Des Moines University and the Drake University College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences (CPHS) have partnered to offer a combined Doctor of Pharmacy and Master of Public Health degree. The partnership will allow graduates who want to promote health within the broader health care system to utilize an understanding of population health and the health care system to take on leadership roles at the local, regional or national level.
Designed to maximize graduates’ opportunities in the public and non-profit sectors, the Pharm.D./M.P.H. program lets students replace elective coursework in the Drake CPHS curriculum with M.P.H. courses at DMU. Students begin at Drake CPHS and apply to the DMU M.P.H. program during the fall semester of their second professional year. The combined degree program allows students to complete their M.P.H. degree with only one extra semester beyond the pharmacy degree, rather than two years if the programs were completed individually.
“As public health and health care become more integrated, pharmacy students are in a unique position to promote health for both individuals and communities,” says Rachel Reimer, M.S., Ph.D., associate professor, chairperson and program director of the DMU M.P.H. program. “Previous pharmacy students in our program have utilized their pharmacy and public health background to implement programs designed to increase diabetic medication and lifestyle compliance for their culminating experience. This unique degree will also prepare them to engage in research and policy activities to promote health!”
