School of Public Health
MPH COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT COURSES
PUBH 5100 (Formerly URBA 5003): Writing with Power (2)
Techniques for producing writing that are clear, concise and compelling. This workshop will introduce strategies for avoiding common writing pitfalls and for effectively organizing, proofing and revising writing. The workshop culminates in the development of a clear and coherent public health intervention action plan.
PUBH 5101 (Formerly URBA 5004): Mastering Math (1)
Designed to enhance key concepts in mathematics and statistics. This course will review basic math operations, formula solving and manipulation, and basic concepts of algebra. The purpose is to provide a strong mathematical foundation to pursue relevant coursework in introductory biostatistics and epidemiology.
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REQUIRED COURSE FOR NON-HEALTH PROFESSIONAL STUDENTS
PUBH 5102 (Formerly URBA 5002): Health Care Across the Lifespan (3)
This course is designed to examine health care from infancy to old age. Selected models are presented for understanding development processes as an individual ages. These models will be drawn from disease states as they evolve across the lifespan. That knowledge will be applied to issues of health maintenance and disease prevention. Introduction to public health topics related to human health and disease, including a review of anatomy, physiology, and pathology of selected organ systems ad associated diseases will be discussed.
The course can be waived. See Course Exemption policy in the Student Handbook.
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REQUIRED MPH CORE COURSES (21 credits)
BIOS 5200 (Formerly URBA 5101): Principles of Biostatistics (3)
Introduction to statistical methods in public health. The course will cover descriptive statistics, probability concepts, and estimation of parameters, hypothesis testing, simple linear regression, correlation, and analysis of attribute data.
CHSC 5200 (Formerly URBA 5103): Health Behavior and Risk Reduction (3)
An introduction to the concepts, theories, and status of research in health promotion and disease prevention, with an emphasis on methods employed to modify group and individual health-related behaviors. This course examines methods of ascertaining health behaviors, the design and interpretation of behavioral intervention programs to modify behaviors, and current trends in the study of how lifestyle and preventive health practices impact on public health.
CHSC 5201 (Formerly URBA 5201): Introduction to Public Health Theory and Practice (3)
Introduction to the broad concepts of public health practice including the mission, core functions, structure, policy role, program activities, and collaborative endeavors of public health agencies. Theoretical and practical perspectives are studied to illustrate contemporary strategies for health promotion and disease prevention at local, state, and national levels.
EOHS 5200 (Formerly URBA 5104): Issues in Environmental Health (3)
Major environmental health issues. The course addresses public health issues in the management of water quality, wastewater, occupational health, trace elements, municipal and hazardous waste, vector control and air quality.
EPID 5200 (Formerly 5102): Principles of Epidemiology (3)
This course offers an introduction to the principles, concepts, and methods of epidemiologic research. Topics include the calculation, interpretation and application of measures of disease frequency, association and public health impact; epidemiologic study design and analysis (including the role of chance, bias and confounding); direct standardization of rates, statistical inference and principles of screening. This course also teaches students how to apply epidemiologic methods to critically analyze and interpret public health literature.
HPMG 5200 (Formerly URBA 5105: Principles of Health Systems Management): Health Care Organization and Finance (3)
Concepts and principles of management applied to planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling, financing, and evaluating health services organizations. Further focus will be on management and organization interaction as well as managerial roles, styles, activities, and decision-making.
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BIOSTATISTICS CORE REQUIREMENTS (12 credits)
BIOS 5201 (Formerly URBA 5317): Categorical Data Analysis (3)
This course covers analytical techniques involved in the analysis of studies where subjects have been cross-classified by two or more categorical variables. Special emphasis will be on problems related to epidemiology, public health and medicine. Topics will include: significance versus magnitude of association; estimation of relative risk; matching cases and controls; effects, measurement, and control of misclassification errors; combining evidence from many studies; and logistic regression. Students will be introduced to the SPSS statistical package for the topics covered in the course.
Prerequisite: Principles of Biostatistics and Principles of Epidemiology.
BIOS 5202: Applied Regression Analysis (3)
This course emphasizes the concepts and applications of building and evaluating regression models for public health studies. It covers simple and multiple linear regression models, including polynomial regression and analysis of variance (ANOVA) and co-variance (ANCOVA) for design of experiments as special cases. Binary regression including logistic regression and application to case-control studies will be discussed. In addition, loglinear models for count data will be covered.
Prerequisites: Intro to Biostatistics, Categorical Data Analysis.
BIOS 5203: Survival Analysis (Formerly: Time Series Analysis) (3)
This course covers the basic theoretical aspects and applications of various models to analyze "time to event" data. Basic concepts such as the survival function, hazard function, left and right hand censoring, and common parametric models for analyzing survival data will be covered. The proportional hazards (PH) model with fixed and time dependent covariates, the stratified PH model, regression diagnostics for survival models, additive hazards regression models and multivariate survival models will also be covered.
Prerequisites: Statistical Computing.
BIOS 5204: Statistical Computing (3)
This course will give students a working knowledge of two statistical analysis software packages, SAS and SPSS. Emphasis will be placed on the basics of data management of files, data manipulation, basic data display, graphical display of data and statistical analysis. Although the Windows environment will be discussed, emphasis will be placed on the writing of program code.
Prerequisite: Principles of Biostatistics and Principles of Epidemiology.
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BIOSTATISTICS ELECTIVE COURSES (9 credits)
Students will work with their advisors to select 3 electives. Electives may be selected from any tracks.
BIOS 5300: Introduction to Sampling (3)
This course presents practical sampling methods and their theoretical background. It covers simple random, stratified, systematic, and simple stage cluster sampling techniques. In addition, ratio, regression, and difference estimation will be covered. An emphasis will be placed on sampling human populations in large communities.
Prerequisite: Principles of Biostatistics and Principles of Epidemiology.
BIOS 5301: Survey Research Methods (3)
This course provides an introduction to the design, analysis, and interpretation of sample surveys. Types of sampling covered will include simple random sampling, stratified random sampling, systematic sampling, cluster sampling, and multi-stage sampling. Methods of estimation are described to estimate means, totals, ratios, and proportions. Development of sampling designs combining a variety of types of sampling and methods of estimation, and detailed description of sample size determinations to achieve goals of desired precision at least cost will be covered.
Prerequisites: Categorical Data Analysis and Statistical Computing.
BIOS 5302: Advanced Experimental Design (3)
This intermediate course covers a broad perspective of experimental designs covered in public health, including various ANOVA designs, case-cohort studies, case-crossover studies, cross sectional studies, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, randomized clinical trials and meta analysis. The advantage and disadvantages of the various studies are discussed and emphasis is placed on selection of the appropriate study, sample size estimation and controlling for sources of bias and reduction of variability.
Prerequisites: Principles of Biostatistics, Applied Regression Analysis and Epidemiological Research Methods.
BIOS 5303: Nonparametric Statistics (3)
This course covers a survey of topics related to distribution-free approaches to statistical inference. Topics will include: Fisher's method of randomization; distribution free test procedures for means, variances, correlations, and trends; and rank tests. Relative efficiency, asymptotic relative efficiency and normal-score procedures will be covered. Binomial and hypergeometric distributions are covered to develop a variety of test and interval estimation procedures.
Prerequisites: Statistical Computing, Categorical Data Analysis and Applied Regression Analysis.
BIOS 5304: Design and Analysis of Clinical Trials (3)
This course covers fundamental concepts in the design and conduct of modern clinical trials. Topics include: sample size and power, reliability of measurement, the parallel-groups design, factorial designs, blocking, stratification, analysis of covariance, the crossover study, latin squares.
Prerequisites: Applied Regression Analysis.
BIOS 5310 (Formerly URBA 5502): Independent Study (1-3)
Independent study courses focus on a particular issue or set of issues related to a particular topic in public health. An Independent Study Program consists of assignments, research papers, clinical experiences and presentations submitted for academic credit. The student works closely with the professor(s) to determine the study focus and requirements.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES (URBAN & IMMIGRANT HEALTH) TRACK CORE COURSES (12 credits)
CHSC 5202 (Formerly URBA 5202): Issues in the Health of Immigrant Populations (3)
Emigration from another country can have important effects on the health of the émigré. The demographic, scientific, clinical, economic, social, political, ethical, and legal factors of the country of origin interact with those of the new country. They are manifest in different ways in the health of immigrants – new and old. This course will consider these and other related public health issues across the lifespan.
CHSC 5203 (Formerly URBA 5203): Sex, Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Health (3)
The health and well being of human beings have been under intense scrutiny and involved important changes during the 20th century. Gender and racial/ethnic inequities are being addressed and gaps in knowledge narrowing. These changes involve multiple factors. This course considers many of those factors as they interact with demographic, scientific, clinical, economic, social, political, ethical, and legal issues.
CHSC 5205 (Formerly URBA 5206): Urban Health Issues (3)
The goal of this course is to prepare public health professionals to analyze and intervene in urban health issues. The course explores the health of urban populations around the world, with a special focus on New York City, from historical, economic, social, spatial, and medical perspectives. Key concepts include social capital, social cohesion, social hierarchies, social networks, public health infrastructure, healthy neighborhoods, health disparities, globalization, and micro-geographic analysis. Each semester the class will explore three health topics in depth and will organize a neighborhood mini-conference on one of these topics in collaboration with local stakeholders. In addition, each student will perform weekly analyses of his/her neighborhood of residence and periodic analyses of the neighborhood surrounding SUNY-Downstate.
CHSC 5206: Program, Planning, and Evaluation (3)
Community-based programs that are designed to change health-related behaviors comprise the vast majority of the public health efforts to reduce the morbidity and mortality in populations. This course covers the life stage of community-based programs from inception, implementation, and sustainability. The course applies the theoretical concepts from the social and behavioral sciences, health education, and health communication to the planning, design, and evaluation of community-based interventions. A program-planning framework provides the methodology to examine social and behavioral determinants of health and to identify appropriate intervention and evaluation design. Characteristics of theory-based interventions are discussed, critiqued, and assessed for relevance to the needs of the students who will have the opportunity to apply these ideas to their own work.
Prerequisites: Health Behavior and Risk Reduction.
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COMMUNITY HEALTH SCIENCES (URBAN & IMMIGRANT HEALTH) ELECTIVE COURSES (9 credits)
Students will work with their advisors to select 3 electives.
At least one of these electives will be selected from the Community Health Sciences Track; the others may be selected from other tracks.
CHSC 5204 (Formerly URBA 5205): Community Organization (3)
Emphasis on community organizations as a major interventional approach to community dynamics, social change, and community participation in addressing health problems. The course explores methods for identifying and analyzing community health problems and their causes.
CHSC 5300 (Formerly URBA 5310): Introduction to Research (3)
Basics for participating in the development, implementation, and evaluation of research studies in public health, particularly health-care delivery. Each student will be expected to develop and present a research proposal.
Prerequisite(s): Principles of Biostatistics, Principles of Epidemiology
CHSC 5301 (Formerly URBA 5303): Human Sexual Behavior (3)
Focus on aspects of human sexual behavior from a psychosocial and behavioral perspective. A brief review of human anatomy and physiology as well as developmental abnormalities will be considered. The purpose is to educate health professionals about the strong influences of sexuality in all its facets.
Prerequisite(s) for Non-Health professionals: Health Care Across the Lifespan
CHSC 5302 (Formerly URBA 5311): Social Marketing (3)
Social marketing is a key ingredient in strategies to develop, implement, and evaluate health communication and education programs. This course will focus on developing and presenting a social marketing plan addressing a specific public health issue among a specific racial or ethnic group.
CHSC 5303 (Formerly URBA 5304): Issues in HIV Prevention (3)
Different facets of HIV prevention including the risk factors and the impact of social, economic, racial/ethnic, cultural, and religious factors on the development of the disease. Studies focusing on different communities at high risk for the disease will be studied.
Prerequisite(s) for Non-Health professionals: Health Care Across the Lifespan
CHSC 5304 (Formerly URBA 5318): Planning Pediatric Interventions (3)
This course will require systems thinking in terms of how individuals, social networks, communities and organizations interact and affect the public health on a local, state, national and international level. This course will challenge you to identify the specific pediatric health issues affecting a local community, prioritize them, outline interventions and describe evaluation techniques for assessing the effectiveness of the interventions. The course will be interactive and encourages discussion of unique and diverse approaches to both new and long-standing problems affecting the pediatric population in this area. This course will focus on practical application and real-life scenarios. Although pediatric health issues will be the focus, the principles learned should be applicable to health concerns of other populations.
CHSC 5305 (Formerly URBA 5318): Issues in Adolescent Health (3)
The myriad factors that influence adolescent development are considered juxtaposed against societal and public health issues. This course provides the student with an opportunity to enhance knowledge regarding this period of human development.
Prerequisite(s) for Non-Health professionals: Health Care Across the Lifespan
CHSC 5306 (Formerly URBA 5603: Understanding Health Behavior): Psychosocial and Behavioral Epidemiology (3)
This course provides an introduction to the social, psychological, and behavioral issues that influence patterns of health and health care delivery. The focus is on the integration of the biomedical, social, psychological, and behavioral factors that must be taken into consideration when public health initiatives are developed and implemented. The course is based on ecological theories of influences on health behavior. The course also includes the application of epidemiologic methods to the study of social, psychological, and behavioral influences on health, disease, and recovery/mortality.
CHSC 5307: Early Child Development: A Public Health Perspective (3)
This course introduces students to early child development, the conditions which shape it, and how developmental and learning problems arising in early childhood (here collectively termed “developmental disorders” - DD) are identified and addressed at an individual and a population level.
The focus of the course will be on preventive and treatment interventions for DD’s based in the home, community programs, and health care settings in the United States and internationally. Through field visits and presentations, the students will become familiar with how such interventions are conducted, and the role of different stakeholders (families, public health programs, NGO’s, health care providers, school systems) in planning, funding, running and evaluating them. During the course, students will gain experience in doing basic developmental screenings, assessing the home caregiving environment, planning interventions and preparing and presenting messages about early child development for families.
CHSC 5308:
Public Health Preparedness and Response to Emergencies (3)
This course investigates the role of public health professionals in planning and responding to "all hazards" emergencies that stress the public health and healthcare system. Topics will include:public health law; federal funding programs forpreparedness and response; incident management system;training and exercises development;chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear and explosive events; hazard vulnerability analysis;and the psychosocial impact of disasters. The course will be problem based and explore current topics such asH1N1,structural collapses, coastal storms, etc. A part of the course will also focus onrecovery and long term impacts (psychosocial, environmental,health effects, etc.). Students will useactual emergency management planning tools and templates from the federal government, supporting agencies and NYC, as well asjournal articles.
CHSC 5310 (Formerly URBA 5502): Independent Study (3)
Independent study courses focus on a particular issue or set of issues related to a particular topic in public health. An Independent Study Program consists of assignments, research papers, clinical experiences and presentations submitted for academic credit. The student works closely with the professor(s) to determine the study focus and requirements.
CHSC 6020: Field Experience in Maternal and Child Health (1-3)
The overall goal of the course is to give the student experience in applying maternal and child health knowledge and skills in an off-campus public health setting. The experience is a planned, supervised, and evaluated internship that takes place in one of a variety of agencies or organizations, including community-based organizations and governmental departments.
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SCIENCES REQUIRED TRACK CORE COURSES (12 credits)
EOHS 5201: Introduction to Management, Policy and Law (3)
Examines the core foundations of risk assessment including hazard identification, dose response, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Introduces the basic concepts in risk management and risk communication. Provides an understanding of how risk assessment serves as an interface between science and policy.
EOHS 5202: Occupational Health (3)
Surveys the history of occupational health, the continuum from exposure to disease, the hierarchy of controls in the workplace, occupational health hazards, legal and regulatory issues, provision of occupational health services, and methods in comprehensive workplace health improvement.
EOHS 5203:
Built Environment & Public Health (3)
Explores basic concepts of toxicology as applied to environmental toxicants including the distribution, metabolism, and elimination of environmental chemicals in the body. Examines the application of these concepts to the understanding of disease processes resulting from adverse environmental exposures.
EOHS 5205: Risk Assesment and Communication (3)
Examines the core foundations of risk assessment, including hazard identification, dose response, exposure assessment and risk characterization. Introduces the basic concepts in risk management and risk communication. Provides an understanding of how risk assessment serves as an interface between science and policy.
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ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH SCIENCES ELECTIVES (9 credits)
Students will work with their advisors to select 3 electives. At least one of these electives will be selected from the Environmental Health Track; the others may be selected from other tracks.
EOHS 5300 (Formerly URBA 5306): Injury and Violence Prevention (3)
Examination of injury and violence as seen in urban settings. The course is designed to incorporate models into practical application in communities using case examples.
Prerequisite Courses for non-health professionals: Health Care Across the Lifespan.
EOHS 5301: Principles of Industrial Hygiene (3)
Introduces concepts, terminology and methodology involved in the practe of industrial hygiene. Includes the recognition, evaluation and control of biological, chemical and physical exposures in the workplace. Includes lectures, problems and a site walk-through survey.
EOHS 5302 (Formerly EOHS 5049: Women, Health & the Environment): Women's Health Policy: Epidemiology and the Environment (3)
This course will identify key indicators of women's health and women's health needs utilizing both environmental health sciences and health policy perspectives. Current and historical examples will highlight how health. Needs, medical practice and policies have evolved over time.
Prerequisite(s): Principles of Epidemiology.
EOHS 5303: Health Effects of Air Pollutants (3)
Provides an overview of the defense mechanisms of the respiratory tract in response to environmental insults, and how this response is connected with disease. Examines the major sources of indoor and outdoor air pollution and characterizes their respective physical and chemical qualities. Introduces basic concepts of aerosol science.
EOHS 5304:
Case Studies in Environmental Health (3)
In this course students will review a series of case studies that illustrate core concepts of environmental health science including hazard identification, toxicology, exposure assessment, epidemiology, and risk assessment, communication and policy.
EOHS 5305:
Principals of Food Safety (3)
Food is an important mainstay of good health and promotion of wellness. There is an expectation that food purchased for home preparation and consumption and in restaurants, outdoor stands and catering halls may be safely eaten with no potential to cause harm. Substantial public health resources are devoted to assure that the food chain from American and imported venues are free from pathogens and toxic chemicals. There are strict governmental standards and mandates and delegated responsibility for enforcement. Food borne illness has severe economic costs and consequences for those affected and for those responsible. Epidemiologic investigations and root cause analysis provide evidence for corrective actions and deterrence to continue to provide a safe table. Lectures, film, class discussion, debates and assignments will be utilized to more fully understand the scope of problems and solutions to assure food safety.
EOHS 5310 (Formerly URBA 5502): Independent Study (1-3)
Independent study courses focus on a particular issue or set of issues related to a particular topic in public health. An Independent Study Program consists of assignments, research papers, clinical experiences and presentations submitted for academic credit. The student works closely with the professor(s) to determine the study focus and requirements.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY REQUIRED TRACK CORE COURSES (12 credits)
EPID 5201: Epidemiologic Research Methods (3)
This course introduces concepts of study design, data management and data analysis that are suitable for epidemiologic research. This course will enable students to design studies and write competitive proposals on contemporary issues in epidemiology and public health affecting immigrant and urban populations. Students will be provided with the practical skills necessary to plan and carry out research projects. Specifically, learners will explore principles and concepts associated with the design of sample surveys that are representative of populations and the analysis of data from such surveys. Throughout the course, students will be asked to prepare comprehensive, concise written reports for a variety of audiences.
EPID 5202: Infectious Disease Epidemiology (3)
This course provides students with a multidisciplinary framework for understanding the principles of interventions against infectious diseases. The course also provides knowledge and understanding of disease agents in the context of their routes of transmission and examines the reasons for successes, partial successes and failures of interventions, taking into account the social, political and economic contexts in which health systems operate. Specific topics related to the epidemiology of communicable diseases include: basic concepts and methods; epidemiologic aspects of vaccination; surveillance and outbreak investigation and the control of communicable disease in countries with a developed public health infrastructure.
Prerequisites: Intro to Epidemiology, Intro to Biostatistics.
EPID 5203 (Formerly URBA 5302): Chronic Disease Epidemiology (3)
This course explores the burden of chronic non-communicable diseases (CNCDs) in NY. Using a variety of sources of data (e.g. US Census data, NYS Cancer Registry and Community Health Survey) relevant to immigrant and urban populations in NY, this course will review the epidemiology of obesity, cardiovascular diseases (hypertension, stroke, coronary artery disease) and diabetes and cancer. This course also reviews the methodological issues in different types of study designs aimed at identifying the determinants of major CNCDs, and teaches students how plan successful preventive strategies.
Prerequisites: Intro to Epidemiology, Intro to Biostatistics.
EPID 5204: Biomarkers and Epidemiology (3)
This course introduces the basic concepts and biological principles underlying biomarkers and molecular epidemiology. The course will provide students with a basic understanding of molecular methods and study designs relevant to biomarkers epidemiologic research. The topics addressed will include the present use of specific biomarkers in epidemiologic and clinical research with examples in human cancer and other diseases related to occupational and environmental exposures.
Prerequisites: Intro to Epidemiology, Intro to Biostatistics.
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EPIDEMIOLOGY ELECTIVE COURSES (9 credits)
Students must select 2 epidemiology elective courses from the list below. Students meet with advisors to select 1 other elective course to enhance the student's breadth of knowledge.
EPID 5300: Cancer Epidemiology (3)
This course reviews principles and methods used in the investigation of cancer incidence and mortality. Basic concepts of cancer biology and the role of environmental determinants (e.g. tobacco, alcohol, radiation, chemicals, stress, and nutrition) and genetic susceptibility will be reviewed. Using data from the NYS Cancer Registry, we will examine the sociodemographic magnitude of cancer in Brooklyn, and discuss factors influencing cancer prevention and control efforts.
EPID 5301: Reproductive Epidemiology (3)
This course explores the nature and determinants of ill-health in pregnant women and babies, and to demonstrate the contribution of epidemiologic methods to problem identification and to the design and evaluation of strategies to improve maternal and child health. Topics of discussion include disparities between various population groups, contraception, menstruation, fertility, abortion, menopause, and maternal morbidity and mortality. Discussion of contemporary issues in safe motherhood and perinatal health in developing countries will also be provided throughout the course.
EPID 5302: Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS
This course represents a detailed model of how to tackle the epidemiological and public health aspects of a viral infection; it provides information on different routes of transmission, worldwide temporal changes in infection rate and persons at risk, historical interventions to control the diffusion of the infection along with their success rate. The course also provides knowledge and understanding of the infection versus the clinical manifestation of the disease.
Specific topics include: epidemiologic aspects of new treatments of the infection, surveillance of infection and disease trends, prevention strategies, changes in laboratory methods for virus detection and diagnosis and their impact on disease surveillance.
EPID 5303: Nutritional Epidemiology (3)
This course applies epidemiologic methods and principles to current studies of diet, nutrition and chronic disease. Students will gain expertise in understanding the current state of knowledge on the relationship between nutrition and disease including the role of co-factors. Strengths and weaknesses of the methods available to assess exposure in nutritional epidemiologic studies will be presented as students will be asked to critically evaluate epidemiologic evidence on diet-disease relationships. Other topics to be covered include: evaluation of methods to prevent nutrition-related diseases through strategies aimed at promoting population based dietary change, identification, summarization and interpretation of a range of materials relevant to the specification of priority nutrition problems in a given population; discussion of the constraints involved in program implementation; presentation of a proposal for a nutrition intervention orally and in summary written form.
EPID 5304: GIS and Public Health (Formerly: EOHS 7304) (3)
This course is an introduction to the concepts of Geographic Information Systems as they apply to public health. It is an intermediate level graduate course in the application of methods for displaying, describing and analyzing spatial environmental exposure and disease data and a doctoral level course for students in any field with an interest in the application of spatial methods to exposure data and disease data. Students in environmental health, epidemiology, and biostatistics are particularly encouraged to participate. Masters students with the appropriate background may enroll with the instructor's permission. The course will focus primarily on the spatial distribution of risk factors for disease outcomes, but the principles discussed can be broadly applied. All students must be thoroughly computer literate; know Excel and feel comfortable working in a multi-windowed environment.
Attendees will learn the general concepts of GIS, and the particular applications of this technology to public health. They will also acquire hands-on experience using GIS to create GIS layers, using GIS to perform queries and searches, and create maps and reports, including statistical reports. Additionally, students will learn how to properly capture, store and format data so that it can be used in GIS, as well as how to re-format existing data in order to create maps of the data.
EPID 5305: Epidemiology of Aging (3)
This course will prepare students to effectively study health characteristics of the rapidly increasing population of older adults in the United States. Some of the topics covered will include changes in national and international age and lifespan demographics; theories of aging; the limits of the human lifespan and life-extension efforts; the interrelation of aging, health, and the environment; measurement of survival, mortality, and cause of death; measurement of physical functioning and activities of daily living; age- and disease-related changes in cognitive functioning; depression in older adults; injury (falls, driving accidents); the influence of age on disease and how to account for the age effects in the study of disease; health, frailty, and “successful” aging. Students will examine methods for conducting epidemiological studies in older populations and the implications of an aging society on public health practice.
EPID 5310 (Formerly 5502): Independent Study (1-3)
Independent study courses focus on a particular issue or set of issues related to a particular topic in public health. An Independent Study Program consists of assignments, research papers, clinical experiences and presentations submitted for academic credit. The student works closely with the professor(s) to determine the study focus and requirements.
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HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT REQUIRED TRACK CORE COURSES (12 credits)
HPMG 5202: Health Care Advocacy and Politics (3)
This course will review basic legal and legislative processes at both state and federal levels. Students will learn how changes are made in the health system and ways of abetting change.
HPMG 5203: Health Management Concepts (3)
Basic concepts of management and organization behavior will be explored in this course. The role of management in complex organizations and the ways in which organizations change will be discussed. Students will learn how to relate to supervisors and staff and how to encourage optimal working conditions.
HPMG 5204: Access, Cost and Quality of Care (Formerly: Access, Availability and Quality of Care) (3)
This course will look in detail at the U.S. Health care system in terms of its major components, their interactions, and how to best effect positive change that will improve health and health care services for the population.
HPMG 5205: Health Economics (3)
This course will review basic principles of micro and macro economics that are relevant to health care such as marginal analysis, moral hazard, market failure and the role of government, principles of insurance and other topics.
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HEALTH POLICY AND MANAGEMENT ELECTIVE COURSES
Three courses at 3 credits each for 9 credits. Master’s students may also take doctoral level electives with permission of instructor.
HPMG 5201: Health Policy in the Delivery System (3)
This course focuses on the intersection between public health, policy, and politics. It provides an orientation to health policy, politics, and the policy in the U.S.
HPMG 5300: Health Care Finance (3)
This course will review basic principles of accounting and finance as well as how to understand basic financial reporting tools such as income statements and balance sheets. Students will learn the special features of health care finance—both the sources of funds coming into the health system as well as the micro allocation of costs within institutions and organizations.
HPMG 5301: Tools of Government (3)
This course will introduce students to how government functions, how laws get passed at both the state and federal levels, and the role of the court system.
HPMG 5302: Pharmaceuticals and the Health Care System (3)
This course will examine how the growth of pharmaceuticals impacts the health care budget and the ways in which disease is treated. The course will cover the pharmaceutical industry and its influence on the policy process, the path of drugs through the clinical trials and FDA process, and the ways in which drugs are marketed to physicians and the public.
HPMG 5303: Managing in Complex Organizations (3)
Hospitals and health systems are amongst the most complex of organizations. This course will look at how major institutions are managed, relations with boards and regulatory agencies, and the roles that a senior manager must play to run an effective organization. The course will be supplemented by guest lectures from senior managers of health institutions in the metro-area.
HPMG 5304: Health Care Reform (3)
This course will look at the options for health reform in the United States and what lessons can be learned from the experience of other countries. Proposals for reform from political candidates, health care trade and professional associations, and think tanks will be examined.
HPMG 5305: Organizational Change in Health Care (3)
Organizational Change in Health Care presents guidelines for improving the implementation of change in health care organizations. When hospitals and other healthcare organizations introduce new clinical and management practices, these efforts all too frequently result in poor compliance and incomplete implementation. Drawing on organization theory and health services research, this course will enable students to analyze some of the barriers to implementing change and apply methods designed to overcome these barriers.
Prerequisite: HPMG 5200, HPMG 5203.
HPMG 5310 (Formerly URBA 5502): Independent Study (1-3)
Independent study courses focus on a particular issue or set of issues related to a particular topic in public health. An Independent Study Program consists of assignments, research papers, clinical experiences and presentations submitted for academic credit. The student works closely with the professor(s) to determine the study focus and requirements.
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CULMINATING EXPERIENCE
All MPH students entering the program as of June 2009 must complete a 1-credit Field Experience and a 2-credit Culminating Experience.
All MPH students must complete a Culminating Experience.
PUBH 6500: Field Experience 1 credit
This course is an opportunity for students to apply the knowledge and skills learned in the classroom directly in a fieldwork experience. After completion of an online module on professionalism, the student will work at an approved external site, typically a local or state health agency or a local organization under the supervision of a public health professional. If a student is able to do a placement only in his or her regular place of employment, the assignment must extend beyond or be something other than his or her regular work duties and allow application of knowledge and skills learned in the classroom.
PUBH 6001: Culminating Experience 2 credit
The Culminating Experience allows the student to demonstrate the ability to integrate knowledge and skills in a Final Project similar to some aspect of practice as a public health professional. The faculty uses the Culminating Experience to judge whether the student demonstrates proficiency in the competencies required for public health practice.
PUBH 6000: Culminating Experience Planning Seminar 1 credit
For those who matriculated before June 2009, the CE Planning Seminar gives students an opportunity to create a plan for their Culminating Experience. The CE may take several forms based on the student’s academic interests, the track in which he/she is enrolled, and his/her plans after graduation.
Some examples of projects completed by MPH students are:
| A Free Nicotine Patch Distribution to Korean-American Smokers |
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene |
A Logistics Manual for a Community Glaucoma
Screening Program |
Dept. of Ophthalmology |
| A Qualitative Study of the Attitudes of Guyanese-American Men Towards Prostate Cancer Screening |
Shri Suryanarayan Mandir |
A Qualitative Study of the Effectiveness of a Heart Health
Educational Program for Chinese Americans in Manhattan's Chinatown |
Charles B. Wang Community Health Center |
A Report to the Community on the Health Status of
Young Women of Color in NYC |
Young Women of Color Coalition |
Building Public Health Capacity at a Church Through a
Parish Blood Drive |
Church of St. Savior |
| Creating a Health Resource Guide for Brooklyn Youth |
University Hospital of Brooklyn |
| Disaster Preparedness for the Pediatric Population: Planning an In-Hospital Triage System for New York City Hospitals |
Center for Biological Preparedness |
Effect of a Brief Educational Intervention on Inner-city
Patients with Hepatitis C |
Kings County Hospital Center, University Hospital of Brooklyn |
Establishing a Mobile Needle-Exchange Program:
Logistics and Client Education |
Positive Health Project |
| Health Education Seminars for Yemeni Immigrants |
Arab-American Family Support Center |
Identifying Predictors of Serostatus Disclosure in
an HIV-Treatment Population |
STAR Program |
| Nursing Factors Associated with Influenza Immunization of Inpatients |
University Hospital of Brooklyn |
Pilot program for Integration of HIV Treatment at HIV
Testing Sites in Addis Ababa. |
African Services Committee |
Promotion of Hepatitis C Screening in the Polish Community
of Greenpoint, Brooklyn |
NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
|
| Raising Awareness of Heart Disease in Orthodox Jewish Women |
Bikur Cholim (Guardians of the Sick)/N'shei Women's Groups |
Relationship Between Folic Acid Levels and Depressive Symptomatology
in NHANES (National Health And Nutrition Examination Survey) |
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Screening and Education for Hypertension at a Senior
Health Fair in Crown Heights |
Christopher Blenman Senior Center |
Trends in Cancer Screening in Asian-Pacific Islander Women:
An Analysis of NHIS (National Health Interview Survey) Data |
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