Public Health Nutrition Concentration

Epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of health and disease in different human populations and the application of methods to improve disease outcomes. As such, epidemiology is the basic science of public health. This course is designed to introduce students in all fields of public to the background, basic principles and methods of public health epidemiology. Topics covered include: measures of disease frequency; epidemiologic study designs, both experimental and non-experimental; understanding bias; and measures of effect and association. In addition, students will develop skills to read, interpret and evaluate health information from published epidemiological studies and mass media sources.

This core course examines social, psychological and cultural factors that have an impact on public health in community, national and global contexts. These factors may include: population characteristics (social class, age, gender, culture, race/ethnicity), individual beliefs and behaviors, and socio-political systems and policies that affect public health problems and their solutions. Theories and perspectives drawn from sociology, anthropology, and psychology are applied to critical issues in global public health including the AIDs epidemic, mental illness, chronic disease, community violence, war and natural disaster trauma as well as behavioral health problems such as smoking and substance abuse.

This course introduces MPH students with minimal formal training in biology
to the biological and molecular context of public health. The course
provides an overview of: a) basic biological principles and mechanisms
relevant to public health practice; and b) biomedical technology as applied
in public health. The course covers basic principles of genetics,
immunology, microbiology, and cell biology in the context of global public
health. Areas covered include infectious diseases, genetic and chronic
diseases, allostatic load, environmental factors affecting health, and
prevention and treatment strategies.

This course covers basic probability, descriptive and inferential statistics, and the role of biostatistics in the practice of public health. Specific attention will be given to common probability distributions in public health and medicine, t-tests, Analysis of Variance, multiple linear and logistic regression, categorical data analysis, and nonparametric statistics. Statistical topics are presented conceptually with little derivation, and applications are demonstrated using common statistical software.

This course will cover the basic concepts of the science of nutrition
detailing the nutrients, food sources, function and nutritional
requirements. The course will integrate the nutritional needs of
populations, both nationally and globally, with emphasis on undernutrition,
over nutrition and the double burden of malnutrition. The principles of
nutritional needs will be applied to promoting health in vulnerable
populations.

This course provides an overview of the basics of nutrition epidemiology.
The course provides in-depth knowledge of the principles and challenges
inherent to the discipline of nutritional epidemiology, and provides an
overview of the tools needed to plan observational and interventional
studies in human populations. The course addresses collection, analysis,
and interpretation of data on dietary intake and nutritional status within
diverse populations, and places strong emphasis on methodological
considerations in study design, and pertinent statistical issues, including
measurement errors. Students will gain an appreciation for how the fields
of nutrition, physiology, biochemistry and statistics are integrated into
nutritional epidemiology. The course will discuss emerging topics in
nutritional epidemiology, its future potential and priorities, and
translation of scientific findings into recommendations and policy.

This course is devoted to flexible forms of inquiry suited to the local context of global public health research. Sometimes known as ?action research?, ?rapid assessment, and ?community-based participatory research? these approaches share a commitment to working closely with and in communities to identify health risks and effective interventions for ameliorating them. Although field research may include surveys and other forms of quantitative research, the emphasis in this class will be on qualitative methods with mixed method approaches included where appropriate. The focus will be on introducing the basic content/skills of on-the-ground field research under challenging conditions, i.e., shortages of time and resources as well as cultural/ linguistic differences. There are additional aspects to learning these methods (e.g., data analysis) that require much more time and skill development than is possible in this brief introductory course. Interested students are strongly advised to take additional coursework in qualitative methods.

Review of research and original writings related to public health. Application of research methodology to problems in public health.

Public Health Informatics is a new field that is concerned with the
systematic application of information and computer sciences to practice,
research and learning. This course is created to ensure that graduates of
the program have working knowledge of information resources available for
program planning, surveillance and data management and working knowledge in
the use of evidence-based public health information tools that ensure use
of current best practices and for lifelong learning.

The food system plays an essential role in public health by implicating
nutrition, safety, environmental concerns, and sustainability. Food and its
many aspects has become a mainstay of public health policy, popular
discourse, and national debate. This course examines current health policy
issues related to the modern food environment locally, nationally and
internationally. The course provides background into how the U.S.
government (federal, state, and local) can act in the area of food policy
and it delves into topics related to nutritional guidelines, food programs,
food safety, labeling, marketing, and pricing. We will additionally explore
issues related to the food industry, the global nutrition transition, and
agricultural and environmental food production concerns.

This course will develop an understanding of epidemiologic concepts and methods that will be a backbone to in depth training in specialty areas. It will provide a technical and conceptual training in study design, multivariant analysis, sample size calculations and other key epidemiologic techniques. It will build on the basic core course.

*Students will examine the principles of measurement and testing as applied
to public health research and practice, including the technical
interpretation of test scores using the classical test model. Content of
the course will consider individual measures of constructs and behaviors
measured in public health research and practice. Students will examine and
deconstruct principles and techniques used in psychometric studies to
establish levels of reliability and validity and will utilize statistical
software to conduct analyses. *

Research methods for identification of population-based needs for public health intervention, development of programs to meet those needs, and evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention. Application of research methods to proposal writing, budget, planning, project management, and methods of program evaluation. Students research the need for a public health intervention through a formal needs assessment, conduct the intervention, evaluate its impact, and describe these events in a formal paper and presentation. This research project in the culminating experience for the program.

This course is a second year course in advanced statistical techniques that covers useful quantitative tools in public health research. This course focuses on data analysis that utilizes general linear regression models for continuous, categorical, discrete or limited outcomes that are commonly seen in health and policy studies. Examples are drawn from broad areas of public health and policy research including determinants of self-reported health status or factors influencing number of clinic visits. In this course students will also learn the principles of likelihood-based inference, which will assist them in some of the more advanced statistics courses.

Public health practice typically demands competencies in identifying,
extracting, analyzing and interpreting information from large survey and
administrative data sets (e.g., Demographic and Health Surveys), government
reports, qualitative studies, and other data sources. This course will
develop those competencies through a rigorous evaluation of existing
resources, their strengths and limitations, and best practices in data
utilization for situational assessment, monitoring, policy and strategy
development, and surveillance of health outcomes through real-world case
studies and practices. The course will also provide students with skills in
data analysis and data visualization using Microsoft Excel and the online
mapping software CartoDB.