DRAFT: December 8, 2011 (version 14)
Introduction to Public Health:
Local to Global Perspectives
PHS 370: 3-Credits
University of Wisconsin - Madison
Spring 2012
LECTURES
Tuesday/Thursday 9:30-10:45 am
1361 Chemistry
DISCUSSION SESSIONS (50 minutes/week)
Course Director
Patrick L Remington, MD, MPH
Course Co-Directors
Lori DiPrete Brown, MSPH
F. Javier Nieto, MPH, MD, PhD
Teaching Assistants (TAs)
Timothy George Connolly, MST
Deb Chatterjee, MA
I.
Overview and Learning Objectives
2
Course Schedule
4
III.
Course Faculty & Instructional Staff
5
IV.
Course Materials and Instructional Technology
9
II.
V.
VI.
Course Policies
10
Assessment of Student Performance
12
I. OVERVIEW AND LEARNING OBJECTIVES
This 3-credit course is intended to give students an overview of the principles and
practice of public health in a global context. The prerequisite for this Intermediate Level
course is a college-level science or biology course. As an introductory public health course,
it is intended for students with no previous course work in public health or epidemiology.
This is one of three core courses for the Undergraduate Certificate in Global Health.
Course goal: To learn the principles and practice of public health as applied to leading
global health problems.
Course objectives:
 Define public health and learn the difference between individual- and populationbased strategies for improving health (how it works)
 Understand the methods used to measure health of populations, find causes, and
develop programs that work.
 Describe the leading global health problems, including their causes and methods for
prevention.
 Understand the challenges and opportunities for closing the gap between science and
practice
 Understand the advantages and limitations of the various types of populationbased approaches to improve public health (education, marketing, engineering,
policy, and law).
 Know the core functions of public health (assessment, policy development, and
assurance) and how public health is organized at the local, state, and national
level.
 Learn about the importance of interdisciplinary approaches to public health
 Be able to write an evidence-based analysis of a contemporary public health issue
II. COURSE ORGANIZATION
A. Focus on the leading global public health problems
Students examine the principles of public health through case-based learning. The course
will be organized into seven modules, with six modules addressing the leading global public
health problems. Except for Module 1, each Module lasts for 2 weeks and includes 4
lectures and 2 discussion sessions:
Module #1:
Module #2:
Module #3:
Module #4:
Module #5:
Module #6:
Module #7:
Introduction to global public health (3 weeks)
AIDS/HIV and unsafe sex
Cardiovascular disease and obesity
Injuries and alcohol abuse
Infant mortality and poverty
Environmental health
Future challenges in global public health
2
B. Lectures
The course will have 2, 75-minute sessions on Tuesdays and Thursdays, each week (30
sessions during the entire semester). Each session will include a 50-minute lecture, with
25 minutes for plenary discussion.
The first module (6 sessions) will provide an introduction to public health and the
foundation for the course. The rest of the modules will use a 4-lecture series using the
following “public health process” to examine leading health problems, using local to
global examples.
Lecture #1: Define the problem
 What is nature and extent of the problem (i.e., descriptive epidemiology)
 What groups are at highest risk?
 Consider the “face” of a patient with this problem.
Lecture #2: Describe the causes
 What are the causes of this problem (i.e., analytic epidemiology)?
 What study design has been used to learn about the causes (e.g., cohort, casecontrol)?
 What gaps exist in our knowledge about the causes?
Lecture #3: Describe public health and prevention strategies
 What programs/policies are effective in preventing this problem?
 What types of intervention studies have been done to learn about what works?
 What gaps exist in what we know about prevention and control strategies?
Lecture #4: Discuss challenges and opportunities for closing the gap between science
and practice
 What are the barriers in translating our knowledge about prevention into practice?
 What ethical, social, or political issues exist?
 What can be done to overcome these barriers?
Each Module is led by a distinguished UW faculty member, and includes lectures by
experts across the UW campus and beyond.
Students are expected to read the background papers prior to lecture and come prepared
to ask questions during the 25 minute discussion period at the end of each Lecture.
3
C. Discussion Groups
Students will be assigned to one of 14 discussion groups with about 15 students in each
group. Discussion groups will be led by experienced faculty members and public health
practitioners. The goal of these discussion groups is to engage students in the public
health discourse so that they can develop their understanding of the challenges, their
position on issues, and their skills as a public health communicator.
December 1,
2011 Status
Lecture:
Disc.
Sections
301
302
303
304
305
306
307
308
309
310
311
312
313
314
TuTh 9:30AM 10:45AM
CHEM 1361
Days & Times
Room
Tu 11:00AM 11:50AM
Tu 3:30PM 4:20PM
We 1:20PM 2:10PM
We 3:30PM 4:20PM
We 4:35PM 5:25PM
Th 11:00AM 11:50AM
Th 3:30PM 4:20PM
Fr 11:00AM 11:50AM
Tu 11:00AM 11:50AM
Tu 3:30PM 4:20PM
We 1:20PM 2:10PM
We 3:30PM 4:20PM
Th 11:00AM 11:50AM
Fr 11:00AM 11:50AM
INGRAHAM
216
Deb
14
10
24
VAN HISE 482
Parvathy
14
5
19
VAN HISE 483
Marion
14
5
19
VAN HISE 482
Lauren
Kelli/
Paula
14
1
15
14
2
16
Tim
15
4
19
VAN HISE 474
Karen
14
3
17
VAN HISE 382
PSYCHOLOGY
130
Robin
14
4
18
Lori
Kelli/
Katherine
13
3
16
14
1
15
Sweta
15
0
15
Tim
15
1
16
Deb
15
0
15
Deb
15
0
15
200
39
239
VAN HISE 382
INGRAHAM
216
CHEM B387
PSYCHOLOGY
115
PSYCHOLOGY
130
NOLAND 119
PSYCHOLOGY
115
CONFIRMED
Instructors
TOTAL
Enrollment*
Wait
list
TOTAL
4
These discussion groups will be an opportunity for students to:
 Discuss the current module/ask questions
 Add their own perspectives and experiences
 Reflect on public health in the news (e.g., MMWR reports)
 Engage in public health discourse
Case studies will be prepared for each discussion session. Students will be expected to
read these case studies before coming to class, and be prepared to participate actively in a
discussion. These discussion sections will be organized to address the theme of the
course: “local to global perspectives.”
Session #1: During the first discussion session of the Module, students will “Think
Globally” about the public health issue being addressed in that module. Examples of
issues that will be discussed include:
 How does this problem vary worldwide?
 How do problems in other countries affect the U.S.?
 How do the disparities seen across national boundaries compare to disparities
within nations?
Session #2: During the second discussion session of the Module, students will discuss
how to “Act Locally” about the public health issue being addressed in that module.
 How can this problem be addressed locally?
 Are there any moral or ethical concerns
 Do you have any experience working on this issue locally?
5
II. COURSE SCHEDULE
Lectures:
Tuesday / Thursday
9:30 – 10:15 AM
1361 Chemistry Building
A. Lectures
Module 1: Introduction to Public Health (Patrick Remington)
Jan 24 1.1—Introduction to public health (Remington)
Jan 26 1.2—Global health (Haq)
Jan 31 1.3—The global burden of disease (Remington)
Feb 2 1.4—Finding causes: Using epidemiology to find the causes of disease (Nieto)
Feb 7 1.5—Finding solutions: Evidence based public health (Remington)
Feb 9 1.6—Closing the gap: Challenges and opportunities (DiPrete-Brown)
Module 2: HIV/AIDS and Unsafe Sex (Ajay Sethi)
Feb 14 2.1—Infectious diseases: Global burden, costs, and trends (Sethi)
Feb 16 2.2—Using outbreak investigations to learn about the causes of AIDS (Sethi)
Feb 21 2.3—Programs to prevent HIV/AIDS (Martinez-Donate)
Feb 23 2.4—Closing the gap: Morality and sex education (Kendall-pending)
Module 3: Cardiovascular Disease (CVD) and Obesity (Leonelo Bautista)
Feb 28 3.1—CVD: Global burden, costs, and trends (Bautista)
Mar 1 3.2—Using cohort studies to find the causes of CVD (Nieto)
Mar 6 3.4—Closing the gap: Paternalism versus individual rights (Kelleher)*
Mar 8 3.3—Community-based programs and policies (Adams) *Note order change
Module 4: Injuries and Alcohol Abuse (Maureen Durkin)
Mar 13 4.1—Injuries: Global burden, costs, and trends (Corden)
Mar 15 4.2—Using case-control studies to find the causes of injuries: Focus on alcohol (Durkin)
Mar 20 4.3—Alcohol and substance abuse programs (R. Brown)
Mar 22 4.4—Closing the gap: Reducing problem drinking (Emerson)
March 15 (Appx)—Midterm Exam (Take-Home)
Module 5: Infant Mortality and Poverty (Whitney Witt)
Mar 27 5.1—Infant mortality: Global burden, costs, and trends (Witt)
Mar 29 5.2—Using social epidemiology to find the causes: focus on poverty (Robert)
SPRING BREAK (APRIL 2-6)
Apr 10 5.3—Programs and policies to reduce poverty (Smeeding)
Apr 12 5.4—Closing the gap (TBD?) Lorraine Lathan no longer works for the UW. We could
consider another person to discuss the topic of addressing poverty in the US. Would be happy to
discuss.
Module 6: Environmental Health (Jonathan Patz)
Apr 17 6.1—Burden of environmental disease (Patz)
Apr 19 6.2—Causes of environmental disease, aka env. epidemiology (Malecki?)
Apr 24 6.3—Evidence-based environmental interventions (TBD??)
Apr 26 6.4—Closing the Gap: Environmental justice?? (Keller?)
6
Module 7: Future Public Health Challenges (Remington-DiPrete Brown)
May 1 7.1—Mental health and public health (TBD)
May 3 7.2—Death and dying (Cleary)
May 8 7.3—Late breaking hot topic in public health (Remington)
May 10 7.4—Public health careers at home and abroad (Panel discussion)
B. Discussion Group Schedule (DRAFT)
Introductions
Jan 23-27
1—Ice breaker/small group ground rules.
Module 1: Tobacco
Jan 30-Feb 3 1—Globalization of tobacco marketing (Memo to Czech Republic
Feb 6-10
2—Laws to ban smoking in multi-unit apartments, including low-income housing
Module 2: AIDS/HIV and Unsafe sex
Feb 13-17
1—South African (and US) denial of the AIDS epidemic
Feb 20-24
2—Policies mandating abstinence-only sex education in schools
Module 3: Obesity
Feb 27-Mar 2 1—The tsunami of obesity in developing countries
Mar 5-9
2—School nutrition/PE policies (“no child left with (a big) behind”)
Module 4: Alcohol abuse
Mar 12-16
1—Eastern European campaign to reduce alcohol abuse (taxation)
Mar 19-23
2—Confronting alcohol through harm reduction (Road Crew)
Module 5: MCH and poverty
Mar 26-30
1—Disability among children and mothers in developing countries
Apr 9-1
2—The poverty quiz (income distribution in the U.S.)
Module 6: Environmental justice
Apr 16-20
1—Global climate change and health
Apr 23-27
2—Personal commitment to environmental health (e.g., biking, recycling)
Module 7: Future Public Health Challenges
Apr 30-May 4 1—Global health opportunities
May 7-11
2— The “new” public health system in the US and future careers in public health
7
III. FACULTY
Course Director: Patrick L Remington, MD, MPH
Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
Associate Dean for Public Health, UW School of Medicine and Public Health
Office:
4263 Health Science Learning Center (HSLC)
Phone:
(608) 263-1745 Fax:
(608) 262-2327
Email:
plreming@wisc.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Homepage: http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/premingto.html
Course Co-Directors
F. Javier Nieto, MPH, MD, PhD
Chair, Department of Population Health Sciences; Helfaer Professor of Public Health;
Professor of Population Health Sciences and Family Medicine
Research areas: Global Health, Clinical research, Epidemiology
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/nieto
Lori DiPrete Brown, MS, MTS
Associate Director for Education and Engagement, UW-Madison Global Health Institute.
Research/Teaching interests: Design, evaluation and quality improvement for health and
social service programs globally; vulnerable children; human rights.
Office: 4256a Health Science Learning Center
Phone: 262-4801 Email: dipretebrown@wisc.edu
Office hours: By appointment
Hompage: TBD
Teaching Assistants:
Timothy George Connolly, MST
Candidate, Master of Public Health
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/node/1112
Email: tgconnolly@wisc.edu
Debanjana Chatterjee, MA
Candidate, PhD in Population Health
Sciences
Email: dchatterjee@wisc.edu
Office: TBD
Office hours: TBD
Office: TBD
Office hours: TBD
The teaching assistant can help you by:
 Facilitating your understanding of course content/expectations during discussion
and group work activities
 Discussing your questions and concerns related to in-class activities, out-of-class
activities, and reading assignments
 Helping you find and access course resources
 Serving as a source of further information on course content
8
Module Coordinators
Leonelo Bautista, MD, MPH, Dr. PH (Cardiovascular Disease and Obesity)
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Science
Interests: Global Health, Clinical research, Epidemiology
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/bautista
Maureen Durkin, Dr. PH (Injuries and Alcohol Abuse)
Professor of Population Health Sciences and Pediatrics, Waisman Center Investigator
Interests: Global Health, Epidemiology, Social and behavioral health sciences
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/durkin
Jonathan Patz, MD, MPH (Environmental Health and Justice)
Professor, Department of Population Health Science, Director, Global Health Institute
Interests: Global health, environmental health, climate change
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/patz
Patrick Remington, MD, MPH (Public Health Overview / Future Directions)
Professor and Associate Dean for Public Health
Interests: Public health surveillance, health policy
Homepage: http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/remington
Ajay K. Sethi, PhD, MHS
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Science
Interests: Global Health, Clinical research, Epidemiology, Social and behavioral health
sciences
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/sethi
Whitney P. Witt, PhD, MPH (Infant Health and Poverty)
Assistant Professor and Co-Director, BioPop: Integrative Biopsychosocial Research in
Population Health
Interests: Epidemiology, Health services research, Social and behavioral health sciences
Homepage: www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/wwitt.html
Lecturers
Randy Brown, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor; Co-Director, AODA Consultation Service UW Hospitals and Clinics
Interests: Substance-related disorders treatment, epidemiology, and health services research
Homepage: http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/directory/4454
Jim Cleary, MD
9
Associate Professor of Medicine, Medical Oncology Section; Director of Palliative
Medicine at UW Hospital and Clinics; and Medical Director of HospiceCare Inc.
Interests: End of life, palliative care, cancer control Homepages:
http://www.painpolicy.wisc.edu/PPSGProfiles.htm
http://www.hospicecare.com/Bio/cleary.htm
Tim Corden, MD
Adjunct Associate Professor, Population Health Sciences
Interests: Injury Prevention, Advocacy, Injury Policy Homepage:
http://www.mcw.edu/display/router.aspx?docid=86123&physicianid=88070&
Cindy Haq, MD
Professor of Family Medicine and Population Health Sciences, Director, Training in Urban
Medicine and Public Health (TRIUMPH) program in Milwaukee.
Interests: Global health, urban health, health disparities, primary care.
Homepage: http://www.fammed.wisc.edu/directory/122
Paul Kelleher, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Medical History & Bioethics, School of Medicine and
Public Health
Interests: Social and political philosophy and public health ethics. Homepage:
http://medhist.wisc.edu/faculty/Kelleher/indexkelleher.shtml
Ana Martinez-Donate, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Population Health Sciences
Interests: Epidemiology, Social and behavioral health sciences Homepage:
http://www.pophealth.wisc.edu/faculty/martinez-donate
Stephanie Robert, PhD
Professor, School of Social Work Co-Director, Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society
Scholars Program
Interests: Aging and health; social and economic determinants of health; neighborhoods and
health; health/long term care policy.
Homepage: http://socwork.wisc.edu/new_web/?q=node/105
Tim Smeeding, PhD
Arts and Sciences Distinguished Professor of Public Affairs, La Follette School of Public
Affairs; Director, Institute for Research on Poverty Research areas: The economics of public
policy, especially social policy and at-risk populations; national and cross-national
comparisons of income and wealth inequality; poverty; social policy; and social mobility.
Homepage: www.lafollette.wisc.edu/facultystaff/smeeding-timothy.html
Discussion Group Leaders
Marion Ceraso, MHS
Title:
10
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Deb Chatterjee
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Tim Connolly
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Lori DiPrete-Brown
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Robin Mittenthal
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Lauren Mueenuddin
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Parvathy Pillai
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Sweta Shrestha, MPH
Education Programs Associate, UW-Madison Global Health Institute
Interest areas: Reproductive health, orphans and vulnerable children, quality
improvement and health systems strengthening, Global health education
Homepage: ghi.wisc.edu / http://ghi.wisc.edu/people/staff/
Kelli Stader, MPH, RD
Title: Wisconsin Population Health Fellow (supporting the Department of Health
Services, Southern Regional Office, Division of Public Health)
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Paula Tran Inzeo
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Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Karen Timberlake
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
Katherine Vaughn-Jehring
Title:
Interest areas:
Homepage:
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IV. COURSE MATERIALS AND INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY
REQUIRED COURSEBOOK: Schneider. Introduction to Public Health, 3rd Edition.
Jones and Bartlett. 2011. See: http://publichealth.jbpub.com/schneider/3e/
Three copies of Schneider have been placed on reserve for your use. Two are located at
Ebling Library, and one is located at Steenbock Library. They are listed under the course
number and title.
Optional Textbooks:
 Introduction to Global Health. Jones and Bartlett (NOTE: This textbook is required
for the Introduction to Global Health course (CALS course).
 Bernard Turnock. Public Health: What it is and how it works. 4th Edition. Jones and
Bartlett, 2009.
 Brownson et al. Evidence-Based Public Health. Oxford, 2003.
Readings:
Students will be assigned 1-3 key articles per module as required reading for this course.
The readings are available online under “Content” in Learn@UW. Students are expected to
keep current with weekly readings to effectively participate in class discussion and
adequately prepare for bi-weekly quizzes.
Instructional Technology & Other Course Resources
This course will use Learn@UW for class communication, Web-based readings and
resources, online lectures, submitting assignments, and posting grades. Therefore,
students are expected to regularly access Learn@UW throughout this course.
You will need a current version of Adobe Acrobat Reader and Adobe Flash Player to
access course materials. Both plug-ins can be downloaded from Adobe’s website:
http://www.adobe.com
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V. COURSE POLICIES
Attendance Policy:
Attendance is expected in the lecture and required for small group discussions. Students are
responsible for all information presented in the readings, course book and during lectures.
Students who request to be excused from a discussion session must contact their TA in
advance, and provide the reason (i.e., illness, religious observances, and academic or
professional commitments).
Class Meeting Cancellation Notices:
Occasionally, severe weather, illness, or other circumstances may require cancellation of
a class meeting. If this is so, students will be informed via an email notice sent to the
class email list. It will be the responsibility of each class member to ensure that they
check the email that they used for their course registration for such a message.
Non-Discrimination Policy:
The UW-Madison is committed to creating a dynamic, diverse and welcoming learning
environment for all students and has a non-discrimination policy that reflects this
philosophy. Disrespectful behaviors or comments addressed towards any group or
individual, regardless of race/ethnicity, sexuality, gender, religion, ability, or any other
difference is deemed unacceptable in this class, and will be addressed publicly by the
professor.
Disability Reasonable Accommodation Policy:
If you qualify for accommodations because of a disability, please submit a letter to the
course director that outlines your request in a manner that is timely and consistent with
established university policies for making such request so that your needs may be
addressed. Policies for accommodating disabilities are available through the McBurney
Disability Resource Center, 903 University Ave., 608-263-2741 (phone), 263-6393
(TTY), 265-2998 (Fax), mcburney@uwmadmail.services.wisc.edu. For additional
information, please see http://www.mcburney.wisc.edu/
Religious Reasonable Accommodation Policy:
Every effort shall be made to reasonably and fairly accommodate all students who,
because of religious obligations, have conflicts with scheduled exams, assignments, or
required attendance, provided advance notification of the conflict is given. Whenever
possible, students should give at least one week advance notice to request special
accommodation.
Student Honesty and Rules of Conduct:
Academic honesty requires that the course work (e.g., quizzes, papers, exams) a student
presents to an instructor honestly and accurately indicates the student's own academic
efforts. These policies are available at http://www.studentaffairs.wisc.edu/
UWS 14 is the chapter of the University of Wisconsin System Administrative code that
regulates academic misconduct. UW-Madison implements the rules defined in UWS 14
14
through our own "Student Academic Misconduct Campus Procedures." UWS 14.03
defines academic misconduct as follows:
"Academic misconduct is an act in which a student:
(a) seeks to claim credit for the work or efforts of another without authorization
or citation;
(b) uses unauthorized materials or fabricated data in any academic exercise;
(c) forges or falsifies academic documents or records;
(d) intentionally impedes or damages the academic work of others;
(e) engages in conduct aimed at making false representation of a student's
academic performance;
(f) assists other students in any of these acts."
If you are accused of misconduct, you may have questions and concerns about the
process. If so, you should feel free to call Student Advocacy & Judicial Affairs (SAJA) in
the Offices of the Dean of Students at (608) 263-5700 or send an email to
dos@bascom.wisc.edu.
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VI. ASSESSMENT OF STUDENT PERFORMANCE
Students will be assessed on results of 1) bi-weekly quizzes (30%), 2) discussion group
participation (20%), 3) a mid-term paper (25%), and 4) a final exam (25%).
1. Bi-weekly quizzes (30%)
A 10-question multiple-choice quiz will be posted online at the end of each of the first six
modules. Quizzes will be posted and available on Learn@UW at 5:00 PM on Thursday of
the last day of the Module, and will be open until 10:00 PM Sunday night.
Students will have one (1) hour to complete the quiz once they begin it. Once started, a quiz
must be completed in that one-hour session. The quiz will be “open book,” but students are
expected to complete the quiz on their own. The questions will be taken from the previous
lectures in the Module, including the required readings. Each quiz will be worth 5 points.
2. Discussion group participation (20%)
Students will be assigned to the weekly small group discussions (10-15 students).
Discussion questions will be posted following each lecture. Students will be graded by the
small group leaders on their ability to:
 discuss public health content from the class lecture and assigned reading,
 bring their own disciplinary knowledge and life experience into the discussion, and
 ability to question their own position on issues and show respect for other points of
view.
Unexcused absence will result in a loss of 3 percentage points.
3. Midterm exam (take-home) (25%)
The midterm exam will ask students about to apply the lessons learned about the public
health approach to contemporary global and local public health issues. The take-home exam
will be open book and will include several short-answer questions.
Methods of evaluation
The midterm exam will count 25% of the grade in the course. Papers will be graded (100
points) using the following criteria:
 Understands the four steps used in the public health approach
 Describes approaches for measuring public health burden and disparities
 Understands the quality of evidence about the causes of public health problems
 Understands evidence-based public health approaches.
 Describes the nature of potential barriers in translating research into practice.
 Writing is clear and concise.
Assignment is turned in on time (late assignments will be reduced by one grade level
(10 points). This can be waived for valid causes (e.g., illness, required professional
commitments).
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4. Final exam (25%)
The final exam will be given on the date specified by the UW Registrar (see online
Timetable). The final exam will be a written, in-person exam, will include multiple choice
and short-answer questions, and cover material from the entire course. The exam will assess
the learning objectives that are included in each Module. These objectives, from Spring
2011, are listed below. NOTE: An updated list will be provided in advance of the Spring
2012 exam:
Identify ways to measure the global burden of disease, including:
 Morbidity, mortality, disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), life expectancy
 Epidemiologic transition
 Agent-host-environment triangle
 Incidence, prevalence
 Infectious diseases (including vectors, infectivity, routes of transmission)
 Epidemic, endemic, pandemic
 Social ecological framework
 Compression of morbidity and mortality
 Small-area analysis (supply-sensitive care vs. preference-sensitive care)
 Measuring the overall health of an entire community
Describe concepts and approaches to find the causes of disease and health problems
 Public health surveillance
 Natural history of disease
 Social-ecological model
 Infectious disease outbreaks (e.g., epidemic curve, incubation period, attack rate,
herd immunity)
 Epidemiology (descriptive vs. analytic)
 Experimental studies (placebo)
 Observational studies (cohort, case-control)
 Framingham Heart study
 Relative risk, odds ratio
 Life course theory
Describe the concepts, methods, and approaches to prevent or control diseases and their risk
factors, including:
 Primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention
 Randomized control trial (RCTs)
 Internal vs. external validity
 Evidence-based public health
 Multi-level interventions
 Phases of research (efficacy, effectiveness, and dissemination research)
 Translational research
 Health Services Research (HSR), outcomes research
 Health care system performance criteria (e.g., effective care)
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



The Community Guide, the Cochrane Collaboration
Poverty reduction strategies
Public health and legal approaches (e.g., soft and hard paternalism)
Advertizing and market segmentation (e.g., tobacco, pharmaceuticals)
Describe and summarize the various reasons for gaps between science and practice,
as well as potential solutions:
 Knowledge translation (K-T) approaches
 Alma Ata and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs)
 Role of barriers (e.g., cost, culture, industry opposition, competing interests, lack of
incentives, politics and political will)
 Role of day-to-day choices of individuals
 Role for community/academic partnerships
 Roles of leadership, partnerships, and coalitions
 Conflicts between demand for “gold-standard” RCT evaluations vs. multi-level
prevention efforts
 Comprehensive sex education
 Nutrition interventions (e.g., Dietary Guidelines for Americans)
 Tobacco control interventions (e.g., Master Settlement Agreement)
 Substance abuse prevention programs
 Poverty prevention programs
 End of life care and Hospice programs
Course Grading Scheme: Each assessment described above will be graded based on a 100point scale:
A (outstanding): 93-100%
AB (excellent): 88-92%
B (very good): 83-87%
BC (good): 78-82%
C (fair): 70-77%
D (poor): 60-69%
F (fail): <60%
Final grades will be based on the weighted averages described above. NOTE: Final grades
will be rounded to the nearest whole number.
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