Epidemiology. This course provides students with techniques for studying the distributions and determinants of disease, disabilities and death in human populations; the characteristics and dynamics of human populations; and the natural history of disease and the biologic basis of health. Topics will include measurement of disease occurrence, dynamics of disease transmission, and the identification and quantification of health risks. Students review basic health research methods, covering association and causation, bias, confounding and interaction, surveys and sampling, and study design approaches such as cross-sectional, case-control and cohort studies, and randomised clinical trials.
Biostatistics. This course introduces students to selected statistical techniques and applications for the collection, storage, retrieval, analysis and interpretation of health data; design and analysis of health-related surveys and experiments; and concepts and practice of statistical data analysis. Biostatistical methods that are essential to the practice of public health will be covered including statistical reasoning, summarisation and presentation of data, probability and decision analysis, sampling distributions, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing, sample size and statistical power, categorical and correlation analysis. Students will have opportunities to gain practical analytic experience using statistical software such as SAS and STATA.
Occupational & Environmental Health. This course will focus on identifying and understanding biological, physical and chemical factors that affect the health of people in a community and in places of employment. Naturally occurring and human contamination of air, water, and land by toxic substances and other agents will be covered. The course deals with such subjects as hazardous materials, ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, noise, risk assessment, and governmental regulatory policy. Students will describe the components of successful occupational and environmental health programs. This course is designed to meet the environmental health requirement for all professional masters degree students.
Health Services Policy and Administration. This course provides students with practical knowledge concerning the planning, organization, administration, management, evaluation and policy analysis of health programs. Multiple organizational and management approaches to integrate the various components of the health services system and hospitals, and management of the human and non-human factors to produce safe, effective and efficient health services will be studied.
Social & Behavioral Health This course explores the social dimensions of health and medical care. Concepts and methods of social and behavioral sciences relevant to the identification and the solution of public health problems will be covered.. Students will learn to identify key social and cultural principles that guide appropriateness in health care. They will be introduced to tools used to influence social expectations and personal behavior in relation to illness, health, and demand for medical treatments.
Race Ethnicity and Health. Explores the role of economic, social, and individual factors in explaining racial and ethnic health disparities, and examines intervention approaches to eliminate them. Topics include genetic and social constructions of race and ethnicity, measuring race and ethnicity, and the differences in prevalence and patterns of disease across groups; cultural and structural factors that affect health-care delivery, such as discrimination, racism, and health status; and public health approaches to prevention and improving health-care delivery. Class activities include field work.
Principles and History of Urban Health. This course focuses on the aspects of urban development and life that impact the health and well-being of city residents. Students will learn about the impact of migration patterns, built environments, occupational stratification and other cultural and community contextual factors that impact health status and health care access. The level of overall health and health care found in urban populations, particularly the urban poor, and the disproportionate impact on racial and ethnic minorities in the US and elsewhere will be examined. Public policy approaches for addressing the unique health issues of urban areas will be considered. Urban health issues will be examined both in a national and international perspective.
Urban Community Health Assessment. This course provides tools and service learning opportunities focused on developing effective urban community health assessments designed to inform health and other policy and program development. The course covers key principles and methods of community health problem identification and analysis using community epidemiology methods and study designs. Students learn effective use of available behavioral risk and other health related population surveys as well as other population data sources including syndromic surveillance. Targeted community consultation is used to further inform data analyses. Students use outcomes of community health assessments to identify strategic responses in health and community program development, social planning, and public advocacy.
MPH Elective courses (4 courses, 3 credits each = 12 credits)
Elective courses may be taken on a range of public health topics. Cross-departmental offerings are included in elective courses and provide MPH students with unique opportunities to focus their interests in emerging areas of urban public health practice, including, but not limited to: Violence Prevention; Urban Public Health Management; Nutrition, Health Informatics; and Chronic Disease Prevention and Management. MPH elective courses employ problem-oriented learning methods and are actively informed by local community public health development needs.
Capstone Project (6 credits)
Instead of a thesis, students are required to complete a Capstone Project associated with the required 6 credit Community-based Practicum in Urban Health. The Capstone project provides students with the opportunity to work on-site in a range of diverse public health practice settings reflective of their particular urban health focus. The Capstone Project provides students with the opportunity to integrate their theory and practice experiences in a major research, program planning, policy development, management, service delivery, or evaluation project. Community-based participatory projects are actively encouraged and, to the extent possible, Capstone Projects have as a goal the active contribution to the health of the local community. Capstone Projects are student led and designed in consultation with community partners. Faculty members provide guidance and mentoring. Students participate in a Capstone Seminar intended to support the integration of their practice and analytic experiences.
