Public Health

PBHL 1310. Health and Society: An Introduction to Public Health. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

An introduction to the structure of the United States health care system and major issues in the delivery of quality health care. The course focus is upon the interaction of individual, societal, and policy aspects of health care in a changing health care delivery system.

PBHL 2310. Introduction to Epidemiology. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course is designed to introduce the public health student to the methodology used to study incidence, prevalence and risk factors associated with human disease. Students will develop practical skills used in public health to design and interpret epidemiologic studies and an understanding of the application of evidence-based medicine to increase quality of medical care.

PBHL 2320. Medical Ethics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course provides a foundation of ethical issues in both medical practice and public health administration. A foundation consisting of concepts from philosophy and political science will be provided in the context of both historical and current events.

PBHL 3310. Principles of Health Promotion and Education. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

An overview of the types of programs in the field of health education and health promotion and techniques utilized in a variety of community settings. Discussion includes social behavior in individual health decisions and the role of the educator to provide motivational tools that lead to healthy lifestyles. Ethical issues and measures of success in health interventions are also considered.

PBHL 3320. Statistics for Health Care. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 2 Hours, Lab: 3 Hours).

Practical applications of general principles of descriptive and inferential statistics used in health care research. Topics include statistical principles, descriptive statistics, regression analysis, study design, vital statistics and reportable diseases or conditions. Mastery of basic methods in statistical analysis will be enhanced by the utilization of statistical software. Prerequisite: PBHL 2310.

PBHL 4085. Seminar and Internship in Public Health. 1-4 Credit Hours (Lecture: 1-4 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Comprehensive and integrated application of knowledge and skills acquired in the Public Health program in a practical setting. Success will depend upon the ability to demonstrate professional competence in public health practice. The 3 credit hour course is available for Public health Concentrations I and III and the 4 credit hour course is available for Concentration II only. The 2 hour course is available for Concentration IV only. Prerequisite: Approval of Program Director or major in Public Health.

PBHL 4285. Seminar in Nutrition Science. 2 Credit Hours (Lecture: 2 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Comprehensive and integrated application of knowledge and skills acquired in the food and nutrition program in a practical setting. Designed to provide students with skills of synthesizing and presenting the results of lower-division work.

PBHL 4305. Issues and Trends in Health Care. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

This course is designed to explore and discuss concepts and issues that are pertinent to allied health care professionals including legal and regulatory issues, health service reform and cost containment, workforce development, and quality assurance practices. Credit for both HPTC 4305 and PBHL 4305 will not be awarded.

PBHL 4310. Introduction to Health Management and Policy. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours). [WI]

Examines the structure of health care systems and policies that impact health programs and financing of health services. Emphasis is placed upon planning and management issues in various health care delivery organizations.

PBHL 4320. Public Health Policy. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Introduction to laws and regulations governing health care professionals and medical institutions. Class discussions examine the balance between individual rights and health care providers’ activities with public health powers and community health needs. The course includes bioethical principles underlying public health and health care practice.

PBHL 4350. Pathophysiology for the Health Professionals. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course will focus on presentation of interrelationships between normal body functioning and the physiologic changes that participate in disease production, and occur as a result of disease. Emphasis on major disorders and other selected disorders provides a concise, easy-to-understand introduction to the fundamentals.

PBHL 4385. Seminar in Community Health Education. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Comprehensive and integrated application of knowledge and skills acquired in the Public Health program in a practical setting. Success will depend upon the ability to demonstrate professional competence in public health practice. Prerequisite: Approval of Program Director or major in Public Health.

PBHL 4485. Seminar in Pre-Graduate Public Health. 4 Credit Hours (Lecture: 4 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

Comprehensive and integrated application of knowledge and skills acquired in the Public Health program in a practical setting. Success will depend upon the ability to demonstrate professional competence in public health practice. Prerequisite: Approval of Program Director or major in Public Health.

PBHL 5320. Foundation of Public Health Informatics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course will cover foundational knowledge relevant to Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to expose students to emerging research and application areas in the field of PHI. It will enhance abilities to know when and how to use theories, concepts, and tools of informatics applied to public health. The emphasis of the course is on the use of informatics tools and practices in public health and the existing and evolving relationship between clinical and public health systems. The focus is on PHI including topics such as data exchange and standards, interoperability, use of informatics tools, applying informatics to public health communication and dissemination, surveillance systems, public health policy and project management.

PBHL 5330. Health Database Management and Public Health Data Systems. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course will cover foundational knowledge relevant to database management and public health data systems for Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to provide students with concepts relevant to the effective use of data, information, and knowledge tools to build, manage, merge, retrieve, and analyze public health data from appropriate health data systems. The emphasis of the course is to use, develop and adapt public health information systems as needed to support public health efforts through use of public health informatics tools and practices to support existing and evolving relationships between clinical and public health systems. The focus is to plan, develop, implement, manage and evaluate database management systems and health data systems that meet the needs of public health practice through PHI.

PBHL 5340. Methods in Public Health Informatics/Biostatistics. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course will cover foundational statistical knowledge and methods relevant to Public Health Informatics (PHI). The purpose of this course is to teach students to identify and perform appropriate statistical methods for the data analysis of data from many commonly used experimental designs in the field of PHI. The emphasis of the course is on the understanding of theoretical assumptions underlying these statistical methods. The focus of this course is to perform selected statistical analyses using, SPSS and/or R and to interpret statistical results, in a manner relevant to public health informatics in the context of public health. This course builds upon previous knowledge of basic statistics, concepts, and tools by applying them specifically to the public health field.

PBHL 5350. Public Health Project Management. 3 Credit Hours (Lecture: 3 Hours, Lab: 0 Hours).

This course is designed to provide an in-depth understanding of the fundamentals of project management and its application to the provision of health care. A problem-based approach is used to frame both the theoretical underpinnings of project management and hands-on practical application. Students will develop an understanding of the foundations of project management designed to enable them to successfully complete the certification exam to become a certified project manager. Course content includes project scope development, project work breakdown, financial control, and human resources management for projects. Prerequisite: PBHL 5320, PBHL 5330, PBHL 5340.