Public Health 491L - S-Current Issues/Public Health

Through class discussion as well as readings and presentations, participants will explore current health issues within the US and globally. We will begin with an introduction to the language of public health: the burden of disease, determinants of health, how health status is measured and health systems. We will explore the following questions: How does this approach differ from the medical approach? How does public health offer strategic responses to pressing social, political and health issues? What is the government's responsibility for public health? How does policy affect the public's health? We will look at recent issues in public health such as AIDS, tobacco, emergency preparedness, ebola and teenage pregnancies. We will then turn our attention to current and emerging issues in public health such as the obesity epidemic, health disparities and opiate etc and discuss ways federal, state and local government are working to solve these emerging issues.

Open to Senior Public Health majors only.