Course Descriptions

Courses numbered 1000-1999 are open to freshmen; 2000-2999 to sophomores; 3000-3999 to juniors; 4000-4999 to seniors. It is recommended that students elect courses in the years for which they are listed. Freshmen will be admitted to courses above the 2000 level only with the consent of the instructor and the student’s advisor. Juniors and seniors taking freshman courses may be expected to do additional work. Any course above 4999 is a graduate course.

NOTE:
The number in parentheses following the course title indicates the semester hours of credit assigned to the course.
An H following the course number indicates an honors level course.

GPHT 5150
Foundations of Public and Global Health [Course] (4)
This course will introduce you the big-picture population perspective of the determinants of health and disease and the tools available to protect and promote health. It will explore the full range of options for intervention including the use of the healthcare system, the public health system and society-wide systems. The student will discover the origins and development of the modern public health system; the relationship of public health to the overall health system; how the system is organized at the federal, state, and local levels; its core functions and how well these are currently being addressed. Population health is an important way of looking at the world, whether you are going into public health as a profession, a clinically oriented health profession, law, international affairs, or a range of other professions. Students will learn through case-studies, example, and vignettes. This course is about providing the student with frameworks for learning and applying these frameworks to real situations and thought-provoking scenarios. Why are some people in some countries so much healthier than others? This course will explore the factors that explain the unequal distribution of health and disease in the world. The course will begin with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost-effectiveness, and health systems. It will then analyze the rationale for and modes of intervention to improve global health by exploring a number of high-profile topics, including the HIV/AIDS epidemic, access to pharmaceuticals, human resources for health, and maternal and child health.

GPHT 5450
Health Care Organizations and Financial Management [Course] (4)
This course introduces the history and evolution of our health care system. The structure and function of healthcare organizations, internally and with one another, is examined in depth. A systems approach to administration and management is covered within the health care context. The organization of health services is reviewed with an overview of the interaction among, the integration of, the major health care subsystems: primary; secondary; tertiary; long-term; palliative; special populations/disorders. Delivering health care in a systematic and integrated framework is stressed throughout the course. The structure and function of the healthcare finance system in the United States is reviewed, and students study the various sources of funding, both private and public, as they flow through third-party payers to the care providers/facilities. The course approaches finance within individual health care organizations from a managerial framework by focusing on decision-making that is driven by management functions. The unique aspects of healthcare and non-profit financing are also major themes of the course. Pre-req or concurrent course: GPHT 5150

GPHT 5900
Behavioral Epidemiology & Health Behavior Theory [Course] (4)
This course will explore how we study health in relation to behaviors. The focus will be on how the principles of human behavior can be applied to public health. Using epidemiology then to assess and study these behaviors and their outcomes can allow researchers to obtain qualifiable data. Data can then be used to develop a program or initiative. Students will explore complexities of such studies, ways to minimize these complexities, and how to use this knowledge to prevent and control disease in human populations. Pre-req or concurrent course: GPHT 5150

GPHT 5950
Independent Study [Course] (1 - 4)
Under the guidance of a professor, the student pursues independent research in a specific topic.

GPHT 6100
Public Health Emergency Preparedness & Response to Disasters [Course] (4)
This course deals with the specialized issues associated with the emergency response — those issues that are not commonplace or part of the everyday procedure. Topics include emergency medical services in mass casualty, biological chemical and radiological incidents. The course also covers unique topics in emergency medical services, to include the employment of services in complex contingencies, such as those faced when fire, police, terrorist, and other emergencies co-exist with the need to provide medical services on-scene and post-disaster. This course is designed to give students an opportunity to look beyond day-to-day issues of public health and safety and explore unusual response situations. It will cover overall disaster response and the operational problems that confront responders at every disaster scene. The issues that arise when caring for large numbers of victims will be discussed. In this age of terrorist threats, we will discuss the unique aspects of the response to scenes involving weapons of mass destruction, including chemical, biological and radiological events. Perhaps most importantly, students will have the opportunity to learn through the use of actual case studies. Pre-req or concurrent course: GPHT 5150

GPHT 6400
Statistical Methods in Epidemiologic Research [Course] (4)
Biostatistics is an innovative field that involves the design, analysis, and interpretation of data for studies in public health and medicine. Biostatistics experts arrive at conclusions about disease and health risks by evaluating and applying mathematical and statistical formulas to the factors that impact health. This course provides an introduction to selected important topics in biostatistical concepts and reasoning. This course represents an introduction to the field and provides a survey of data and data types. Specific topics include tools for describing central tendency and variability in data; methods for performing inference on population means and proportions via sample data; statistical hypothesis testing and its application to group comparisons; issues of power and sample size in study designs; and random sample and other study types. While there are some formulae and computational elements to the course, the emphasis is on interpretation and concepts. Pre-req or concurrent course: GPHT 5150