Academics

2 credit hours

This course explains the history of the rise of the modern public health system. Students will consider how the growth of scientific knowledge and the acceptance of disease control as a public responsibility has shaped the practice of public health today. Foundations of public health will be discussed in relationship to other related systems, including international systems. Finally, students will explore the sudden and urgent attention to public health due to the COVID pandemic and the impact on the future of the public health system.

3 credit hours

Only about 20% of a person's health is attributable to interactions with the health care delivery system. This course will unpack the complex factors that impact health, including the environment, economy, biology, genetics, ecologic interdependencies, globalization, policies, social interactions, and behavioral and psychological factors. The evidence base for these so-called "determinants of health" will be compared and the impact of disparities between communities will be discussed. Students will consider whether public collaborations with the health care sector can improve determinants of health, or if systemic inequities are so entrenched that a more accurate term would be "determinants of morality."

3 credit hours

This course introduces students to the core functions of practice of public health. In a variety of contexts, public health professionals follow a prescribed process to advance health goals. They start with a needs assessment, followed by design and implementation of an evidence-based intervention. The results of the intervention are evaluated to inform action, which may include modifying the intervention in pursuit of more impact or leveraging the results to advocate for policy change. Every step of this process requires public health practitioners to apply evidence-based approaches and best practices. This course will equip students to develop a public health program, from conceptualization to implementation to recommendations for future action. A key focus of this course is public policy setting.

3 credit hours

Valid evidence is the cornerstone to advancing public health. This course is focused on the core scientific disciplines - biostatistics and epidemiology - used to produce evidence for public health policies and programs. Specifically, this course uses studies with different research designs to illustrate principles such as data source integrity, descriptive and inferential statistics, data visualization, bias, and causal inference. At the completion of this course, students will be able to recommend an appropriate study design for a given research question and articulate the generalizability of the results.

3 credit hours

In this course, students will use datasets and software to design and conduct an analysis in the public health context. Given a research question, students will propose a study design, data source, and analytic plan. Given sample data from a health promotion educational intervention, students will analyze both qualitative and quantitative data to produce results, including appropriate statistical tests. Students will write a clear summary of their work, as well as propose application of the results through public health policy, program, or additional research.

3 credit hours

This course challenges students to develop and evaluate public health programs. Students will conduct a needs assessment for a specific population, identify a public health challenge, and design a health promotion educational intervention. Students' adaptability will be tested when their proposal is challenged by an unexpected cultural characteristic of the population is revealed. Next, students will evaluate a public health policy and recommend modifications. Students' leadership skills will be tested when their recommendations are met with an unexpected structural challenge. This course will include an oral presentation, simulating a mock defense of the student's proposal to a board of decision-makers.

3 credit hours

In this course students will analyze, through cases and experiential situations, the behavioral dimensions of business organizations. Topics include: Motivation, communication, performance, stress, culture, group dynamics, organizational structure, leadership, and change.

3 credit hours

Health promotion and education are foundational to the pursuit of meeting the challenges identified by Public Health 3.0. This course explores the theoretical underpinnings for how health behaviors can be changed at the individual, community and environmental level. Students will use case studies to explore behavioral models and how individual, social groups and environmental relationships influence change. Students will use principles of effective communication to analyze various types of public health communications, ranging from social media to major health campaigns. With an interdisciplinary focus, this course will ultimately equip students with the skills to ensure that proposed public health programs are designed in a way that can positively affect health behavioral change.

3 credit hours

This course will provide a breadth of advanced coverage across the U.S. health care system and the interrelationships across the different system components.

Topics include: Organization of the U.S. health care system, the structure of the health care delivery system and the continuum of care, the financing of health care services, public and private third party payment structures, managed care and principles of capitation, organization and management of the health services workforce, principles of quality of care and outcome measurement, future changes in the U.S. health care system.

3 credit hours

This course is the first part of a yearlong engagement that is customized to a student's specific public health interests. The experience is individualized and supervised with the support of a faculty advisor. Students work with interprofessional community partners that may be at a local, state, national, or global level, to identify a health need and develop a sustainable solution. The first half of the APE/ILE focuses on 250 hours at a public health or community-based site, where students will engage in applied public health projects and provide 2 deliverables to the site, as well as a poster presentation as part of the course. (250 hours) Credit: 3 hours

2 credit hours

Advocacy can take many forms, ranging from individuals contacting legislators, professional lobbyists, public media campaigns, and public demonstrations. Public health advocacy can be defined as activities that attempt to contribute to health by promoting systemic change and influencing policy processes. This course will consider the most common and effective forms of public health advocacy, specifically in the context of how health policies are influenced. Students will conclude this course by actively advocating for a political, social or economic policy of their choice.

3 credit hours

The Applied Practice Experience (APE) and integrative learning experience (ILE) II is the second part of a yearlong engagement that is customized to a student's specific public health interests. The experience is individualized and supervised with the support of a faculty advisor. Students work with interprofessional community partners that may be at a local, state, national, or global level, to identify a health need and develop a sustainable solution. The second half of the ILE focuses on developing a scholarly product. Students work to construct a written capstone product culminating in an oral presentation to peers and faculty.

2 credit hours

Research shows that only 15% of job success is attributed to technical skills. The remainder comes from communication, work ethic, teamwork, empathy and other competencies collectively referred to as soft skills. This course will cover soft skills essential to public health practice through various case studies of public health leaders. Specific areas of focus include leadership, ethics and collaboration.

3 credit hours

Special topics in Public Health.