This course is an introduction to epidemiology at the undergraduate level. Using epidemiology as a framework, class participants are challenged to engage more thoughtfully with many of the big issues facing the world today. The course emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the scientific method, collaboration in teams, and ethical principles and reasoning in this process.

Practicum associated with Methods Course for Health Policy, Law & Ethics Concentration. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

The final project should demonstrate application of knowledge acquired in the MPH program to a real-world public health issue. Students write a paper & create a poster for presentation describing their projects. Students also take a review test of basic material from the core public health disciplines & complete a competency self-assesment to obtain feedback on their progress & accomplishments achieved by the end of the program.

Provides an overview of the principles and methods of evaluation in public health and health informatics. Covers evaluation paradigms, program planning, evaluation plan design, and use of evaluation findings. Frequent tools in evaluation (surveys, focus groups, and interviews) will be discussed in depth. Students will have the opportunity to design and conduct an evaluation for an existing program in public health or application in health informatics. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5060 with instructor permission. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

The planning & design of the built environment to promote public health & equity requires systems thinking & a trandisciplinary approach to research. Students will learn & apply collaborative research methods including scientific health literature review, diagramming concepts, & case study analysis to synthesize logic models as theoretical frameworks for projects & policy.

The planning & design of the built environment to promote public health & equity requires systems thinking & a trandisciplinary approach to research. Students will learn & apply collaborative research methods including scientific health literature review, diagramming concepts, & case study analysis to synthesize logic models as theoretical frameworks for projects & policy. This graduate level course will have additional course requirements.

Explores the use of data in population health sciences incorporating cases from public health & health care practice. Covers the basics of loading data into SAS, manipulating variables, & generating output in a PC environment. Students will learn how to detect, diagnose, & correct mistakes. The course draws upon & integrates Biostatistics & Epidemiology.Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Reviews principles of economics most relevant to analyzing changes in health care provision and applies those principles to current health care institutions and their performance, trends in health care service delivery, and methods of forecasting future trends. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in the PHS program or instructor permission.

Provides students with the opportunity to engage in the policy development & advocacy process. This includes defining & analyzing a policy issue, synthesizing info & data from numerous sources to generate policy options, examining the legal, ethical & other implications of potential policy options, understanding the preferences & perspectives of key stakeholders, & clearly communicating & advocating for policy options with different audiences.

Required fall course for Community & Public Health track. Explores the legitimacy, design, and implementation of a variety of policies aiming to promote public health and reduce the social burden of disease and injury. Highlights the challenge posed by public health's population-based perspective to traditional individual-centered, autonomy-driven approaches to bioethics and constitutional law. Other themes center on conflicts between public health and public morality and the relationship between public health and social justice. Illustrative topics include mandatory immunization, screening and reporting of infectious diseases, prevention of lead poisoning, food safety, prevention of firearm injuries, airbags and seat belts, mandatory drug testing, syringe exchange programs, tobacco regulation, and restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5050 with instructor permission. Prerequisites:  Instructor permission.