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HISTORY
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1927
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 The
"Andrija Štampar" School of Public Health was founded in 1926,
attributed to the initiative of a group of public health workers led by Dr
Andrija Štampar and the financial support of the Rockefeller Foundation.
The School was formally opened on October 3, 1927. In the first years of
its functioning the School was integrated with the Institute of Hygiene into one
institution. At the time Institutes of Hygiene carried out very important tasks:
they supervised and, in a way, directed the work of health institutions in their
regions. The School was the top element of public hygienic service entrusted
with the task to study conditions which might have favourable or unfavourable
impacts on people's health.
One of the principles which later on gained in importance was to consider medicine
as one and an integrated discipline in which prevention and treatment were different
aspects of integrated health care. According to such views and practice, the
hygienic service in the country was considered by many experts in the world as
an original, progressive and successful form of health care.
Within the 'Institute of Hygiene with the School of Public Health' extensive
field work on the investigation of health condition was also organized as well
as health campaigns, such as health education, endemic disease control
(malaria), rural sanitation (e.g. the village of Mraclin). The Institute
also attracted "social physicians" from practice, nurses and other profiles
of health workers, teachers, veterinarians, etc. for different forms of continuing
education. Special attention was paid to the development and active participation
in the education of nurses.
 Since
health improvement in the rural areas was one of the highest priorities, the School
organized the so called 'Countrymen's University'. Specially designed seminars
for village dwellers - both men and women - were conducted in which they were
taught about health and the methods of improving health. In this programme,
modern pedagogical views were developed, such as practicum, workshops and exercises
dealing with agriculture, domestic economics and rural sanitation. Health was
considered in its broadest sense a part of life and development of the community.
 A
rich library and the School's own publishing service were developed
as well as printing. The organized photo-film laboratory is the one where
the first artistic films in the country were made.
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1947
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In 1947, after the World War II, the School became an independent institution
of the Medical School, University of Zagreb, taking over teaching for medical
students in preventive subjects.
 Hygiene
and Social Medicine, the main "preventive" subjects in the students'
curriculum, were considerably reorganized.
A significant success was, however, the implementation of this teaching in field
practice. The interest for such forms of teaching initiated the students to form
the 'Club of Public Health'.
An important activity of the School at the time was the organization of
postgraduate education. Courses in public health very successfully established
clearly oriented professionals for the organization of health care, and for different
activities in institutes of hygiene.
 A
specific trait of the School was in its active engagement in the formation of
postgraduate education for all profiles of professionals in primary health care.
Especially interesting is the introduction of organized postgraduate vocational
training for general practitioners, the first of its kind in the
world. It also had a considerable influence on introduction of similar training
in many countries.
 In
collaboration with the World Health Organization
and other international agencies, The "Andrija Štampar" School of Public
Health has organized many international postgraduate courses in different fields
of public health, attended by students from 60 countries.
Considering its postgraduate activities, The "Andrija Štampar" School
of Public Health is undoubtedly a unique institution in the country. Of
special significance is the transfer of experience and collaboration with developed
and developing countries. It has been stated several times that The "Andrija
Štampar" School of Public Health is a leader in the field of public health.
The School is an active member of The
Association of Schools of Public Health of the European Region (ASPHER)
with its secretariat located at the School for two terms. As a result of the School's
overall work, the WHO has designated, in 1982, The "Andrija Štampar"
School of Public Health its Collaborating Centre for Primary Health Care.
The School is also a member of The
Network of Community-oriented Educational Institutions for Health Sciences
and The Network of Training Institutions for improving primary health care management.
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Today and Future
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In the last decade, School members have initiated and carried out several seminars
at the Inter-University Centre Dubrovnik, such as 'Social Gerontology in Intercultural
Perspectives', 'Training of Teachers in General Practice', 'Self-care', 'Human
Rights and Medicine', etc.
 The
principle that without scientific work there can be no good quality teaching,
was always emphasized. The scientific work developed in all fields in which teaching
was conducted. Scientific and professional activities enabled a closer link with
public health practice. It is also a way to unite with institutions with similar
interests in other countries. Therefore, significant scientific and professional
activities have been conducted on behalf or in collaboration with the World Health
Organization or through direct contacts with numerous foreign institutions.
This was also a way to transfer modern scientific and professional technology.
 Research
work has been carried out in the fields of social medicine and epidemiology, training
activities, medical sociology, health ecology, environmental sanitation, microbiology,
informatics and statisticc, primary health care, particulary family medicine,
etc.
One of the central views in socio-medical research has been that recognition of
the problem is not sufficient in itself. It is also necessary to provide solutions
and put them into practice.
Neither the war in Croatia nor the war devastations that Croatia suffered in
the course of its struggle for independence have stopped the educational, professional
and scientific activities performed by the School staff. At the time these were
only partly reoriented towards new tasks and challenges.
- The Health Department at the Government Office for Refugees and Displaced
Persons was established;
- The manual "Public Health in War Conditions" was published;
- The training organized for displaced persons and entitled "School for
Returning Home" was provided;
- several three-month courses were organized in collaboration with he Bonner
Institute and designed for experts to deal with psychological support using the
NLP method;
- video and written educational kits for children and their parents on
protection from explosive devices and weapons were developed in collaboration
with the UNICEF;
- Women's health care was provided through a project 'Mobile Clinic for Women';
- health promotion programmes primarily focused on children 's health care were
carried out in refugee centres;
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