Public Health

HLTH 1090 Biostatistics — 4 credits

This course is an introductory statistics course with an emphasis on medical, biological and public health data analysis. Statistical topics covered in the course will include hypothesis testing, nonparametric statistics, and introductory regression models. Students will also learn complementary skills in using statistical software, searching public health data sources, data cleaning and methods of reporting findings. Statistical methods will be paired with discussions about inclusion and exclusion criteria, sampling methods, experimental design, and interpretation and display of results for the purposes of public health communications. Offered in the College for Women. Credit is given for only one of the following courses: ECON 1080, ECON 1090, HLTH 1090, STAT 1089, STAT 1090, or PSYC 1090.

HLTH 1964 Community Health Worker Role, Advocacy, Outreach and Resources — 3 credits

This course defines the role of the Community Health Worker (CHW). Students will explain strategies for personal safety in relations to home visits. Students will also gain an understanding of the value of self-care, and personal wellness. Students will relate needs of their communities and cultural considerations. Students will learn about their role as a liaison, connecting clients and appropriate community resources.

HLTH 1966 Health Communication and Cultural Competence, Teaching and Capacity Building — 3 credits

This course will introduce concepts of verbal and non-verbal communication required for the Community Health Worker (CHW) to effectively interact with clients, their families and healthcare providers of all backgrounds. Students apply skills such as active listening and motivational interviewing. This course also focuses on the CHW's role as a teacher to increase the capability of the community and the client to access the health care and social services systems. Course materials will emphasis empowering clients to become self-sufficient in achieving personal health goals within the role of the CHW.

HLTH 1968 Documentation, Legal and Ethical Issues in Community Health Work — 3 credits

This course will introduce concepts of legal and ethical dimensions of the Community Health Worker's (CHW) role. Included are boundaries of the CHW position, agency policies, confidentiality, liability, mandatory reporting, and cultural issues that can influence legal and ethical responsibilities. This course also focuses on the importance and ability of the CHW to gather, document and report client visits and other activities. The emphasis is on appropriate, accurate and clear documentation considering legal and agency requirements.

HLTH 1970 Health Promotion Competencies I — 3 credits

This course provides fundamental knowledge about predominant concerns in community health and skills for working with clients around those topics. Topics include: healthy lifestyle, maternal and child health, trauma informed care, social determinants of health, health equity, and mental health. Within each topic, students learn basic information, prevention and management strategies (where applicable), community resources, skills for communicating and working with clients and communities. Students also learn the fundamentals of healthy lifestyles and skills to supporting clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

HLTH 1972 Health Promotion Competencies II — 2 credits

This course provides fundamental knowledge about predominant concerns in community health and skills for working with clients around those topics. Topics continue from the first half to include chronic disease, infectious disease and communicable disease. Within each topic, students learn basic information, prevention and management strategies (where applicable), community resources, skills for communicating and working with clients and communities. Students also learn the fundamentals of healthy lifestyles and skills to supporting clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

HLTH 1974 Health Promotion Competencies I — 3 credits

This course provides fundamental knowledge about predominant concerns in community health and skills for working with clients around those topics. Topics include chronic disease, infectious disease and communicable disease. Within each topic, students learn basic information, prevention and management strategies (where applicable), community resources, skills for communicating and working with clients and communities. Students also learn the fundamentals of healthy lifestyles and skills to support clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

HLTH 1975 Health Promotion Competencies II — 2 credits

This course provides fundamental knowledge about predominant concerns in community health and skills for working with clients around those topics. Topics include: healthy lifestyle, maternal and child health, trauma informed care, social determinants of health, health equity, and mental health. Within each topic, students learn basic information, prevention and management strategies (where applicable), community resources, skills for communicating and working with clients and communities. Students also learn the fundamentals of healthy lifestyles and skills to support clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle.

HLTH 1983 Topics — 3 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.

HLTH 1992 Topics — 2 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.

HLTH 1993 Topics — 3 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.

HLTH 2030 Role of Community Health Worker - Field Internship — 2 credits

Structured out-of-class learning experience that takes place on or off campus and includes a substantial work component. An internship involves students in a particular profession in an exploratory way to test career interests and potential. The instructor serves as the internship advisor and completes a site visit with each student and the site supervisor. 2 Credits = work at least 80 total hours (approx 8-10 hrs/wk) at internship site. The course will also include professional skill building components. Offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Corequisites: HLTH 1974, HLTH 1975.

HLTH 2045 Health Promotion Competencies — 4 credits

This course provides fundamental knowledge about predominant concerns in community health and skills for working with clients around those topics. Topics include: healthy lifestyle, heart disease and stroke, maternal and child health, diabetes, cancer, oral health, and mental health. Within each topic, students learn basic information, prevention and management strategies (where applicable), community resources, skills for communicating and working with clients and communities. Students also learn the fundamentals of healthy lifestyles and skills to supporting clients to achieve a healthy lifestyle.
Corequisites: HLTH 2020, HLTH 2030.

HLTH 2050 Foundations in Public Health — 4 credits

This course provides an overview of the major concepts and principles of public health. It offers students a methodology for understanding populations and population health, the biomedical basis of public health, including infectious disease transmission and containment. It explores the societal and behavioral determinants of health, impact of the environment on health, role of the medical care system in meeting the needs of the population, and population level interventions aimed at improving and promoting health. Challenges faced by public health in the United States are examined. Students engage in critical service-learning as part of their introduction to the field of public health.

HLTH 2682 Directed Study — 2 credits

HLTH 2684 Directed Study — 4 credits

HLTH 3150 Epidemiology — 4 credits

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in populations. This course introduces the history, philosophy and methodology of epidemiology as well as ethical issues in the discipline. We will review key concepts such as causation, study design, and bias; an understanding of which will aid in uncovering factors that contribute to our understanding of population health. Students will discuss applications of epidemiology to promote prevention by designing interventions and policy that improve health outcomes. The primary learning goal for this course will be for students to be able to collect, interpret, and communicate epidemiologic data and study results. A case method approach and applied learning lab is used to facilitate learning. Offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050 with a minimum grade of C.
Prerequisite with concurrency: One course in statistics (HLTH 1090, ECON 1080, ECON 1090, PSYC 1090, STAT 1090) with a minimum grade of C.

HLTH 3210 Health Communications — 3 credits

HLTH 3250 Global Health — 4 credits

This course examines the main concepts of public health from a global perspective and the critical links between public health and social, political, environmental, and economic factors. Specific issues in global health will be discussed, including population trends, pandemics, nutrition, work, environment, women's and children's health, and infectious and chronic diseases. Media reports and other information sources will be used to learn about global health issues. Opportunities and responsibilities for taking action to address global disparities will be emphasized. Students will critically analyze and present a current global health issue. Offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050.

HLTH 3350 Environmental Health — 4 credits

This course is designed to provide students with an introduction to and overview of the key areas of environmental health. Using the perspectives of the population and community, the course will cover factors associated with the development of environmental health problems. Students will gain an understanding of the interaction of individuals and communities with the environment, the potential impact on health of environmental agents, and specific applications of concepts of environmental health. The course will cover principles derived from core environmental health disciplines. The sequence of major topics begins with background material and “tools of the trade” (environmental epidemiology, environmental toxicology, and environmental policy and regulation). The course then covers specific agents of environmental diseases (e.g., microbial agents, ionizing and nonionizing radiation). Finally, applications and domains of environmental health are addressed (e.g., water and air quality, food safety, waste disposal, and occupational health).
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050.

HLTH 3400 Health Promotion Planning and Management — 4 credits

This course introduces students to a variety of health promotion methods. The course is designed to help students develop the necessary skills and strategies to carry out effective program planning. We will also explore the ethics and standards of the health promotion profession. It will focus on various ways health educators and promotors effectively communicate messages to various populations. Students will practice strategies involving health communication, advocacy, education, social marketing, and group facilitation. Students will be engaged in critical thinking exercises, experiential learning activities, and professional preparation assignments. A major portion of the class will be developing a presentation for the service learning site. Offered in the College for Women.
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050.

HLTH 3450 Critical Issues in Health Promotion — 4 credits

Public health professionals are expected to critically evaluate many different health-related issues, make well-informed assessments of controversial health topics, and convey unbiased health information to the public. This course is designed to give students the opportunity to explore and research a variety of contemporary health-related issues. Techniques for identifying and researching the issues plus appropriate teaching and communication strategies will be addressed along with effective health and wellness promotional strategies. The course emphasizes mastery of health communication including the development of fact sheets on public health topics. The course will provide a platform for identifying and addressing health promotion’s most important “critical issues,” including those that are at the heart of health promotion practice/research, and those that are contested within the health promotion community, and in broader fields related to public health in general. It will provide students the opportunity to learn about the multiple ways to view the topics in public health. Offered in the College for Women.
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050.

HLTH 3992 Topics — 2 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.

HLTH 3994 Topics — 4 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.

HLTH 4682 Directed Study — 2 credits

Directed study is provided for students whose unusual circumstances prohibit taking a regularly scheduled course but who need the material of that course to satisfy a requirement. Availability of this faculty-directed learning experience depends on faculty time and may be limited in any given term and restricted to certain courses.
Prerequisites: Faculty, department chair and dean approval.

HLTH 4684 Directed Study — 4 credits

Directed study is provided for students whose unusual circumstances prohibit taking a regularly scheduled course but who need the material of that course to satisfy a requirement. Availability of this faculty-directed learning experience depends on faculty time and may be limited in any given term and restricted to certain courses.
Prerequisites: Faculty, department chair and dean approval.

HLTH 4700 Practicum Preparation — 2 credits

This course is designed to be taken the semester prior the HLTH 4754 Public Health Practicum to prepare students for the experience. This course is a professional development that will help students prepare for the practicum by developing new skills and strengthening existing skills. Students will develop and refine materials for the practicum and employment search, including a resume, cover letter, professional references, LinkedIn profile, and effective interview skills. The course will also include topics related to population health and professionalism, such as effective communication, emotional intelligence, ethical conduct, and unconscious bias. Students will be required to complete all Student Compliance practicum requirements so they are ready to register for the practicum. Students will also start applying to potential practicum sites.
Prerequisite: HLTH 2050.

HLTH 4754 Practicum — 4 credits

In this course students will participate in a structured group setting to process and reflect on their own practicum experience. Participants will learn through the integration of classroom theory and real life career related experience. A site visit conducted by the instructor, including an evaluation meeting, will provide additional feed back to the student and build a connection between the University and employer. This course will support practicums that allow students in the public health major to explore and develop initial career paths.
Prerequisites: HLTH 2050, HLTH 3150, HLTH 3350 or instructor permission.

HLTH 4800W Senior Seminar in Public Health — 4 credits

Senior Seminar is a writing intensive course designed to examine critical and current issues in public health. The course uses grant writing to move the student through identifying a population health disparity, describing the disparity, critical review of the literature, designing an implementation and evaluation plan. The final document is in the format of a grant proposal. This culminating experience blends the public health curriculum to date, builds practical skills and requires development and practice of leadership skills. Offered in the College for Women and the College for Adults.
Prerequisites: HLTH 2050, HLTH 3150, HLTH 3350, instructor permission.

HLTH 4951 Independent Study — 1 credit

HLTH 4952 Independent Study — 2 credits

Independent study offers students the opportunity for specialized research not covered in a course offering, by the action project or thesis. Students work with a faculty advisor to develop a learning contract, which specifies the content and objectives of the study as well as the requirements and procedures for evaluation. The amount of credit earned for the study also is included in the learning contract.
Prerequisites: Permission of the faculty and department chair or program director.

HLTH 4994 Topics — 4 credits

The subject matter of the course is announced in the annual schedule of classes. Content varies from year to year but does not duplicate existing courses.