History

Established in the medical school in 1931, the Louisiana Board of Regents approved LSU HSC School of Public Health (SPH) as its own entity in March of 2003. In celebration of the milestone, the school is planning a series of events this fall that will focus on the past, present and the future of SPH.

The publication below was created to recognize the continuing efforts of alumni, students, staff and faculty of the school.  Complete with articles written about projects the school has worked on, pictures from the various phases of our history, a glimpse the efforts currently ongoing and big changes in the near future, this publication is a celebration of 20 years of academic excellence.

To access this publication via Flipsnack:
www.flipsnack.com/jlpha/final-anniversary-pdf-without-bleed/full-view.html

Louisiana State University (officially Louisiana State University and Agricultural and Mechanical College, commonly referred to as LSU) began as a public military school near Pineville, Louisiana in 1853. After the Civil War, it reopened in Baton Rouge, where the main campus has since remained. It became Louisiana’s land grant university in 1874, its sea grant college in 1978 and its space grant college in 1991. The Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center – New Orleans (LSUHSC) School of Medicine was founded in 1931 in New Orleans. LSUHSC added the School of Graduate Studies in 1965, followed by the School of Dentistry in 1966, the School of Nursing in 1968, and the School of Allied Health Professions in 1970. The School of Public Health was established in 2003. Following is a timeline of significant and noted events for the School of Public Health.

Timeline
1931Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health established in LSU School of Medicine
1931 - 1988Department of Public Health makes notable contributions to the field of public health in the areas of malaria, polio and other endemic infections in the South.
1994 Department of Public Health reactivated as Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine
March 1996MPH Degree Program Proposed to LSU Board of Supervisors and Board of Regents for the state of Louisiana
March 1997MPH Program Approved by LSU Board of Supervisors and the Board of Regents for Higher Education for the state of Louisiana
May 1999Graduation of first MPH Class
March 2003Louisiana Board of Regents Approves LSU HSC School of Public Health (SPH)
May 2003MPH Program Accredited by Council for Education in Public Health
July 2003LSU SPH begins operations at 1600 Canal St on the LSU HSC downtown campus
November 2003School of Public Health approved as an Associate Member of the Association of Schools of Public Health
May 2004Dr. Elizabeth Fontham is named as the founding Dean of LSU SPH
Fall 2004New MPH concentrations began in Epidemiology, Biostatistics, and Environmental/ Occupational Health Sciences
September 2005LSU SPH resumes operations in Baton Rouge following Hurricane Katrina
Fall 2005New MPH concentrations offered in Behavioral/Community Health Sciences and Health Policy/ Systems Management
January 2006LSU SPH full programmatic on-site operations in New Orleans at the UNO Advanced Technology Center, Lakeshore Campus
January 2008LSU SPH moves and begins operations at 1615 Poydras St, downtown New Orleans
Fall 2008New PhD program in Biostatistics began.
Fall 2010 New PhD program in Epidemiology offered.
July 2011LSU SPH moves and begins operations at the LSUHSC Lions Eye Center building, 2020 Gravier Street, downtown campus
Fall 2011New PhD program in Community Health Sciences initiated.
September 2013LSU SPH receives full accreditation from the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH)
November 2013Dr. Richard Culbertson is appointed interim Dean of LSU SPH following Dean Elizabeth Fontham’s retirement
November 2014Dr. Dean Smith is named Dean of LSU SPH
January 2023Dr. Edward Trapido appointed Interim Dean