Hoos’ List

Public health is multidisciplinary, universally relevant, & constantly evolving. In this survey course, we learn about past & current public health issues & explore the core disciplines of public health through a combination of lectures & small group discussion of documentaries & case studies. We develop an appreciation of how public health knowledge relates to our lives & learn about career opportunities.

Topics in Public Health Sciences

Public health is multidisciplinary, universally relevant, & constantly evolving. In this survey course, we learn about past & current public health issues & explore the core disciplines of public health through a combination of lectures & small group discussion of documentaries & case studies. We develop an appreciation of how public health knowledge relates to our lives & learn about career opportunities.

This course uses an economic perspective to analyze the health policies and institutions that shape the health care system in the US. The consequences of current health care policies on health outcomes are discussed. The processes through which health policies are developed, implemented, and evaluated are analyzed.

This course is designed to provide students with the knowledge & skills needed to use population data to answer research questions. Students will utilize SPSS to access, evaluate, & interpret public health data. The course will give students an opportunity to generate hypotheses & variables to measure health problems. The course will also describe how the public health infrastructure is used to collect, process, maintain & disseminate data. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This undergraduate course provides an introduction to basic epidemiology concepts, including measures of frequency & association, study design, & methodological issues such as confounding. Students will use case studies & team projects, as well as literature reviews, to examine strategies for promoting healthy behavior & lifestyles & addressing such public health challenges as obesity & tobacco abuse. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This course is an introduction to epidemiology at the undergraduate level. Using epidemiology as a framework, class participants are challenged to engage more thoughtfully with many of the big issues facing the world today. The course emphasizes the importance of critical thinking and the scientific method, collaboration in teams, and ethical principles and reasoning in this process.

Much of what we know about human health & health-related behavior is based on quant & qual research. This course involves students in the research process from start to finish, including formulating a research question; conducting a background literature review; choosing a study design; developing data collection tools; recruiting a study population; collecting data; assuring data quality; analyzing data; & interpreting & presenting results.

Provides a background for students who may be interested in learning about challenges & opportunities for improvement in health status for citizens in all countries. Although at the operational level, each national system is unique, there are common characteristics that permeate the design & structure of most health care delivery sectors. The major health reform activities occurring in developed & developing countries will be highlighted.

Topics in Public Health Sciences

The planning & design of the built environment to promote public health & equity requires systems thinking & a trandisciplinary approach to research. Students will learn & apply collaborative research methods including scientific health literature review, diagramming concepts, & case study analysis to synthesize logic models as theoretical frameworks for projects & policy.

Undoubtedly, we've made important advances in global health, but there's still a long way to go. What factors determine health? What threats do we face today? What issues should we be working to change? We will explore these questions & more through a variety of interactive lectures & small group activities centered on 4 major themes: History & Trends, Determinants of Health, Culture, & Communication.

We will draw on approaches from public health, medical informatics, and human factors engineering to answer these questions. We will explore how to create interventions that are grounded in theoretical perspectives and field-based assessments of patients needs and preferences. Our ultimate goal will be to create interventions that are useful and usable by patients and that ultimately support self-management and improve health outcomes.

Explores the legitimacy, design, & implementation of a variety of policies aiming to promote public health & reduce the social burden of disease & injury. Highlights the challenge posed by public health's pop-based perspective to traditional ind-centered, autonomy-driven approaches to bioethics & const. law. Other themes center on conflicts between PH & pub morality & the relationship between PH and social justice.

Provides a background for students who may be interested in learning about challenges & opportunities for improvement in health status for citizens in all countries. Although at the operational level, each national system is unique, there are common characteristics that permeate the design & structure of most health care delivery sectors. The major health reform activities occurring in developed & developing countries will be highlighted.

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Public Health Sciences. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Explores topics in global public health and the myriad of governmental and non-governmental entities whose goal is to address and resolve problems encountered in global public health and synthesizes the student's interdisciplinary studies in global public health, culminating in a Capstone Paper.

Designed to introduce undergrads to a graduate level coursework. This course advances methodological and cultural competency in the design and implementation of community health qualitative research investigations. Coursework provides opportunities to practice specific methodologies such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, case studies, and historiographies in accordance with standards of rigor (e.g., reliability, generalizability, validity). Prerequisites: Instructor Permission.

Focus on interconnections between human health and the environment impacting individuals, communities and populations. Including ecological perspectives highlighting human health, animal health and ecosystem health. Use analytic frameworks to identify, evaluate and address environmental health concerns. Gain real world experience through field trips and interactions with environmental health professionals.

Reviews principles of economics most relevant to analyzing changes in health care provision and applies those principles to current health care institutions and their performance, trends in health care service delivery, and methods of forecasting future trends. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

This course uses an economic perspective to analyze the health policies and institutions that shape the health care system in the US. The consequences of current health care policies on health outcomes are discussed. The processes through which health policies are developed, implemented, and evaluated are analyzed.

Seminar to introduce undergraduates to graduate level work. Examines the evolution of the U.S. health care system from a health policy and health values perspective, with an emphasis on the current health system. Topics include issues surrounding the financing, organization, and delivery of health care, including acess, coverage, cost, and quality of health services. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Much of what we know about human health & health-related behavior is based on quant & qual research. This course involves students in the research process from start to finish, including formulating a research question; conducting a background literature review; choosing a study design; developing data collection tools; recruiting a study population; collecting data; assuring data quality; analyzing data; & interpreting & presenting results.

The Policy & Practices in Global Health Course will enhance the students' understanding of the social, political, and economic context of common global health challenges and issues. The course will review case studies that review organizations' responses to global health challenges and their successes and failures.

Examines the U.S. health care system from health policy, health systems, and health administration perspectives, with an emphasis on current challenges facing the financing, administration, and delivery of health services. Using a case-based method, the course will employ lecture, discussion, and student-led group projects that encourage analysis of real-world scenarios in today's complex health and medical environments. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5200 with instructor permission. Prerequisite: instructor permission.

This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on the ethical dimensions of the choices societies and individuals make when addressing threats to and responsibilities for the public's health. A range of philosophical theories and contemporary positions are examined to explore the complex concepts of "public" and "health." Investigated are the impact of various understandings of the public, not only as a numerical population that can be defined and measured, but also as a political group that operates under legally defined obligations and relationships, and as a "communal" public with diverse cultural and moral beliefs. The various methods and content of public health ethics, including utilitarian perspectives and the role of the Code of Ethics for public health professionals are also examined. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

Interdisciplinary approach to understanding, assessing, and controlling environmental factors that impact public health. Practical examples are used to help public health professionals understand how epidemiology, health surveillance, and exposure surveillance can be used to determine the potential for health problems that result from various environmental factors, and how monitoring and control techniques can reduce the impact of the environment on human health. Prerequisite:  Instructor permission.

Seminar to introduce ugraduates to graduate level work. This course offers an intro to environmental health with a focus on environmental epidemiology. Through case studies on air, soil and water pollutants, students will examine concepts of study design, exposure assessment and issues of validity. Hands-on introduction to GIS.

This course will provide an overview of the intersection between health informatics and healthcare quality and safety. We will review advancements and opportunities in both the measurement of quality and safety as well as the development and implementation of informatics-based interventions. Much of the course will focus on topics like electronic health records, clinical decision support, and tools to support population health. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Explore theories, concepts and methods for managing complex health care organizations; including leadership, governance, systems thinking, the role of teams and the challenges of change management. Explore concepts and methods for quality management. Cover basic topics in human resources and the financial management of health care organizations.

Special Topics courses in Public Health Sciences. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Public Health Sciences. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

The planning & design of the built environment to promote public health & equity requires systems thinking & a trandisciplinary approach to research. Students will learn & apply collaborative research methods including scientific health literature review, diagramming concepts, & case study analysis to synthesize logic models as theoretical frameworks for projects & policy. This graduate level course will have additional course requirements.

Students learn the procedures, methods, and tools associated with Health Impact Assessment (HIA) and systematically judge the potential and unintended effects of a policy, plan, program, or project concerning the built environment of a community. Students will propose, develop & execute a rapid form of HIA. Assignments will reflect typical HIA tasks culminating in a final report as a deliverable to community stakeholders. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This course will introduce undergrads to a graduate level course. It will examine the relationship between Appalachian culture, economic development, education and health in far Southwest Virginia and explore the process for the design and implementation for collaborative, community-based research. It will expose the student to the methodologies of community organizing, partnership development and community based research. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission.

Provides an overview of key background, issues & topical considerations in regulatory science & translational activities. It is aimed at graduate & post-graduate clinicians, researchers & public health students who have a desire to raise their understanding about the regulatory framework for the development of new products, as well as emerging trends in research & development of products to improve human health. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

The course will cover human genetics and genomics, including the human/mammalian genome variation, determination of genomic variation on phenotype and disease risk, mapping and characterizing genetic variants on phenotype, determining the putative impact of genetic variants on gene expression (transcriptomics, epigenomics), the promise and implications of genome science on precision medicine and the ethical, legal & social implications. Prerequisites: BIOL 3010 or BIOL 4210 or instructor consent.

This course introduces students to health social movements and community organizing for health equity in South African communities. Students will get intensive exposure to South African culture, social life and politics and build skills required for effective public health advocacy. They will also learn about research, especially participatory action research techniques, used by health researchers and activists in South Africa. Prerequisite: PHS 5819

This course is the graduate level offering of PHS 3825. Through interactive lectures & small group activities, we learn about important advances in global health, factors that determine health, current threats, & effective ways to implement change. In addition, as a graduate student, you will have numerous opportunities to demonstrate attainment of MPH foundational knowledge & competencies.

Course will introduce undergrads to graduate level research & study. Explores methodological, ethical & regulatory issues in research involving human subjects. Responsible conduct of research, clinical research, hist. & phil. framework of research ethics, the role of IRB, informed consent, assessing risks & benefits, research involving vulnerable populations, protecting participant safety & privacy, comm. based research, & FDA research. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Supervised Independent Research

Covers the fundamentals in medical statistics including descriptive statistics, estimation, hypothesis testing, precision, sample size, correlation, problems with categorization of continuous variables, multiple comparison problems, and interpreting of statistical results. Covers the basics of statistical software programming so that students can create, run, and debug programs. Prerequisites:  Graduate in PHS programs or instructor permission.

An illustration of the indications, limitations, assumptions, and appropriate applications of analytical methods in a variety of biomedical settings. Students will learn how to determine which analytic technique would be best suited for a variety of translational and clinical research, evaluation, and policy study designs. Prerequisite: Instructor permission;: PHS 7000.

Introduces the field of Epidemiology and the methods of epidemiologic research. Students learn how to interpret, critique, and conduct epidemiologic research, including formulating a research question, choosing a study design, collecting and analyzing data, controlling bias and confounding, and interpreting study results. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5010 with instructor permission. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in the PHS program or instructor permission.

This course advances methodological and cultural competency in the design and implementation of community health qualitative research investigations. Coursework provides opportunities to practice specific methodologies such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, case studies, and historiographies in accordance with standards of rigor (e.g., reliability, generalizability, validity).

We will draw on approaches from public health, medical informatics, and human factors engineering to answer these questions. We will explore how to create interventions that are grounded in theoretical perspectives and field-based assessments of patients needs and preferences. Our ultimate goal will be to create interventions that are useful and usable by patients and that ultimately support self-management and improve health outcomes.

This course lays the foundation of epidemiological and translational research. Focus is on core epidemiologic research methodology fundamental to biomed discovery process that integrates bench, bedside, and community partners in advancing PH. Topics include study design (clin trials & observational studies), epidemiologic data analysis, statistical and causal inference, and scientific validity. Entrepreneurship, legal & ethic issues in context. Prerequisites: PHS 7010 & Instructor Permission.

Required fall course for Community & Public Health track. Explores the legitimacy, design, and implementation of a variety of policies aiming to promote public health and reduce the social burden of disease and injury. Highlights the challenge posed by public health's population-based perspective to traditional individual-centered, autonomy-driven approaches to bioethics and constitutional law. Other themes center on conflicts between public health and public morality and the relationship between public health and social justice. Illustrative topics include mandatory immunization, screening and reporting of infectious diseases, prevention of lead poisoning, food safety, prevention of firearm injuries, airbags and seat belts, mandatory drug testing, syringe exchange programs, tobacco regulation, and restrictions on alcohol and tobacco advertising. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5050 with instructor permission. Prerequisites:  Instructor permission.

Provides an introduction to Program Planning through the lens of Program Evaluation. Covers the design of population-based programs, methods to evaluate public health programs, the importance of community, & other topics necessary to successfully implement public health programs. Students will design a program & program evaluation using stakeholder input, the academic literature, & trusted authoritative sources. Instructor permission required.

Reviews principles of economics most relevant to analyzing changes in health care provision and applies those principles to current health care institutions and their performance, trends in health care service delivery, and methods of forecasting future trends. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in the PHS program or instructor permission.

An introduction to the terminology, structure, & function of the U.S. health care system with an emphasis on the social, economic, & political forces that impact the organization, financing, & delivery of health & health care.

This course is an exposure to the concepts, methods and problem areas addressed by health services research as a field of inquiry. The focus of the course will be on the development and critique of a healthcare policy paper. This course will involve discussion of the concepts, methods and problem areas addressed by health services research and develop a toolkit for healthcare policy analysis.

Covers the theory and practice of survey research. Topics include surveys as a scientific method; sampling theory; the construction, testing, and improvement of survey instruments; interviewer training; the organization of field work; coding and data quality control; data analysis; and the preparation of survey reports. Cross-listed as SOC 5110. Prerequisite: Graduate standing in the PHS program or instructor permission.

Introduces students to the techniques needed for the evaluation of health outcomes from the perspectives of the patient, the physician, the health care provider, and society. Presents measurement and evaluation of survival, functional status, quality of life, and health values. Evaluates the efficacy, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of devices, interventions, and processes of care. Prerequisite: PHS 7000 and 7001 or instructor permission.

This seminar will investigate the many and competing challenges to develop a standardized global health policy. Prerequisites: Instructor Permission

Explores the use of data in population health sciences incorporating cases from public health & health care practice. Covers the basics of loading data into SAS, manipulating variables, & generating output in a PC environment. Students will learn how to detect, diagnose, & correct mistakes. The course draws upon & integrates Biostatistics & Epidemiology. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This course addresses cross-cutting public health competencies in Communication, Professionalism, and Diversity and Culture, and includes sessions with public health officials in practice. The course also will focus on effective written and oral communication.

Focuses on how to conduct public health research. Research in Practice students concentrate on quant & qual research methodologies for the collection, analysis & interpretation of data. Health Policy, Law & Ethics students concentrate on the analysis of health information & data relevant to policy issues and the evaluation of policy options. Students develop their culminating experience research protocols. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Examines the U.S. health care system from health policy, health systems, and health administration perspectives, with an emphasis on current challenges facing the financing, administration, and delivery of health services. Using a case-based method, the course will employ lecture, discussion, and student-led group projects that encourage analysis of real-world scenarios in today's complex health and medical environments. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5200 with instructor permission. Prerequisite: PHS 7090 and PHS 7100, or acceptable substitute in health policy, economics, or financing; or instructor permission.

This course is designed to expose students to community-based factors that influence the health of populations and individuals. The principal objective of the class is to provide the rationale for meaningful engagement of diverse communities and introduce effective strategies that will enhance research and policy protocols designed to improve health status.

This interdisciplinary seminar focuses on the ethical dimensions of the choices societies and individuals make when addressing threats to and responsibilities for the public's health. A range of philosophical theories and contemporary positions are examined to explore the complex concepts of "public" and "health." Investigated are the impact of various understandings of the public, not only as a numerical population that can be defined and measured, but also as a political group that operates under legally defined obligations and relationships, and as a "communal" public with diverse cultural and moral beliefs. The various methods and content of public health ethics, including utilitarian perspectives and the role of the Code of Ethics for public health professionals are also examined. May be open to undergraduates as PHS 5250 with instructor permission. Prerequisite:  Instructor permission.

This course will examine the current health care and public health systems, with particular focus on the impact of evidence-based medicine and public health, qualify, and financing. Topics include the influence of medical and nonmedical determinants of health, and the impact of the changing practice of medicine on physicians and patients.

Covers the design and analysis of Phase I-III clinical trials. Topics include choice of study population and endpoints, choice of study design and sample size estimation, randomization and masking, patient recruitment, data collection and quality control, data monitoring committees, data analysis, and the interpretation and reporting of results. Cross-listed as STAT 5310. Prerequisite: Instructor permission; PHS 7000 or equivalent.

This course will train participants to utilize Lean methodologies and tools that can help improve throughput and other performance measures in a healthcare setting. Lean is a leading process improvement methodology used to achieve significant improvements in quality, service, productivity, and customer satisfaction. It uses a variety of statistical tools and other skills, integrated with a standardized methodology, to measure, and analyze.

This course will provide an introduction to quantitative methods and their application to quality and research. Specific topics include statistical process control, queueing theory, simulation, and forecasting as applied to problems faced by health systems, including poor flow in outpatient clinics and insufficient staff for demand in the emergency department. An end-of-course project will incorporate methods learned throughout the semester.

Interdisciplinary approach to understanding, assessing, and controlling environmental factors that impact public health. Practical examples are used to help public health professionals understand how epidemiology, health surveillance, and exposure surveillance can be used to determine the potential for health problems that result from various environmental factors, and how monitoring and control techniques can reduce the impact of the environment on human health. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

This course offers an intro to environmental health with a focus on environmental epidemiology. Through case studies on air, soil and water pollutants, students will examine concepts of study design, exposure assessment and issues of validity. Provides hands-on introduction to GIS. At course completion, students will be prepared to critically review published literature and assist in the design and conduct of environmental health research.

In this course students will utilize data science principles and skills to access, evaluate, and interpret public health data from large databases and draw inferences. Students will develop skills to formulate and answer research questions related to clinical research and health policy. The course will also explore how the publci health infrastructure collects, processes, maintains, and disseminates data.

Public health & clinical data is utilized in myriad ways, from pop mngt to patient care, in support of quality improvement, biomedical investigation, medical educ. & much more. Covers topics in biomedical inform, electronic med records, clinical decision support, standards & interperability, org behavior, human factors, consumer informatics and more. Covers basics of relational databases & structured query language (SQL), provides hands-on exp.

Provides students with a comprehensive overview and in-depth review of the theories, major components and techniques for the management of health care organizations. Topics covered include organizational management, financial analyses, budgeting for operations and grants, principles and techniques for managing and leading effective teams, systems thinking concepts and methods and theories and methods for managing a quality organization.

This course provides the opportunity to offer new topics in the subject of Public Health Science. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Public Health is a multi-disciplinary field that attempts to help individuals and communities prevent illness and maintain and improve health. These health promotion activities are accomplished through the development of programs and policies and associated study of these activities. Although we recognize that there are many factors that impact individuals and population health outcomes, this course will explore the social and behavioral aspects of health as well as the relationship between health behavior and community, society and the environment. Prerequisite: Instructor permission.

Provides an overview of key background, issues & topical considerations in regulatory science & translational activities. It is aimed at graduate & post-graduate clinicians, researchers & public health students who have a desire to raise their understanding about the regulatory framework for the development of new products, as well as emerging trends in research & development of products to improve human health. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Highly interactive, participatory weekly seminar & workshop provides structured guidance & support over the semester for fellows or faculty who are committed to preparing a new application for an NIH research grant that is clinically oriented (i.e., not basic science). Students develop Specific Aims Section and Research Approach Section for an original research proposal in accordance with guidelines of the NIH. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission; Graduate Study Design or Epidemiology course; Graduate Statistics or Biostatists course; Research Problem and Study Purpose identified; Know literature well in research area

Interactive workshop-type introduction to the process of developing & presenting an evaluation plan for evaluating public health programs. This may include a research idea for funding by an agency like the NIH or a healthcare focused quality assessment/control program assessment for within the public health department or healthcare organization.

Explores methodological, ethical & regulatory issues in research involving human subjects. Responsible conduct of research, clinical research, historical & philisophical framework of research ethics, the role of IRB, informed consent, assessing risks & benefits, research involving vulnerable populations, protecting participant safety & privacy, comm. based research, FDA research, & research involving biological specimens. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

This course introduces naturalistic and interpretive qualitative approaches to the systematic study of health-related phenomena. Epistomological principles that underlie interpretive and naturalistic research will be practically applied to research designs and IRB protocol development. Coursework provides opportunities to practice specific methodologies in accordance with standards of rigor (e.g., reliability, generalizability, validity). Prerequisite: Good standing as graduate student in the relevant program, Instructor Permission

This course teaches students how to interpret qualitative data by applying systematic coding processes. Analyzing qualitative data involves reading through the interview or focus group transcripts and other data, developing codes, applying and revising those codes through an iterative review of data, and drawing connections between discrete pieces of data to determine research participant meaning. Prerequisite: PHS 8120, GNUR 8120, PHS 7015

Practicum associated with Methods Course for Research in Practice Concentration. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

Practicum associated with Methods Course for Health Policy, Law & Ethics Concentration. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission

The Applied Practice is a planned, supervised & evaluated work experience with an organization that contributes to the health of a community. Students apply skills learned in the program to a real-world setting & work toward achieving competencies. Placements are selected based on the interests & needs of the student. A min of 100 hours is required; placements may occur during an academic year, one semester or over summer.

The Applied Practice is a planned, supervised & evaluated work experience with an organization that contributes to the health of a community. Students apply skills learned in the program to a real-world setting & work toward achieving competencies. Placements are selected based on the interests & needs of the student. A min of 50 hours is required; placements may occur during an academic year, one semester or over summer.

Topical Research Prerequisite:  Graduate standing in the PSH program.   

The culminating experience project should demonstrate application of knowledge acquired in the MPH program to a real-world public health issue. Students write a paper & create a poster for presentation describing their projects. Students also take a review test of basic material from the core public health disciplines & complete a competency self-assessment to obtain feedback on their progress & accomplishments achieved by the end of the program. Prerequisite: Instructor Permission.

Supervised Clinical Research

Supervised Independent Research

Non-Topical Research