Message from the Dean
You are welcome to the department of public health science, National Open University of Nigeria. If you are interested in flexible learning without compromising quality and excellence, then you are in the right place. Please take time to read below a brief description of the programme, the department, and how it can benefit you.
Public health science is a field of study that focuses on disease prevention, health promotion, and strategies that increase wellbeing and longevity of life in a particular population. It aims to identify threats to population health, including physical, biological, and psychosocial determinants, as well as appropriate strategies to eliminate them. It applies multidisciplinary approaches in the training and equipping of health professionals with appropriate knowledge and skills needed to empower and mobilise their communities towards actions and initiatives that could improve health, wellbeing, and overall community or national development.
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Public health scientists are trained to detect and prevent diseases and other health-related problems at the population level. This may differ from other health science and biomedical disciplines that focus on expanding the understanding of underlying disease processes, diagnoses, and treatments at the individual level. Public health professionals are trained and equipped with strategies to monitor and track community health, develop evidence-based health strategies through public health research, influence health policies, carry out public health education and mobilisation, manage and plan health programs, as well as respond to health emergencies and disasters. The approach is holistic and emphasises more on prevention than treatment. The training helps students to appreciate the complex nature of health and the roles of intersectoral collaboration towards population health improvement.
Career options
Following their educational training, students of public health can be employed by governmental agencies, non-governmental organisations, and other private organisations as:
- Epidemiologist
- Biostatisticians
- Environmental health specialists
- Occupational health and safety officers
- Public health educators
- Health economics
- Public health policy analyst
- Health service managers and administrators
- Public health nutritionists, etc.
Overview of the department
The department of public health at National Open University has been in existence since 2015 and is fully accredited by the National University Commission of Nigeria. It is equipped with full-time academic staff with local and international exposures in the various aspects of public health. The full-time staff are supported by several adjunct staff whose activities are coordinated from the headquarters and through our numerous study centres. Given the continuous expansion in our programs and the increasing patronage across the country, we are always on the lookout for qualified and experienced individuals who can support our goal to produce graduates with requisite public health training and skills that meet local and international standards. The welfare and the interests of our students are at the core of everything we do.
Our training mode is based on online and distance learning. This is in line with the vision of the National Open University of Nigeria, which aims at providing a highly accessible and enhanced quality education anchored by social justice, equality, and national cohesion through a comprehensive reach that transcends all barriers.
The department has three academic programs: Bachelor of Science in Public Health, Master of Science in Public Health, and recently a PhD in Public Health. Details of these programs are available on our website. Please feel free to contact the department for more information.
Profile (Ag. Head of Department)
Dr. Samuel Onyinyechukwu Azubuike holds a Bachelor of Science (B.Sc.) degree in Human Anatomy from the University of Port Harcourt (Nigeria), a Master of Public Health (MPH) with interest in epidemiology from the University of Benin (Nigeria), and a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in epidemiology/public health from the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University (United Kingdom). He is also an Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (United Kingdom).
Dr. Azubuike has about 15 years of teaching, research and supervision experience. He has contributed to the establishment, curriculum development, growth, and accreditation of several departments of public health science across Nigeria, including that of the National Open University of Nigeria. He has an interest in non-communicable disease epidemiology, especially cancer epidemiology. He is passionate about research and efforts towards reduction of cancer burden, particularly breast and cervical cancers in Nigeria and sub-Saharan Africa. He has published several scholarly works, including ‘Rising global burden of breast cancer: the case of sub-Saharan Africa (with emphasis on Nigeria) and implications for regional development’ https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=TS4RWLcAAAAJ&hl=en
Dr Samuel Onyinyechukwu Azubuike
Ag. Head of Department, Public health Science
Departments
Nursing Science
The Bachelor of Nursing Science Degree of the National Open University is a response to the need to enhance access to university education for many nurses in clinical practice who may not be able to leave their job for higher-level education despite the professional demand for such. The aim of the programme is to advance the education of nurses for modern-day nursing practice, for higher-level performance and capacity for projection into the future as the graduates function to meet health promotion and healthcare needs of individuals along the life span within a family framework and with motivation for self-directed learning and professional growth.
Public Health
Public health is “the science and art of preventing disease”, prolonging life and improving quality of life through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, communities and individuals by focusing on improving and protecting health and well-being, with an emphasis on prevention with reference to society at large.
Our aim is to train, retrain and produce graduates with broad scientific and professional knowledge; based on a sound understanding of public health care issues as practised in the country and globally to ensure effective qualitative health services.
Environmental Health Science
The Global Environmental changes especially with the advent of the Corona Virus pandemic has made Environmental Health Science one of the most exciting and relevant area of study today. Our mission is to train Environmental Health Professionals attuned to the pursuit of sustainable development for a clean and healthy environs that will enhance the quality of life for national and international communities.
Faculty Email
Faculty Telephone Number
Tel: +234 903 333 7779
WhatsApp: +234 903 333 7779