Advanced Certificate in Public Health

This course presents the fundamental statistical employed in clinical and public health research. Lectures cover basic probability, common distribution, samples and population, interval estimation, and inferential statistical approaches. Students learn how data are presented and interpreted in the professional literature by considering published articles, professional reports and public health data.

This course is an overview and introduction to the way in which behavioral and social factors contribute to health. It covers a wide range of topics: theories of behavioral science which have been applied to health behaviors; socio-cultural factors in disease etiology and the role of social conditions and social policy in addressing critical public health problems; individual, group, community, and technology-based strategies for health behavior change; and current issues in behavioral sciences for health promotion including its application to achieving the Healthy People 2020 goals.

This survey of the major environmental determinants of human health covers physical, chemical and biological sources of exposure; routes of exposure in humans; etiology of environmental disease and mortality; and the complexities of environmental public policy. Topics include airborne pollution, contaminated water and food, solid and hazardous waste, and risk assessment as a tool for regulation. Students have the opportunity to tour a local public works facility.

This course consists of two modules. Module 1 introduces fundamental statistical approaches employed in clinical and public health research. Lectures cover common distributions, samples and populations, interval estimation, and inferential statistical approaches. Students learn how data are presented and interpreted in the professional literature by considering published articles, professional reports and public health data. Module 2 introduces students to the principles and practices of epidemiology and provides them with a population-based perspective on health, disease, and prevention. Students learn the basic measurements of frequency and association and the methods employed in describing, monitoring, and studying health and disease in populations. Students also learn how to apply fundamental statistical methods to key epidemiological concepts such as measures of morbidity, mortality, and measures of effect. This course also includes an introduction to experimental and observational study designs, the process of conducting each design as well as the strengths, limitations, and issues of design selection. Bias and challenges relating to causal inference in epidemiological research are also covered.

This course is intended to apply concepts learned in BSHM 5001 and HPMM 5001. It provides an opportunity for students to see how public health issues and concerns can be translated into policies and interventions targeted at communities, smaller groups, and individuals. It also provides skills in leadership and appropriate communication of public health content for different audiences. There will be multiple opportunities to practice the concepts and skills covered in this course. CHSM 5005 A and B must be taken concurrently. Prerequisites: HPMM 5001; BHSM 5001.

This course introduces principles and practices of epidemiology and provides students with a population-based perspective on health and disease. Students learn the basic measurements of frequency and association and the methods employed in describing, monitoring, and studying health and disease in populations.

This course provides comprehensive overviews of the American health care systems, their organization, administration and financing. In addition to lectures, exercises and papers are structured to provide an understanding of the major stakeholders involved in health care; the issues driving the health care reform agenda; the use of community-based needs assessment in planning the delivery of health care services; and methods for measuring and monitoring the quality of care.

This course builds on the foundation of Introduction to Epidemiology, expanding on concepts and problems of epidemiologic reasoning, and the design and analysis of epidemiologic research. Lecture topics include reliability and validity, causal inference, stratification and modeling techniques, and confounding and effect modification, as well as summaries of topics that influence these fundamental skills and factors. Prerequisites: EPIM 5002 and BISM 5001. Co-requisite(s): Intermediate Biostatistics I (strongly recommended); Introduction to SAS Programming for Data Management and Analysis or SAS Application to Epidemiological Studies (strongly recommended).

This course familiarizes students with concepts and approaches for community health assessment, analysis and planning. This includes discussion of social action, organizational development, policy advocacy, capacity building, community diagnosis (needs assessment), social networking and coalition formation to bring about health and quality of life improvement. Special focus will be placed on the application of qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods and CBPR approaches for assessment.

Survey and analyses of health testing and evaluation procedures, uses and limitations of knowledge and attitude tests, behavioral inventories, check lists, questionnaires, interviews, and other techniques.

This course explores the concepts of scarcity, social choice, resource allocation, efficiency, investment, and market forces and their relationship to health services delivery and health policy. A variety of analytical principles and methods are examined and applied to issues including health care financing, cost containment, regulation, access, insurance, productivity, and program evaluation.

This course is the first part of a two-semester sequence. Topics covered during this semester include: descriptive statistics, probability, estimation, hypothesis testing for one and two samples, non-parametric methods and introduction of hypothesis testing with categorical data. Pre-requisite: BISM 5001 CORE: Introduction to Biostatistics; Pre/Co-requisite: BISM 6092 Introduction to SAS Programming BISM 6032 Intermediate Biostatistics II (3 credits).

The primary focus of this course is to teach the application of basic SAS programming skills to data management and analysis. In addition, the course will expose students to a range of computing techniques in the management, organization, analysis, and presentation of health science data.

This course will describe the psychological, social, and environmental determinants of a wide range of health and health-related behavior. Theoretical models from the behavioral and social sciences will be used to explain health behavior at the individual, interpersonal, and community levels. The course emphasizes the acquisition of theoretical understanding but is also intended to improve actions or activities undertaken for the purpose of promoting, preserving, or restoring wellness, and actions or activities that endanger wellness or cause illness. Prerequisites: BSHM 5001.

Today’s managers will be challenged with the world of data and making sense of it all demands tools and techniques using industry-standard tools like Microsoft Excel and cutting-edge business intelligence software like Tableau. This course is a deep dive into Excel for intermediate level users and an intro to Tableau. Students will experience interactive tutorials and exercises to get them mission-ready for the jobs they enter. What future managers should expect to get out of this course is the wherewithal knowledge to use advanced graphs and presentation techniques to maximize stakeholder impact; use macros and basic VBA to automate your spreadsheets and increase interactivity; use super power functions that can forecast the industry’s most complex problems; use PivotTables and lookup functions to turn raw data into clear information, which supports key decisions in the workplace.

Designed to familiarize professionals with the methods used by industrial hygienists in the prevention of occupational diseases, this course covers such topics as the physical form of air contaminants, air sampling and analysis, engineering controls, and the preparation of survey protocols.

This course will introduce public health and health care professionals to real-world tools, skills, and resources needed to identify and successfully compete for public health and health care funding at the local, state, and national level. Course topics will closely mirror the components of a standard grant application including needs assessments, work-plans, budgets, logic models and project evaluation plans among other key areas. Students will be expected to write proposal sections in response to actual funding announcements.

This course will introduce students to the multidisciplinary field of managing organizations, including psychology, sociology, cultural anthropology, human resource management, social systems, theory, organizational development, and “learning organizations.” Students will develop expertise in analyzing behaviors and environments including the competitive landscape, macro and micro systems, and other dimensions that influence strategic planning, decision making, managing behaviors and leadership.