Education for public health from the perspective of professors teaching on speech-language-hearing undergraduate programs in public universities in the northeast of Brazil

Abstract

With the implementation of the National Curriculum Guidelines in Brazil, speech therapy degree courses have expanded the provision of modules on public health, aiming to promote the incorporation of students into Brazilian National Health System (SUS). The aim of this article was to understand education for public health from the perspective of professors teaching on speech-language-hearing undergraduate programs in public universities in the Northeast of Brazil. We conducted interviews with seven key informants. The data was analyzed in the light of the relevant literature on public health and “curriculum acts”. Although different conceptions of public health were observed, the findings show that professors understand that education for public health is uniquely positioned to promote education in the context of the SUS. The findings point to the need to promote studies that support the incorporation of students into the SUS.