field of public health.

Although UTEP did not immediately created public health preparation programs, it must

be pointed out that UTEP created a community based program associated with Del Sol and Las

Palmas medical center. The UTEP News (2014) addressed that the program that allowed the

developed of creative new models of university-corporate health care collaborations focused on

the preparation of competent health care professionals (pa. 3). UTEP expanded the opportunities

of its public health students by providing access to real life professional experience. By focusing

on the importance of fieldwork experience, UTEP concentrated on the deeper problem of the

absence of student opportunity. A plan was implemented to better the professional preparation of

its public health students. In 2008 however, UTEP created the Strategic Plan that covered the

years of 2008 until 2015, this plan as described by the article is “Committed to providing access

and educational opportunity” (pg. 2). Additionally, the president of UT El Paso Diana Natalicio

(2013), stated “We are committed to raising the aspirations and educational attainment…we

serve and engaging in a highly respected program of advanced research and scholarship that

PUBLIC HEALTH 6

creates active learning environments for our students.” (pg.1). The Strategic Plan, seeks to

maintain the educational growth of UTEP through student career development, similarly the

hospital and university collaboration created new career opportunities for the students.

Unfortunately, these plans are not enough for many University experts as well as UTEP students.

The University of Texas at El Paso is right in that the new affiliations created will greatly

benefit UTEP students because of the growing need of public health professionals, yet the

University may not be aware in the fact that recent surveys indicate that UTEP students do not

feel fully prepared. Although none of them have ever said so directly, students have often given

the impression that the school of public health at UTEP is a field that is not as praised as the

other schools. The survey created for the purpose of this review found that student’s career

preparation is significantly low, indicating that 11 out of 30 students, feel professionally ignored

and unappreciated. Additionally, 46 % of the public health undergraduate students feel

uninformed of public health organizations. This primary research survey demonstrates that even

UTEP has created various career enhancing programs to help prepare its students, public health

students do not feel at their highest potential. This particular students and expert survey,

completely contradict the basic ideas of the programs mentioned above. Experts claim that the

lack of UTEP interaction with public health students have created a new alarming factor that is

the absence of public health professionals which is a current reality that affects the El Paso

community.

What effect does the absence of UTEP public health professionals have in the El Paso

community in comparison to other communities?

The El Paso community has experienced the reduction of UTEP graduate public health

professionals. The city of El Paso’s Department of Public Health PHD, annual Health assessment

PUBLIC HEALTH 7

article identified an inverse relationship between the population growths of the El Paso County

with the number of UTEP public health professionals. The health assessment article (2013)

reports that the estimated health care providers only served population of 2.6 million, while the

El Paso County has a growing population, of 18% (Pa. 4). Additionally, the city of El Paso has a

younger population than Texas and the United States, making the absence of public health

professionals even more extreme. The absence of public health professionals, according to some

experts is a matter to be worried about as in the long run, it could cause irreversible problems

that would be very much difficult to control. This particular health article stresses the absence of

public health professionals through the use census reports, using these reports as evidence of the

current situation, stressing the negative impact that the lack of UTEP graduates has had on the

community.

When it comes to the source of information, the PHD and the CIHRE agree that census

reports are the best source of evidence. Where these sources agreements usually end, however, is

on the question of the disturbing realities of the El Paso County and the main cause of the

absence of public health professionals. Each source has the same mode of evidence but different

conclusions. According to the CIHRE (2013), the absence of local public health professionals

affect the health conditions in the El Paso area, stating “El Paso County, are among the poorest

in the United States and have numerous barriers to health education and health care access. This

may be due to lack of access to health care in the border region and the need for culturally

sensitive preventive health care.” (pa. 5). The economic position, according to the CIHRE is the

main cause of lack of public health professionals, and at the same time it is also the main cause

for the poor health conditions. The following image, extracted from City of El Paso’s

Department of Public Health Assessment, supports the previous evidence.

PUBLIC HEALTH 8

Figure 1. The current shortage of Public Health Professionals

Source: (2013) Community Health Assessment (CHA), 1-117. Retrieved October 18, 201414, 2014, from

http://home.elpasotexas.gov/health/_documents/CHA_draft_061413%206-20-13.pdf

The image presented above, indicate the large vacancy of public health providers, yet it

does not concede with the views of the CIHRE and the PHD organizations. Additionally, the

CIHRE’s view that the main cause of the absence of UTEP’s public health alumni flawed, as

recent research has shown that the main cause of the expert shortage is that of the geographic

location of El Paso. The academic article, “Globalization and Health at the United States –

Mexico Border” believes that the lack of public health professionals, decreases the integration of

international health markets thus contradicting the views of the CIHRE and the PHD

organizations. The Mexico border journal states, “The presence of expertise would be a better

integration of the health care markets so the population on either side of the border could take

advantage of the health services offered.”(Mexico Border, 16). The scholarly article attempted to

present the idea that if public health experts were present in the community, it would signify a

cultural, economic and geographical convenience to promote healthy lifestyles in the region.

The Mexico’s border journal article position that the international markets are severely

affected by the absence of public health professionals was valid, the academic article,

“Achieving academic excellence at UTEP and economic opportunity for El Paso” arguments that

PUBLIC HEALTH 9

the absence public health professionals directly affects the economic standing of the El Paso

community. Eliot Shapleigh, senator and author of this academic article strongly believes that the

main impact, is the economic downfall that the community has been experiencing. The academic

article mentions above states, “The study which measured the academic success for Hispanic and

economically disadvantaged students across Texas, UTEP's students outperform students in other

major cities and border communities across the state.” (Eliot Shapleigh, pg.10). Shapleigh,

presents the idea that UTEP graduates are qualified individuals that choose to radiate in another

community than that one of El Paso. The same qualification and the perseverant character of

UTEP students has also been reflected on the most remarkable events on the history of UTEP.

What have been the most remarkable events for the school of public health in the history of

UTEP?

The University of Texas at El Paso was ranked number twelve of the entire nation by the

Washington Monthly magazine’s annual university rankings. Despite the Universities nationwide

ranking, some experts argue that UTEPS history has had only few remarkable events for the

school of Public Health while other experts argue that UTEP has had an acceptable historical

events. The University newspaper special edition “Transforming Higher Education” presents

several historical highlights for the University, including two of which pertain to the school of

Public Health. UTEP faculty and students are actively engaged in the full spectrum of research in

health their work has enabled the National Science Foundation (NSF) to fund UTEP research

(Transforming Higher education pg. 6). According to the Centennial Magazine (2013),

“Research expenditures have risen steadily over the past decade, reaching nearly $80 million

annually and ranking UTEP fourth in the state and 72nd in the country among universities

without a medical school.” (pg.7). Additionally, UTEP proudly helped assist the national

PUBLIC HEALTH 10

research of Syphilis, being selected among the top Universities of the nation. In a completely

different affair, UTEP has contributed to other nationwide public health programs, such as

“Nuestra Casa” a nationwide initiative, dedicated on increasing the public health state of in need

individuals including the migrants from the Mexico-border.

Nuestra Casa was created as an advocacy tool that through communication and social

action the disease of Tuberculosis was going to be better controlled as it will help reduce the

number of cases and deaths caused by it. (US-Mexico Border Health Association 2008) The

director of this incentive Nora Gallegos (2012) states that UTEP was the first university to unite to

this incentive, alongside other national organizations, “University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), the

Mexican Consulate, the City of El Paso Health Department, the Alliance of Border Collaborative

(ABC)…with funding from Project Concern International (PCI) and the United States Agency for

International Development (USAID)” (pg.1). UTEP remarks this partnership as remark, as not

only was it the first border University to follow this cause but also because it helped the students

gain the knowledge on this national issue. UTEP, proudly participated as one of the few selected

institutions in the global research on Syphilis.

This year of 2014 The City of El Paso Department of Public Health’s Laboratory

Program was selected to assist the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) research

by providing blood samples that have tested positive for Syphilis. (EP Health, Newspaper tree,

N/A). The University was greatly honored to assist with CDC alongside other Universities across

the nation. Due to the fact that it is a very competitive selection, this selection placed a

prestigious remark on the history of UTEP. However, according to the visitors Guide, the most

fruitful year for UTEP was the year of 2011. Kathleen Curtis, Ph.D., dean of the college states,

“Professional education program enrollment had a major increase in UTEP ’capacity to meet the

PUBLIC HEALTH 11

health-related workforce needs of our region…On top of that, five of the college’s programs

moved into a new 130,000-square-foot campus facility in 2011.” (Curtis, 2014). The major

improvement of the school of public health, stated by Kathleen Curtis, has been an important

factor to place UTEP among the top Universities.

The standard way of thinking of the dean of the school of public health Kathleen Curtis is

comparable to the standard knowledge of the public health students. UTEP has a blossoming

public health program, and its students are aware of it, yet they do not express entire confidence

in their University in comparison to others. The students agreed in that, the University has not

really had ground breaking research or remarks to place the University among the historical

national events. In the survey called “Historical Events” more than 60 % of the selected students

answered “no”, to the question, “Do you feel that UTEP has found ground breaking research.”

More dramatically, about 80% of the surveyed students, answered “Not aware” to the question,

“Can you recall the main remarkable historical events, of the school of Public Health in UT El

Paso?” Unfortunately, students are not aware nor enthusiastic about the historical public health

remarks, the majority marked the “School of Business”, as the “Successful College of UTEP”,

meaning that the school of public health, to the eyes of the students is “Relatively standard or

Average”. Consequently, the low outlook of public health students in UTEP, is becomes a main

cause of the idea that UTEP is not as highly accomplished as other Universities in the state of

Texas.

How does the UTEP School of public health compare to other schools of public health of

other Universities in the state of Texas?

The University of Texas at El Paso has a relatively new school of public health being

incorporated barely 18 years ago in the year of 1992. The University of Texas Health Sciences

PUBLIC HEALTH 12

Center (2013) compares UTEP to top Texas Universities, focusing on the sister cities of the El

Paso County, and how they form a population of over two million, making it the largest

intentional metroplex in the world (pa.1). The health sciences center emphasizes the fact that

even though UTEP does not provide a medical school it does provide other high level degrees.

The public health college of UTEP, offers all levels of graduate from certificate programs to

masters and doctoral degree programs.” (Texas Health Sciences Center, 2012, Pa. 2). UTEP

alumni, also created the duty on representing their University, but exemplify it in comparison to

other Texas Universities.

The Texas Health Science Center thesis about the professional offerings of UTEP was

extremely useful to the academic article, “Experience Preferred: Insights from Our Newest

Public Health Professionals on How Internships/ Practicums Promote Career Development”

because it shed insight on the importance of fieldwork experience. Written by UTEP alumni the

academic article acknowledged that “This article provides perspectives from four public

designated minority-serving institutions and highlights the ways fieldwork experiences have

contributed to their career development.” (Experience Preferred, 2013, pg. 12). In other words,

the article believes that minority serving institutions in Texas are the best choice as they provide

a more meaningful journey. Similarly the academic article “How Texas Will Celebrate National

Public Health Week April 4-8, 2011”, is too written by University Alumni, but exemplifying the

University of Texas at Galveston as the best public health school in Texas. The Texas Public

Health Association TPHA journal, recognizes the University of Texas at Galveston as the most

qualified Texas University. The Public Health association journal states, “The school's Public

Health Student Association (PHSA) also plans to recognize National Public Health Week as

University of Galveston has implemented the most innovative program of the state of Texas”

PUBLIC HEALTH 13

(TPHA, pg. 22). However, there following academic article, does not in any way view UTEP as

a better choice in comparison to other Texas Universities.

Whereas the previous academic articles have provided ample evidence that Texas

Universities have the capacity to complete amongst each other, the academic article “Training

Primary Care Physicians for Local Health Authority Duties in Texas” targets the fact that very

few Universities in the State of Texas provide an inexperienced public health performance.

According to doctor James Mobley, public health director and collaborator of is article states,

“Public health inequities may occur in Texas counties where there are no appointed career LHA.

No citizen from any community… should be without identifiable and realistic access to the

benefits of public health” (Training Primary Physicians, pg.5). While some experts have

classified the aptitude of the Texas Universities, other such as Bernard J. Turnock have argued

that there is no best University, as the field of public health is not being properly presented. In

the book, “Career Choices that make a difference, Turnock stated, “Yet public health is not

among the best known or most highly respected careers, in part because when public health

efforts are successful, nothing happens.” (Turnock pg1). Due to the fact that public health is not

a recognized field in the nation, Bernock believes that no University has the sufficient

knowledge to take public health to its highest level.

Conclusion

The field of public health plays a fundamental role in the health stability of the entire

nation, and in the El Paso community. The University of Texas at El Paso is a nationwide

recognized institution, yet the progress of its school of public health was questioned by local

experts and students. The alarming absence of UTEP public health graduates and the lack of

publicity towards public health enhancing programs challenged the ability of UTEP in

PUBLIC HEALTH 14

comparison to other Universities in the state of Texas, thus affecting the El Paso community. The

research presented in this literature review presents an opportunity to create knowledge on the

field of public health. With the knowledge gained from this literature review, one will be capable

to develop an opinion based solemnly of knowledge.

PUBLIC HEALTH 15

Bibliography

American Journal of Public Health, 1-9. Retrieved October 12, 2014, from

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448143/

El Paso County and City of El Paso (2011, June 11). In Center for Interdisciplinary Health

Research and Evaluation . Retrieved October 11, 2014, from

http://chs.utep.edu/cihre/demographic/el_paso_county_and_city_of_el_paso.php

Hernandez, K. E., Bejarano, S., Reyes, F. J., Chavez, M., & Mata, H. (2014). Experience

preferred:

Insights from our newest public health professionals on how Internships/Practicums

promote career development. Health Promotion Practice, 15(1), 95-99. Doi:

10.1177/1524839913507578

Homedes, N. (2003, December). Globalization and Health at the United States–Mexico Border.

Mobbey, J., & Zuniga, M. (2012, July). Training Primary Care Physicians for Local Health

Authority Duties in Texas. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7), 1-7. Retrieved

October 18, 2014, from http://0-

web.a.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/ehost/pdfviewer/pdfviewer?vid=3&sid=1743f5d4-

3e1b-4f4d-884c-978b2ba4797e%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4107

Moya, E., Lomeli, B., & Gallegos, N. “OUR HOUSE - NUESTRA CASA” A Touring Project

For Tuberculosis Advocacy, Communication and Social Mobilization. Washington State

Department. Retrieved October 10, 2014, from

http://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/343-Non-OurHouseNuestraCasa.pdf

PUBLIC HEALTH 16

Moya, E. (2012, September 5). Implications for Research, Academics, Policy, and

Service. Healthy People 2020. Retrieved October

12, 2014, from http://chs.utep.edu/cihre/pdf/UTEP_Healthy_Exchange%20HP_2020.pdf

Reagan, P. A., & Fisher, J. B. (1997). Community Health in the 21st Century. Needham Heights,

MA: Allyn and Bacon.

Resendes, R., & Ocaranza, H. L. (2013, July). City of El Paso’s Department of Public Health

PHD. 2013 Community Health Assessment (CHA), 1-117. Retrieved October 14, 2014,

from http://home.elpasotexas.gov/health/_documents/CHA_draft_061413%206-20-

13.pdf

Shapleigh, E. (2006, January 5). Achieving academic excellence at UTEP and economic

Opportunity for El Paso. The University of Texas at El Paso, 1-8.

Peña-Purcell, N., & Asomaning, N. (2013). A speed mentoring experience for university students

In public health education. Texas Public Health Journal, 65(4), 29-35. Retrieved from

http://0-search.ebscohost.com.lib.utep.edu/login.aspx?

direct=true&db=a9h&AN=93261923&site=ehost-live&scope=site

Public health laboratory assists in national research. (2014, May 27). Newspaper Tree. Retrieved

October 12, 2014, from http://newspapertree.com/authors/24-press-release

Texas Public Health. (2011, March).

Http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/60639777/how-texas-will-

Celebrate-national-public-health-week-april-4-8-2011. Texas Public Health, 63(2), 1-5.

Retrieved October 9, 2014, from

http://connection.ebscohost.com/c/articles/60639777/how-texas-will-celebrate-national-

pubic-health-week-april-4-8-2011

PUBLIC HEALTH 17

The University of Texas at El Paso, (2013). Centennial. T r a n s f o r m i n g H i g h e r E d u c

a t i o n, 11-1`. Retrieved October 13, 2014, from

http://centennial.utep.edu/centennialmediakit.pdf

The University of Texas at El Paso (2012, August). In The University of Texas Health Center at

Houston. Retrieved October 18, 2014, from https://sph.uth.edu/campuses/el-paso/Calvin

College open URL resolver

Turnock, B. J. (2006). Public Health: Career Choices that make a difference. Sudbury, MA:

Jones and Bartlett Publishers.

University Communications, (2008). Strategic Plan 2008 to 2015. The University of Texas at El

Paso. Retrieved October 13, 2014,

From http://www.utep.edu/aboutUTEP/strategic_plan.pdf

UTEP NEWS. The University of Texas at El Paso. Retrieved October 14, 2014, from

http://news.utep.edu/?p=27062

Visitors Guide. (2014, May 27). The University of Texas at El Paso, 1-40. Retrieved October 12,

2014, from http://uc.utep.edu/visitors-guide/2013-visitors-guide.pdf