DrPH Course Descriptions
BIOS 7200: Quantitative Research Methods for Public Health Practice
This doctoral course is designed to illustrate mastery of concepts and proficiency in the principles of epidemiologyand biostatistics used for public health research. By the end of the course the successful student should have attained a sound understanding of these methods and a solid foundation for further study.
PUBH 7201: Study Design in Public Health
Study Design in Public Health Practice provides a review of methodology for conducting research in public health. We will cover both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. At the end of the course, students will demonstrate understanding of all major types of study designs used in public health research, and will have a working knowledge of how to identify and address potential biasing and confounding factors. We will also cover methodology important for the implementation of studies, including questionnaire design and measurement.
HPMG 7200: Public Health Management and Ethics
The Institute of Medicine has called for a public health leadership that "defines vision, focuses effort, optimizes resources, builds and sustains systems, facilitates communication and learning, fosters productive relationships and attends to success, planning, and knowledge transfer." This seminar seeks to equip students with these public health management and ethical skills across a wide range of practice settings. Emphasis will be given to cross-disciplinary approaches to addressing and resolving public health problems through the development of key management and leadership skills. Special attention is given to ethical considerations in strategic planning, decision-making and problem solving, and the requirements governing the conduct of human research. Course content will be a mix of case studies and in-class presentations from students and invited guests.
PUBH 7200: Public Health Policy and Politics Seminar
This course will go beyond the basics of health policy (actors, processes, etc.), and require students to apply their knowledge of the framework of the American health care system toward the end of evaluating contemporary developments. Students will analyze different models of reform, and discover how the health care system comes to reflect the values prioritized by a given nation. The course will explore in systematic fashion how local, state, and federal bodies work in concert to collectively comprise what we call the American health care system, as well as the ways in which actors fail to work together--uncovering the 'asystematic' aspects of our country's arrangements in the arena of health care. Students will also learn how health care providers, specifically, relate to the broader system, and some of the ways in which they can hope to effect change.
CHSC 7201: Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health Practice
This course offers advanced training in qualitative methods and analysis. Students will explore a range of qualitative research methods, including participant observation, unobtrusive methods, in-depth interviewing, and focus groups. They will carry out hands-on observation and interviewing during the course and will receive feedback from the instructor and other class participants. Research design issues will be discussed along with the use of qualitative data for health education theory building and program planning. Readings draw on different methodological guidelines, including Grounded Theory approaches.
CHSC 7202: Methods of Community Intervention and Research
Active academic and community partnerships are vital for improvements in community health and for reducing health-related disparities. This course will review key methods for engaging in community-based research, will involve students in active discussion and debate regarding current issues in the conduct of community-based research, and will provide an interdisciplinary perspective on how these approaches are applied across public health disciplines.
CHSC 7203: Program Evaluation: Theory, Practice, and Research
This course focuses on the application of program evaluation models and approaches. Addresses formative and summative evaluation strategies for health promotion programs, and incorporates decision-making surrounding the use of quantitative and qualitative methods of assessment. Examines the planning of evaluation, construction of instruments and strategies of measurement, and methods of effective data collection, management, and analysis.
CHSC 7204: Health Promotion Seminar
This course is an in-depth exploration of topics and issues related to the design and conduct of health promotion programs and accompanying evaluations, with a focus on programs that seek to address disparities in health outcomes and public resource allocation. Students will develop expertise on a specified topic of interest, will develop a detailed multi-level analysis of a specific risk factor, and will critically analyze the evidence-base for programs designed to reduce identified risk factors.
EOHS 7202: Advanced Topics in Risk Assessment and Management
This course reviews the core foundations of risk assessment including hazard identification, dose response, exposure assessment, and risk characterization and provides practical experience in the study of risk management. Students will have the opportunity to explore ethical challenges to public health practitioners in the field. Specific case studies will focus on risk management and communication issues in urban and immigrant populations.
EOHS 7203: Environmental Health Policy and Management Systems
This course examines the social, political, and legal foundations of the policy and management of current environmental health issues. This course focuses on environmental and occupational health laws, regulations, and guidance concerning air and water pollution, pesticide and toxic chemical manufacture and use, worker protection, disposal of solid and hazardous wastes, and worker and community right-to-know issues. Students will gain an understanding of existing occupational and environmental health management systems and regulatory requirements. Through structured assignments and presentations students will assess local and international environmental and occupational health issues, environmental justice, workers compensation laws, and state/federal agencies in a systems framework.
EOHS 7206: Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
This course provides an overview of current topics and controversies in environmental and occupational epidemiology. Students will gain familiarity with research techniques in this area, capacity to evaluate current research in environmental and occupational epidemiology that is relevant to public health practice and policy, and experience analyzing epidemiologic data focused on environmental and occupational exposures. There will be an emphasis on discussion of research topics and techniques based upon examination of published papers in the field, both historical and current.
EOHS 7300: Advanced Topics in Occupational Health
This doctoral course focuses on the advanced analysis of key current issues in occupational health, including limitations in current systems of injury reporting, proposals to revise the Occupational Safety and Health Act and the Mine Safety and Health Act and their regulations, the effectiveness of participatory action research methods, the effectiveness of behavioral safety programs, and the impact of a stressful work organization on risk of injury and disease. Students will also apply the basic methods of occupational epidemiology to the identification of occupational hazards and associated health effects. This course is designed for those pursuing leadership positions in occupational health or in closely allied fields.
EPID 7201: Advanced Epidemiological Research Methods I
Students in this course will learn to identify and distinguish common research designs used in epidemiology, including cross-sectional studies, case-control studies, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, quasi-experiments and natural experiments, and randomized controlled trials. Students will also learn to distinguish between individual-level data and ecological data. Students will learn to calculate measures of association and excess and attributable risk. Students will evaluate the internal and external validities of published peer-reviewed studies, and apply the epidemiological theories of causal inference. Students will learn how to identify suitable datasets for answering specific research questions and to navigate the codebooks for real datasets. Students will learn to evaluate the adherence of epidemiology studies to the ethical principles of human subjects research. Wherever possible, this course will use examples of studies of urban and immigrant health, including health disparities and asset-based approaches to health.
EPID 7202: Advanced Epidemiological Research Methods II
This course teaches doctoral students to apply epidemiology methodology to original research using observational data, following the intermediate methods covered in EPID 7201. Preliminary to using data, students will learn to clean and manage datasets in a statistical package. Students will apply statistical methods to binary outcomes including the linear probability model, logistic regression for rare binary outcomes, and Poisson or negative binomial regression for common binary outcomes. Students will also apply linear regression for continuous outcomes, logistic regression for binomial outcomes, and Poisson regression for count outcomes. Students will also analyze data from complex survey designs that include stratification, clustering, unequal probabilities of selection, and post-stratification weights. Students will learn how to use longitudinal data for temporal ordering. Students will learn to communicate the results of peer-reviewed papers using research designs and statistical methods that may permit causal inference, including randomized experiments; propensity score matching methods including Mahalanobis matching and full matching; and quasi-experimental methods including instrumental variable analysis, regression discontinuity, interrupted time-series, and differences-in-differences. Doctoral students will apply propensity score matching methods to their research question and prepare an abstract summarizing their research for submission to a research conference.
BIOS 7203: Advanced Applied Regression Analysis
This course will teach how to apply regression methods, ranging from simple linear to Poisson, to public health, epidemiologic, and clinical datasets using SAS and STATA statistical software. Topics covered will include simple linear regression (continuous, categorical), confidence intervals for slope and predicted mean response, regression diagnostics, data transformations; testing for deviations from linearity, polynomial regression, weighted regression, use of the matrix method for estimating regression parameters, the calculus behind the least squares method; multiple linear regression (2 continuous predictors, 1 continuous and 1 categorical predictor, multiple predictors, evaluation of interactions, comparison of regression line slopes); analysis of variance (ANOVA) vs regression (1-way ANOVA, 2-way ANOVA, randomized block ANOVA, dealing with missing data), analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) with independent covariate, baseline covariate, 2 and covariates; unconditional and conditional logistic regression; proportional hazards regression (cohort studied and clinical trials), Poisson regression, and nonparametric regression. Students will apply regression analysis techniques to real-world data in structured exercises.
EPID 7205: Outbreak Investigation and Management
This course is an introduction to infectious disease outbreaks and their management for DrPH students interested in the epidemiology of outbreaks and management of public health emergencies. Students will learn about past and modern outbreaks, and explore the skillsets needed and challenges faced by outbreak investigators, to disrupt transmission and prevent future outbreaks. Information from case studies and popular media is used to apply knowledge to real-life and simulated scenarios. Students will learn how a systematic approach to outbreak management takes place; to analyze and interpret, epidemic curves, line lists, and related data; to develop critical thinking about challenges including the spread of misinformation; set up strategies for effective communication and collaboration with stakeholders across organizational levels; identify and deploy measures, guidelines, data collection, and SOPs.
In addition to the required foundational and concentration core courses, students select 4 elective courses that align with their professional goals. These electives may include concentration core courses from another doctoral concentration area or electives from any of the doctoral concentrations. Students must meet with their program advisor to discuss elective courses and to ensure that all prerequisites are met prior to course enrollments.