PHC6601
SeminarinContemporaryPublicHealthIssuesSyllabus
FallSemesterThursday,11:45AM‐1:40PM,accordingtoschedule
SpringSemester,Monday,11:45AM‐1:40PM,accordingtoschedule
Location:TBAperschedules
Credit:1credit
Description
Thiscourseisdesignedtoprovideaframeworkforstudentstointegrateavarietyof
publichealthtopics,issues,andskillsintoaculminatingexperiencefortheMPH
program.Thecourseisofferedfallandspringwithvariableonehoursessionsin
eachsemester.MPHstudentsarerequiredtoattend16contacthoursofthesessions
duringtheircourseofstudy,completeamajorpaperandapresentationduringthe
finalsemesteroftheprogram,developaportfolioofprofessionalaccomplishments,
andcompletetheMPHExitSurvey.Sincemanystudentsarenotoncampusduring
thefinalsemesterwhiletheyconducttheirinternships,itiswisetoattendall
sessionsofthiscourseearlyintheprogram.Seminarsessionsconsistofrequired
MPHprogramprofessionaldevelopmentsessionsandamixofseminarsofferedby
theCollegeofPublicHealthandHealthProfessionsanditsvariousdepartments..
Mostoftheprofessionaldevelopmentsessionsandalloftheinternshippreparation
sessionsarerequired.
Objectives
Uponcompletionofthiscourse,studentswillbeableto:
1. Explaintheinterrelationshipsamongthefivecoreareasofpublichealth;
2. Documentanddiscusspublichealthaccomplishments,including
achievementofMPHandconcentrationcompetencies;
3. Interactprofessionallywithfaculty,staff,andpeersinavarietyofformaland
informalsettings;and
4. Presentacompleteprojectundertakenduringtheinternshipinwrittenand
oral/posterpresentationform,thusstrengtheningcompetencein
communication.
Content
Seminarsessionsareofferedonprofessionaldevelopmenttopicsaswellas
contemporarypublichealthissues,withspecialemphasisonthreeinterdisciplinary
topicsconsideredessentialtothecontemporarypracticeofpublichealth:
 Communication:Theabilitytogive,solicitandreceiveoral,written,graphic,
andnumericalinformation,takingintoconsiderationtargetaudienceand
usingavarietyofmechanismsinbothformalandinformalsettings.
 Leadership:Theabilitytocreateandcommunicateasharedvisionfora
betterfuture,championsolutionstoorganizationalandcommunity
challengesandenergizecommitmenttogoals.
Revised 6/17/13

ProfessionalismandEthics:Theabilitytodemonstrateethicalchoices,values
andprofessionalpracticesimplicitinpublichealthdecisions,giving
considerationtotheeffectofchoicesoncommunitystewardship,equity,
socialjusticeandaccountability,aswellastocommittopersonaland
institutionaldevelopment.
SessionsareofferedontheroleofMPHandconcentrationcompetenciesinpublic
healtheducation,developingamajorpaperandpresentation,academicintegrity,
selectinganinternshipandspecialproject,InstitutionalReviewBoardrequirements
onresearchinvolvinghumansubjects,interviewingskills,andresumeconstruction.
Specificsessionsarerequiredofnewstudentsandothersessionsofstudentsinthe
semesterprecedingtheirinternships.Requiredsessionsareidentifiedonthe
seminarscheduleforeachsemester.
Inaddition,MPHstudentsinthefirstyear,includingstudentsinthecombined
bachelor’s/MPHprogram,arerequiredtoparticipateinthreespecialsessionsthat
involveinterprofessionallearninginhealth(IPLH).Eachofthethreesessions
countsfortwocontacthoursinPHC6601.Pleaseseetheattacheddocument,
InterprofessionalLearninginHealth,foradditionalinformation.
Requirements
ToreceiveagradeforPHC6601,studentsmustmeetthefollowingrequirements:
 Attendatleast16contacthoursfromseminarsessions,includingIPLH,
duringthecourseoftheMPHprogram
 Attendallrequiredseminarsessions
 Attend6PublicHealthDaypresentationsbyotherstudentsduringthe
semestersbeforetheirowninternships;atleast2sessionsinthestudent’s
ownconcentration
 PresentaSpecialProjectinwrittenandoralorposterformonPublicHealth
Day
 CompletetheMPHportfoliodocumentingaccomplishments,including
achievementofMPHandconcentrationcompetencies
 CompletetheonlineMPHExitSurvey
BehavioralExpectations
Studentsareexpectedtobehaveprofessionallythroughoutthiscourse.Examplesof
professionalbehaviorinclude:
 Participatingactivelyinthediscussionofthetopicafterthepresentation
 Registeringuponarrivalateachsession
 Beingontimeandstayinguntilclassisdismissed
 Turningoffcellphones,pagers,I‐pads,andlaptopsduringclass
Registration
StudentsregisterforonecreditofPHC6601duringthelastsemesterintheMPH
program.Eachstudent’sfacultyadvisorservesastheinstructorofrecord.
Revised 6/17/13
CommonReaderDiscussion
Earlyinthefallsemester,one2hourseminarisdevotedtodiscussionofabookof
publichealthsignificance.Studentswhoentertheprograminsummerorfall,
includingthoseinthebachelor’s/MPHcombinedprogram,areexpectedtoreadthe
bookandcomepreparedforthediscussion.Thebookisidentifiedinearlysummer
andallnewstudentsarenotified.Thissessionisahighlightofthefallsemester,
sincestudentsinallconcentrationsgettoknoweachotherandmanyofthefaculty
throughthisvenue.Lunchisalsoavailable!
MajorPaperandPresentations
Eachstudentdevelopsascholarlypaperbasedonaprojectundertakenaspartof
his/herinternship.Thepaperincludesanin‐depthdiscussionofthemannerin
whichallfiveofthecoredisciplinesandMPHcompetenciesareinvolvedinthe
project.Studentsareexpectedtousethisopportunitytodemonstratetheirmastery
ofthebroadfieldofpublichealth.Writtenreportsshouldbe15‐20singlespaced
pages,exclusiveofgraphicsandreferences.Thefacultyadvisormustapprovethe
majorpaperdraftthreeweeksbeforethestudentwillbescheduledfora
presentation.StudentsmustsubmittheirdraftsandfinalpapertotheAssignment
linkontheeLearningcoursesiteathttp://lss.at.ufl.edu.Thissubmissionwill
validatetheoriginalityofthepaper.Studentsshouldmakeallresubmissionsof
theirpaperviathissamelink.Specificguidelinesfordevelopingthepaperand
presentation,meetingwithfacultyadvisors,andevaluatingthepresentationare
distributedpriortocommencementoftheinternship(duringaPHC6601session).
AnoralorposterpresentationbasedonthepaperismadeduringaPublicHealth
Dayneartheendofthestudent’sfinalsemesterintheprogram.ThedatesofPublic
HealthDaysareannouncedatthebeginningofthesemester,andspecifictimesfor
eachpresentationarepostedtwoweeksinadvanceofthepresentations.Students
willselecttheirpreferredpresentationmethod–oralorposter‐‐one
calendarmonthbeforePublicHealthDay,andwillinformboththeirfaculty
advisorandtheMPHinternshipcoordinator.Theseoral/posterandwrittenreports
constitutetheculminatingexperienceandthefinalcomprehensiveexaminationfor
theMPHprogram.Awardsaremadeforhighscoringpresentationsbasedoncriteria
outlinedintheSpecialProjectAssessmentForm,whichwillbeusedtoassessboth
oralandposterpresentations.Studentsareexpectedtouploadtheir
presentation(powerpointorposter)andanabstractonedaypriortoPublic
Healthday.OnPublicHealthDaystudentsareexpectedtobringseveralcopies
oftheabstractwiththemfordistributiontotheaudience.
Fororalpresentations,eachstudentisallocated30minutes:20minutesforthe
formalpresentation,followedbya10minutequestionandanswerperiod.Students
whoconductposterpresentationswillbeassignedonehourtimeperiodduring
whichtheywillbeavailabletodiscusstheposterandthelargerprojectindetail
withfacultyandfellowstudents.Eachposterpresentershouldbepreparedto
provideabrief1‐2minutepresentationforfellowstudentsanda6minute
Revised 6/17/13
presentationforfacultyreviewers.Thetwopresentationmethodsrequireanumber
ofdifferentskills,thusseminarsessionsonvariouspresentationskillsarerequired
duringthesemesterbeforetheinternshipbegins.
AllstudentsandpreceptorsareinvitedtoattendPublicHealthDay.Twofaculty
memberswillattendeachoralorposterpresentationandprovidefeedbacktothe
studentandfacultyadvisor.
ContentofPaperandPresentation
Thewrittenandoral/posterreportsshouldincludethefollowingcontentas
appropriatetothetopic:
Background
 Summaryofcriticalliterature
 Rationaleand/orneedfortheproject
 Objectivesorspecificaims
Descriptionofmethods
 Hypotheses
 Specificidentificationofmethodsusedinneedsassessments,policyanalysis,
epidemiologicalanalysis,financialmanagement,programplanning,
evaluation,etc.,notinghowmethodsofconcentrationsotherthanyourown
wereused
 Justificationofmethods
 Stakeholderinvolvement,asappropriate
Results
 Descriptionoffindings/outcomes
 Relationshipoffindingstoobjectives,aims,orhypotheses
 Appropriateuseoftables,charts,andothergraphics
 Interpretationoffindings
Discussion
 Relationshipoffindingstoliteraturecitedinthesummaryofcritical
literature
 Strengthsandlimitations
 Generalizability
Implications
 Implicationsforresearchand/orpractice
 Relationshipofthisprojecttotheinternshipexperience
 MPHandconcentrationcompetenciesstrengthenedbythisproject
 Lessonslearnedfromthisproject/recommendationsforfutureprojects
Revised 6/17/13
Twofacultymembersrepresentingdifferentconcentrationsassessthequalityofthe
content.Ingeneral,theprojectitselfshoulddemonstrateyourabilitytoapplyoneor
moreofyourconcentrationcompetencies.YourabilitytointegratetheMPHcore
competenciesshouldbeevidentthroughoutthepaperandpresentation.For
example,aprojectmayinvolvebiostatisticalanalysisandanepidemiological
researchdesigntoproduceresultsthatwillinformpolicydecisions.
BeforePublicHealthDays,studentsaregivenopportunitiestopracticetheir
presentations.Theyreceivefeedbackonthecontentaswellaspresentationstyle
anddeliverymethods.
Studentsareexpectedtoconsultregularlywiththeirfacultyadvisorsand
preceptorsastheydeveloptheirreports.Ataminimum,studentsshouldhavea
meetingwiththefacultyatmid‐termtoevaluateprogressanddecideonsubsequent
meetings.
Faculty
GuestexpertsandfacultyoftheMPHprogram,theCollegeofPublicHealthand
HealthProfessions,andotherHealthScienceCentercollegesatUFcontributetothe
seminarsessions.Studentsmayalsoearncreditforseminarspresentedthrough
departmentalseminarsessions,theDistinguishedScholarLectureSeries,andthe
keynoteaddressonPHHPResearchDayintheSpring.
Portfolio
TheMPHPortfolioservesas:1)aguidetoself‐assessmentofachievementofthe
MPHandconcentration‐specificcompetencies,and2)acompendiumofdocuments
thatdemonstrateaccomplishmentsduringtheMPHprogram.Keyelementsinclude:
 TablestrackingaccomplishmentofMPHcoreandconcentration‐specific
competencies
 ACVand/oraresume
 Writingsamplesfromcourses
 SpecialProjectreportandpowerpointorposterpresentation
Studentsmayalsoidentifyothermaterialstheywouldliketohaveavailablefor
potentialemployers.Seehttp://mph.ufl.edu/internship/mph‐portfolio/for
additionalinformationandguidanceregardingMPHPortfolios.
ExitSurvey
Asafinalcourserequirement,graduatingstudentscompletetheonlineMPHExit
Survey.Studentsareexpectedtocompletethesurveyimmediatelyaftertheir
presentationsonPHDay.TheExitSurveyprovidesstudentstheopportunityto
documentthestrengthsoftheMPHProgramandgivesuggestionsforimprovement.
Thisinformationisveryimportanttocontinuousimprovementofthequalityand
effectivenessoftheprogram.
Revised 6/17/13
Grading
ThecourseusesthestandardlettergradeformatoftheUniversityofFlorida.In
ordertoreceiveagradeforthecourse,studentsMUSTmeetallrequirements
identifiedabove.Alettergradeisderivedfromparticipationin16contacthoursof
seminars(includingallrequiredseminars),attendanceat6PublicHealthDay
presentationspriortothesemesterinwhichtheypresent,completionoftheMPH
Portfolio,submissionofaspecialprojectpaper(60%),completionofanoral/poster
presentation(30%),andattentiontoguidancefromfacultyadvisorandpreceptor
(10%).
SchedulesarepostedontheMPHWebsitepriortothebeginningofeachsemester.
AccommodationsforStudentswithDisabilities
Toobtainacademicaccommodations,firstregisterwiththeDeanofStudents’Office.
TheDeanofStudents’Officewillprovidedocumentationtobegiventothecourse
instructoratthetimeyourequesttheaccommodation.TheCollegeiscommittedto
providingreasonableaccommodationstoassiststudents’coursework.
AcademicIntegrity/HonestyStatement
StudentsareexpectedtoactinaccordancewiththeUniversityofFloridaHonor
Code,whichrecognizesthatacademichonestyandintegrityarefundamentalvalues
oftheUniversitycommunity.Cheatingorplagiarisminanyformisnotacceptable.
CounselingandStudentHealth
Studentsmayoccasionallyhavepersonalissuesthatariseinthecourseofpursuing
highereducationorthatmayinterferewiththeiracademicperformance.Ifyoufind
yourselffacingproblemsaffectingyourcoursework,youareencouragedtotalkwith
aninstructorandtoseekconfidentialassistanceattheUFCounseling&Wellness
Center,352‐392‐1575.Visittheirwebsiteformoreinformation:
http://www.counseling.ufl.edu/.
TheStudentHealthCareCenteratShandsisasatelliteclinicofthemainStudent
HealthCareCenterlocatedonFletcherDriveoncampus.StudentHealthatShands
offersavarietyofclinicalservices,includingprimarycare,women'shealthcare,
immunizations,mentalhealthcare,andpharmacyservices.Theclinicislocatedon
thesecondflooroftheDentalTowerintheHealthScienceCenter.Formore
information,contacttheclinicat392‐0627orcheckoutthewebsiteat:
www.health.ufl.edu/shcc
Crisisinterventionisalwaysavailable24/7from:
AlachuaCountyCrisisCenter:(352)264‐6789.
BUT–Donotwaituntilyoureachacrisistocomeinandtalkwithus.Wehave
helpedmanystudentsthroughstressfulsituationsimpactingtheiracademic
performance.Youarenotalonesodonotbeafraidtoaskforassistance.
Revised 6/17/13