Dean Tricia Penniecook, of the school of Public Health at Loma Linda University, has been appointed to the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH) board of councilors. CEPH is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education as the accrediting body for all schools and programs of public health.

The appointment comes from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH) an organization that represents the interests and advancement of CEPH accredited schools and programs. ASPPH, along with the American Public Health Association (APHA) are the two corporate members that make up the private, nonprofit corporation that is CEPH.

Dr. Penniecook will serve a three-year term on the 10-member CEPH board of councilors with various responsibilities.

The board is responsible for adopting criteria by which schools and programs are evaluated, for establishing policies and procedures, for making accreditation decisions, and for managing the business of the corporation.

Dr. Penniecook’s appointment, beginning January 1, 2015, comes exactly one year after the Loma Linda University School of Public Health fundamentally shifted from six single discipline departments to three multidisciplinary academic centers; the Center for Community Resilience, the Center for Leadership in Health Systems, and the Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle and Disease Prevention.