University of Pennsylvania
Graduate Program in Public Health
MPH Degree Program
Course Syllabus – Spring 2011
Title: PUBH 506 - Methods for Public Health Practice
Course Units: 1.0 c.u.
Course Description: This is a course designed around modules whose objective is to provide
students with greater familiarity in a range of methods essential to public health practice. The
course will be framed around an in depth capacity and needs assessment and community public
health planning in Philadelphia. Topics covered will include data collection and evaluation, both
quantitative and qualitative, uses of informatics in public health, analysis of vital statistics,
working with communities, methods for developing and facilitating solutions to public health
problems, including concepts of advocacy and policy formation and development of
interventions. The course demonstrates how core public health competency areas in data analysis
and communication provide foundations for applications for both practice and practice-based
research.
Placement / Room Assignments:
Tuesday, 5:00 – 8:00 PM
Blockley, Room 701
Course Director:
Heather Klusaritz, MSW
heather.klusaritz@uphs.upenn.edu **PREFERRED METHOD OF CONTACT **
Phone: 267-235-4732
Office Hours: By Appointment
Teaching Assistant: Carly Chornobil, MPH
carlyc@mail.med.upenn.edu
Phone 267-217-2270
Pre-requisites: This course is open to matriculated MPH students only
Co-requisites: None.
Course Objectives:
Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:
1. Integrate and apply of public health concepts into methods and practice.
2. Acquire qualitative and quantitative skills for use in research and systems approaches to
health problems.
3. Develop ability to assess the public health needs of communities and make evidencebased decisions to evaluate the delivery of health services and programs.
4. Cultivate skills in the formation of collaborative partnerships and linkages to enhance the
impact and sustainability of public health programs, practice, and research.
5. Complement the overview provided by PUBH 500 as well as the capstone’s hands-on
approach to evidence-based public health.
Course Requirements & Expectations: In this seminar course, learning is dependent upon
student involvement. A variety of teaching methods will be incorporated including lectures,
guest presentations, journal club discussion, and lab-based learning. Students are expected to
read widely from the reading assignments before each class session and to participate actively in
class discussions. Attendance and participation are noted. Students should notify the instructor
about planned absences in advance by telephone or e-mail and learn what work is needed to
make up the missed material. Students whose performance is minimal or failing at midterm will
be notified in writing.
A. What is Expected of You
1. Come to class prepared, having read and thought about the assigned readings
prior to each class;
2. Participate actively and relevantly in class discussions and experiential exercises;
3. Submit written assignments on time;
4. Demonstrate an integration of theory, research and practice skills;
5. The use of phones and laptops is not permitted in class.
B. Attendance Policy
Classroom learning is a fundamental component of your professional education. Students
are, therefore, expected to attend each class, arrive at class on time, and be in attendance
for the full class. In the event that you are unable to attend class for any reason, you must
notify your instructor in advance and learn how you are to make up the content you
missed. Missing more than two classes could result in failing the course.
C. The Bases for Evaluating your Work
1. Quality of project final report will be evaluated on the following bases:
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Follows requirements of the assignment
Conceptual clarity
Organization
Incorporation of course concepts
Demonstration of understanding of course concepts
Evidence of critical thinking
Evidence of critical engagement with the literature (not simply name
dropping)
The extensiveness of the use of scholarly literature
Quality of writing (includes spelling, grammar, punctuation)
Evidence of cultural awareness
2. Class participation: attendance, quality and quantity of oral participation,
evidence of preparation for class, and peer discussion assignments.
3. Demonstration of your having done assigned readings and having understood
course concepts. This is evident in class participation and in the incorporation of
concepts and references from the readings in written assignments.
4. Completion of lab activities
D. Grading Policies
The final course grade is based on the student’s overall performance, based on the criteria
listed in section C above. A grade of B- or above is required to pass the course. Students
whose performance is marginal or failing at midterm will be notified in writing.
E. Evaluation Methods
Class participation: 25%
Laboratory sessions: 25%
Projects: 50% (10% based on anonymous peer evaluation on project)
**Letter grades based on these weighted values will be assigned using to the
University criteria for MA and PhD Programs**
F. Academic Integrity
Students are expected to adhere to the University’s Code of Academic Integrity. Care
should be taken to avoid academic integrity violations, including: plagiarism, fabrication
of information, and multiple submissions (see descriptions below).** Students who
engage in any of these actions will be referred to the Office of Academic Integrity, which
investigates and decides on sanctions in cases of academic dishonesty.
1. Plagiarism: using the ideas, data, or language of another without specific or
proper acknowledgment. Example: copying, in part or in its entirety, another
person’s paper, article, or web-based material and submitting it for an assignment;
using someone else’s ideas without attribution; failing to use quotation marks
where appropriate, etc.
2. Fabrication: submitting contrived or altered information in any academic exercise.
Example: making up data or statistics, citing nonexistent articles, contriving
sources, etc.
3. Multiple submissions: submitting, without prior permission, any work submitted
to fulfill another academic requirement.
**It is the student’s responsibility to consult with the instructor if the student is unsure
about whether something constitutes a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity.
See link for more information: http://www.upenn.edu/academicintegrity/index.html
G. Assigned & Recommend Readings
All class readings will be posted on Blackboard or provided as hand-outs by the
instructor. Students are expected to read journal articles that relate to the current
discussion about the role of public health practitioners in the health care environment and
the use of a range of methodologies in public health practice. Students should come
prepared to discuss the media's presentation of these issues.
H. Required Readings:
Assigned readings are indicated weekly on Blackboard.
Assigned Text:
Using Epi Info: a Step by Step Guide. $ 64.95
http://bookstore.phf.org/product_info.php?products_id=275
MPH Academic Standing Policy/Academic Probation: According to University policy, a
graduate student must maintain a ‘B’ average or better to be considered in good academic
standing. A student who does not meet the University policy of a ‘B’ /3.0 average will be
reviewed by the MPH Program Director, the Associate Director and the Academic Progressions
Committee. A student may be put on academic probation for a period of 1 semester to improve
his/her overall average may be put on academic probation for a period of 1 semester to improve
his/her overall average.
Any course in which the student receives a grade below a B- will not be applied toward
the Master of Public Health degree. The record of any student who receives an unsatisfactory
grade (less than a ‘B-‘) in a course or who does not meet the University policy of a ‘B’ /3.0
average will be reviewed by the MPH Program Director, the Associate Director and the
Academic Progressions Committee. A student may be put on academic probation for a period of
1 semester to improve his/her overall average
Students may continue to take other courses during the probation period and the student
must make arrangements with the course director to remediate any grades lower than a B-. These
arrangements must be approved by the MPH Program Director with input from the Academic
Progressions Committee as needed. Any student who is on academic probation for a period
greater than 1 semester will be referred to the Academic Progressions Committee for review and
recommendation. This committee is authorized to dismiss the student or allow the student to
remain in the program on a probationary basis. A return to good academic standing is contingent
on receiving an acceptable grade (B or higher) in all remaining courses.
The MPH grading policy is at the discretion of the individual course instructors.
Please find below the generally used grading scale for the MPH Program.
A+ 97-100
B+ 87-89
C+ 77-79
A
93-96
B
83-86
C
73-76
A- 90-92
B- 80-82
C- 70-72
F
Please note that an A+ carries the same weight (4.0) as an A.
0-69
Incomplete Grade: It is expected that a matriculated Master of Public Health student shall
complete the work of a course during the semester in which that course is taken. A student who
fails to complete a course within the prescribed period shall receive at the instructor’s discretion
either a grade of I (incomplete) or F (failure). If the incomplete is given, the instructor may
permit an extension of time up to one year for the completion of the course. In such cases, any
course which is still incomplete after one calendar year from its official ending must remain as
incomplete on the student’s record and shall not be credited toward the MPH degree. Students
who receive two or more incompletes within a semester may not register for the subsequent
semester(s) without the permission of the Department.
For additional information on academic policies, please refer to the corresponding sections in the
Student Handbook.
Group Project
The group project is a centerpiece of this course and involves the following components:
1. Defining a public health problem on which you are interested in intervening
2. Mapping the incidence of the problem by census tract in Philadelphia
3. Selecting a census tract for the intervention
4. Doing field work in the census tract using community-based participatory research
methods
a. Characterizing the built environment
b. Identifying evidence of social capital
c. Identifying key stakeholders
d. Interviewing key stakeholders
e. Planning the intervention
5. Presenting your project to the class
6. Submitting a final report by 5/6 to the Digital Dropbox on Blackboard
Learning Objectives:
1. Problem identification and definition (etic and emic perspectives)
2. Community capacity/needs assessment
3. Study/intervention design
4. Primary qualitative data collection
5. Secondary quantitative data sources
It is understood that you won’t have time to plan (much less do) a complicated intervention! The
focus here is on planning, but with input from the community. Here are some examples:
1. An educational program for smart food shopping
2. The development and installation of a new playground
3. Improved street lighting
4. A “grandmother” program to improve perinatal outcomes
5. A conflict resolution program in a local elementary school
Phase I:
Pre-Field Etic Data Review: This independent exercise is meant to provide an opportunity for
you to gain an awareness of etic data that are available for understanding the health of a
geographic area. By identifying a specific community and reviewing the health, social,
environmental, and infrastructure data that are available from library or internet based sources
you are expected to identify a health issue that you think is critical to the selected neighborhood.
Through this data review you may identify multiple conditions influencing health in the
community you are exploring. This is an exercise for you to learn about a neighborhood.
1. Download and complete the “Health Ecology Worksheet” from the blackboard
website.
2. Census Track Mapping: You will use EpiMap to map Philadelphia census tracts
and the census tract-specific morbidity or mortality rates of about 20 major health
outcomes. The mapping software will facilitate your choice of census tract(s) in
which to intervene.
3. Characterize the built environment. The term built environment refers to the
human-made surroundings that provide the setting for human activity, ranging in
scale from personal shelter and buildings to neighborhoods and cites that can
often include their supporting infrastructure, such as water supply or energy
networks. Document the built environment with on-site photography as well as
web-based resources such as Google StreetView. Use your field notes from Phase
II to finalize a written description.
4. Identify key stakeholder groups (community organizations, places of worship,
schools, business owners, resident associations, etc.). Describe the composition,
community integration, community representation, and longevity of these
stakeholder groups. Does conflict exist among groups in regards to your
identified health issue? Why or why not? Is there agreement among stakeholder
groups about community public health goals? Why or why not?
Phase II:
Field Based Emic Data Collection: This step examines data collection from the emic perspective.
You are expected to visit the community you previously investigated in Phase I, engage in
participant observation and to interview key stakeholders.
1. Participant Observation Exercise. This exercise is intended to introduce you
to ways to make systematic observations about the socio-ecological context in
which health related decisions and behaviors take place. Please see full activity
description on Blackboard.
2. Key Stakeholder Interviews. This is your opportunity to interview community
members and to gain an internal perspective on the community’s health from a
community member; search for ideas about causality or solutions of your
identified health issue. While individual community members can only provide a
single perspective and you are not expected to explore your community until you
reach saturation (a qualitative research term) in the themes identified, you may
extrapolate the community members’ perspectives to their community at large for
the purposes of this field activity.
Be sure to tell them up front that you are working on a project for a class in the
public health program that will not be implemented, so you can’t make any
promises as to the outcome of the project. However, we will provide them with
your final report (at least an executive summary) so that they will see the fruits of
your labor. This is extremely important!
Phase III:
Intervention Planning & Report: You will prepare a report approximately 10-12 pages in length
and include the following components:
1. Statement of the problem Provide a scope of the public health problem identified and
explored in your group project. Include incidence/prevalence, history/timeline of the
issue, and a description of what is how this health problem is defined from an external
“expert” perspective (etic). Compare and contrast this with the perspective of people
who live in this community (emic).
2. Literature review Present a literature review that discusses how the problem has been
studied (what public health methods have been used) and evaluated. Be critical of
methodology and appropriateness of choice. Review previous interventions and their
efficacy.
3. Describe your intervention Explain why an intervention is need for this public health
problem is needed. Introduce your intervention strategy and explain how it will have an
impact. How will individuals find out about and gain access to the service? You are
encouraged to interview professionals in the field to get ideas and strategies. You may
contact one of our guest speakers or someone else in the community who is willing to
consult with your group
4. Define ways to evaluate the success of your program/service The evaluation method is
your choice. Review the literature to identify ways to evaluate public health
interventions. Will you use surveillance data? Will you directly survey intervention
recipients? What is the timeline for evaluation (at what point in time can you expect to
measure impact)? If you decide to use a questionnaire or client survey, please attach a
copy to this outline to show it to the class when you give your presentation.
Group Presentation. The group project presentations will be about 30-45 minutes in length. The
presentation can include brochures, power point aids, posters, etc. and should reflect the scope of
your project work.
Individual projects are discouraged, but could be approved in exceptional circumstances (e.g.,
work schedule or your distance from Philadelphia). Please see me to discuss if this kind of
situation applies to you.
Course Outline:
Date
Lecture Topic
1/18
Introduction
1/25
Problem Identification/Stakeholder
Identification
Surveillance Data
 Data resources
 Assessing data quality
2/1
Etic vs. Emic
 Design of approach to public health
problems
2/8
Qualitative methods
 Semi-structured and unstructured
interviews
 Participant observation
Introduction to primary data collection
2/15
CF 218
2/22
CF 218
3/1
3/8
3/15
CF 218
3/22
CF 218
3/29
4/5
4/12
4/19
In-class Exercise
Group Project organization
Group project organization
Literature review lab
Guest Speaker: PHMC (HHS)
CBPR
Rate Standardization
Census tract analysis
Focus Groups
Guest Speaker: Peter Cronholm, MD, MSCE
Homework lab
EpiInfo lab (Epi Analysis)
EpiInfo lab Focus group sessions
Organizing, coding, and analyzing qualitative
data
Spring break
Geographic information systems and analysis
Mapping Philadelphia vital statistics
Data Collection
EpiMap lab (EpiMap)
Survey Design
Database management
Group progress reports
 Introduction to EpiInfo
 Designing a database
 Creating case report forms
 Data input
Intervention planning
Program Evaluation
Group project presentations