Public Health

Historically, public health initiatives have improved the lives of people worldwide. Today’s public health professionals utilize a multidisciplinary approach in promoting and preserving a healthy quality of life for all populations – individuals, families, communities, and nations worldwide. The Moravian Public Health major is an interdisciplinary curriculum preparing the student for diverse careers and graduate studies in public health.

The curriculum provides learning experiences which expose students to concepts such as advocacy, community dynamics, critical thinking, cultural context, ethical decision-making, networking, organizational dynamics, professionalism, teamwork, research methods, education, and policy development. Required and elective courses provide learning related to each of the Healthy People 2020 determinants of health: policymaking, social factors, health services, individual behaviors, and biology and genetics. The curriculum focuses on real and current public health issues enabling the student to meet challenges present upon graduation. Also the curriculum provides students with opportunities to network and apply their knowledge with practicing public health professionals.

As prerequisites to the program, students must complete the following courses preferably by the end of sophomore year:

BIOL 103 Human Anatomy and Physiology I
BIOL 104 Human Anatomy and Physiology II
Math 107 Elementary Statistics OR Econ 156 Economics and Business Statistics
ECON 152 Principles of Economics (M4)
PSYC 207 Lifespan Development

The Public Health major consists of 10 course units.

Core Courses

HLTH 110 Public Health
HLTH 230 Epidemiology
ECON 211/HLTH 211 The Economics of Health and Health Care (U1)
HLTH 321 Global Health or NURS/HLTH 322 Nursing of Populations at High Risk for Health Problems
HLTH 218/NURS 218 Writing about Health (writing intensive)

Students will select one course unit from each of the following determinants of health categories:

Social Factors:

ENVR110 Introduction to Environmental Studies (M5)
MGMT/IDIS 250 Moral Marketing (U2)
HIST 260 Environmental History (U1)
IDIS 165 Life Walk of Justice (M3) (same as REL 165, SOC 165)
IDIS 213 Impact of Technology on Diet and Disease (U1)
IDIS 216 Intersection of Culture and Healthcare (M5) (same as NURS216)
PHIL 257 Bio-ethics and Social Justice (U2)
PHIL 267 West African Philosophy: Akan Ethics (M5)
POSC 127 East Asia and the Future (M5)
Or a Bioethics Course

Biological Factors:

BIOL 205 Pathophysiology
BIOL 206 Microbiology for Health Sciences
BIOL 210 Genetics
ENVR 112 Environmental Science (F4)

Students will select two course units as electives:

HLTH 231 Nutrition
HLTH 240 Health Behavior
HLTH 315 Health Policy
HLTH 330 Environmental Health
HLTH 340 Program and Evaluation

All students must complete two ½ unit public health internships (HLTH 386.2 and HLTH 387.2) during the senior year.

Public Health Minor Requirements

The minor in public health requires five full course units.

Core Courses (3 units):

HLTH 110 Public Health*
HLTH 230 Epidemiology
HLTH 321 Global Health or HLTH 322

* HLTH 110 is included for all students, except students with a major in nursing. Students in nursing complete an additional elective unit, chosen from the list below.

Plus two full unit electives

HLTH 231 Nutrition
HLTH 240 Health Behavior
HLTH 340 Program Planning and Evaluation
HLTH 330 Environmental Health
NURS 360/(HLTH 360) Ethical Dilemmas in Healthcare (U2)
HLTH 315 Health Policy

Courses in Public Health

Health 110. Introduction to Public Health. This course will explore the multidimensional aspects of public health in the United States from a historically aspect, current practices and potential future needs. Public health professional practice is diverse due to multiple cultures, environments, and health care delivery systems in the 21st century United States. (no prerequisites)

Health 218. Writing about Health. (WI) (cross-listed as English 218) This workshop-based course introduces students to the practice of writing about complex medical topics with a focus on defining the purpose, identifying the audience and developing the appropriate tone for selected documents. Students will read and discuss representative works and will draft and revise a number of their own health-related documents. Writing intensive. Prerequisite: LINC 101 or Writing 100.

Health 230. Epidemiology. This course is an introduction to the study of disease occurrence in human populations. Basic epidemiological concepts, data sources, study designs, and analysis are discussed. Emphasis is place on how epidemiology impacts the way we make personal decisions about our own lives and the ways in which governments and public health agencies make policy decisions that affect how we live. Prerequisites: Economics 156, Mathematics 107, or a biostatistics course.

Health 231. Nutrition. (also IDIS 231) Food is essential not only for our health and wellbeing, but also for our basic survival. How we obtain, preserve, and prepare our food has changed drastically since the days when our hunter-gatherer ancestors discovered fire, domesticated the first livestock, and cultivated the earliest crops. Today, concerns about food safety, poor diets, and obesity dominate the U.S. headlines, and we are bombarded with all sorts of conflicting dietary claims in the media or via the internet. This course will focus on the science of nutrition: the macro and micro nutrients we need and why, the linkages between energy balance and body composition disordered eating, and food safety. Because there are so many false, conflicting, and newly-emerging (but as of yet, unproven) claims about diet and our health, we will also use the scientific understanding gained to help identify credible sources of information about nutrition, diet plans and dietary supplements, and food safety.

Health 240. Essentials of Health Behavior. In the search for why individuals make various health choices this course will explore many theories of the intricacies of human behavior and change. The health of individuals affects the health of their families, communities and society. Recognizing the complexity of human behavior and the related dynamics of cultural, social and environmental factors, students will analyze and evaluate various health intervention and programs.

Health 310. Health Policy. This course provides a foundation for both healthcare professionals and citizens to evaluate, and potentially change, health policies which influence the quality of their lives. The course provides an overview of policymaking and the law, the U.S. healthcare system, and public health institutions. Current issues in health policy including individual rights, health economics, health insurance and reform, and healthcare quality are addressed. Students will practice basic skills in health policy analysis and communication for political success. Prerequisites: Health 110.

Health 321. Global Health. (also Nursing 321) Global health explores the huge disparities of health from country to country. In the 21st century the ease of travel has erased the confinement of communicable diseases and bioterrorism to the borders of a country. The health advances of the 21th century are costly and often pose ethical dilemmas for their implementation. Improvement of global health is a complex and often misunderstood process. Lack of public health professionals in many countries can prevent implementation of beneficial changes. Millennium developmental goals and the World Health Organization goals will guide the study of this course. Prerequisites: Health 110 or Nursing 212; Health 230.

Health 330. Environmental Health. (also Environmental Studies 330) This course addresses key areas of environmental health. Environmental epidemiology, environmental toxicology, and environmental policy and regulation are discussed as tools necessary to understand and promote environmental health. Specific agents of environmental diseases are analyzed. Applications of environmental health, including water and air quality, food safety, waste disposal, occupational health, and unintentional injuries and death, are explored. Prerequisites: Health 110 or Environmental Studies 110 or 112.

Health 340. Program Planning and Evaluation. (also Nursing 340) This course serves as an introduction to the means of assessing the need for health education, the planning of health education, and the evaluation of the effects of health education. It includes selection and development of appropriate instruments of assessment/evaluation of both community and school health, and the theoretical foundations and practical applications of planning for health evaluation. Prerequisites: Health 110 or Nursing 115