The Institute of Community and Public Health (ICPH) at Birzeit University was established informally in 1978. In response to the Palestinian community's urgent need for independent and informed health research and planning, it became a formal University department in 1982. In 1998, the University Board of Trustees approved a motion to upgrade the Department to an Institute in response to their evolving role that suits current academic and developmental needs.

The aim of the Institute is to contribute to the development of health conditions and services in Palestine by conducting policy and program-oriented research important for policy and evaluation. The Institute also focuses on human resource development that can assist in the rehabilitation and reconstruction of the Palestinian health care system through a variety of teaching and training programs. The Institute upholds primary health care as a strategy for health and health services development, defining primary health care not merely as a clinic in a remote area, but rather as a system of health care provision that includes effective linkages and referral / re-referral mechanisms among the different levels of health care. More importantly, community mobilization, participation, inter-sectoral collaboration and equity are seen as the core of the primary health care strategy.

The Institute has forged excellent working links and relationships with the different Palestinian ministries working in the area of health, especially the Ministries of Health, Education, Agriculture, and Environment, in addition to a variety of local and international non-governmental organizations as well as UNRWA health care services. The Institute actively cooperates with these institutions and groups, being part and parcel of a collective effort aimed at improving health conditions and services in the area, and ultimately, the quality of life of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Institute and its teaching program are housed in University buildings located in the Old Birzeit University Campus in the heart of the village of Birzeit.
The Institute occupies three buildings:
1) the main administration building;
2) the teaching building with the computer lab, two classrooms that can double as conference facilities when required and resource center; and
3) the research complex, which contains offices and research facilities. The Institute's academic program is under the direct supervision of the Dean of Graduate Studies at Birzeit University. For research and training activities, the Institute falls under the direct supervision of Birzeit University's Vice President for Planning and Development.
For more information, please see the ICPH web site .