School of Public Health

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Innovation in Public Health Infrastructure Research Centers Explore the interdisciplinary centers driving applied research and community health impact across Texas and beyond.

• Center for Community Health and Aging
• Center for Health and Nature
• Center for Health Equity and Evaluation Research
• Center for Worker Health
• Southwest Rural Health Research Center
• USA Center for Rural Public Health Preparedness

Transformational Public Health Research Research With research expenditures of $26M and 316 publications, our research fuels solutions in every Texas county and beyond.

• Research expenditures from 9/1/25 to 8/31/26 totaled $26,190,770.
• Researchers published more than 316 peer-reviewed papers in 2025 and have made impacts through public health interventions and/or research in all 254 counties in Texas.
• School of Public Health researchers are nationally recognized leaders in rural and population health, child and family health, behavioral health, healthcare access and equity, healthy aging, emergency preparedness and response, health policy and program evaluation, and occupational and environmental health. Through partnerships with communities, government agencies, and health systems, our researchers develop evidence-based solutions that improve health and well-being across Texas and beyond.
• Department of Health Policy and Management researchers were selected for the third consecutive evaluation period to continue as the independent evaluators for the Texas Medicaid 1115 Wavier for the next 10 years. The Waiver has enabled Texas to redesign Medicaid to transition to managed care and value-based payment systems to improve population health.
• Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics researchers found that low levels of arsenic from drinking water—even below the current guideline level—can increase the risk of cancer and have identified biomarkers to help identify early exposure.
• Apathy can be an early indicator of dementia. Researchers in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health are building a digital human using AI that could transform how clinicians detect early signs of dementia, combining screening questions with facial expression analysis and biometric monitoring to identify subtle signals, including apathy.
• Department of Health Behavior researchers compiled the first complete list of symptoms - including subtle ones - that previously were overlooked for infantile epileptic spasms syndrome (IESS), a severe childhood epilepsy that must be treated within seven days of onset to avoid severe and permanent developmental disabilities.

Grant-Funded Breakthroughs Research Awards See the major awards powering public health projects in mental health, rural health, adolescent pregnancy prevention, and environmental health., mental health, and youth wellness.

• $2 million: Hogg Foundation - Rural Impact through Support and Evaluation (RISE) in Texas: Coordinating a Learning Community to Strengthen Mental Health and Well-Being in Rural and Border Communities
• $1.35 million: Department of Health and Human Services-Administration for Children and Families - Evaluation of Using the Connect: A Game-Based Intervention for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention
• $1 million: Texas Health & Human Services Commission - External evaluation of Child Care Rules and Minimum Standards
• $963,000: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine - Community-Driven Green Infrastructure (CDGI) for Environmental Health and Resilience in Northeast Houston

Faculty Highlights Faculty Highlights Our faculty are nationally recognized for excellence in research, teaching, public engagement, and leadership in public health.

• Mark Benden, PhD, named a Fellow by the Institute of Industrial and Systems Engineers.
• Alva Ferdinand, JD, was elected Governing Councilor in the Law Section of APHA.
• Shawn Gibbs, PhD, was elected to the Board of Directors of the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), received The Association of Former Students Distinguished Achievement Award for Administration and the Birkner Award from the American Industrial Hygiene Association.
• Aurora Le, PhD, received the Eula Bingham Award in Education and Training from the Occupational Health and Safety Section (OHS) at APHA.
• Sherry Lin, PhD, received the Leadership Award for Interprofessional Excellence from the Texas A&M Health Office of Interprofessional Practice, Education and Research.
• Jay Maddock, PhD, named Research Laureate by the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB).
• Jason Moats, PhD, named to the Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) Preparedness Coordinating Council.
• Taylor Prochnow, PhD, received the Judy K. Black Early Career Research Award from the American Academy of Health Behavior (AAHB).

Academic Departments Departments Meet the core academic units shaping tomorrow’s public health leaders through specialized expertise and cross-disciplinary collaboration.

• Environmental & Occupational Health
• Epidemiology & Biostatistics
• Health Behavior
• Health Policy & Management

Degrees That Drive Public Health Forward Academics Explore our undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral programs preparing students for high-impact careers in health and research.

Enrollment Totals: 2,746 majors and 286 minors
(Average GPA of BSPH students exceeds 3.5)

• Bachelor of Science-2,134
  • Allied Health
  • Community Health
  • Public Health
• Master of Public Health-367
  • Biostatistics
  • Environmental Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Behavior
  • Health Policy and Management
  • Occupational Health and Safety
• BSPH/MPH (3+2) - 39
• Master of Health Administration-106
• DrPH-48
  • Environmental Health
  • Epidemiology
  • Health Behavior
• Doctor of Philosophy-52
  • Health Education
  • Health Services Research
• Minors-286
  • Occupational Safety & Health
  • Public Health

Student Achievements and Recognition Student Excellence Our students earn national rankings, volunteer thousands of hours, and lead in honors programs and professional development.

• Ranked #1 in Texas and #31 of 224 Schools and Programs of Public Health by U.S. News and World Report.
• 6th largest public health school student body in the nation.
• MHA program is ranked #28 out of 101 programs in Healthcare Management by U.S. News and World Report.
• Jillian Anderson ’26 named recipient of the Texas A&M University Robert Gates-Muller Family Memorial Outstanding Student Award given to an outstanding graduating senior who has demonstrated leadership, patriotism, courage, and service to the university and nation.
• Rachel Dieterich ’28 named recipient of the Texas A&M University Phi Kappa Phi Outstanding Junior Award.
• BSPH students are actively involved in three learning communities:
  • Broad Street Society Honors Learning Community
  • Public Health First-Generation Scholars
  • Public Health Honors Program