Syllabus

Schedule

Course Weeks

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 pm ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday at 11:59 pm ET. Specific due dates can be found within the Blackboard Calendar feature in your Global Navigation.

• Week 1: 8/28 – 9/4
• Week 2: 9/4 – 9/11
• Week 3: 9/11 – 9/18
• Week 4: 9/18 – 9/25
• Week 5: 9/25 – 10/2
• Week 6: 10/2 – 10/9
• Week 7: 10/9 – 10/16
• Week 8: 10/16 – 10/20

Course Schedule

Week 1 – Introduction to Public Health: The assignment/discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full assignment prompts in Blackboard.  There may be additional readings/videos that are not mentioned in this weekly summary, make sure to carefully review the modules in Blackboard. 

Learning Objectives

• Explain public health history, philosophy and values 
• Identify the core functions of public health and the 10 Essential Services
• Discuss the science of primary, secondary and tertiary prevention in population health, including health promotion, screening, etc. 

Lecture and Readings

• Lecture
  • Principles of Public Health
• Readings
  • Textbook Prologue: Public Health in the News
  • Textbook Chapter 1: Public Health: Science, Politics and Prevention
  • Textbook Chapter 2: Why is Public Health Controversial?

Activities

• Discussion board
  • Introduce yourself to your instructor and classmates. Where are you located in the world, and what has brought you to this program? Also, what are your public health interests and goals?
• Discussion board

  • Initial Post: Identify a public health practice site in your community.  Research your site online and prepare a 5-minute presentation to introduce your site to your colleagues.  

    In your presentation, describe the type of site, the population they serve, their mission, and their primary public health activities. If you are choosing a large organization, such as as a health department, you may find it easier to focus on one department within the organization.  Relate the organization’s work to this week’s discussion and readings on the philosophy and values associated with public health and where your site’s activities fit within the 10 Essential Public Health Services. Choose one or two from the list of 10 Essential Services discussed this week and discuss how these services relate to the work of your site. Be sure to include a link to your site’s website cited in AMA style.

    Follow these directions for recording and submitting your presentation.

  • Response Post: Listen to your classmate’s presentations and reply to one or more. Based on your classmate’s presentation, discuss how the organization practices the science of prevention in its work.  Which levels of prevention (primary, secondary or tertiary), are addressed by the organization? Give specific examples to support your discussion

    (You are not required to cite references in your discussion, but if you do use a reference, you should cite it according to AMA guidelines.)

• Quiz

Week 2 – Public Health Research and Writing

Learning Objectives

• Explain the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge

Videos and Readings

• Lecture
  • Avoiding Plagiarism
  • Importance of Evidence
• Readings
  • Jacobs JA, Jones E, Gabella BA, Spring B, Brownson RC. Tools for Implementing an Evidence-Based Approach in Public Health Practice. Prev Chronic Dis 2012;9:110324. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd9.110324
  • Textbook Chapter 8: The Role of Data in Public Health

Additional Resources – Familiarize yourself with them for this week:

• Evidence-Based Public Health: Finding and Appraising Relevant Resources, Section 1, pp. 4-18: https://library.umassmed.edu/ebpph/ebpph2006intro.pdf
• Minger, D. (2014). How to Read a Scientific Paper.  Adapted from: Death by food pyramid : How shoddy science, sketchy politics and shady special interests have ruined our health. (pp. 79-81).New York: Primal Nutrition, Inc. Retrieved from http://ebookcentral.proquest.com/lib/uneedu/detail.action?docID=1593765
• video: UNE Introduction to Library Resources
• Using PubMed at UNE
• PubMed tutorials:
  • PubMed simple subject searching
  • PubMed simple subject search: how it works
  • Advanced Search Builder
  • Find a Systematic Review
  • PubMed Scope information
• Livingson K. Basic Guide to Essay Writing
• UNE Sample Paper
• UNE AMA Style Guide
• Academic Integrity
• Overview of Common Types of Plagiarism
• Student Academic Success Center

•  

Activities

• Assignment: Importance of Evidence
  • Using the information from this week’s readings and lectures, write a well structured, 2 page essay explaining the critical importance of evidence in advancing public health knowledge. Use a health topic of interest to illustrate your argument and give specific examples of the type(s) of evidence that would be important to use. References should be cited in AMA style.  
• Quiz

Week 3 – Epidemiology / Biostatistics

Learning Objectives

• Explain the role of quantitative and qualitative methods and sciences in describing and assessing a population’s health.
• List major causes and trends of morbidity and mortality in the US or other community relevant to the school or program. 
• Explain biological and genetic factors that affect a population’s health. 

Lecture and Readings

• Lecture
  • Epidemiology and Biostatistics – The Basic Sciences of Public Health

• Readings
  • Textbook Chapter 4: Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health
  • Textbook Chapter 5: Epidemiologic Principles and Methods
  • Textbook Chapter 7: Statistics: Making Sense of Uncertainty
  • Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Leading Cause of Death in the US 
  • CDC’s Chronic Disease Overview

Activities

• Discussion Board:
  • Initial Post: The Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) is published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The MMWR includes “timely, reliable, authoritative, accurate, objective, and useful public health information and recommendations.”  Public health professionals rely on the MMWR to inform their practice.

    Select a common cause of morbidity or mortality in the US that is of interest to you. Search the MMWR series (use search box in upper right hand corner of: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/index.html) and select a recent MMWR that focuses on your disease or condition of interest.

    Answer the following questions:

    • Describe the key information included in the publication.
    • What is the public health significance of the information?
    • How might public health professionals utilize the information in practice?
    • Note whether or not the selected disease or condition is a “notifiable condition” and what that means for public health professionals. A notifiable condition is any disease or condition that is required by law to be reported to government authorities. The collection of this information allows the authorities to monitor the disease, and provides early warning of possible outbreaks.
  • Response Post: Select a peer’s post that focuses on a different disease or condition than your initial post. Search the peer-reviewed literature to identify an epidemiologic study of the disease or condition. The study should relate to your peer’s proposal for how public health professionals will use the information from the MMWR. It can build on or conflict with the MMWR.  In your response, name the epidemiologic study and summarize the study participants (i.e., who was enrolled in the study?). Comment on how the results from this study build on or conflict with the information in the initial post. How, if at all, does this affect how public health professionals use the MMWR information in practice?

• Assignment – Viewing Grades and Instructor Feedback
  • Throughout your MPH courses, instructors will provide you with feedback within the grading rubrics.  For assignments, they may also provide feedback directly on your assignments.  These comments will help you to understand the grade you received, what you have done well, and how you might improve future work.  If you do not fully understand the feedback you receive, you should contact your instructor for clarification.

• Quiz

Week 4 – Social and Behavioral Health

Learning Objectives

• Classify health promotion efforts as primary, secondary or tertiary prevention.
• Explain behavioral and psychological factors that affect a population’s health 
• Explain the social, political and economic determinants of health and how they contribute to population health and health inequities 

Lecture, Videos and Readings

• Lecture
  • Social Determinants of Health: The Basics
• Videos
  • TED Talk on SDOH by Dr. Rishi Manchanda 
• Readings
  • Textbook Chapter 13: Do people choose their own health?
  • Textbook Chapter 14: How psychosocial factors affect health behavior
  • Textbook Chapter 15: Public health enemy number one: tobacco
  • Investigating the root causes of the global health crisis, Paul Farmer

Activities

• Discussion board
  • Initial post: Everyone’s lives are impacted by social determinants of health (SDOH).  Consider one of your “networks” – friends, family or community – and analyze it for any social determinants that may be affecting the health of the individuals or populations to which you are connected. Try to identify the upstream sources of these issues, the SDOH.
    
  • First Response post: Evaluate a classmates’ identification of SDOH in their networks. Are they correctly attributing issues they see in their network to upstream sources? Why or why not?
  • Second Response post: Responding to a different classmate and their discussion of social determinants of health with their population, find a recent peer-reviewed article that addresses intervention efforts focused on a specific SDOH. Evaluate whether such an intervention would work on the population and SDOH you have identified. Why or why not?
• Quiz

Week 5 – Health Policy and Administration

Learning Objectives

• Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across national settings.

Lecture, Videos and Readings

• Lectures
  • Introduction
  • Public Health and Medicine
• Readings
  • Textbook Chapter 26: Is the medical care system a public health issue?
  • Textbook Chapter 27: Why the US medical system needs reform
  • Gwande, A. The cost conundrum. The New Yorker. 2009; 1 June: 36-44. Retrieved from https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2009/06/01/the-cost-conundrum
  • Gwande, A. Overkill: An avalanche of unnecessary medical care is harming patients physically and financially. What can we do about it? The New Yorker. 2015; 11 June: 41-46. Retrieved from  https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2015/05/11/overkill-atul-gawande
• Sample Scholarly Essays
  • https://aso-resources.une.edu.au/academic-writing-course/sample-essay/
  • http://www.public.iastate.edu/%7Ehschmidt/sampleacademicessay.html

Activities

• Discussion board
  • Initial Post: Read Dr. Gawande’s articles, The Cost Conundrum and Overkill. In a 205-500 word essay, analyze Gawande’s premise that overutilization of services by health care providers was the key driver of high healthcare costs in McAllen, Texas. In the essay, describe whether you agree or disagree with the author’s assessment and why or why not? Identify how the organization and structure of health care, public health and regulatory factors in the U.S.contributes or does not contribute to utilization of health care services. Provide a minimum of three references from professional health care literature to support your arguments. (See samples of essays to guide your writing.)

• • Response Post: Evaluate a classmate’s analysis of Gawande’s premise. Do you agree or disagree, and why or why not? In your evaluation, describe at least two other factors in addition to utilization that can impact overall healthcare costs in any community. Provide a minimum of two references from the professional health care literature to support your response.

• Quiz

Week 6 – Environmental Health

Learning Objectives

• Explain the effects of environmental factors on a population’s health
• Compare the organization, structure and function of public health and regulatory systems across national settings.

Lectures, Readings and Useful Links

• Lecture
  • Environmental Health
• Read:
  • Textbook Chapter 20: A clean environment: the basis of public health
  • Textbook Chapter 22: Clean water: a limited resource
  • Textbook Chapter 23: Solid and hazardous wastes: what to do with the garbage?
  • Sauver S, Desrosiers M. A Review of what is an emerging contaminant. Chem Cent J. 2014(8):15-21.
• Recommended:

  • Van den Berg M, Wendel-Vos S, van Poppel M, Kemper H, van Mechelen W, Maas J. Health benefits of green spaces in the living environment: A systematic review of epidemiological studies. Urban Forestry & Urban Greening. 2015(14): 806-816. 

  • Environmental Health. Healthy People 2020 website. https://www.healthypeople.gov/2020/topics-objectives/topic/environmental-health

• Useful Links:
  • https://www.cdc.gov
  • https://www.cpsc.gov
  • https://www.epa.gov
  • https://www.fda.gov
  • https://www.osha.gov

Activities

• Discussion

  • Initial post: Find a report in the popular press (e.g. newspaper, website) of a recent incidence of an Environmental Exposure in which a specific population was exposed to a contaminant of emerging concern. You should research the incident – including reading more than one report or article about the exposure. You should also review at least one primary research article that focuses on the contaminant of emerging concern you are discussing. Don’t forget to cite your references.

    Explain what the exposure was, who was affected, possible effects (short and long-term), how it happened, and why you think it happened.  Also include any upstream solutions, including the role of any government agencies, you believe would solve the current exposure problem and keep it from happening again.

    A well-known example of this is the lead exposure in Flint, Michigan, but there are many others.

    Response post: Compare and contrast the exposure you discussed to that of a classmate. Include in your response a comparison of the national, state and local public health and regulatory agencies that would be involved in responding to the two exposures. Also, critique your classmate’s solutions including suggestions to improve or change his or her approach.

• Quiz

Week 7 – Global Public Health

Learning Objectives

• Compare the organization, structure and function of  public health across international settings
• Explain how globalization affects global burdens of disease

Lectures, Videos and Readings

• Lecture
  • Global Health
• Readings
  • Introduction in Merson, pp. xvii-xxiv
  • Chapter 18 in Merson, Globalization and Health, pp. 885-908
  • Textbook Chapter 10: The Resurgence of Infectious Diseases
  • WHO website: Read “about WHO” http://www.who.int/about/en/
    • WHO on Emergencies: http://www.who.int/emergencies/en/
• Videos
  • WHO: Guardian of Health
    • Read the pdf file: The Global Guardian of Public Health (12 pages, 2016) 
  • WHO: Health Emergencies Programme 

Activities

• Discussion
  • Initial post: Choose one of the latest emergencies or outbreaks WHO is involved in at http://www.who.int/emergencies/en/
    
    You are a WHO official assisting in this emergency. Write a letter to a partner you want to collaborate with and briefly explain the emergency. Explain the problems you are encountering and why you need their help in this emergency.

• • Response Post: Select one your classmate’s requests for help. You are the partner responding to the WHO official’s request for help. Explain to the WHO official why your organization will agree to help and the skills/expertise your organization has helping in such an emergency. Also, ask the WHO official any questions you still may have regarding the emergency and what the WHO plans to do about it.
• Quiz

Week 8 – One Health

Learning Objectives

• Explain an ecological perspective on the connections among human health, animal health and ecosystem health (e.g., One Health) 

Lectures, Videos and Readings

• Lecture
  • One Health
• Readings
  • Riegelman, R and Kirkwood, B. (2018). One Health: From AIDS to Zika.
  • Zinsstag, J., Mackenzie, J.S., Jeggo, M., Heymann, D.L., Patz, J.A., & Daszak, P. (2012). Mainstreaming One Health. EcoHealth, 9: 107-110.
• Videos:
  • Conservation South Africa’s “One Health Initiative”
  • FAO and Antimicrobial Resistance

Activities

• Assignment
  • For this assignment, please write a 2-3 page response paper reacting to the prompt below. Your paper should draw on the module readings and videos, as well as outside articles (the academic and gray literature only – as discussed in week 2) to support your arguments. Be sure to reference and properly cite throughout, in AMA style.

    As highlighted in the video from FAO, Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) is currently one of the most important global health challenges we face, and one that exemplifies the need for a One Health approach which requires us to develop a public health response from a systems, or ecological, perspective.

    First, discuss Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) from this One Health perspective, being sure to describe how AMR affects the health of animals, humans, and the environment. Then, engaging with the arguments made in the Zinsstag reading, evaluate whether or not you think that mainstreaming One Health is an effective response for addressing AMR globally.

• Quiz

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

• Library Access for all students: Your library login ID and password are the same as the ones you use to log into Brightspace.
• Public Health Databases: https://library.une.edu/library-materials/find/research-by-subject/public-health/
• Library Questions: Ask a librarian or phone library staff at (207) 602-2361 or (207) 221-4330.

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

• UNE Student Academic Success Center

Information Technology Services (ITS)

• ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.