Some visions on public health, discipline, practice and concept

Abstract

There are multiple definitions of public health. The WHO established that public health refers to the collective and individual actions of governments and civil society, directed at improving population health. But other authors have highlighted different aspects according to their political and social context. In the following study, different visions of public health within the Dr. Salvador Allende School of Public Health of the University of Chile were investigated, using a qualitative methodology in which depth interviews were carried out with seven professors. A variety of responses were collected, each heavily influenced by the interviewee's experience. The need to understand public health as a disciple that is linked to the community, committed to  nderstanding problems and oriented toward social change, were all highlighted. They also described the effects of the dictatorship and issues such as the pharmaceutical industry, the marketing of health and disease, the influence of these issues on research, the limitations of interdisciplinary work, the deficiencies of the School of Public Health, their approval of undergraduate and graduate training being offering, and the institutional discourse.