Lead the Charge Against Lifestyle Diseases with a DrPH in Preventive Care

This may be the only online DrPH program in the country focused on chronic lifestyle-related diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. Our graduates are trained to understand the main causes of these diseases and then well prepared to prevent them from occurring, improve their maintenance, and even help reverse them.  

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About the Program

Catalog

View detailed information like courses, prerequisites and more in the catalog. 

Tuition and fees

Get details on the standard cost of attendance by visiting the LLU website at- https://llu.edu/academics/programs/public-health-preventive-care-drph-online

Possible Careers

  • Wellness Program Administrator
  • University Professor
  • Health Coach Clinician
  • Chronic Disease Preventionist and Consultant
  • Community Prevention Specialist

Learner Outcomes

Upon completion of the DrPH degree in Preventive Care, you will be able to: 

  • Design and implement wellness and lifestyle intervention protocols
  • Provide lifestyle assessment and counseling for patients with lifestyle-related diseases
  • Provide interventions for the prevention of chemical dependency
  • Contribute to the theory and practice of preventive care through research
  • Develop and conduct community and professional seminars and training programs
  • Provide clinical advice/consultancy to health professionals in the field of lifestyle medicine
  • Teach health prevention topics and courses at the college and university level

Additional Perks About the Program

  • Students are prepared to be certified health coaches by the National Board of Health and Wellness Coaching upon fulfilling the appropriate board requirements

Wellness Coaching

A wellness coaching certificate allows graduates to have their own practice and direct access to patients. Having a Preventive Care DrPH plus a Health Coaching Certificate places the DrPH PC graduate at a higher level, being able to interact with clients with a better understanding of the causes of their diseases. Also, having the DrPH PC allows the graduate to be at a higher level for supervision and administration in the area of lifestyle management.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD)

The DrPH in Preventive Care is also unique in the field of Public Health as it is disease-focused in terms of prevention. Our graduates are trained to apply techniques and strategies to prevent the most common diseases that are responsible for morbidity and mortality in the country and in the world, such as diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, hypertension, and cancer. Also, Preventive Care specialists are trained both on the immediate or proximal causes of those diseases as well as the distant causes related to the environment, culture, socio-economic status, social influences, stress, etc.

Preventive Care Research

The Preventive Care DrPH Program is at the highest level in academics to promote research in the field of lifestyle. Students will be trained and involved in research specifically on the prevention of chronic lifestyle-related diseases that have epidemic status in our society today. The program also coordinates the activity of the Preventive Care Research Group promoting research and helping students on their final research project in the program.

Preventive Care Famous Graduates

Some of our more well-known graduates are Dr. David Nieman, a highly regarded exercise science researcher from Appalachian University a top exercise expert, Dr. Carlos Crespo from the University of Illinois, Chicago, director of the College of Health Sciences, and also an exercise expert.

Preventive Care Longevity

Graduates in Preventive Care can address the combined influences of nutrition, exercise, stress, smoking, alcohol drinking, and other lifestyle factors on promoting health, preventing diseases, and acquiring longevity. The program follows the traditions of the Loma Linda blue zone, considered one of the 5 blue zones or areas of longevity around the world. The DrPH in Preventive Care was the first program at Loma Linda University with a specific focus on lifestyle prevention, the program was founded in 1972.

Preventive Care Traditions

In reality, the traditions of the Loma Linda blue zone are the traditions of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for 160 years. Essentially, the traditions include a vegetarian diet, natural physical activity, more contact with nature (pure air, sunshine, water), abstinence from toxic substances such as smoking and alcohol, adequate sleep and rest, and spirituality (with social connections, helping others, prayer, etc.). We followed the same words of Jesus Christ in John 10:10, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.”

Preventive Care and Corporate Wellness

Upon graduation, our Preventive Care Specialists work in mainly three areas, clinical, educational, and wellness or a combination of those. One area that has been very popular currently is working in corporate wellness. Dr. Don Hall has been a very successful graduate and he is the current owner of Wellsource Inc., which provides health assessments and tools for corporation worksite wellness activities.

Preventive Care Faculty

Our current faculty are Dr. Hildemar Dos Santos, Dr. Ernie Medina, and Dr. Michael Paalani, all graduates of the Preventive Care DrPH Program. Dr. Dos Santos is the DrPH-Preventive Care program director. He is a founding member and a former board of directors member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine (ACLM). Dr. Dos Santos is also a retired Physician from Brazil and has worked in Hong Kong as director of the Lifestyle Management Center of the Hong Kong Adventist Hospital. Besides academic work, Dr. Dos Santos conducts many health programs and fairs for local communities and churches. For 13 years, he was the director of the Drayson Center Office of Preventive Care, the first lifestyle clinic in Loma Linda. Dr. Dos Santos also is the director of the Preventive Care Research Group and his main research focus is on chronic diseases related to lifestyle.

DrPH faculty plus PC DrPH 2023 graduates