25/03/2014

1

Dr Deborah Gleeson
School of Public Health & Human
Biosciences
d.gleeson@latrobe.edu.au

A History of Public Health
Public Health Today
Public Health Careers
The Public Health Major


What is Public Health?
Public Health is the organised response by society to
protect and promote health, and to prevent illness,
injury and disability. The starting point for identifying
public health issues, problems and priorities, and for
designing and implementing interventions, is the
population as a whole, or population sub-groups.

Source: National Public Health Partnership (1998), Public Health in Australia: The Public
Health Landscape: person society environment (Melbourne, NPHP)
25/03/2014
2
History of Public Health
Roman Times human waste disposal
1000BC China Immunisation from Smallpox
14
th
Century: Black Death
- burning of cities
Medieval times: Use of
Quarantine
19
th
Century
Industrial Revolution: Birth of Public Health
Rapid urbanisation and poverty
Overcrowding
No Sanitation
Explosion of disease
- Governments forced
to take responsibility
for health



Edwin Chadwick (1800- 1890)
Secretary of Poor Law Commission
1842 Report on the Sanitary conditions of the Labouring
Population of Great Britain
Champion of Public Health
Lobbied for reform
25/03/2014
3
Dr. John Snow (1813-1858)
Birth of Epidemiology
1831- Cholera outbreak in England
1854 - traced a cholera
outbreak to a London pump
- Removed the pump handle
- Dramatic decrease in incidence

Florence Nightingale (1820-1910)
English nurse, writer and
statistician
Nursed wounded soldiers during
the Crimean War
Founded professional nursing
Pioneered improvements to
hygiene
Responsible for dramatically
improved death rates in hospitals
Supported and empowered
mothers


Australian History of Public Health
1854: Victorian Public Health Act
1921: Federal Department of Health
1936: National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is
established.
1973: Establishment of the Community Health Program
1974: Establishment of Medibank, the tax-funded universal health
insurance scheme (now Medicare)
1987: Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) is established
25/03/2014
4
20
th
Century
Drop in infections disease (Developed Countries)
Focus shift to Chronic Disease
Dramatic increase in lifespan

Males Females
1901-1910 : 55.2 58.8
2006: 78.7 83.5
Life Expectancy Australia: 1900 - 2005














http://www.aihw.gov.au/mortality/life_expectancy/trends.cfm













Recent strides in Public Health
http://vimeo.com/6189677
25/03/2014
5
Top public health achievements
Vaccination
Infectious disease control
Family planning
Smoke free measures
Chlorination & Fluoridation of drinking water
Safety policies e.g. motor, occupational, food
Programs to decrease Chronic Disease

Life expectancy: Indigenous
Unhealthiest subpopulation in Australia- Much lower than the general
population.
Approximately 16-17 years less (ABS 2007).
Higher incidence of:
- Ear and Eye problems
- Diabetes
- Heart Disease
- Kidney Disease
- Cancer
- Injury
- Asthma
- Alcoholism

21
st
Century
Shift towards Population Health
Social Determinants of Health recognised
Equitable improvement of health
Chronic Disease
Globalisation
25/03/2014
6
Ongoing Public Health challenges

Emerging Infectious Diseases e.g. Avian Flu
HIV/AIDS and Sexually Transmitted Disease
Increasing Obesity, Type 2 Diabetes
Natural Disasters e.g. Earthquakes, Hurricanes, Tsunamis
Global spread of Disease
Chronic Disease
Inequalities in health

Burden of Disease, Australia, 2003

Australias preventable disease burden
25/03/2014
7
Why choose a career in Public Health?
Lots of jobs
Exciting and growing field
Diverse opportunities
You get to save the world!

What can you do in public health?

YOU CAN help improve the health and well being of people in your local
community, state, or country.
YOU CAN help others follow a healthy lifestyle, or help change the social
determinants of health.
YOU CAN work to prevent health problems before they occur.
YOU CAN find true job satisfaction knowing that you are making a
difference.

How?
BY creating educational campaigns that encourage
healthy eating to prevent cancer, wearing bike helmets for
greater safety, or exercising to prevent heart disease.
BY developing policies for your city, state, or country that
help improve access to health services.
BY using computers to track and analyse disease
outbreaks, disability, or injury trends among communities
and populations.

25/03/2014
8
Public Health Employers
Community Health Centres (Health Promotion Officer)
Local and Federal Government (Policy Officer)
NGOs and charities (Cancer Council, Beyond Blue,
Diabetes Australia)
Religious Centres (Community engagement officer)
Hospitals (Smoking Cessation Officer)
Research and teaching
institutions (La Trobe)


Anywhere you find a population!


Public Health Graduates: Where are they now?
http://www.thisispublichealth.org/toolkit/video.htm

La Trobe Public Health Graduates
Where are they now?
Workforce
Further study: Honours and Postgraduate studies in:
- Occupational Therapy
- Social Work
- Human Nutrition
- Education
- Midwifery
- Nursing
- Counselling
- Orthoptics

25/03/2014
9
Former La Trobe Students: where are they now?
Community Information Officer - Melbourne Health
Educator Family Planning
Website content coordinator, Go for Life Project, Dept of Health
Children's Pastor, Northside Christian Church
Associate Lecturer at La Trobe
Rural Health Workforce Aust.
Project Officer
Health Promotion Officer
Rehab Coordinator - AFL clubs
WA Health Dept, Senior Program Officer
Data manipulation & analysis.
Policy development; project management
Senior researcher in the Parliamentary library
Policy Officer _ Dept of Health & Ageing (DoHA).
Information Officer BreastScreen (Eastern Health)
Kids Life & Active Workplaces Coordinator
Health & Well-being Project Officer for Go for Life Project
Coordinator of comfort zone Asperger youth group.
Public Health Academics at La Trobe: Professor
Vivian Lin
Expertise:
Health policy, health systems development, health promotion &
complementary healthcare
Current research:
Evidence-based health policy, capacity assessment tools for public health,
health promotion, health policy.
Professional leadership:
Vice President for Scientific Affairs of International Union of Health Promotion
and Education
President of the Chinese Medicine Registration Board
Convenor of the Australian National Network of Academic Public Health
Institutions
Consults for World Bank, the UK Department for International Development
and the World Health Organization.

Public Health Academics at La Trobe: Professor
Sandy Leggat
Expertise:
People and performance in health care (e.g. clinical
leadership, process improvements in health care
services)
Current research:
People and performance in health care

25/03/2014
10
Public Health Academics at La Trobe: Professor
Simon Barraclough
Expertise:
Political economy of health systems in developing
countries, international investment in health services,
health industry exports, & international health relations
Current research:
Tobacco control policies in developing countries,
particularly in Southeast Asia

The Public Health Major
Second year units
Health Education Development
Principles of Public Health Practice
Environmental Health Issues
Community Health Promotion
Applied Health Research
Living with a Chronic Illness
Integrating Evidence into Practice
One Elective


Volunteer

Second year volunteering opportunities
Plenty Valley Community Health
Austin Hospital
Diabetes Victoria
25/03/2014
11
The Public Health Major
Third year units
Health Promotion Planning
and Evaluation
Epidemiology
Health Care Systems
Global Health Initiatives
Participatory Field Placement
Law and Management for Health
Two Electives

The Public Health Major: Electives
Fertility, Reproductive Technology and Society
Communication Processes in Health Care
Organisational Psychology of Health Services
Psychosocial Perspectives of Health and Illness
Introduction to Health Information Systems
Drugs in Sport
Drugs in Use
Reproductive and Sexual Health
Introduction to Gerontology
Sports and Exercise Psychology
Death Dying and Grief
Drug Use and Addictive Behaviour
Health Informatics for Clinical Practice
Illness and Spirituality
Living with Disability in Australia
Participatory Field Placement
80-120 hours working in the field

Former placements areas
Mental Health
Sports and Recreation/ Physical Activity
Sexual Health
Men's/ Women's Health
Heart Health
Cystic Fibrosis
Child Health
Indigenous Health
Nutrition
Food and income



25/03/2014
12
Former placement sites
Schools
Victorian Cooperative on Childrens Services for Ethnic Groups (VICSEG)
NEAMI Ltd- North Eastern Alliance for the Mentally Ill
Neighbourhood Renewal project
The Chinese Health Foundation of Australia
YEAH- Youth Empowerment Against HIV/AIDS
Centre of Community Child Health
City councils
Community Health Centres
GP Association of Geelong
Sport and Recreation Victoria
Heart Foundation
Melbourne Airport
Hospitals
Department of Health
Skills and tasks you can practice on placement
Written and communication skills: writing reports,
presentations.
Research: write, distribute and analyse surveys
Run health promoting programs
Conduct literature reviews
Write a newsletter
Run a workshop
Evaluate programs
Apply for funding
36
Online activities
La Trobe University
Explore resources in LMS site (1 mark)
2014-BHS_MENTOR BHS Profession Mentoring (2014)
Must be completed by 25 March to earn 1 mark
Will be assessed by login records in LMS
Three online activities in PebblePad (3 marks each)
Physiology & anatomy: Due 29 April (3 marks)
Public health: Due 13 May (3 marks)
Rehab counselling: Due 27 May (3 marks)
For each online activity, you will complete a short online
reflection and design and upload a brochure/videoclip
about the major (approx 150 words/1 minute) suitable for
high school students.
25/03/2014
13
37
Online assessment tasks
La Trobe University
Three online activities in PebblePad (3 marks each)
Physiology & anatomy: Due 29 April (3 marks)
Public health: Due 13 May (3 marks)
Rehab counselling: Due 27 May (3 marks)
For each online activity:
Option A: brochure 150 words, no more than 2
pages
Option B: videoclip approx 1 minute in length

Thank you





Questions?