Public Health at the University of Gondar has a long and illustrious history in Ethiopia, forming the very foundations of the professions. The University of Gondar was initially established in 1954 (1947 E.C.) as a Public Health College and Training Center (PHC & TC). And it has been a pioneer for expanding public health practice, and training key public health professionals in Ethiopia ever since. The PHC & TC trained middle-level health personnel (community nurses, sanitarians, and laboratory technicians) and laid the foundation for a team approach and community-based teaching of health professionals in Ethiopia.
As the University transitioned through different stages of institutional development, it maintained and nurtured its deep-rooted commitment to the discipline of Public Health. When PHC&TC developed into the Gondar College of Medicine and Health Sciences (GCMS), the public health and related work were undertaken by the Department of Community Health. The Department served as a leader in public health services and research undertaking a range of activities including teaching undergraduate and later on graduate students; carrying out research activities; developing and managing the Team Training Program (TTP); and developing and coordinating the Dabat Rural Health Project (now known as Dabat Research Center).
The work of the Department of Community Health steadily grew into the School of Public Health in 2000 and the Institute of Public Health (IPH) in 2010. This re-establishment was done to tackle the challenges in public health practices of the community, and compete with the advances in the training and service levels in our society.
Currently, the IPH is working vibrantly on teaching by running undergraduate and postgraduate programs (including PhD Programs), research focusing on societal problem-solving research, and community service interventions engaging with local, national and international collaborations.
Currently, the Institute of Public Health (IPH) comprises Dabat Research Center, Team Training |Program, and 8 departments such as Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Systems and Policy, Reproductive Health, Human Nutrition and “Dietetics”, Environmental and Occupational Health and Safety, Health Officer, Health Informatics, and Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences.