PH - Public Health

This course provides an introduction to public health concepts and practice by examining the philosophy, purpose, history, organization, functions, tools, activities, and results of public health practice at the national, state, and local levels. The course also addresses important health issues and problems facing the public health system. Case studies and a variety of practice-related exercises serve as a basis for learner participation in real world public health problem-solving simulations. This course also fosters and enhances skills related to the use of technology for accessing information and communicating with colleagues.

The course examines the application of social and behavioral sciences knowledge to public health. The basic principles of psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other social sciences are used to underscore the social determinants and consequences of health and health-seeking behaviors, and to understand the contribution of socio-behavioral science to our understanding of the distribution, etiology, and solution of public health problems through planned interventions.

This course provides a foundation for planning health promotion programs for diverse populations. It facilitates discussion of contemporary issues and challenges of health promotion and program planning. Students are provided with the knowledge and skills necessary to collaborate with communities to develop effective, efficient, culturally appropriate health promotion programs.

This course emphasizes knowledge and skill development to provide a foundation for excellence in front-line, supervisory, management, and/or leadership positions. It is structured to engage participants in the complexities associated with managing and/or working with people on a defined project and/or to develop a program. The fall semester focuses on leadership and management principles, self-assessment, and experiential learning from class assignments and in-class activities. The spring semester focuses on personnel and resources management.

This course examines environmental principles, methods, risk factors, prevention and control, and policies related to human health. It also examines the biological, physical and chemical factors in the environment at the local and global levels, and how they impact human health.

This course provides an understanding of the structure and function of the U.S. Health Care System. The general principles of planning, management, evaluation, policy, and behavior of the public health system on the local, state and federal levels are addressed. Students learn how the public health system is organized and the roles of essential stakeholders. Students analyze critical management concepts through discussion, case analysis, and practical applications in a variety of health care settings.

This course examines the models and processes to systematically plan and evaluate public health interventions. It presents students with methods for identifying population-based needs for public health programs, developing strategies to meet those needs, and evaluating the effectiveness of these public health interventions. The course integrates knowledge and skills from research methods, epidemiology, biostatistics, proposal writing, budget planning, project management, and program evaluation.

This course introduces statistical concepts and analytical methods as applied to data encountered in public health research and biomedical sciences. It emphasizes the basic concepts of experimental design, quantitative analysis of data, and statistical inferences. The course provides students a foundation to evaluate information critically to support research objectives and product claims. Introduction to a statistical computer package such as SPSS is provided.

This course is a continuation of PH-660 and expands on the statistical concepts and analytical methods as applied to data encountered in public health research.  Emphasis is placed on the choice of the appropriate method for specific problems, common aspects of model construction, the testing of model assumptions through influence and residual analyses, and the use of graphical and other methods to present results that are readily understood by clinicians. 

This course engages students in economic and financial issues related to the operation of organizations, personnel, providers, and patients in the health care system. Specifically, it explores the sources and uses of financing and the built-in incentives of the health care system. It also explores this ever-changing industry, and explicitly considers the determinants of national health spending and the role of government in private and public health.

This course examines the use of information technology to transform the delivery of health information in health care systems around the world. The course also includes data access, interpretation, and evaluation for making decisions in public health. Legal and ethical principles concerning information technology in health are emphasized.

This course provides information that enables students to deal effectively with emergency management issues. Students develop an understanding of disaster preparedness, emergency management procedures and responsibilities, management mitigation, and response and recovery actions for different disasters. It also explores public health’s role in bio-terrorism and dealing with people with disabilities during and after a disaster.

This course provides public health students with a foundation of American health policy and law. It emphasizes health policy and legal issues affecting the health care system and public health. It also examines how the laws and policies are formulated, and emphasizes the need for collaboration between governmental and nongovernmental organizations. Furthermore, the course examines health policy issues relating to health insurance, and provides extensive discourse on the health care reform law of 2010.

This course reviews the main contributors to the global burden of disease and discusses current interventions and possible approaches for the future. This course addresses topics related to maternal and child health, nutrition, infectious disease, chronic illness, and environmental health. Each section provides a historical and cultural overview and includes consideration of cultural competence and humility. Sections engage students in learning about country-specific health data and descriptive information about the health system.

This course introduces epidemiological concepts and tools to study patterns of disease and injury, incidence, prevalence, and risk, with the goal of broadening the understanding of population health, health inequality, and the influence on public policy. Epidemiological methods as applied to environmental health, infectious disease, and the behavioral and social factors of disease are explored.

This course develops the skills required to understand how to identify and address major nutrition-related public health problems. It covers topics such as malnutrition, excess nutrition, complex eating disorders, maternal and child health, and chronic diseases that affect people globally.

This course gives students an overview of the ethical issues that arise from public health medicine, and includes topics such as determinants of health, vaccination, infectious diseases, and genetics. It also explores how ethical theories affect public health practice and focuses on the implications of health policy for various populations.

This course allows students to synthesize the knowledge and skills acquired in all previous courses and apply them to the development of a thesis proposal. Students are guided through the preparation of the research question(s) and hypothesis, literature review, and a proposed methodology for answering the research question(s). Students are expected to work closely with their thesis chairperson/advisor and committee member throughout the semester. Students are expected to write and defend a scientifically sound thesis proposal.

This course is the second part of the thesis process. It focuses on students’ ability to collect and analyze data, and interpret the findings. Students use the methodology presented in their proposal to conduct their research and develop their thesis. Students must complete their thesis independently, and are expected to work closely with their thesis chairperson/advisor and committee member throughout the semester. Students are expected to write and defend a scientifically sound thesis.

This course examines the nature of the scientific method and basic techniques in social science research as applied to the collection, analysis, and interpretation of social and public data. It explores the use of quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods as different approaches to research design, and covers the ethical issues in research involving human subjects.

This course is designed to provide an introduction to epidemiological research theory, methods, and practice.  The course focuses on the design, implementation, analysis, and interpretation of cohort, case-control, and cross-sectional epidemiological studies.  Students will become proficient in the interpretation of epidemiologic data and the application of epidemiologic approaches to the investigation of infectious and non-infectious diseases.

This course is a continuation of PH-771, Epidemiological Research Methods I, and as such will further refine students' ability to analyze and interpret data form various epidemiologic study designs.  Students gain experience in analysis of original research reports, writing critiques of epidemiologic articles, data management, preparing appropriate tables and graphs, designing and analyzing observational studies.

This course provides students with the knowledge of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Spatial Analysis as they apply to public health.  Students focus on the collection, maintenance, and interpretation of spatial data to study health concerns, specifically disease clusters, access to health care, health outcomes, risk factors, health status disparities, and emergency response operations.  Students will use a variety of downloadable software such as ArcGIS to gain hands-on experience and supplement the case studies provided.

This course prepares students to design, evaluate, and operate a public health surveillance system, analyze and interpret surveillance data, apply surveillance to various settings, diseases, and public health emergencies, understand how surveillance is used to develop public policy, and appreciate the legal and ethical implications of surveillance.  This course focuses on the procedures that are utilized to investigate and track infectious and communicable diseases as well as non-infectious chronic diseases in the United States and developing countries.   

The Public Health internship provides students with the ability to integrate the theories learned in the classroom with real world practical experiences. It also allows students to gain valuable skills to be effective in the workplace and to demonstrate public health competencies to their assigned tasks.

This course serves as the Capstone experience for the Biostatistics and Epidemiology concentration of the MPH degree.  Students utilize the information acquired from the core and concentration courses to design, execute, and present a scholarly project.  The course integrates and enhances student learning in several different areas: content, key process skills including project management and teamwork, and methods for gathering, analyzing, and reporting data.