School of Medicine - Dept. of Social Medicine, Population, & Public Health

Student presenting to other students

Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health

The Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health (SMPPH) is the department that administers the Center for Healthy Communities. The chair is Mark Wolfson, Ph.D., who joined the department in 2019 from the Wake Forest School of Medicine.

The school offers a master's in public health degree. Read more about the MPH program here.

For all inquiries regarding the SMPPH, please contact Executive Administrative Specialist Gloria Garcia by email or phone at (951) 827-0952.
students meeting with the instructors

Our Mission Statement

The mission of the Department of Social Medicine, Population and Public Health is to engage in multidisciplinary education, research, service, and scholarship on the intersections of medicine and society with population and public health. This includes a focus on the social injustices and inequalities that contribute to poor health, the inclusion of oftentimes excluded voices, and the identification of solutions to address systemic change.

 

About the Master of Public Health Program

The UC Riverside School of Medicine's Master of Public Health (MPH) degree program is a two-year program that integrates public health expertise from across UCR’s campus, resulting in an in-depth focus on local to global public health problems and solutions.

Working with local public health leaders, including the Riverside County Public Health Department, the program features a robust curriculum for the community-focused degree program.

Learn more about the MPH program

About the Center for Healthy Communities

Since its inception in 2014, the UC Riverside School of Medicine's Center for Healthy Communities has been dedicated to improving the health and well-being of Inland Empire residents.

Our team of health professionals bridges the gap between the community and UCR’s health scholars and experts by advancing service, education, and research to achieve equitable health outcomes. 
 

Go to the Center for Healthy Communities website

Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health News

Students with CMSP backpacks
January 15, 2026
Community college pathway expands and diversifies physician pipeline
California Medicine Scholars Program is key to closing a 4,000-physician primary care gap by 2030
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Mother and daughter harvesting the land
November 20, 2025
Community program boosts diet, fitness, and disease prevention for rural Latino families
UCR-led study found the Spanish-language program improves health habits in rural communities
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a person wearing a ucr shirt with an I voted sticker on their finger.
October 28, 2025
UCR SOM to Host Watch Party of Gubernatorial Forum on Healthcare
On November 7, 2025, leading candidates for California governor will meet for a forum hosted by UC Riverside to discuss health care challenges faced by state voters. The event, titled “Health Matters: A Conversation with California’s Next Governor,” is a nonpartisan forum organized by 11 California health-focused advocacy organizations committed to ensuring that every Californian has the opportunity to live healthy and well.
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Brandon Brown in front of trees
October 12, 2025
New Training Course Empowers Community Partners to Take Active Roles in Research
Brandon Brown, PhD, a professor in the Department of Social Medicine, Population, and Public Health at the UC Riverside School of Medicine, has been conducting numerous community partnered research projects focused on HIV and the ethics of participant payment. Noting multiple barriers to community involvement as part of the research team, he collaborated with the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) Program to create The Community Research Partner Training Course. 
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October 03, 2025
California partnership aided COVID-19 response and health equity, report finds
STOP COVID-19 CA showed how researchers and communities can work together to tackle health disparities
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Woman holds hand of child
May 07, 2025
A culturally adapted obesity prevention for Latino families
UC Riverside-led study offers a framework for involving non-maternal caregivers in public health initiatives
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student volunteers with the IESM
April 21, 2025
IESM Partners with Temalpakh Farms for After School Nutrition Program
The UCR School of Medicine’s Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) and Inland Empire Street Medicine (IESM) program partnered with Temalpakh Farms, run by the Augustine Band of the Cahuilla Indians in the Coachella Valley, to host a two-day nutrition presentation for Nova Academy High School students on April 15-16.
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Winner of the Mini grant program being presented an oversized check
December 17, 2024
CHC Names its 2024 Community Medicine and Population Health Mini-Grant Awardees
This week, the UCR School of Medicine Center for Healthy Communities (CHC) announced the recipients of its 2024 Community Medicine and Population Health Mini-Grants Program. Third-year medical student Zayan Musa and third-year developmental psychology PhD student Chelsea McElwee will receive funding for their projects to establish a breast milk depot and hold mental health workshops, respectively.
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