About
The mission of the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health is to advance health and well-being in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and beyond through multidisciplinary education, transformative research, and action-oriented partnerships and practice reflecting the principles of social justice and health equity.
On This Page
CEPH Accreditation
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health attained national accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in 2017, making the Zilber College the only accredited college of public health in Wisconsin. The Zilber College was re-accredited for a seven-year term in 2022.
Accreditation by CEPH is a very rigorous process in which peer institutions judge whether an applicant has met standards in more than 40 areas, including curriculum, research, community engagement, faculty and student recruitment, and retention.
Vision, Mission, Identity, Values & Goals
The School of Allied Health Professions was formed at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in 1975, and renamed the College of Health Sciences in 2002.
The Zilber College was established in 2009 and was nationally accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) in 2017. It was reaccredited in 2022 for a 7-year term.
In July 2023, UW-Milwaukee realigned its schools and colleges as part of its long-term strategic plan. The disciplines of Kinesiology, Nutritional Sciences, Health Care Informatics and Public Health are aimed at improving the health and wellness of individuals and populations. As a result of the realignment, the Kinesiology, Nutritional Sciences and Health Care Informatics programs from the College of Health Sciences and the programs from the Zilber School of Public Health merged to create today’s Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health.
A national search for a dean for the new college was launched in Fall of 2023, resulting in the hiring of Dr. Monica Wendel who joined the college in July of 2024. In Fall 2024, the faculty and staff of the Zilber College shared their ideas, time, and feedback to create and update the college’s new identity, vision and mission statements that reflect the purpose and expertise across the breadth of the college.
Our Vision
Our vision is just and equitable communities where everyone has access to the resources they need to be healthy and thrive.
Our Mission
The mission of the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health is to advance health and well-being in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and beyond through multidisciplinary education, transformative research, and action-oriented partnerships and practice reflecting the principles of social justice and health equity.
With an unwavering commitment to health equity and social justice, the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health is a leader in student-centered education, interdisciplinary research, and bi-directional community engagement. Representing diverse disciplines, we continuously aspire to be change agents and trustworthy partners fostering a collaborative environment that equips graduates to make positive impacts on health and society for generations to come. As Wisconsin’s only nationally accredited school of public health, we leverage our collective resources and expertise to advance health and well-being for all.
Our Values Statement
We, the faculty, administration, staff, and Students of the Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health, accept and adopt the core values of the University of Wisconsin — Milwaukee.
We are also committed to carrying out the following values in our individual and collective public health research, teaching, community engagement, and practice:
- Integrity — We cultivate and sustain trust through transparent, open, and honest communications and decision-making. We uphold standards of public health ethics* in all that we do.
- Accountability — We hold ourselves and each other responsible to the highest quality, excellence, and measurable impact in our work.
- Collaboration — We emphasize and support collaborative, interdependent, mutually-respectful engagement and relationships within our college, across our campus, and with our communities.
- Diversity and Inclusion — We welcome, support, include, encourage, and respect diverse voices, experiences, perspectives, disciplines, and approaches in our work together.
- Health Equity — We strive to eliminate health inequities through research, teaching, community engagement, and advocacy.
- Social and Environmental Justice — We maintain an unwavering commitment to social and environmental justice, focusing our work on the fundamental, underlying requirements for healthy communities by addressing individual, structural, and institutional barriers to health.
*For example: Thomas JC, Sage M, Dillenberg J, Guillory VJ. A code of ethics for public health. Am J Public Health. 2002;92(7):1057—1059 OR the Public Health Leadership Society’s Public Health Code of Ethics.
Our Goals
Five Year Goals
- GOAL 1: To elevate the reputation of the college for outstanding teaching, research, community engagement, and practice that promotes health, health equity, and wellness.
- GOAL 2: To create and apply knowledge to advance health, health equity, and wellness.
- GOAL 3: To deliver high quality student-centered programs that equip students to contribute to an effective health and wellness workforce or pursue further education.
- GOAL 4: To develop and maintain an efficient administrative infrastructure with transparent processes to support the success of the college in teaching, research, community engagement, and practice.
- GOAL 5: To achieve financial stability and sustainability for the college.
- GOAL 6: To cultivate a community environment within the college where all our members feel a sense of belonging.
Contact
Downtown Campus
1240 N. 10th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53205
Kenwood Campus/Undergraduate Advising
Kennwood Interdisciplinary Research Complex
Room 5090
3135 N. Maryland Ave
Milwaukee, WI 53211
Mailing Address
Joseph J. Zilber College of Public Health
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
P.O. Box 413
Milwaukee, WI 53205
Email: zcph-info@uwm.edu
General information, building & events inquiries: 414-227-3001
Zilber College admissions & advising: 414-229-2758