Courses

All courses carry 3 credits unless otherwise specified.

505 Current Issues in Health Education
Overview of health education principles in the context of legislative and public policy considerations, substance abuse, sexually transmitted infections, nutrition, and the health concerns of youth, women, and the aged.

507 Violence as a Public Health Issue
This course provides students with a graduate-level survey introduction to the issues of violence and the public health concerns associated with its presence in our society. It will primarily address violence in a domestic context, though some international examples will be discussed.

524 Introduction to Health Politics and Policy
Examines the determinants of health politics and policy in the U.S., including decisions and non-decisions made by institutional and political actors at all levels of government and by private sector actors.

525 Ethical Issues in Public Health
C. Everett Koop, former Surgeon General of the US famouslyonce said "Anything we can do to stop smoking is good" The course explores the meaning of this "anything" in public health practice. A guiding question will be " what are the ethical limits in proteching the pualbic's health?" While we won't be solving all the ethical issues that confronts practitoners, we will raise questions about ethical public health practice.

580 Comparative Health Systems
The health care organizations of various countries; an analysis of their qualities to highlight advantages to the public policy makers.

582 Women’s Health and Family Planning
The interface of social and clinical issues, health policy, research, and community health education in the area of women’s health across the lifespan. Also open to seniors from the Five Colleges.

583 Global Health
Introduction to major health issues in developing world, factors which affect health status, models for tackling these problems, and the role of industrialized countries in improving global health. Students explore major causes of morbidity and mortality and explore strategies to improve health.

590A Substance Abuse and Public Health
Substance Abuse and limited treatment resources are becoming a major public health issue. Helping people unpack the psychological component to substance use and connecting people to the right services is very crucial to sustained recovery. This course will focus on the biological, psychological, and sociological theories behind drug abuse. We will discuss all prescription pain and anxiety medications that are available on the market, how they work in the body, prevalence of prescribing, and risks for overdose and the misuse and abuse of these medications. We will also discuss all illicit drugs and there effect on people and families. Lastly, we will discuss the phenomena known as doctor shopping, non-traditional settings where abuse is taking place, non-pharmacological strategies to help people decrease use of prescription and illicit drugs and how to tailor intervention strategies to fit the needs of the target population.

590B The Social and Political Economy of Health Inequalities
The focus of this course is to learn how economic, political and social policies produce health inequities. We analyze domestic and international policies through theories of political economy and how they have produced inequities among racial/ethnic, class, gender, and sexual minorities. More importantly, as future public health practitioners, healthcare providers, and community organizers, having some familiarity with the health implications of social and economic policy will allow students to create primary prevention strategies and structural interventions.

590F Food Insecurity, Climate Change, and Women's Resilience in the Developing World
Climate change, extractive economies of scale, and population shifts are compounding the collapse of biocultural diversity around the world. Rural communities in developing countries are increasingly vulnerable: the loss of natural resources upon which these communities rely so closely, and the erosion of traditional ecological knowledge are threatening their food and water security. The course is of value to students interested in the intersection of health, development, gender, climate change and natural resource management.

590M Mass Incarceration and Public Health
In this course, we will examine the U.S. system of mass incarceration at the intersection of extreme raters of imprisonment; civil, health, and human rights violations; legalized discrimination; and privatization of corrections-related industries and services.

590P Substance Abuse and Public Health
An interdisciplinary analysis of contemporary drug issues and problems. The course will examine physiological, social, philosophical, historical, legal, and health aspects of drug use and abuse.

590S Suicide and Suicide Prevention from Multiple Perspectives
In the United States, suicide is one of the leading causes of death, and represents a health disparity for particular populations such as young Indigenous and older white men. Despite growing attention to the issue in recent years, suicide has been difficult to prevent or reduce in the United States. This 3-credit suicide prevention course is experiential, and designed to provide students from a variety of disciplines with a working knowledge of a range of meanings associated with the act of suicide at various historical periods and in different disciplinary and cultural contexts. These perspectives will provide a critical lens to consider current North American suicide prevention strategies, and to explore a myriad of ways to go about preventing suicide as a public health and social justice issue.

590S History of National Health Reform in the United States
This course is examines the history of national health reform in the United States beginning in 1915 and ending with the passage of the Affordable Care Act in 2009. The course will help students to learn about current health politics, the policymaking process, and prepare them to be active participants in the policy process.

590W Public Health and Literature
This course considers what value do creative works have for advancing public health. Inspired by the concepts of narrative medicine and medical humanism, we will encournter a range of creative texts (e.g., contemporary literary novels, memoirs, film) as paired with scientific and investigative writings to reflect on how creative representations can create and support population health. We will relate life course theory, the social determinants of health, and the intersection of medicine and public health to several of today's critical health issues including: the long-term health and social effects of childhood adversity; race, ethnicity, and health within the context of historical traumas; geospatial aspects of health epidemics; poverty, chronic pain, and substance abuse; social justice and global health; and the ethics of technological innovations for prolonging life. Readings will include literary works by Don DeLillo, Mary Karr, Emily St. John Mandel, DBC Pierre, and Colson Whitehead, as well as physician memoirs and other writings featuring Edwidge Danticat, Paul Farmer, Atul Gawande, Steven Johnson, Michael Marmot, and Sam Quinones. A primary goal will be to consider these questions: What are the social-ecological conditions that create poor health? How might public health partner with the humanities to promote population health and wellness?

591P Career Planning and Professional Development
This course is divided into three areas: 1. Career Self-Assessment - how personal interest areas and skill sets match niche occupations or organizations within the broad field of public health. 2. Thorough job searching skills- including but not limited to the art of networking, utilization of social media platforms and successful resume and cover letter writing. 3. Collaborative environment- students are expected to provide support to one another, share outside resources and partake in the facilitation of knowledge.

601 Application of Social and Behavioral Theories in Public Health Interventions
Methods and approaches to community health. Family, school, and community dimensions and potentials. Types and use of various methods leading to community action. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.

602 Community Development and Health Education
Latest approaches in community development and community organization procedures. Exploratory readings, field assignments; emphasis on leadership development and coordinated community action.

603 Principles of Group Dynamics in Public Health
Review of group process roles and responsibilities of public health professionals. Group dynamics, principles related to theories and concepts underlying public health community programs.

606 Health Impact Assessment
Health impact assessment (HIA) is a powerful methodology that can be used to promote health and health equity in policies and decision-making. This course will introduce students to HIA methodology and how HIAs can be utilized to promote health in all policies. Students will learn the specific steps of HIA and how it has been applied in the U.S. and internationally. Key concepts of social determinants of health and health equity will be discussed as underlying tenets inherent in the HIA process. The course will involve a hands-on practice based component in which students will conduct a specific step(s) of an HIA being conducted in Massachusetts.

608 Communication Theory Applied to Health Education
Review of communication sources, channels, messages, reception, and effects, diffusion of health information, adoption of preventive health behavior, and mass media and social change patterns.

615 Policy and Politics of AIDS
The political and policy challenges faced by public health professionals in educating the public and preventing the spread of HIV.

620 Introduction to the U.S. Health Care System
The organization, finance, and delivery of health care in the U.S. Examines the role of government in financing care, maintaining quality, the relationship between health policy and politics, historical forces that have shaped our health care system, and contemporary issues and controversies.

621 Health Care Organization and Administration
The theory of organization and management applied to health care organizations. Analysis of management functions. Interrelationship between health institutions, their surrounding communities, and government.

622 Program Evaluation in Health Administration
Concepts of program evaluation and their application to the health field. Emphasis on theoretical concepts and their application to development of practical skills in program evaluation.

624 Research Methods in Health Services Administration
Major methodologies useful in health research. Topics include philosophy of scientific investigation, field research, participant, survey research, experimental design, construction of questionnaires, and attitudes scales; and for writing a research prospectus.

625 Hospital Administration
History, types, and organizational structure of hospitals in the U.S. Discussions and case studies on the major operating divisions, their functions and relationships. Prerequisites: PUBHLTH 620 and 621.

627 Long Term Care, Policy and Management
The impact of aging, chronic disease, disability, and dependency on the organization and delivery of long-term care services. Management issues and current research in long-term care. Prerequisites: PUBHLTH 620 and 621.

628 Financial Management of Health Institutions
The fundamental tools for management control and decision making in health care organizations. The budgeting and financial management process. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 620.

629 Politics of Tobacco Control in the United States
The practical problems of controlling tobacco use in the United States. The politics of developing and implementing federal, state, and local tobacco control policies.

632 Social Justice and Public Health
Social justice is an integral part of public health but what exactly is social justice and how can the public health professional bring this concept into daily practice? This course is about the intersection of public health and social justice. We will concentrate on the meaning of social justice and how it is applicable to the public health professional. The course is roughly divided into three sections.  First we will look at the philosophical underpinnings of social justice using classical and contemporary theorists. Second, we will see how social injustice affects various populations. Public health is concerned with populations, but different population groups may be affected differently and we look at the elderly, minorities, the poor, and other groups through a social justice perspective. We will also address topic-based areas such as nutrition, violence, and infectious diseases.  Third, we will investigate a theory of social justice as a foundation for public health practice. Critical reading, philosophical analysis and group discussion is emphasized.

646 Technology and Public Health
Electronic health (eHealth) and mobile health (mHealth) technologies are transforming healthcare and public health research and practice.  The course will provide a broad foundation of knowledge about teachnology in the field of public health, with specific modules on (1) health and healthcare IT; (2) eHealth and mHealth tools for disease/injury surveillance, intervention and advocacy; and (3) technology-related public health challenges. Throughout the course, we will consider the public policies and initiatives that support and hinder eHealth and mHealth and the implications for health care research and services provision.  This course will also address the ethical issues raised by using digital technologies.  This course is appropriate for graduate students seeking to work in the healthcare and public health fields.

690J Community-Based Participatory Research in Achieving Health Equity
This course examines Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) as an approach to research to understand and address health inequities at the community level. Through class discussions and assignments, students become familiar with the approach, developing methodology, and the ethical and professional challenges posed by CBPR. Students have the opportunity to critique published CBPR studies, and propose and present a CBPR plan for a health inequity within a community. This course prepares students to conduct meaningful, equitable research within communities characterized by health inequities.

690M Introduction to the US Mental Health System
This Introductory mental health course provides and overview of mental health disorders and associated disease burden and risk factors, and also describes the current configuration of the US mental helath industry including associated facilities and providers and best practice methods to tret mental health disorders.  This course then emplhasizes the importance of public health interventions to supplement existing treatment modalities in order to address mental health disease burden and associated risk factors.

690P Health Policy in the United States
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the policy environment that influences and shapes public health and the provision of health care services, to enhance understanding of the historical and political context of health policy, to develop strategies for analysis of health policy issues, and to communicate effectively in the policy environment.

690V Improving Value in Health
This course examines value in the US healthcare delivery system.  By introducing value as a concept we take on the issue of how to improve outcomes and the cost of healthcare delivery.  We will think about how to measure value and understand the various stakeholder perspectives of value.  We will examine ways to improve the value of healthcare delivery from the perspective of health systems, providers and policy makers.  The notions of improvement, innovation and reliablility to improve value will be core concepts discussed.

691D Maternal and Child Health Policy
This course is designed to introduce students to a maternal and child public health perspective, which is focused on identifying and meeting the needs of women, infants, children, adolescents, and families. We will examine problems, programs, and policies related to these populations, with an emphasis on the United States. This course will use the life course perspective to examine how social, economic, and political context affect health and development over a lifetime. We will investigate select current topics in-depth (such as infant mortality, contraception, maternity care, and asthma), as well as cross-cutting issues such as the impact of racism and poverty on the health of families.

696D Special Problems in Public Health
Special investigational or research problems for M.P.H. candidates or advanced students. Scope of the work can be varied to meet specified conditions. Credit, 3-6.

698 Practicum
Opportunity for supervised field observation to gain practice experience in selected public health agencies.

699 Master’s Thesis (M.S. candidates only)
Independent research leading to a thesis on a public health subject. Results should be suitable for publication. Credit, 6-12.

702 Advanced Methods in Health Education
Health education efforts that have influenced community health. Individual study, programming and research methods. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 601. Credit, 1.

704 Planning in Community Health Education
Foundation for program planning in community health education and other public health areas. Provides basic planning principles, processes, and methods. A multi-disciplinary approach integrating the use of theory and practice.

708 Research Methods in Community Health Education
Logic and techniques of research methods applied to health education. Emphasis on formulating research problems; developing research designs; collecting, analyzing, and reporting data relating to solving community health problems.

722 Managed Care Planning
Organization and delivery of prepaid health services. Policy, management, clinical, and philosophical issues. Development of analytic and technical skills emphasized. Prerequisite: PUBHLTH 620 or 621.

726 Health Economics and Reimbursement
Concepts and theoretical basis for economic analysis of the health-care sector. Application of these concepts to health administration. Prerequisites: basic course in economics, PUBHLTH 620.

780 Public Health Law
Constitutional and social bases for public health law. Development of statutes and regulations and their effects on social problems, including review of court decisions and preparation of administrative regulations.

796 Independent Study

797 Special Problems

800A Advanced Research Topics in Health Policy
The course will provide graduate students with advanced quantitative research methods in health services. Students will learn how to develop a research proposal, conduct secondary data analysis and prepare a manuscript for publication.

891 Research Seminar
Research seminar for doctoral candidates. Credit, 1-6.

899 Doctoral Dissertation
Credit, 18.