Health to the People

Health to the People



Stories of Public Health, Preventve and Lifestyle Medicine, and
Medical Evangelism Training and Outreach, Loma Linda, 1905-2005



P. William Dysinger, MD, MPH

Health to the People is the story of public health developments at Loma Linda University (LLU) during its first century. Lifestyle improvement has been a central theme at Loma Linda from its beginning. This included population based lifestyle epidemiologic research (the Adventist Health Studies) and the pioneering of the concept of lifestyle change programs, both residential and community based. As a centennial capstone, in 2006, Loma Linda became the first institution in the world to receive approval from both the American Boards of Family Medicine and Preventive Medicine for specialty training in Lifestyle Medicine.

The book recounts many exciting ways God has blessed this first church operated School of Public Health. Founded in 1905, the University, initially called the College of Evangelists, began by developing health education training of "medical evangelists." In 1922, the School of Nutrition and Dietetics (SND) was established and went through twenty years of disappointment in its many efforts to get approval of the American Dietetic Association (ADA). The ADA finally recognized the benefits of plant based diets and Loma Linda was fully vindicated when its vegetarian Professor of Nutrition, Katherine Zolber, was elected president of the ADA and was given the Cypher Award, ADA's highest.

The direct predecessor of the SPH was the School of Tropical and Preventive Medicine (STPM), founded in 1948. Among other things, the STPM helped LLU initiate externally funded research (mostly in biotoxicology) and the practical training of missionary doctors, nurses and others for foreign service. In 1964, the University governing board authorized combining the Department of Preventive Medicine in the medical school, the STPM and the SND into a fully accredited SPH which began in 1967. It pioneered off-campus teaching of public health degrees in the USA and overseas, combined MD or DDS/MPH degrees, and many other unique and innovative teaching efforts that emphasize "health to the people."