Public Health
College of Health, Department of Health & Exercise Science
Anderson Athletic Recreation Center (AARC) 206, (651) 962-5982
Mellick (Chair), Arogbokun, Bruininks, Hedman-Robertson, Korak, Mead, Roy, Sage, Scibora
Department Website: https://health.stthomas.edu/health-exercise-science/index.html
Public health is an exciting and growing field of study. The course of study in the major reflects a broad exploration of public health issues, methods, and strategies. The field challenges its professionals to confront complex health issues, such as improving access to health care, controlling infectious disease, and reducing environmental hazards, violence, substance abuse, and injury.
Public health is a field that offers an abundance of job opportunities to suit a variety of interests and skills. Whether you are more interested in crunching numbers, conducting research, or working with people, there is a place for you in the field of public health. Those interested in working for a non-profit organization can find jobs in health advocacy, policy, or research for organizations such as the American Cancer Society, the Red Cross, or a local non-profit that focuses on specific health issues. Careers are also available at local, county, state and federal health agencies, as well as health care providers.
Public Health Major (B.S.)
Major Courses:
- PUBH 220 Introduction to Public Heath (4 credits)
- PUBH 225 Global Health & Development (4 credits)
- PUBH 230 Public Health Communications (2 credits)
- PUBH 240 US Health Care Delivery System (4 credits)
- PUBH 300 Introduction to Epidemiology (4 credits)
- PUBH 330 Health Policy (4 credits),
- PUBH 340 Health Education: Program Planning Evaluation (4 credits)
- PUBH 350 Environment, Health & Justice (4 credits)
- PUBH 465 Public Health Research (4 credits)
- PUBH 470 Experiential Learning in Public Health (2 credits)
- PUBH 485 Senior Seminar: Public Health (4 credits)
- 4 elective credits in:
- PUBH 200 Emerging Infectious Diseases
- PUBH 210 One Health
- HLTH 250 Personal Health & Wellness
- HLTH 420 Lifestyle Changes
- HLTH 430 Worksite Health Promotion
- NUTR 245 Introduction to Nutrition
- EXSC 213 Human Anatomy with Lab
- EXSC 214 Human Physiology with Lab
- EXSC 240 Medical Terminology
Allied Courses:
- STAT 220 Statistics (4 credits)
- PSYC 111 General Psychology (4 credits)
- Select one of the following: (4 credits)
- BIOL 105 Human Biology
- BIOL 106 Women, Medicine & Biology
- BIOL 207 Genetics, Ecology & Evolution
- Select one of the following: (4 credits)
- COMM 100 Public Speaking
- COMM 105 Communication in the Workplace
- Select one of the following: (4 credits)
- ENVR 151 Environmental Challenges
- BIOL 209 Biology of Sustainability
- Select one of the following: (4 credits)
- JPST 250 Introduction Justice & Peace Studies
- GEOG 350 Geography of Global Health
- BIOL 161/GEOL 361 Medical Geology
- Select one of the following: (4 credits)
- SOCI 100 Introduction to Sociology
- SOCI 110 Social Problems
- SOCI 251 Race & Ethnicity
Public Health Minor
Required:
- PUBH 220: Intro to Public Health and Social Justice (4 credits)
- PUBH 225: Global Health and Development
- PUBH 300: Intro to Epidemiology (4 credits)
- STAT 220: Statistics (4 credits)
Plus one from:
- PUBH 200: Emerging Infectious Disease and Global Health (4 credits)
- PUBH 210: One Health: Humans, Animals and the Environment (4 credits)
- PUBH 330: Heath Policy (4 credits)
- PUBH 340: Human Education Program Planning and Evaluation (4 credits)
- PUBH 350: Environment, Health and Justice (4 credits)
Public Health Courses
| Course Number | Title | Credits | |
|---|---|---|---|
| PUBH 200 | Emerging Disease & Glob Health | 4 | |
| Description of course Emerging Disease & Glob Health : | In recent decades, infectious diseases such as West Nile virus, Ebola, Zika, MERS, HIV, H5N1 and H1N1 influenza virus have jumped geographical boundaries and even species boundaries to emerge in new populations. This class offers an introduction to emerging and reemerging infectious disease and focuses on the underlying mechanisms of microbial emergence, epidemiology, and the strategies available to contain them. In this age of antibiotics and vaccines, why do millions die each year from infectious diseases worldwide? With new pathogens continuing to emerge, can we ever hope to win the battle? The emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases involves many interrelated factors. Global interconnectedness continues to increase with international travel and trade; economic, political, and cultural interactions; and human-to-human and animal-to-human interactions. This course will address the biological mechanism of infectious disease and the socioeconomic and ecological factors that influence the outbreak of infectious diseases. | ||
| PUBH 210 | One Health | 4 | |
| Description of course One Health : | This course is designed to provide students with an understanding of the biology of human/animal/environmental interactions that impact health. Students will practice evidence-based approaches to these public health issues including identifying problems and risk factors, considering evidence-based recommendations for interventionism developing strategies for putting interventions in place, and evaluating outcomes. The University of St. Thomas challenges students "... to be morally responsible leaders, who think critically, act wisely, and work skillfully towards the common good." Students completing this course will build critical thinking skills while learning fundamental concepts and practices that benefit the health of global and local communities. | ||
| PUBH 220 | Intro to Pub Hlth & Soc Just | 4 | |
| Description of course Intro to Pub Hlth & Soc Just : | Public health impacts each of us on a daily basis, yet too few of us can explain exactly what it is ordescribe the numerous ways in which it “touches” our daily lives. For students interested in the healthsciences it is critical that you understand how public health has and continues to influence our collectivehealth. In this course you will acquire an understanding of the academic discipline of public health, majorpublic health problems, and public health systems intended to protect andmaintain the health of the public.The course will orient you to core principles of public health, including social justice, and provideopportunities for you to apply your knowledge of public health to address complex population healthproblems that affect the population. Course activities will challenge you to think critically about variouscomplex health problems while you compare, contrast and devise “solutions” or interventions to addressthem. This class will equip you with tools to begin to address the critical public health issues that face you,your community, and your world. | ||
| PUBH 225 | Global Health & Development | 4 | |
| Description of course Global Health & Development : | Course description: Some of the major global health challenges we will discuss include communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as environmental, women’s, and refugee health issues. We will pay particular attention to health systems and the role these systems play in promoting health and development around the globe. The course is global in its scope, but the focus of many of our discussions will be on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, and health inequity. The relationship between health and socio-economic development will be examined throughout the course. The course will expose students to concepts from social epidemiology, such as social determinants of health and the impact of various social, economic, political, and historical contexts on health. | ||
| PUBH 230 | Public Health Communications | 2 | |
| Description of course Public Health Communications : | This course provides students with a foundation of knowledge to develop communication and advocacy skills for the public health profession. Students will learn how to apply health communication strategies and recommended practices in developing, implementing, and evaluating a health communication campaign as well as engaging in advocacy-related communications. Students will apply and discuss health communication concepts, theories, and models in critiquing past communication campaigns. Emergency and risk communication, health literacy and patient-client education, communicating with stakeholders and decision/policy makers, and e-health technologies will also be explored. | ||
| PUBH 240 | U.S. Health Care Delivery | 4 | |
| Description of course U.S. Health Care Delivery : | This course will provide an introduction into the legal, ethical, social, economic, and regulatory dimensions of U.S. health care, through a public health and social justice lens. Students will analyze the U.S. health care system structure and functions. Systems of care (government, private, and non-profit) as well as types of care (medical care, behavioral health care, public health, etc.) will be explored. Coursework will require students to conduct a comparative analysis of health care delivery system in the U.S. and another country. The course will explore challenges within the U.S. health care delivery system and engage students to investigate proposed solutions to reduce health care costs, improve health care quality, and reduce health disparities. A culminating class project will provide opportunities for students to share what they have learned in the course with a larger audience. | ||
| PUBH 300 | Intro to Epidemiology | 4 | |
| Description of course Intro to Epidemiology : | Course description: Epidemiology (“epi”) is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease patterns in human populations. As a scientific method, epidemiology can be used to investigate, analyze, and ultimately prevent or control health problems on the population level. In this course you will develop your understanding of the epidemiologic approach for addressing important population health problems. You will have the opportunity to examine various population health issues from an epidemiologic perspective. Initially, you will learn to speak the “epi” language such that you can describe data in epidemiologic terms and examine associations between exposures and health/disease outcomes. You will also develop skills to conduct basic data analysis, critically analyze epidemiologic study methods, and assess the validity of “epi” study results. You will leave this course with a better understanding of both the significant impact of epidemiology on human health as well as some of the limitations of the science. Prerequisites: PUBH 220 and STAT 220 | ||
| PUBH 330 | Public Health Policy | 4 | |
| Description of course Public Health Policy : | Public Health policies are inescapable, critical, but often invisible components of our everyday lives. The accessibility, cost and quality of health care; our preparedness for disasters; the safety of our food, water, environment and medications; the right to make individual decisions about our personal health and well-being; and many other issues are vitally tied to health policies and laws. Health policies and laws may have a lasting effect on our quality of life as individuals and on our welfare as a nation. This course examines the relationship between public health research and policymaking. Complex health policy problems facing policymakers today will be discussed. Specifically, this course examines healthcare policy from a public health perspective. Over the course of the semester, we will discuss federal, state, and local health policies in order to improve our understanding of how and why policies were and are developed and how research, politics, and other social factors inform the health policymaking process. Many of the contemporary health policy problems facing federal, state, and local policymakers today will be explored. Prerequisites: PUBH 220 or approval of the instructor | ||
| PUBH 340 | Planning, Implementation & Eva | 4 | |
| Description of course Planning, Implementation & Eva : | This course will cover effective approaches for planning, implementing, and evaluating public health education programs. Students will engage in quantitative and qualitative needs assessment procedures to guide program goal and objective setting. The course will emphasize theoretical and evidence-based interventions and tools to optimize program implementation. Fundamental concepts and methods of evaluation will be covered. This course covers important planning skill sets beneficial to other disciplines. Prerequisite: PUBH 220 and 225 or instructor approval | ||
| PUBH 350 | Environment, Health & Justice | 4 | |
| Description of course Environment, Health & Justice : | Welcome to PUBH 350: Environment, Health and Justice. In this course we will examine public health structures, principles, tools, and programs used to address current and historical environmental health issues. Throughout the course we will consider how the world we live in impacts our health, how we negatively impact the environment and our own health, and what can be done to improve population health. We will consider these topics from an environmental justice perspective because around the world environmental hazards and diseases are not equally distributed across all populations. Environmental health issues are complex and in order to more fully understand them we will draw on ideas and concepts from sociology, economics and environmental epidemiology, toxicology, and regulation. This course will encourage you to understand and think critically about ways public health systems measure, control, and remove exposures to environmental hazards to protect population health. Prerequisites: PUBH 220 or approval of the instructor | ||
| PUBH 465 | Public Health Research Methods | 4 | |
| Description of course Public Health Research Methods : | This course is intended to guide students thorough a five-step process for conducting health research. Students will develop skills necessary to understand, interpret, design various types of health research, as well as contribute to the scholarly conversation in public health. Students will have the opportunity to develop a research question, design a research project to address their question, draft a manuscript, and present their findings to their peers and faculty. Topics to be covered in this course include: identifying an appropriate research study question, selecting an effective study approach, designing a study, collecting data, analyzing data, and reporting findings. This course serves as a hands-on, writing intensive course for students majoring in Public Health. Prerequisites: PUBH 220 and PUBH 300 | ||
| PUBH 470 | Internship: Public Health | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Internship: Public Health : | The Public Health undergraduate internship learning experience has a three central goals: 1) to broaden student exposure to public health professionals and agencies, 2) facilitate opportunities for students to integrate, synthesize, and apply knowledge gained from coursework , and 3) provide opportunities for students to observe public health leadership in action. This course requires students to complete 100 hours engaging in public health-related competencies. Prior to registering for this class, students must receive internship site approval by faculty or advisor and secure an agreement, in writing, with an internship site. Prerequisites: STAT 220, PUBH 300, and PUBH 340 | ||
| PUBH 478 | Experiential Learning | 0 | |
| Description of course Experiential Learning : | No description is available. | ||
| PUBH 485 | Senior Seminar: PUBH | 4 | |
| Description of course Senior Seminar: PUBH : | This is the senior capstone seminar for public health majors. The overarching aim of the course is toprovide students with a culminating experience to their overall studies in undergraduate public health.Students will bring to this course all of the knowledge and tools of analysis that they have learned in publichealth throughout their undergraduate tenure. This seminar allows students majoring in public health toanalyze specific issues and problems using the knowledge and understanding gained by completing therequired courses in the program and an experiential learning or research experience. Prerequisites: PUBH 465 or 470 and be senior standing or get permission of the instructor. | ||
| PUBH 491 | Individual Study/Research | 2 TO 4 | |
| Description of course Individual Study/Research : | No description is available. | ||
| PUBH 495 | Individual Study/Research | 2 OR 4 | |
| Description of course Individual Study/Research : | No description is available. | ||