Global Public Health Minor - Curriculum

This course provides an introduction to the foundational concepts of public health including the definition and history of public health, as well as the role of and strategies utilized by the public health workforce when confronting population-based health issues. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This introductory course will evaluate the modern challenges of global health from a multidisciplinary perspective. The key concepts of global health will be discussed, including various health determinants, human rights, healthcare systems, culture’s impact on health, environmental concerns, nutrition, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, women’s health issues, child and adolescent health, injuries, natural disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies, poverty’s impact on health and more. Students will be expected to be active learners, lead classroom activities on certain days as part of group research project presentations, and actively participate in discussions. (This class is restricted to undergraduate students with at least 2nd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).

This course evaluates global forms of “addiction” in medical, cultural, national, and transnational situations of encounter. Though primarily a EuroAmerican concept of illness, addiction is now discursively and experientially widespread, assuming the status of a “global form.” Addiction narratives and experiences shape people and social life everywhere, as scientific and cultural or national knowledge intersect to form subjectivities, identities of addicts, and communities of addicted bodies. Concepts of will, morality, the addicted self and other, and living and dying also impact the cultural, national and international infrastructures we build—whether and how, for instance, we put resources into medical or criminal justice systems and networks. A closer look at the intimate lives of addicts thus enables us to consider identity boundaries and crossings; addiction languages; family relations and parenting; self-made communities and social bonds; work at the economic fringes of society; personal and institutional violence; policing and navigating enforcement or incarceration; homelessness and legal, medical and social service bureaucracies; as well as transnational production, trafficking, forms of addiction, and policing. By the end of the course, students will comprehend concepts and theories of addiction, and global perspectives on people living with addiction. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

An introduction to the subject of communication in health care delivery and in public health campaigns, with an emphasis on interpersonal, organizational, and mass communication approaches. Also covered is the interrelationship of health behavior and communication. Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course will explore the relationships between spirituality, religion, and medicine as these influence and impact health, well-being, illness, and patient care. The course will provide students with a broad exposure to various dimensions of health, an overview of religion and spirituality, the interface between family, illness, and cultural competence and how current research guides this discussion. An introduction of various religious affiliations and belief systems will be presented as they relate to individual health, well-being, and illness. Strategies for incorporating and integrating religion and spirituality into medicine will be reviewed. Discussions will also include the benefits, barriers, challenges and medical ethics surrounding these strategies and initiatives using real-world case studies and examples. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course is an introduction to the physical and occupational safety tools and techniques and connection to sustainability. Course emphasizes safety excellence though broad application of hazard identification, control and mitigation across industry and community operations, from design to safe use, occupational and process systems. This course reviews OSHA, other regulations, consensus guidelines, and best practices that pertain to maintaining safe operations and physical locations. Management of safety is discussed: inspection, committees, written programs, reporting and agency communications. Lecture 3 (Spring).

The World Health Organization estimates that one in eight people do not have access to a safe drinking water supply. The U.S. State Department has stated that armed conflict over water rights is possible on many of the world’s river systems including the Nile, Tigris/Euphrates, Brahmaputra-Jamuna, and Mekong. What is the cause of these problems and how will changes to the hydrologic cycle and world water supply brought about by climate change affect them? Students will learn about the hydrologic cycle, the general characteristics of surface water and groundwater, and global patterns of water use. Students will learn about the health, economic, and social consequences of drought and flooding, and the effect climate change is having on water supply in arid countries. Laws and government regulation of water withdrawal and use will be covered, as will techniques to extend the available water supply. Students will consider the positive and negative consequences of increasing the sustainability of the water supply through efficiency, conservation, inter-basin transfer, water use export, grey and black water reuse, urban runoff capture, and the creation of fresh water through desalination. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course will provide students with the fundamentals of industrial hygiene and environmental public health, including exposure systems for various chemical, biological, and physical toxicants on individuals or within populations. Fundamentals of, monitoring and sampling, and the hierarchy of controls are covered; Determining roles and the ways in which industrial hygiene may interact with other disciplines such as public health, occupational medicine or environmental engineering are explored. When both this course and ESHS-512 lab are completed, the OSHA 40 hour HAZWOPER certificate is earned. Any non-ESHM program students may take this course without the required lab requisite with permission from the department. This course is co-listed with ESHS-611; students may receive credit for ESHS-511 or ESHS-611, not both. (Prerequisites: ESHS-150 and CHMG-141 and BIOL-101 and BIOL-103 or equivalent courses. Students may not take and receive credit for this course if they have already taken ESHS-611.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

Weekly labs and associated reports develop skills and understanding of calibration and use of air sampling equipment and other instrumentation to assess workplace health hazards. Hands-on practical hazardous material response. Students who complete the course will receive OSHA HAZWOPER 40 hour certification. (Prerequisites: CHMG-141 or equivalent course. Co-requisite: ESHS-511 or equivalent course.) Lab 2 (Fall).

This course explores the effects of wellness and disease prevention on the human lifecycle, lifestyles and overall health. Basic structure and function of selected human body systems are discussed and related to factors such as diet and nutrition, alcohol, drugs, tobacco use, stress and the environment in discussion of health promotion and disease prevention. Lecture and class discussion and student participation are used to explore health related issues. (This course is available to RIT degree-seeking undergraduate students.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course covers to epidemiology and prevalence of mental health disorders across the globe. It also focuses on the diagnosis of psychopathology across the developmental life-span while considering cultural factors. This course emphasizes specific global mental health concerns and the importance of culturally appropriate screening, diagnosis, assessment and treatment. A major component of this course focuses on the use of technology to overcome barriers and bridge treatment gaps for mental health on a global level while keeping ethical considerations in mind. Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course explores various aspects of public health and health care systems in different cultures / countries around the world, with an emphasis on the core building blocks of effective health care systems as described by the World Health Organization (WHO). We will explore the role that culture, traditions, religious beliefs, and other social determinants of health have on disease and injury prevention strategies and access to health care services. Throughout the course, we will compare public health efforts and health care systems in the USA and one foreign country, ultimately traveling to that country for an immersive educational and research experience during either spring break or immediately following the end of the semester. The location of our travels will influence the timing choice of the trip. The RIT Study Abroad office will publicize the international destination and all additional travel expenses beyond standard tuition costs prior to the class registration process. (Prerequisites: GLPH-101 and MEDS-355 or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course provides an overview of statues and regulations as they apply to the health care system. Topics include: an overview of the American legal system; licensure of institutions; licensure and discipline of practitioners; physician-patient relationship; reproductive issues; the right to die; organ donations; medical records; legal liability; malpractice; and labor law. Lecture 3 (Spring).

Highly trained clinical and administrative professionals drive the nature of work in health care. The purpose of this course is to provide students the opportunity to study leadership theory as it is applied in health care organizations. Leadership theories and applications geared toward professionals working in health service organizations will be emphasized. Students will learn to apply leadership theories via case studies and issue analysis of their active work environments. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

This is an overview course that will provide an in-depth investigation of the financial workings in the health care industry. The course will be presented through the investigation of the operations of various health care settings – hospitals, physician practices, long term care facilities and home health care providers. The course covers all the essential functions in health care internal financial operations that would be experienced throughout the industry, except for the insurance companies. There are several examples involving physician practices, inpatient hospitals, clinics, nursing homes, etc. During the course the participants will carefully evaluate what the finance department is expected to accomplish. They will better understand the role of the clinical operations manager in the financial health of a health care organization. The course is designed to provide an approach that includes some terminology used in accounting, but more so those terms associated with finance. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

This course provides a review of the methodology of planning effectively for health care services. The use of data systems and the methods of forecasting, identifying, and analyzing problems are explored. The course will all address the process of strategic planning, setting priorities, developing projects and allocating resources. Students prepare actual application for new programs to regulatory agencies. Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course discusses the delivery system of health care in the US. Specifically, the course will review the current status of American health care including research into population demographics and health and the concept of wellness and prevention. Following this a review of international health care models will occur to consider best practice as alternative care models for consideration for the US. In addition, the students will develop, for their area of interest and expertise, a strategy for incremental or radical innovation in how we provide health care to our constituents. (A minimum of 3rd year standing is required to enroll.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course will evaluate the modern challenges of global health from a multidisciplinary perspective. The key concepts of global health will be discussed, including various health determinants, human rights, health care systems, culture’s impact on health, environmental concerns, nutrition, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, women’s health issues, child and adolescent health, injuries, natural disasters and complex humanitarian emergencies, poverty’s impact on health and more. Students will be expected to be active learners, leading classroom activities on certain days as part of group research project presentations, and actively participate in discussions. (A minimum of 3rd year standing is required to enroll.) Lecture 3 (Fall).

The purpose of this course is to describe the fundamental attributes of emergency management to provide students with a foundation of understanding of the field, while also providing students with a basic understanding of how public health, medical, and health care services function as a part of disaster and emergency management. This course provides an introduction to emergency management and the role the health care organizations (public health, medicine, etc.) play in the four phases of emergency management (mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery) and its core functions. Students will learn how to apply the core functions of emergency management in health-related disasters and other emergencies to identify solutions and methods to improve emergency management practice. (Prerequisites: HLTH-508 or equivalent course and at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the World Health Organization are two of many health organizations that have emphasized the importance of cultural competence in health care. As our society becomes more global, sensitivity to and respect for various cultural norms is an integral component of health care delivery. This course defines cultural competency both in theory and in practice. Select topics to be addressed include: Introduction to cultural competency; diversity, equity and inclusion; how cultural competency impacts health practice; health disparity; language and communication; culture and health literacy; cultural competency; strategies for cultural competency assessment; practicing cultural competency, etc. (Prerequisites: HLTH-508 or equivalent course and at least 3rd year standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This course is designed to build off of students’ understanding of health services delivery, population health management and global health issues, with an international perspective on leading health care delivery systems in the US and abroad. The course will expand student’s understanding of the management/ leadership continuum; the levels of leadership in public health practice; the work of local, state and national regulatory agencies to oversee and respond to community health needs; skills required for effective leadership within diverse cultural settings; and, developing the student as a leader. The focus of this course is to build an awareness of the knowledge, attitudes and skills required to improve the system within the US while influencing our global community. (Prerequisites: HLTH-508 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

Language is a systematic means or method of communicating ideas, events, or feelings. It is a combination of words or symbols used to encode and decode information. Medicine has a language to communicate information regarding the human body, its functions, diseases, tests, and procedures. This course explores the language of medicine, the rules of “language,” language mechanics that apply how to create words, define terms, and identify abbreviations. In addition to learning the fundamentals, the student will gain experience in writing, using the language of medicine, as well as interpreting that language into everyday English. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).

This course will explore key ethical principles, guidelines and regulations that inform decision making and best practices in biomedical research, public health and clinical medicine including issues of informed consent, experimental design, acceptable risk, research integrity, medical errors, for-profit medicine, refusal of care, end-of-life decisions, physician assisted death, substance abuse and ethical use of animals in research. Students will also have multiple opportunities to further develop critical thinking and effective professional communication skills in a seminar format. (Prerequisites: (BIOL-123 and BIOL-125 and BIOL-124 and BIOL-126) or (BIOL-101 and BIOL-102) or (BIOL-121 and BIOL-122) or (MEDG-101 and MEDG-102) and (UWRT-150 or ENGL-150 or ISTE-110) or equivalent courses.) Lecture 3 (Fall).

The course covers applications of epidemiology to the study of the distribution and determinants of health and diseases, morbidity, injuries, disability, and mortality in populations. Epidemiologic methods for the control of conditions such as infectious and chronic diseases, community and environmental health hazards, and unintentional injuries are discussed. Other topics include quantitative aspects of epidemiology, including data sources; measures of morbidity and mortality; evaluation of association and causality; and various study design methods. Contemporary topics in public health (e.g. swine flu, HIV/AIDS, SARS), outbreak investigation, and containment strategies will be examined, analyzed, and thoroughly discussed. (Prerequisites: (MEDG-101 or MEDG-102 or BIOL-101 or BIOL-102 or BIOL-121 or BIOL-122 or BIOL-123 or BIOL-124) or equivalent course and at least 3rd year student standing.) Lecture 3 (Spring).

This is an introductory course in nutritional science concepts and application to current nutrition issues. This course covers the study of specific nutrients and their functions, the development of dietary standards and guides and how these standards are applied throughout the lifecycle. Current health and nutrition problems, nutrition misinformation, chronic diseases, performance nutrition, food safety and technology, hunger and global nutrition will be discussed. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).

This course offers students the opportunity to learn basic research principles and integrate with skills and knowledge from other courses to conduct research in an area of professional interest. The research project includes gathering primary data, assessing and summarizing the data, and sense-making or drawing conclusions from the data. Students will complete activities to gain skills in project management, secondary research development, and Human Subject Research (HSRO) submission and meet RIT’s Writing-Intensive-Program requirement. (Prerequisites: STAT-145 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall).

This course provides an overview of global food and nutrition concepts and issues from both developed and developing country perspectives. Topics include breastfeeding, macronutrients and micronutrient problems, food security and access, food emergencies, maternal and child health and the impacts of socio-economic disparities on nutrition status. Also addressed are challenges in food and nutrition policy development, program design and implementation that are unique to global efforts and sustainable development goals (SDGs). Students apply course content and analytical thinking skills to a unique self-selected country and develop dissemination skills by informing others of the unique food, nutrition and health issues. (Prerequisites: NUTR-215 or equivalent course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).

A majority of serious diseases today are caused by or exacerbated by behavior and many are preventable. This course provides an introduction to the role of behavior in health. Students will learn about the role of psychology in studying and promoting good health behaviors. Topics include the impact of stress and coping on health, psychological variables related to chronic disease, drug addiction, promoting healthy behavior (e.g. exercise, diet, sleep, sexual health), positive psychology, pain management, critical thinking about health product and alternative medicine claims, and research approaches in health psychology. Students who might elect to take this course include students majoring in related fields who wish to learn more about health behavior (e.g. healthcare technology), students majoring, minoring, or immersing in Psychology, and students looking for a Liberal Arts Elective. (Prerequisites: PSYC-101 or PSYC-101H or completion of one (1) 200 level PSYC course.) Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring).

This interdisciplinary course introduces the student to the key concepts of public policy, the policymaking process, the role of stakeholders and interest groups, and the basic dimensions policy analysis. Those concepts are then applied through a range of issues, such as the environment, clean energy, climate change, healthcare, cybersecurity, employment, privacy, telecommunications, and innovation, at local, state, federal and international levels. Lecture 3 (Fall).

Global health is a term that reflects a complex series of problems, policies, institutions and aspirations that have only recently made their way to the global stage. From its earliest days, global health was guided by principles in public health that situate the nation-state as responsible for the health of its population. While international health and tropical medicine, the precursors to global health, was driven by the distinction between wealthy and poor nations, global health today, as this course explores, is oriented to the unequal burden of disease around the world. The course will consider major global health challenges, programs, and policies through an integrated social science lens. After placing global health in historical context, we will focus on how the science of disease cannot be dissociated from the social context and policies that both drive the emergence of disease(s) and respond to the unequal burden of disease around the world. We will analyze current and emerging global health priorities, including emerging infectious diseases, poverty, conflicts and emergencies, health inequity, health systems reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention and health promotion. Lecture 3 (Annual).

This course explores the human condition within an environmental context by emphasizing critical environmental problems facing humans on both a global and regional scale. The approach will be interdisciplinary. The issues, their causes, and their potential solutions will be analyzed with respect to ethical, social, historical, political, scientific, and technological factors. Lecture 3 (Fall, Spring, Summer).