We are excited to introduce Dr. Jan-Walter De Neve as the new Doctor of Public Health Program director as well as a Global Health Management and Policy professor.
Dr. De Neve became interested in the field of global health through a research project he was involved in early in his career. The project was focused on determining the causal relationship between education and health in sub-Saharan Africa. Through this research project he found “that longer secondary schooling substantially reduces the risk of HIV infection, particularly among young women.” The study then received policy attention as well as being cited as key evidence to inform programs and advocacy efforts to reduce the incidence of HIV among young women. Dr. De Neve recounted “Observing these impacts in the local community at an early career stage was a powerful experience and continues to motivate and inform my work in public health today.” Over the past seven years Dr. De Neve worked as a research group leader at the Heidelberg Institute of Global Health at the Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Germany. Through this experience he was able to further his skills in research, mentoring and teaching, funding acquisition, and building and sustaining an international scientific network. Dr. De Neve expressed, “I would be happy to build on these experiences to further connect our public health students, faculty and staff with international partners and explore potential synergies.” Through his experience working in global health, working in different settings, he often recommends students interested in the field to be open and take advantage of national and international opportunities.
Dr. De Neve is excited about working at SDSU and the SPH as he is “looking forward to collaborating with members of the academic community and learning with and from them”. His current work focuses on “global health economics, human capital development (including the relationship between education and health), and the improvement of health systems in global health.” One future research project that Dr. De Neve considers is improving our understanding of DrPH programs globally and identifying tools and best practices to advance our impact on population health. Dr. De Neve stated “There is a need for professional doctors of public health. In my opinion, DrPH Programs seem uniquely positioned to translate scientific evidence into real-life impact in the community and – in turn – to better incorporate what we learn from the community back into our research questions.” He is looking forward to the future as “DrPH students bring a wealth of knowledge and expertise to the program and school that will be highly beneficial to each other and the broader community in the long run.” He is hopeful to develop a regular communication channel for the DrPH Program “to build and sustain a growing global network of leading public health professionals which aim to further strengthen population health, both locally and globally”.
Dr. De Neve wants to extend his gratitude to the many SDSU and SPH faculty and staff that helped develop the DrPH Program over the past few years. He thanks Dr. Charles (Chuck) Matthews, who served as the interim director of the DrPH program, for his mentorship, the inaugural cohort of students, Dr. Carleen Stoskopf, Dr. JD Baek, Dr. Paula Stigler Granados, Dr. Connie Evashwick, and Dr. Eyal Oren among others for their warm welcome and kind support. Dr. De Neve also wants to share that “There are several ways to partner with the DrPH program. First, we are happy to meet with prospective students to discuss the DrPH program in more detail. If you know of any strong candidates for the program, please do let us know. Applications for Fall 2025 open October 1, 2024 and the deadline is February 1, 2025. Second, DrPH students complete an advanced practice experience during the summer of their second year (about 45 hours). If your organization would be interested in potentially hosting a DrPH student for their practice experience, please get in touch. The goal of the practice experience is to give our students an opportunity to apply knowledge and skills in management and leadership in the context of a real-world setting that is different from their usual place of employment.” He is excited about the new DrPH program and looks forward to continuing to develop the program and community.
