MPH - Public Health

Course used to facilitate MPH orientation.

This course focuses on the social and behavioral sciences that are essential for understanding health behaviors and for developing effective health promotion interventions. Students will identify the social, behavioral, and cultural determinants affecting individual and population health. This course provides an overview of the key theories and models used to predict behavioral health and individual health-related decision making. The models of behavior changes and social network theories are also discussed. Prerequisite: MPH-540

This course examines major global health challenges, programs, and policies to improve health at the global level in resource-constrained and marginalized communities. The course begins with an introduction to the language of global health: the burden of disease, epidemiology, cost-effectiveness, and health systems. The students analyze current and emerging global health priorities and factors that result in health inequity around the world. The course incorporates knowledge and views from multiple academic disciplines (public health, economics, politics, management, sociology, etc.) and does not require background knowledge in global health.

This is an introduction to the field of epidemiology that focuses upon basic epidemiological definitions, common courses of data, and measures of disease occurrent and epidemiological study designs. Epidemiological processes of both chronic and infectious diseases are discussed. Practical skills such as calculation of rates, estimating risks and evaluation of public health screening programs are also included.

This is a core course for graduate students in the IWU-Public Health Program (MPH). This course will focus on addressing the core competencies and basics principles, structures, and practices in public health. The course introduces the MPH students to the rationale, history, and development of public health in the United States.

This is a core course for graduate students in the IWU-Public Health program. The course covers basic epidemiological concepts and methods, and demonstrates how these can be applied to improve population health. The course focuses on basic epidemiological definitions, measures of disease occurrence, and epidemiological study designs. Practical skills for public health practice, including calculation of rates, estimation or risks, and evaluation of public health screening programs, surveillance systems, and field investigations. Students will also learn about applications of epidemiologic principles to infectious diseases and chronic diseases, identifying sources of data, and how to interpret published epidemiological literature.

This first of a two-part course sequence includes instruction on techniques for quantitative and qualitative research methodology utilized in public health, critical analysis of published research, and ethical research considerations and practices. Emphasis is placed on the development of scholarly information literacy competencies. Students develop applicable skills to evaluate, synthesize, and apply public health core knowledge in such a way as to create effective projects and/or protocols that are culturally inclusive and community-centered. Prerequisites: MPH-560, MPH-510, IPE-545, and MPH-620.

This course provides an overview of the technical skills necessary for the development, implementation, and evaluation of practices that identify, prevent, and minimize the adverse impact of environmental and occupational hazards on human health. Students learn about assessment and control of environmental and occupational exposures, effects of these exposures on human health, principles of toxicology, and environmental regulations and policies. Prerequisites: MPH-540, MPH-560 and IPE-545

This second of a two-part course sequence includes instruction on techniques for quantitative and qualitative research methodology use in the public health science field. Students will develop applicable skills to critically analyze published research, and ethical research consideration and practices. The development of Institutional Review Board (IRB) and capstone project proposals for a public health scholarly study is emphasized. Prerequisite: MPH-565

The Public Health Practicum is a supervised practice experience in which MPH students perform assigned tasks under the supervision of a professional mentor to address real-world national public health objectives. These tasks must represent work that is of value to the preceptor's organization. The Host Organization may be a state or local public health department, another government agency that is engaged in public health tasks, a non-profit community service organization, or a hospital or other healthcare agency so long as that agency is engaged in public health endeavors and not exclusively in patient care. Prerequisite: MPH students will be eligible to enroll in MPH-610 Public Health Practicum after successfully completing four out of the five MPH core courses: MPH-560, MPH-510, IPE-545, MPH-570, and MPH-620

This course provides an overview of public policy interventions within the various domains of public health, the motivations for undertaking them, and the influence of the political and social environments in which policy decisions are made. Students examine the development, implementation, and evaluation of healthcare policies and law and their impact on the delivery of health services and the promise of public health. The students learn about healthcare policy foundations and social justice frameworks that apprise the understanding of the determinants of disparities in population health and healthcare systems.

This course provides a macro-level study of healthcare systems including delivery, integration, reimbursement mechanisms, multi-organizational and inter-organizational arrangements, health policies, and future solutions. This course also provides a general overview of leadership, management, and organizational principles in the healthcare sector. Through readings, case studies, online discussion boards, written assignments, and problem-based learning, students learn the basic principles and skills needed to lead and manage a healthcare organization.

This is an advanced epidemiology course designed to expand on topics from the introduction to epidemiology course and introduce new material, including a practical guide to the EPI-INFO software, logistic regression methods, and an introduction to field epidemiology. Areas of additional emphasis will include the evaluation of epidemiological surveillance systems, identification of threats to validity and sources of bias, and topics on the epidemiology of infectious and chronic diseases. Prerequisite: MPH-530.

This course includes instruction on techniques for quantitative and qualitative research methodology utilized in public health, critical analysis of published research, and ethical research considerations and practices. Emphasis is placed on the development of scholarly information literacy competencies. Students develop applicable skills to evaluate, synthesize, and apply public health core knowledge in such a way as to create effective projects and/or protocols that are culturally inclusive and community-centered. Prerequisites: MPH-560 and IPE-545

The course provides an overview of rural communities, rural health disparities, and rural health delivery systems. It identifies federal, state, and local official health organizations and their role in the intergovernmental health system in the U.S. It discusses the need for a stronger public health leadership presence. The course highlights illustrative public health problems, diseases, and risk factors and the role of public health as an intervening agent.

This course examines the health risk factors, prevention challenges, and socio-cultural healthcare approaches creating disparities among diverse populations in the United States. This course addresses practical guidelines for incorporating cultural competencies in public health settings among diverse populations, as recommended by the National Public Health goals to achieve health equity, reduce disparities, and improve population health.

This course promotes competency in strategic program planning, implementation, and evaluation designed to improve community health. The students learn to apply methods of identifying population-based needs for public health interventions, developing programs, and evaluating the effectiveness of these interventions. Through project-based learning approaches, students develop basic skills in program evaluation by integrating knowledge and skills using the CDC's Framework for Program Evaluation in Public Health. Prerequisites: MPH-540, MPH-560, IPE-545, and MPH-620

The capstone is a scholarly project to demonstrate competency attainment in public health practice. The project is an integrative Learning Experience in which the students have opportunities to integrate, synthesize, and integrate public health foundational competencies. Students will demonstrate their mastery of the body of knowledge acquired from MPH program coursework through the applications of theory and principles to "real world" public health issues. The project is conducted under the supervision of a faculty advisor. Prerequisites: MPH-540, MPH-560, MPH-510, IPE-545, MPH-570, MPH-635, MPH-610 MPH students will be eligible to initiate their capstone project learning experience after successful completion of all the core courses (above) in the MPH curriculum, including MPH-610.