Public Health Specialization Tracks

The Public Health degree program requires forty-two (42) credits of public health coursework:

• Fifteen (15) of the total credits are completed in public health core courses;
• Six (6) are program-required courses;
• Twelve (12) in track-required courses;
• Three (3) in elective courses;
• Three (3) credits for the field-based practicum; and
• Three (3) credits for the culminating Capstone Seminar.

Students in the public health degree programs are offered the option of specializing or concentrating in one of the following four (4) tracks.

• Epidemiology Track
• Environmental and Occupational Health Track
• Health Policy and Management Track
• Veterinary Public Health Track (This track is reserved for students in the dual DVM/MPH degree program)

1. EPIDEMIOLOGY CURRICULUM
In addition to the public health core (15 credits) and program required (6 credits) courses, students in the Epidemiology Track are required to complete the following four track required-courses (3 credits each).

The following four (4) courses:
PUBH 813—Chronic Disease Epidemiology
PUBH 835—Practical Data Management and Analysis
PUBH 842—Intermediate Epidemiology
PUBH 843—Infectious Disease Epidemiology

• Describe a public health problem in terms of magnitude, person, time, and place.
• Comprehend basic ethical and legal principles pertaining to the collection, maintenance, use, and dissemination of epidemiological data.
• Calculate basic epidemiological measures.
• Communicate epidemiological information to lay and professional audiences.
• Draw appropriate interpretations from epidemiological data.
• Evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiological studies.
• Describe basic concepts of probability, random variation and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
• Apply descriptive techniques commonly used to summarize public health data.
• Apply common statistical methods for inference.
• Apply descriptive and inferential methodologies according to the type of study design for answering a particular research question.
• Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public health studies.
• Develop written and oral presentations based on statistical analysis for both public health professionals and lay audiences.
• Critically synthesize the public health research and practice literature for a selected health topic.
• Evaluate the validity of an epidemiological study in terms of chance and bias.
• Conduct an epidemiological and biostatistical data analysis.
• Distinguish between a statistical association and a casual relationship using appropriate principle of casual inference.

2. ENVIRONMENTAL AND OCCUPATIONAL HEALTH CURRICULUM
In addition to the public health core (15 credits) and program required (6 credits) courses, students in the Environmental and Occupational Health Track are required to complete the four of the following track-required courses (3 credits each).

Any four (4) of the following six (6):
PUBH 816—Occupational Health
PUBH 837—Environmental Sustainable Development
PUBH 841—Occupational and Environmental Epidemiology
PUBH 847—Water Resource Management
PUBH 8YY—Environmental Toxicology
PUBH 8YZ—Environmental Health Management

  
Based on these Environmental and Occupational Health track courses, students will gain the following competencies:

• Describe the direct and indirect human, ecological and toxicological effects of major environmental and occupational agents and toxicants.
• Specify approaches for accessing, preventing, and controlling environmental hazards that pose risks to human health and safety.
• Describe regional and international legislative frameworks, regulatory programs, and policies that seek to regulate and control environmental or occupational health hazards.
• Recognize and evaluate environmental and occupational factors that affect susceptibility to adverse health outcomes following the exposure to hazards.
• Critically evaluate and analyze environmental and occupational literature and draw appropriate conclusions about the results.
• Specify approaches for assessing, preventing, and controlling environmental and occupational hazards that pose risk to human health and safety.
• Develop a testable model to evaluate an environmental and occupational problem and design a program to find a solution.

3. HEALTH POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION CURRICULUM
In addition to the public health core (15 credits) and program required (6 credits) courses, students in the Health Policy and Administration Track are required to complete the following four track-required courses (3 credits each).

The following four (4) courses:
PUBH 844—Health Systems Organization
PUBH 8XX—Foundations in Health Policy Analysis
PUBH 8XY—Health Economics
PUBH 8XZ—Leadership and Management

• Identify the main components and issues of the organization, financing, and delivery of health services and public health systems.
• Discuss the policy process for improving the health status of populations.
• Describe the (legal and) ethical bases for public health and health services.
• Apply the principles of program planning, development, budgeting, management, and evaluation in organizational and community initiatives.
• Apply principles of strategic planning and marketing to public health.
• Apply “system thinking” for resolving organizational problems
• Communicate health policy and management issues using appropriate channels and technologies.
• Demonstrate leadership skills for building partnerships.

4. VETERINARY PUBLIC HEALTH CURRICULUM
In addition to the public health core (15 credits) and program required (6 credits) courses, students in the Veterinary Public Track are required to complete a minimum of ten (10) credits of track-required courses from these pre-clinical DVM courses:

*Students may apply more than 10 credits from the above list to the MPH degree if they wish.

Furthermore, two (2) of the Veterinary Public Health Track Required credits must be earned by taking the following two one-credit courses:

Based on these Veterinary Public Health track courses, students will gain the following competencies:

• Identify and evaluate microbial and non-microbial hazards to human health of animal origin.
• Microbial hazards such as: zoonotic diseases; animal-associated food borne diseases; potential bio-agro terrorism agents; foreign animal disease.
• Non-microbial hazards such as: animal-related injuries (dog bites); animal-related environmental and occupational problems such as animal waste pollution.
• Identify and effectively work with community and governmental resources appropriate for addressing animal-associated human health risks.
• Apply appropriate epidemiologic methods for the investigation and surveillance of animal-associated public health problems.
• Identify and facilitate the implementation of appropriate prevention and control strategies for animal-associated human health risks.
• Identify cultural attitudes and behaviors towards animals and disease to be considered in risk prevention and control.
• Effectively communicate (orally and in writing) and work with human health care providers (physicians, nurses, health educators, environmental health workers, etc.), other public health stakeholders, veterinary sciences providers, and consumer groups on policy and program planning and implementation on animal-related human health issues.

PRACTICUM
The Department of Public Health and Preventive Medicine practicum is a curriculum component that allows students to apply their academic coursework and training within a public health practice setting under the direction of an on-site supervisor. Students must complete at least 240 hours of service.  They are required to register for the Practicum in the semester before they begin their fieldwork.  

To date, this degree requirement has been conducted in more than fifty (50) selected locations throughout Africa, Asia, the Caribbean, Europe, and North and South America.

A Sample listing of more than 150 practicum sites:

• New York State Department of Health
• Arlington Department of Health and Human Services
• World Vision—South Africa
• San Juan (Puerto Rico) Basin Health Department
• Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
• Caribbean Epidemiology Center (CAREC)
• Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
• Ottawa County Health Department
• World Health Organization (WHO)— Geneva, and Malawi
• Grenada National AIDS Directorate
• Botswana Ministry of Health
• Ministries of Health—Grenada, St. Vincent, Bahamas, St. Lucia
• Scoala Nationala De Sanatate Publica—Romania
• Embrapa Campograda—Brazil

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