Public Health Education, Practice, and Research in Lebanon

Public health is a heterogeneous field, ranging from health management to infectious and chronic diseases, health promotion, epidemiology, and biostatistics. In Lebanon, public health education is delivered in schools/faculties of health sciences and/or health professions. Degrees offered can be undergraduate or graduate and can be professionally oriented or research-driven (i.e., to be completed by a PhD). Public health professionals in Lebanon work in the public and private sectors (non-governmental organizations and health institutions), while some teach in universities. Public health-related research is active and prosperous; however, very few studies address public health teaching and learning in Lebanon. The education-related information presented in this chapter is retrieved from university websites and personal communications with faculty members and program administrators. This chapter will focus on public health programs, mainly general public health and its related concentrations: health education/promotion/communication, community health, environmental health, public health and health system management, and epidemiology and biostatistics.