Why Give

Why Give

Since our founding, the Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health has been committed to improving the health of Indiana and beyond through education, research, and service.

We are continually working to increase prevention and improve how healthcare services are delivered. This comprehensive approach to health and well-being reduces the need for medical treatment, while ensuring that when healthcare services are needed, they are delivered in the most compassionate, effective, and efficient way possible.

The work we do is urgently needed.

You Can Help Improve Indiana’s Health Ranking

Last year, Indiana ranked 39 out of 50 states in overall health. Our numbers are among the worst when it comes to smoking, obesity, cancer deaths, cardiovascular deaths, children in poverty, air pollution, and public health funding. The Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health is a valued resource for the Indiana State Department of Health and Indiana’s 92 county health departments in addressing these serious issues. We share knowledge, conduct research, analyze data, provide student interns to extend capacity, deliver free workforce education, and train the next generation of public health professionals. We are also home to the Indiana Public Health Council, an inclusive statewide group that brings together representatives from state universities, associations, public health practice, and policy making bodies. Our efforts to build bridges between academia and practice are speeding the adoption of new approaches and policies that can help Indiana be “done with 41.” What we do today is just the beginning of what needs to be done to improve health in Indiana. Your support is crucial to helping us move the needle.

You Can Help Us Find Answers to National Problems

Our country’s healthcare costs remain the highest in the world, yet our health outcomes are worse than those of other countries that pay far less. The incentives in our current healthcare system have created a financial crisis not just for individuals, but for communities and our economy as a whole. More than 97% of current health expenditures are focused on treatment of disease, leaving prevention as a poorly funded afterthought. While efforts are being made to reduce the cost of medical treatment, it is clear that lower costs alone will not solve the problem. We must do more to prevent illness and injury so there is less need for healthcare treatment. Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health faculty are leading groundbreaking research designed to address longstanding national issues ranging from cancer prevention, diabetes control, and the social determinants of health to homelessness, violence, and environmental hazards. Our faculty needs your support to continue developing solutions to these critical problems.

You Can Extend Our Impact Around the World

Globally, the world is more interconnected than ever before. The recent Ebola outbreak dramatically demonstrated that deadly diseases can spread from one country to another in the time it takes for an international flight to take off and land. The interconnectedness of the global economy means health issues in distant countries can impact us in ways we’ve never experienced before. The Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health is building an outstanding Global Public Health program designed to help improve health and reduce suffering around the world. Today, we’re collaborating with universities in China, consulting on the AIDS epidemic in Swaziland, building houses in Costa Rica, and addressing global health conferences in Europe. Your support can help us with new collaborations around the world.