Dear Faculty, Staff and Students,

I write with the significant news that our Joseph J. Zilber School of Public Health (ZSPH) received national accreditation this week from the Council on Education for Public Health(CEPH), making it the first accredited school of public health in Wisconsin. This is a critical achievement for our students, faculty and staff and poises ZSPH to grow their important urban public health work in which they address issues like infant mortality, breast cancer and clean water.

The graduate-level Zilber School joins 56 other accredited schools of public health in the U.S., a group that includes Harvard, Yale and Johns Hopkins universities. UW-Madison, the Medical College of Wisconsin and UW-La Crosse have nationally accredited public health graduate programs, but not dedicated schools.

This week’s milestone is the culmination of a process that started in 2009 when the UW Board of Regents approved the school’s creation and students first enrolled. The rigorous CEPH accreditation process began in 2013 and involved UWM being judged by peer institutions in more than 20 areas, including curriculum, research, community engagement, and faculty and student recruitment and retention.  Between 2013 and 2017, the school attracted more than $9.3 million in federal research grants and the number of faculty grew to 27.  

Accreditation creates opportunities for federal grants and student fellowships from national agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Also, students from accredited schools may take a credentialing exam administered by the National Board of Public Health Examiners.

Congratulations to the faculty, staff, students and administrators who contributed to this significant achievement. You have made us all proud!  

Best regards,

Mark A. Mone
Chancellor
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee