As part of Tehran University, the School of Medicine was established in 1934. The establishment of this school has created a greater potential to the development of medical research in the country. Following the revision of the educational programs of the university, the Medical research in Tehran University was formally introduced and approved the establishment of the Parasitology chair and the investigation section in 1940. At that period, the morbidity and mortality rates of malaria in Iran was considerably high. However, few operations were carried out to control malaria in some parts of the country. The public health importance of parasitic diseases, especially that of malaria led to the establishment of the Institute of Malariology in 1951. This instituted was established in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization (WHO) and helped conducting extensive researches in the field and with the general goal of controlling and eradicating malaria in the country.
In 1952 a contract was concluded with the WHO and arthropod-borne diseases control project began in the Institute of Malariology. After the conduct of extensive research on malaria and other parasitic diseases, the institute has expanded its scope of activities and was renamed as the “Institute of Malariology and Parasitology”. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the WHO has established Bilharzia program in 1959 and was assigned to the Institute of Malariology and Parasitology and an extensive research program on bilharzia began in Khuzestan Province. In 1964 tropical diseases were incorporated in the Parasitology chair. A few years later the name of the Institute of Malariology and Parasitology was changed into the Institute of “Parasitology and Tropical Health”. Thus, the scope of activities and the study on common parasitic and tropical diseases was further expanded to different parts of the country.
In 1965, the Public Health chair was added to the Parasitology and Tropical Health and three departments were merged to School of Public Health at Tehran University. Additionally, “the Institute of Parasitology and Tropical Health” was renamed as “the Institute of Public Health Research” and its main objective was to conduct scientific research on local diseases of the country that were deemed important and critical by the public executive bodies.
Finally on 9th July 1966, the statute of the School of Public Health was approved in the one hundred and fifteenth session of the Central Council of Iranian Universities. Since then the School of Public Health has been serving the scientific society of the country with an expanded capacity both in quantity and quality. With this background, the School of Public Health has been a pioneer in strengthening the Iranian healthcare system through the implementation of innovations such as the Primary Healthcare and Family Doctor programs. This has been the fruit of the coordinated efforts of many influential individuals working in the School of Public of Health. Generally, the history of the School of Public Health included three periods. The period from the beginning to 1966, in this period the school was called the Institute of Public Health Research; from 1966 to 2013 it was named as the School of Public Health and the Institute of Public Health Research and finally since 2013 it is called the School of Public Health. The list of chancellors of the school since its very foundation is presented below: Dr. ShamsAlDin Mofidi, Dr. Naser Ansari, , Dr. MohammadAli Faghih, Dr. Abolhasan Nadim, Dr. Ahmad Ghaneh Basiri, Dr. Masoud Emami, Dr. Hussein MalekAfzali, Dr. Alireza MesdaghiNia, Dr. Ali Akbari Sari, Dr. Kazem Nadafi
The School of Public Health’s main objectives are to provide the highest level of education, foster new research and strengthen health capacities and services in order to: prevent illness and injuries, ensure people live in a safe and clean environment, have healthy eating and other lifestyle habits and develop policies and programs to reduce health disparities and improve health and healthcare services. To achieve these objectives, School of Public Health has a well established management structure with over 160 academic members of staff, 15 educational departments, over 40 academic programs, more than 1200 MSc and PhD students and 600 MPH students in a variety of courses, although the school continues to expand.
