This course will introduce students to the history and philosophy of public health, as well as the core values, concepts and functions that guide public health work in the United States and globally. Examining health and health related needs from a population-based perspective, students will have the opportunity to identify the impact that social, behavioral, biological and environmental factors have on health and health disparities. Students will learn how public health affects them in their everyday lives. Using case studies, vignettes, and extensive examples, they will learn and apply frameworks for thinking about the issues of public health. They will gain a deeper understanding about the health news they hear, the web sites they visit, and the research they read.

This course introduces learners to population based approach to health and describes the full range of options for intervention to promote health and prevent disease. The course will cover basic principles of epidemiology, including epidemiological measures, association and causality, descriptive and analytic epidemiology, and outbreak investigation. Students will gain a deeper understanding of the role of epidemiology in the policy arena. 3.000 Credit hours.

Health is a function of multiple determinants: biological, genetic, cultural, economic, and structural. This course will explore the contribution of each to the concept of health and to the actual state health of persons and populations. It will focus on the history of the concept of health, and on current disparities and inequalities in the state of the population health that are attribuatale to these determinants. In considering specific disease entities, readings, didactic sessions, discussions, and assignments will focus on the interrelationship of determinants, and the extent to which each plays a role in health disparities. Ethical considerations in research and public health programs will be a major focus.

The course will reinforce epidemiologic principles and public health concepts in the context of chronic diseases and associated risk factors. Topics will include the application of epidemiologic methods in studies of chronic disease prevention and control and the importance of surveillance as a basis for public health interventions.

This course provides a broad overview of the basic concepts and principles of scientific inquiry, introducing quantitative, qualitative, mixed methods, and participatory approaches to research and evaluation as well as ethical issues in conducting public health research. Topics include methods for planning and executing empirical research studies from formulation of problems, systematic review of empirical literature, and setting research objectives to study design, including methods of data collection, measurement, and analysis, to interpretation and communication of the results. Emphasis is placed on developing the ability to critically evaluate the application research methods presented in public health scientific literature. Critical Thinking through Writing (CTW) course for Public Health majors.

This courses provides a broad overview of statistical methods commonly used in public health research. Topics include graphical and numerical summaries for describing the distributions of health outcomes in a population using representative but imperfect data samples and the classical inference techniques of hypothesis testing and confidence intervals for assessing the role of uncertainty in sample-based estimates. All topics will be considered through a conceptual and interpretive lens allowing students to critically focus on the implications and limitations of using empirical results for evidence-based decisions in public health policy and practice.

This course will provide an understanding of the principles of environmental health. It will explore the environment’s role in human health, how human activities affect the environment, and how the environment is regulated and controlled to protect health. The course will use a practical, problem-based approach to learning about the basic tools of environmental health. Students will learn about recognizing factors in the environment, how they affect human health, how to assess environmental exposures, and how to respond through public health measures. The course will feature lectures, discussions, presentation of community environmental health problems, and guest speakers from public health organizations.

The goal of this course is to provide undergraduate level students with an overview of the biological, social and environmental determinants that relate to maternal and children’s health. A broad range of topics will be introduced to provide students with knowledge about the domestic and global challenges that affect women, infants, children and families. In addition to covering a wide array of biological determinants of health, the course will also cover social and environmental factors that impact the area of maternal and child health.

This course focuses on career planning and development issues for public health majors. Using a combination of lecture, readings, and exercises, students will be able to explain the history and philosophy of public health as well as the profession’s core values, concepts, and functions across the globe and in society today. Students will be exposed to information designed to assist in clarification, selection, and pursuit of a career in public health. Topics include an overview of the undergraduate major in public health, career options in public health and allied-public health fields, preparation for employment with a bachelor’s degree, preparing for success in graduate school, and applying for a job or graduate school.

This course will cover the major discoveries, developments, and advances in the field of medicine and public health. It will examine the intellectual and technological processes that produce advancements, and critically examine the public and professional debates about the application of such changes in society.

This course introduces and describes the U.S. health care system, and examines healthcare delivery and healthcare policy from a public health perspective. The historical basis for the system’s organization will be discussed, as well as the various modes of health care delivery and the ways health care is organized, financed and delivered in the United States. Comparisons between healthcare delivery and policy in the United States and other developed countries will be discussed. Many of the contemporary health policy problems facing federal, state, and local policymakers today will be discussed, with emphasis on the consequences for vulnerable populations. Students who complete the course will gain a basic understanding of the organization, functions, and delivery of health care by the many components of the U.S. system.

Public health programs are created to promote wellness and the prevention of disease. This course is designed to cover the important steps of the program development cycle from conducting needs assessments; designing and planning programs; ensuring implementation fidelity; and measuring program impacts through evaluation approaches. Students will demonstrate how to utilize data to design programs, revise implementation plans, improve programs, introduce service innovation, address disparities, and demonstrate efficiency and effectiveness.

This course provides an overview of the theories and principles that can be used to explain how social factors and human behaviors influence health. It introduces the social, psychological, and cultural determinants of health behavior in urban and global settings. The course addresses conditions and phenomena that affect people’s understanding, acceptance, and use of health information and, therefore, the design, implementation, and evaluation of community health interventions.

Health communication is an area of study designed to impact the behavior, attitudes, and actions of individuals in various settings with the goal of improved health. This course provides students with a comprehensive introduction to the basic concepts of public-health specific communication. This course provides an overview to communication tools, including: technical and professional writing, the use of mass media, and electronic technology. Students will demonstrate the ability to synthesize and present tailored public health information to diverse audiences across multiple formats.

This course is designed to examine the difference between health equity and health disparities and the underlying historical, social, economic, cultural and political factors that affect health and disease outcomes across different populations. The course has a specific focus on examining these issues in urban and global environments. Students will examine how individual health is rooted in the broader context of social determinants; how access to goods and services can affect the health of communities as a whole; and how living in urban and global settings are particularly impacted by disparities.

This course provides a general overview of the use of health information for population health surveillance, management, and improvement in quality and safety of health care delivery. Topics to be covered include: overview of electronic medical record systems and data coding and storage, public use datasets (e.g. BRFSS, NHIS, NHANES), coding systems, telehealth and telemedicine technologies, ethics in use of data for public health surveillance, and general methods for linking and sequencing data for support of population health surveillance, management, and improvement.

Instruction will be provided regarding the underlying science of human health and disease specifically focusing on understanding the factors related to infectious and chronic diseases. Among other things, Students will examine the epidemiological transition – the 20th century shift from a greater burden of disease caused by infectious disease to increased mortality resulting from chronic conditions particularly heart disease, diabetes, cancer and stroke which cause over 1.3 million deaths annually. The class will provide students with knowledge regarding chronic and infectious diseases that affect populations in the United States and globally.

This course addresses the evolving view of disability in the field of public health. Course content is grounded on two observations – that people with disability with disabilities make up the largest minority group in the United States, and that they experience the same range of disparities in access, quality, and outcomes as other minority identities. This course will examine the health and well-being of people with disabilities within the social determinants of health framework. Topics will include: models and approaches to disability; a brief history of public health and overview of epidemiology; a brief history of disability rights; state and federal programs, policies, and legislation for people with disabilities; health promotion and the prevention of secondary conditions; persistent health disparities; sexual health; and designing public health interventions in ways that include individuals with disabilities.

This course will present an overview of the leading forms of injuries, their geographic variability, risk factors and comparative perspectives. Special emphasis will be placed on child maltreatment, youth violence, gender based violence, suicide and traffic crashes.

This course provides an overview of public health emergency preparedness and response concepts and practice. The laws, policies, practices, terminology, resources, and organization of emergency and disaster response efforts on the federal, state and local levels will be reviewed and discussed. Case examples of public health in action during emergency events and disasters will be analyzed. The course will identify best practices for emergency response planning, carrying out plans, and communicating with communities about disasters.

The course will explore contemporary problems in public health and U.S. society that result in controversy. The course will examine what makes something controversial, how public health issues within controversies are identify and analyzed, how controversy affects public health systems, implications for public health practice, and how to improve health literacy of the public about controversy. Through review and discussion of case studies, students will develop skills in research, analysis, public health policy, and risk communication.

This course introduces the student to the broad variety of health and safety issues that exist in occupational settings. An overview of the nature of various types of workplaces, including, mining, manufacturing, office, and health care settings are examined. The goal of the course is to provide students with information on the types of health and safety issues that exist in various workplaces. The student will be expected to be able to differentiate between workplace hazards arising from physical factors, such as heat, cold, exertion and ionizing and non-ionizing radiation, and chemical exposures. Students are also introduced to the concepts of the use of personal protective equipment and engineering controls for the protection of workers, as well as understanding the role of regulatory agencies.

This course introduces and describes current approaches to health care management and the roles and functions served by the professional health care manager. A variety of health care settings are examined, including hospitals, clinics, nursing home, as well as the varied scope of health care needs and services present within each. Important issues in health care management are covered, including managing costs and revenues, financing health care and health insurance, human resources management, quality improvement, teamwork, ethics, and fraud and abuse. Additionally, the course includes a focus on cultural competency in the context of health care management, planning, and delivery.

Through international travel, this course will provide an educational and cultural opportunity for students interested in global public health research and public health practice as conducted in other areas of the world. Students may study a variety of public health issues, engage in community-based research, and/or provide support to public health organizations in their host city and country. This course number serves as a generic number for study abroad programs sponsored by or done in partnership with the School of Public Health. An in-country experience is a required segment of the course. Specific region and/or discipline focus may vary by offering. Most public health study abroad opportunities are applicable to all degree levels. If an opportunity is only applicable to a certain degree level, the corresponding degree level restriction will appear on that specific study abroad course offering and in its course listing comments area. Also, this course is variable credit – the instructor will inform students on the appropriate amount of credit hours students should register for given their planned course workload. Students must adjust their own variable credits prior to the end of registration. (http://registrar.gsu.edu/registration-guide/how-to-change-credit-hours-for-variable-hours-courses/). Contact the School of Public Health for the current list of study abroad options (http://publichealth.gsu.edu/academic/study-abroad). Finally, this course does NOT fulfill the Bachelor of Science in Public Health Signature Experience requirement. Students wanting to fufill their Bachelor of Science in Public Health Signature Experience requirement with a study abroad experience should register for course: PH 4992 Public Health Signature Experience: Global.

This course is the first of a two course sequence required to meet the area H requirements of the GSU Signature Experience. Public Health Signature Experiences gives public health majors the opportunity to integrate, synthesize and apply their public health knowledge through cumulative and experiential activities. In this classroom based course, students will complete a variety of projects, and written assignments designed to assess the student’s acquisition of the required public health competencies covered within the public health major. Mastery of these competencies is required to receive the BSPH degree. The course encompasses a holistic review of the field of public health while integrating student reflection on what they have learned and how they may apply their knowledge to future educational and career aspirations. In this course students will develop a detailed project proposal to guide their applied signature experience which will be completed in one of five categories – Global, Research, City, Service Learning or Professional- during the second course in the sequence.

Public Health Signature Experiences (SE) gives public health majors the opportunity to integrate, synthesize and apply their public health knowledge through cumulative and experiential activities. In this capstone course, students carry out their approved capstone proposal and complete their public health signature experience in one of the five categories – Global, Research, City, Service Learning, or Professional. Global experiences are typically done through international travel, studying a variety of public health issues, engaging in community-based research, and/or providing support to public health organizations in another country. Research experiences usually involve joining a research team or working with an individual, public health faculty member on his/her research, and learning more about the research process in the public health discipline. City experiences provide an educational and cultural opportunity for students to explore the public health capital of the world: Atlanta, and engaging in regional and global public health entities, learning about the unique challenges of the urban Atlanta environment, exploring public health issues Atlanta has and continues to face, and/or providing support to public health organizations in the Georgia capital city. Service learning is done through direct service with local community groups or Non-Governmental Organizations, or completion of a project with a public health community partner, such as a business plan, fundraising event or social media campaign, and these service learning activities may be done individually, or in special cases, with a class group working toward a particular service learning opportunity. Finally, signature experience internships are completed through a planned, supervised and evaluated internship experience, where public health students are given the opportunity to observe and participate in public health work in a variety of governmental or non-governmental agencies and organizations, including local, state, national and international public health agencies. Internship sites, supervisors, and planned work activities must be approved in advance of the course start date and pre-approval deadlines are set by the School each semester. All of these experiences results in the production of a culminating product that is evaluated by a faculty member.