Background of the Department
The department of Health, Behavior and Society at Jimma University was established in the early 2000s as the Health Education Unit within the Community Health Program. Initially staffed primarily by medical doctors, the unit provided health education courses across the institute’s health sciences programs. In 2003, it was upgraded to a full department and launched Ethiopia’s first BSc in Health Education and Promotion. In the following years, the department introduced a Master of Public Health in Health Education and Promotion. And in 2008, distance learning programs to train health professionals at the bachelor level, with support from the Ministry of Health. The department later pioneered doctoral education in Ethiopia, launching the first PhD in Health Communication and Health Behavior in 2013, followed by the PhD in Evidence-Based Health Care (EBHC) in 2021—the first of its kind in Ethiopia and Africa. Currently, the department stopped running BSc in Health Education and
Promotion and distances education programs. The department offers a range of academic programs, including MPH in Health promotion
and Health behavior, and PhD programs in Health Communication and Health Behavior and in Evidence-Based Health Care. These programs aim to equip students with rigorous theoretical knowledge, practical skills, and research expertise for addressing complex public
health challenges.
Research is a cornerstone of the department, with faculty leading numerous national and international studies. Contributions include systematic reviews, evidence synthesis, and implementation research in areas such as malaria control, maternal and child health, sexual and reproductive health, vaccination uptake, and health system strengthening. The faculty staff in the department has developed widely used health education and community mobilization materials, including HERMES mentorship guides and HEAT blended learning modules for Ethiopian Health Extension Program, developed national roadmap for evidence informed health system in Ethiopia, staff members are serving in different national committee
and think tanks such as national health innovation think tank, national immunization think tank, advisory council in Oromia regional health bureau, and has published extensively in peer-reviewed journals, policy briefs, and distance learning materials.
The department has a strong faculty profile, with 19 academic staff members, including two Professors, two Associate Professors, and seven PhD qualified Assistant Professors and lecturers.
The PhD in EBHC program benefits from additional support by Professors from the Ethiopian Public Health Institute and other departments of Jimma University, along with international collaborations with institutions such as the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI). This mix of local and global expertise ensures high-quality supervision, mentorship, and research leadership for students. Partnerships and community engagement are central to the department’s work. It collaborates with national bodies such as the Federal Ministry of Health, the Ethiopian Public Health Institute, and the Oromia Regional Health Bureau, as well as international organizations including WHO, UNICEF, USAID, Johns Hopkins University, and Ottawa University. Faculty members have secured and executed multiple grants, led consultancy services, and contributed to large-scale health campaigns, evidence-based policy development, and capacity-building programs across Ethiopia and beyond.
The department’s contributions have been widely recognized. The department awarded recognition for social and behavioral change interventions and capacity development in Ethiopia and as Faculty members have received awards including Outstanding Researcher and Teacher Awards from Jimma University (2021), the Senior Social and Behavioral Change Researcher Award (2024).
With its pioneering programs, strong research portfolio, and robust partnerships, the Department of Health, Behavior and Society continues to play a leading role in advancing public health education, research, and evidence-based healthcare in Ethiopia and across Africa.
Vision and Mission of the department
Vision
The Department of health, behavior, and society envisions being the pioneer and leading department both in Ethiopia and African to train and produce high caliber and skillful health education and promotion experts and specialists through multidisciplinary training and practical approaches.
Mission
The Department of Health Education & Promotion endeavors its level best to be a center of health education and promotion academic excellence by integrating behavioral, social, psychological and anthropological theories and principles in to the fields of public and medical sciences through training, research and service. The Department trains high caliber professional post-graduate (MPH in Health promotion & health behavior) (regular program) and PhD programs in Health Communication and Health Behavior and in Evidence-Based Health Care levels through the Jimma university’s cherished and innovative community-based (CBTP), Team Training Program (TTP), Developmental Team Training Program (DTT) and Student Research Program (SRP). In addition, it undertakes partnerships and networking to strengthen the capacity of the department and the stakeholders including the community organizations. Therefore, the department is trying every opportunity and its
capacity and strength to address the societal needs of health and quality of life through holistic and innovative approaches of health education and health promotion principles and tools.
Health Behaviour and Society |