In the mid-2000s, CEPH accreditation expanded beyond the US—2005 saw the accreditation of a Canadian program, and 2006 brought accreditation to Mexico and Lebanon. Since then, there has been continued growth in accreditation outside the US: today, CEPH accredits programs or schools at four universities in Canada and one university each in Israel, Grenada, and Taiwan, in addition to our Mexican and Lebanese units.
CEPH’s philosophy on working with partners outside the US has three major prongs—see this post for a clear summary. I’ve had the privilege of conducting many of our consultations outside the US in recent years—this work has been challenging and professionally rewarding. Laura (CEPH’s executive director) and I have completed consultation visits in South Africa, Australia, China, Colombia, and Japan, among other locations.
CEPH staff are committed to maintaining current knowledge of policy developments, emerging trends, and potential changes in the US higher education system, writ large. Our philosophy on accreditation outside the US foregrounds our organizational commitment to transparency, including the fact that our criteria and procedures originated from, and continue to evolve in, the context of US higher education. Units outside the US operate in settings with their own unique contexts, histories, and future developments.
Largely because of this, working with partners delivering public health degrees outside the US helps me see our criteria and procedures in new ways. I’ve been at CEPH for almost 15 years, so the opportunity to gain different perspectives and insight into what we do and why we do it is valuable.
Visits with universities outside the US also present a heightened version of the opportunity I value in all our consultation visits: learning about the different approaches faculty bring to training the next generation of the public health workforce.
When I conduct consultation visits at the request of universities outside the US, my role is to be a resource: to answer questions and give feedback that will benefit them if/when they pursue CEPH accreditation. My own learning and growth, which I enjoy sharing with my CEPH colleagues, is a byproduct for which I’m grateful.
--Written by Mollie Mulvanity, MPH, CAE