Introduction.

The Boston University School of Public Health aspires to provide the best possible environment for its faculty to engage in their work towards the school’s core purpose: Think. Teach. Do. For the Health of All. The School’s work aspires to advance our core mission and to live by our core values:

SPH Mission. To improve the health and well-being of populations worldwide, particularly the underserved, through excellence and innovation in education, research, and practice

SPH Values. We are committed to igniting and sustaining positive change that leads to health and well-being around the world. We strive for a respectful, collaborative, diverse, and inclusive community within our School of Public Health. We aim to promote justice, human rights, and equity within and across our local and global communities.

The SPH Strategy Map supports our core purpose to Think. Teach. Do. For the Health of All and is available at bu.edu/sph/strategymap

Founded in 1976, SPH confers masters degrees and doctoral degrees and is accredited by the Council on Education for Public Health. We conduct research and scholarship to solve the world’s most complex public health challenges. SPH is ranked in the top 10 Schools of Public Health according to US News and World Report. We are a school that strives for excellence in all we do.

Our Community

The School of Public Health has over 300 faculty, 250 staff, 1,000 students, and 12,000 alumni. Our academic departments are Biostatistics; Community Health Sciences; Environmental Health; Epidemiology; Global Health; Health Law, Policy, and Management. Our centers advance scholarship in Climate and Health, Data Health Science, Mental Health and Trauma, and Health Law, Ethics and Human Rights. The work of the School is facilitated by the school’s central support offices: Administration and Finance, Admissions, the Career and Practicum Office, Communications, the Dean’s Office, Development and Alumni Relations, Education Office, Graduate Student Life, the Registrar’s Office, and Research and Faculty Advancement. The BUSPH bylaws outline the organization and governance structure of the School.

Our students and alumni are at the core of our work. Students are passionate about making a positive contribution to community and population health through practice, advocacy, and research. They students go on to do inspiring work in both the public and private sectors, becoming part of a large, active alumni network spread across 115 countries. Our alumni stay connected to BUSPH through events, alumni mentoring, BU Giving Day, and as guest speakers for our classes and practicum supervisors for our students. Orientation and graduation are our happiest days of the year.

In addition to world-class research and education, SPH is committed to translating that work and meaningfully engaging communities. The Activist Lab serves as the nexus for the School’s engagement with communities near and far. Public Health Post seeks to elevate the public conversation on health and posts daily articles by our Public Health Post Fellows and guest contributors. idea hub facilitates partnerships with non-traditional funders to accelerate improvements in population health.

All faculty and staff are invited to the monthly School Assembly and annual School Retreat, and all members of the community are invited to our Public Health Conversations, which are free, open to the public, and accessible to all. The Dean’s Office hosts several all-school celebrations, including the annual SPH Holiday Party in December and the annual SPH Spring Celebration in May.

Each member of the faculty and staff is listed in the SPH directory: bu.edu/sph/directory. Faculty members also have BU Profiles, which details their research and publications, profiles.bu.edu.

The SPH Handbooks

The SPH Handbooks are intended to collect the policies and procedures that apply to all at the School, and that shape the context in which we all operate. These handbooks are “living documents” and will change and evolve over time. They ensure policies are clearly defined and consistently, uniformly implemented.

  • The Faculty Handbook outlines resources, policies, and procedures to guide faculty throughout their careers and is a companion guide to the BU Faculty Handbook. Changes to the contents of the SPH Faculty Handbook will follow the “Procedures for Reviewing and Approving Major Policy and Planning Initiatives” described in Section VIII. The most up-to-date policies and procedures are in the electronic version of this handbook at bu.edu/sph/facultyhandbook.
  • The Staff and Operations Handbook details opportunities for staff development and administrative policies and procedures at SPH and is a companion guide to the BU Employee Handbook. The most up-to-date policies and procedures are in the electronic version of this handbook at bu.edu/sph/staffhandbook.

At heart, we are convinced that a school is only as great as its community, and these handbooks aim to be part of an effort to create the best possible environment for our faculty, staff, and students.