Health at the Nexus:Health at the Nexus:

Land Use & Public Land Use & Public

HealthHealthMarc Schenker M.D., M.P.H.Dept. Public Health Sciences

University of California, Davis

The public The public health health

community community has led in has led in increasing increasing

awareness of awareness of land use and land use and

healthhealth

AJPH

Built Environment and Health

September, 2003

Urban Sprawl and Public

Health: Designing,

Planning and building for

Healthy Communities

Frumkin, Frank, Jackson; 2004

Frederick Law Olmsted(1822 - 1903)

• Founder of American landscape architecture

• General Secretary of the Sanitary Commission during the Civil War

The Vision of Public Health

“Healthy People in

Healthy Communities.”

Biology

Behavior

Environment

Conception Death

Child Health

AdolescentHealth

Adult Health

HealthyAging

Innatetraits

Individual behavior

Social, family, community networks

Living and working conditions

Broad social, economic, cultural, environmental conditions at local, state, national global level

Determinants of Population Health

Innate traits

Dahlgren, 1991

Public Health Approach to Disease Prevention

• Population-focused, organized effort to assist individuals, groups and communities.– ASSESSMENT– POLICY DEVELOPMENT– ASSURANCE

• Multidisciplinary approaches – educational – environmental – behavioral– legal

• Address root or underlying causes of disease

The Root Cause Approach to Public Health Will Require

Expansion of effective public-private partnerships

Greater coordination between the health care delivery system and the public health system

Increased cross-sector collaboration (public health, housing, transportation, education, etc) that recognizes the multiple factors affecting health

Increased financial investment

Public Health: A Natural Vehicle for Leading the Effort to Improve

Land Use and Health

• Inherently multidisciplinary

• Research is based on populations, including behavioral, environmental, biologic factors

• An active practice/policy focus

• Involvement of communities

• A track record of accomplishments

Public Health and the Public Health and the UC Davis Strategic PlanUC Davis Strategic Plan

“Contribute to the solution of Contribute to the solution of society’s most pressing society’s most pressing health problems locally and health problems locally and around the globe through around the globe through disciplinary and disciplinary and interdisciplinary research, interdisciplinary research, life-long education, and life-long education, and community partnerships. “community partnerships. “

~ Campus Strategic Plan

Public Health Fits with the Overall Public Health Fits with the Overall Academic Campus ProfileAcademic Campus Profile

Unique Co-Location of Five Professional Schools• Graduate School of Management• School of Education• School of Law• School of Medicine• School of Veterinary Medicine

The UCD Advantage

UC Davis Tradition of UC Davis Tradition of Interdisciplinary Research and Interdisciplinary Research and

TeachingTeaching

• The John Muir Institute of the Environment• Center for Occupational and Environmental Health• Institute for Transportation Studies• Center for Healthcare Policy and Research• Alzheimer's Disease Center• The M.I.N.D. Institute• UC Davis Cancer Center• Center for Vector borne Disease• Western Center for Agricultural Health and Safety• USDA Western Human Nutrition Research Center• Program in International and Community Nutrition• And many more….

Interdisciplinary centers and investigators, including:

A Growing Interaction in Public Health Between UC Davis and

California Dept. of Public Health

• Volunteer clinical faculty• Academic Health Department• MPH co-teaching, practicums• Cancer research program• Emergency preparedness program• And many more……

We are moving from awareness of public health and land use to the more difficult challenge of implementing changes. This effort should include using modern public health research and practice tools, increased collaboration of public health and medicine, innovative new multidisciplinary approaches and ultimately creating healthier communities by design.

Conclusion

"I had an interview with the Board of

Guardians of St. James's parish, on the

evening of Thursday,7th September, and

represented the above circumstances to

them. In consequence of what I said, the

handle of the pump was removed on the

following day."

John Snow

Public Health Intervention

The End