EHS 520 Environmentally Acquired Illnesses
3 units//Spring

Illnesses related to environmental exposures are on the rise but frequently misdiagnosed due to a lack of understanding of the complexities of multiple hazard exposures and variable health outcomes. This course provides an overview of common and emerging Environmentally Acquired Illnesses (EAIs) and explores the multitude of hazards, conditions, and predisposing factors related to human disease. Students will learn how to identify gaps in the current model of patient evaluation and treatment. In addition, they will critique current research design and gain hands on experience in developing a systems approach to understanding, evaluating, and communicating the impact and control of EAIs relative to human health.

EHS/EPID 545 One Health Foundations
3 units//Fall & Spring

This course covers the fundamental tenants of One Health by examining the interconnections between humans, animals and the environment from a multidisciplinary lens. The course is divided into three modules. The first emphasizes approaches and methods in One Health practice including outbreak investigations, risk factor analyses, surveillance, cost-effectiveness, evaluation, and advocacy. The second module examines how microorganisms influence health and interact simultaneously with humans, animals, and plants in the form of zoonotic diseases and environmental pathogens. The third module explores macro-level relationships such as human-animal companionship, agriculture, migration, climate change, and the built environment. The content of each module will be presented from local, regional, national, and global perspectives. Students will learn to articulate, visualize, write, and present complex health issues within a One Health framework.

EHS 551 One Health Systems Thinking
3 units//Fall & Spring

This course is designed to expose students from different backgrounds and disciplines an understanding to a systems approach to One Health problems. Students in this course will examine methods and tools used by different disciplines and sectors to understand complex problems. Using case studies, risk assessments, and visual diagrams, students will discuss and evaluate myriad facets of public health problems in order to inform solutions. Through the course of the class, students will learn to recognize components, interactions, and structure of existing approaches and how they differ from a One Health Systems Thinking perspective. At the conclusion of the course, students will have a deeper appreciation and value of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration to understanding and addressing complex public health challenges.

EHS 526 Topics in Environmental Health
3 units//Fall

This course will provide an introduction to environmental justice concepts as they apply to public health. Issues relating to race/ethnicity, gender, social class, environmental policy and law will be used to critically examine environmental health disparities. Graduate-level requirements include additional meetings with the professor. A 10-12 page term paper on a topic and degree of complexity to be determined in conjunction with the professor.

HPS 533 Global Health
3 units//Spring

Global health is an area for study, research, and practice that places priority on improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide. It is defined in the Institute of Medicine’s Report, “America’s Vital Interest in Global Health” as health problems, issues, and concerns that transcend national boundaries, and which may be influenced by circumstances or experiences in other countries and are best addressed by cooperative actions and solutions. These definitions reflect a closely linked world, where the globalization of commerce, communications, and travel bring an immediacy that magnifies our opportunities and our problems. For human health, connectedness of knowledge and technology can obviously support surveillance, treatment, and prevention. However, rapid movement of people – some of whom are ill with an infectious disease, movement of food that can be contaminated, water and air that can be polluted, toxic substances and even terrorism across national borders, bring increased health risks. Global health also relates to both intrinsic factors, such as genetics, behavior, and exposure to infections, as well as extrinsic factors, such as poverty, trade, climate change, and environmental degradation.

HPS 539A Outbreaks and Environmental Microbiology: Then to Now
3 units//Summer

This course will examine historical and present day outbreaks in regards to the environmental microbiology of pathogens. Different pathogens control interventions that were used to mitigate the outbreaks will also be explored. Graduate-level requirements include a more in-depth analysis of topics, more participation in online discussion groups, and additional test questions.

HPS 546 One Health Approach and Case Studies
3 units//Fall

The health and wellbeing of humans depends on the health of the environment, the animals, and the entire ecosystem that supports human life. One world, one health. This course will examine zoonotic diseases, or diseases that can be transmitted from animals to humans, and the challenges and opportunities involved when addressing those diseases from a One Health perspective. A multi-sectoral approach and collaborations being key strengths of the One Health approach, this course will also examine the role of collaborations involving communities, and the role of cultural competency in addressing public health issues globally.

HPS 559 Management of Global Public Health Emergencies
3 units//Fall

This course is designed to comprehensively meet the needs of public health practitioners to learn the overall management of public health emergencies and to equip them with knowledge and skills beyond specific diseases of concern, but also in overall coordination, leadership, communication and resources mobilization. The course has three major domains, including; a) Principles of Communicable Diseases Control and Humanitarian Coordination Architecture, b) Communication (Risk Communication, Behavior Change Communication, Advocacy and External Communication), and c) Response planning.

HPS 577 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health
3 units//Fall & Spring / Summer - Online Campus Only

This course is about our social environments and how they affect individual behavior and population health. Like the physical world and its many chemical and biological exposures, in this course we will review how social and cultural factors influence behavior and health. To appreciate a, ‘social-ecological view’ of health, we will discuss some familiar concepts: culture, community, identity and social structure, and consider how they influence individual behavior and personal agency. Our focus will be to explore these relationships and critique how they are utilized within public health interventions. During the semester, students will relate these concepts to health topics and questions that are interesting to you. The course is organized in three units [Ecological Principals, Framing problems, and Framing interventions].