Delta Omega is the honorary society for studies in public health. The society was founded in 1924 by graduate students Dr. Edgar Erskine Hume and Dr. Claude W. Mitchell at the Johns Hopkins UniversityBloomberg School of Public Health. Currently, there are over 100 chapters with over 20,000 members throughout the United States and Puerto Rico. The society's mission is to promote excellence in contributing to the field of public health and advancing the health of people in every aspect, both in the United States and internationally.
Membership
Membership in Delta Omega reflects the dedication of an individual to quality in the field of public health and to protection and advancement of the health of all people. Election to the society is based on outstanding performance – scholarship in students, teaching and research in faculty members, and community service in alumni. Election to membership in Delta Omega is intended, not only to recognize merit, but also, to encourage further excellence in, and devotion to, public health work. Each chapter must be associated with a Council on Education for Public Health - accredited school and is limited to inducting no more than 10% of the graduating student body, with each inductee in the top 25% of their class for academic performance. Public health faculty and alumni may also be inducted, but no more than 3% of faculty may be inducted from one program. In addition to the regularly elected members, chapters and the national executive board invite persons possessing exceptional qualifications, who have attained meritorious national or international distinction in the field to become honorary members of the society. These members include former U.S. Surgeon GeneralDavid Satcher, former U.S. President Herbert Hoover, Dr. Jonas Salk and former U.S. Congressman John Edward Porter.
Activities
The National Office of Delta Omega conducts yearly activities in addition to the individual chapters. Most importantly an annual business meeting is held each year in conjunction with the meeting of the American Public Health Association. During the meeting the Delta Omega National Council, consisting of representatives from the chapters, meet to discuss initiatives and activities on a national and chapter level. In addition to the annual business meeting, Delta Omega hosts a national student poster competition, honoring exceptional student research, and a national curriculum award, to honor innovative public health curricula. Each year the selected poster presenters are given the opportunity to present their award-winning research at the APHA annual meeting. The curriculum award winners present their work at the APHA annual meeting as well as in front of the Delta Omega National Council. Chapters also conduct a variety of activities throughout the year on their campus and in their communities including; scholarship competitions, research awards, socials, lectures, community service projects and many others.
Publications
Delta Omega values the advancement of public health education, practice and research and has therefore taken on an initiative to preserve Public Health Classics. For the past decade, the society has sought to preserve and promote public health history by identifying and reprinting classic works in public health. Classics may be books, scientific journal articles, technical reports, legislation or other written publications or multi-media productions. The classics are selected for their historical value and significant contribution to the profession and science of public health. These documents are usually out of print or not widely available in libraries. Delta Omega places the classics on its Web site to make them freely available to all members.
