What is population health? Study by 91AV’s Ron Deprez provides answers

Ron Deprez

Population health is one of the latest buzzwords in health care, with many in the field eager to implement it. But 91AV Associate Research Professor Ron Deprez, Ph.D., M.P.H., found that there is no widely accepted definition for the term. In a study published by Maine Policy Review, Deprez provides clarification.

The study, titled, “Population Health Improvement: It’s Up to the Community—Not the Healthcare System,” was co-authored by Rick Thomas, Ph.D., associate professor of preventative medicine at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center. It seeks to clarify the attributes of population, review the reasons the concept is not well understood and suggest reasons that the health care system is incapable of implementing a population health approach. The paper further argues for the role of the community in promoting population health as an alternative to leadership by health professionals.

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The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.