Course listings | Case Western Reserve University

Term: Spring 2025

MPHP 101: Introduction to Public Health (100/3634)

TR 08:30-09:45 AM Jan 13-Apr 28

Falk, D; Morris, A

The purpose of this course is to introduce students to the science and art of public health through understanding historical and current issues through public health case histories and controversies. Students will be introduced to social, behavioral, cultural, and environmental influences on population health. Emphasis is placed on social justice as a central component of public health, with an overview of health inequity and commitment to vulnerable populations. Core public health practices relating to health promotion program design, community assessment and improvement planning, health communication, health policy and enforcement, and health behavior change will be featured. The course will promote understanding of health care and public health systems domestically and globally, including preparedness for and response to public health emergencies.

MPHP 101: Introduction to Public Health (101/10566)

F 01:00-02:30 PM Jan 17-Jan 24, F 01:00-02:30 PM Feb 14-Feb 14, F 01:00-02:30 PM Feb 28-Feb 28, F 01:00-02:30 PM Mar 21-Mar 28, F 01:00-02:30 PM Apr 18-Apr 25

Stein, C

MPHP 405: Statistical Methods in Public Health (100/3412)

W 05:30-08:00 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Diaz, M

This one-semester course for public health students is intended to provide the fundamental concepts and methods of biostatistics as applied predominantly to public health problems. The emphasis is on interpretation and concepts rather than memorization of formulas. Topics include descriptive statistics; distributions, statistical significance, linear correlation and regression, risk adjustment; and statistical issues in health policy development. Examples of statistical methods will be drawn from public health practice and the published literature. A statistical software package will be introduced and be an integral approach to learning how to perform data analysis and interpretation, using public use datasets.

MPHP 426: An Introduction to GIS for Health and Social Sciences (800/3794)

MW 10:30-11:45 AM Jan 13-Apr 28

Curtis, A; Curtis, J

This course is designed to give students a first exposure to understanding how GIS is integral to understanding a wide variety of public health problems. It introduces students to current spatial approaches in health research and provides a set of core skills that will allow students to apply these techniques toward their own interests. Subject matter will include chronic diseases, infectious diseases, and vectored diseases examples. Other topics related to social determinants of health and current events (e.g., violence, overdoses, disaster and homelessness) will also be incorporated. Students will be exposed to different types of data and different applications of these data (for example, hospitals, police departments), enabling them to think "outside the box" about how GIS can be utilized to solve real-world problems. Students will learn classic mapping and hotspot techniques. In addition, they will be introduced to novel ways to collect geospatial field data using online sources (Google Street View), primary data collection (spatial video) and mixed method approaches (spatial video geonarratives), all of which represent the cutting edge of spatial epidemiology. Offered as MPHP 426 and PQHS 426.

MPHP 429: Introduction to Environmental Health (100/3151)

T 05:30-08:00 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

MacMurdo, M

This survey course will introduce students to the principles of environmental and occupational health from a public health perspective. Presentation of concepts including risk assessment, communication and management as well as discussion of environmental and occupational practices, policies, laws and regulations that promote public and population health is included. Students will develop an understanding of the health effects of individuals and populations, including vulnerable populations, when exposed to air and water pollution, pesticides, organic solvents, dusts and physical and biological hazards, which occur in the community or the workplace. Planetary issues, such as One Health and Climate Change, are explored.

MPHP 432: Statistical Methods II (100/3152)

TR 01:00-02:15 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Love, T

This course is the second half of a two-semester sequence focused on modern data analysis, advanced statistical modeling, and programming in R and R Markdown. The course emphasizes placing biological, medical and health research questions into a statistical context, and thinking effectively about practical questions of design and analysis, while minimizing theory. Course projects focus on using modern tools to ingest, tidy, manage, explore (transform, visualize and model) and communicate about data. Foundational topics discussed in the second semester build on the work done in the first, and include data spending, estimating and assessing models built with multiple engines in replicable ways using the tidymodels framework, as well as logistic regression and generalized linear models for counts and multi-categorical data, and introductions to modeling weighted, time-to-event and multi-level data. The prerequisite is Statistical Methods I, but well-prepared students may seek a waiver from the instructor. Offered as CRSP 432, MPHP 432, and PQHS 432.

MPHP 433: Community Interventions and Program Evaluation (100/3409)

R 02:45-05:15 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Koopman Gonzalez, S

This course prepares students to design, conduct, and assess community-based health interventions and program evaluation. Topics include assessment of need, evaluator/stakeholder relationship, process vs. outcome-based objectives, data collection, assessment of program objective achievement based on process and impact, cost-benefit analyses, and preparing the evaluation report to stakeholders. Recommended preparation: PQHS 490, PQHS 431, or MPHP 405. Offered as PQHS 433 and MPHP 433.

MPHP 439: Public Health Management and Policy (100/3153)

M 05:30-08:00 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Bailit, J; Tisch, D

This course is designed to introduce students to the basics of health policy-making and includes a background on the basic structure and components of the US Health Care System (such as organization, delivery and financing). It will also cover introductory concepts in public health management, including the role of the manager, organizational design and control, and accountability. We will address relevant legal, political and ethical issues using case examples. At the end of the course, students will understand how health policy is developed and implemented in various contexts, and the challenges facing system-wide efforts at reform. This is a required course for the MPH degree. Grades will be based on a series of assignments.

MPHP 441: Climate Change and Health (100/4220)

W 02:45-05:15 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Sehgal, A

This course will teach students from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds about i) the effects of climate change on human health, ii) the social, political, and economic contexts of climate change and health, and iii) potential approaches to address these challenges.

MPHP 450: Clinical Trials and Intervention Studies (100/3154)

MW 09:00-10:15 AM Jan 13-Apr 28

Hartman, H; Szczotka-Flynn, L

Issues in the design, organization, and operation of randomized, controlled clinical trials and intervention studies. Emphasis on long-term multicenter trials. Topics include legal and ethical issues in the design; application of concepts of controls, masking, and randomization; steps required for quality data collection; monitoring for evidence of adverse or beneficial treatment effects; elements of organizational structure; sample size calculations and data analysis procedures; and common mistakes. Recommended preparation: PQHS 431. Offered as PQHS 450 and MPHP 450.

MPHP 456: Health Policy and Management Decisions (800/4300)

R 08:00-09:30 AM Jan 13-Apr 28

Nagel, K

Class meets Jan 18, Jan 25, Feb 1, Feb 8, Feb 22, Feb 29, Mar 7, Apr 4, Apr 11, Apr 18 and Apr 25

MPHP 489: Women's Public Health (100/3942)

T 02:45-05:15 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Pope, R

This course aims to cover local and global issues as they pertain to women. Many major issues of global health concern will be addressed, including the health-demoting effects of poverty, racism, patriarchy, and inhumane conditions of life and labor in many countries; men's and women's sexuality in the era of HIV/AIDS; the politics of epidemic disease control and other disasters, and the role of communities, nation-states, and international organizations in responding to such crises; issues of coercion in population control and the quest for reproductive rights; and how child health is ultimately dependent on the health and well-being of mothers. The underlying purpose of the course is to develop students' awareness of the political, socioeconomic, ecological, and cultural complexity of most health problems in resource-constrained and resource-rich nations and the consequent need for cultural sensitivity, contextualization, and activist involvement in the field of global health.

MPHP 499: Independent Study (105/10508)

Stein, C

MPHP 650: Public Health Practicum (800/3368)

T 12:00-01:00 PM Jan 13-Apr 28

Morris, A

The Public Health Practicum is an integral component of the MPH curriculum, allowing students to apply, develop, and refine their conceptual knowledge and skills as part of a planned, supervised, and evaluated community-based experience. The Practicum is designed to move students beyond the walls of academia, to understand the political, economic, social, and organizational contexts within which public health activities are conducted. To complete the Practicum, students must complete three credits of MPHP 650, dedicating at least 120 hours to a substantial public health experience, and attend Community Health Research and Practice (CHRP) group meetings.

MPHP 652: Public Health Capstone Experience (100/3943)

Morris, A; Zimmerman, P

Public health field practicum, involving a placement at a community-based field site, and a Master's essay. The field placement will provide students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired through their Master of Public Health academic program to a problem involving the health of the community. Students will learn to communicate with target groups in an effective manner; to identify ethical, social, and cultural issues relating to public health policies, research, and interventions; to identify the process by which decisions are made within the agency or organization; and to identify and coordinate use of resources at the placement site. The Master's essay represents the culminating experience required for the degree program and may take the form of a research thesis, an evaluation study, or an intervention study. Each student is required to formally present the experience and research findings. In any semester in which a student is registered for MPHP 652 credit, it is required that the student attend the Community Health Research and Practice (CHRP) group at a minimum of two sessions per 3 credits. CHRP is held once a week for approximately an hour and a half for the duration of fall, spring, and summer semesters. MPHP 652 credit is available only to Master of Public Health students.

MPHP 652: Public Health Capstone Experience (101/3944)

Morris, A; Singer, E

MPHP 652: Public Health Capstone Experience (102/3945)

Morris, A

MPHP 652: Public Health Capstone Experience (103/3947)

Kim-Mozeleski, J; Morris, A

MPHP 653: Public Health Capstone Experience (100/3948)

Morris, A; Whiting, P

The Public Health Capstone is a multi-semester project intended to provide students with the opportunity to develop a broad understanding of their chosen topic area, the ability to communicate effectively with target groups and professionals, and develop skills necessary for scientific investigation. The Public Health Capstone provides students with the opportunity to apply the knowledge and skills acquired through their Master of Public Health academic program to a problem involving the health of the community. Students work in conjunction with a community organization; therefore, the Capstone is expected to be mutually beneficial to both the student's educational goals as well as the host organization. At the conclusion of the Capstone experience, students are required to submit a capstone essay, which represents the culminating experience required for the degree program and may take the form of a research thesis, an evaluation study, or an intervention study. Each student is required to formally present the experience and research findings. While engaged in the Public Health Capstone, students are expected to attend the Community Health Research and Practice (CHRP) seminar, held weekly on Tuesdays at 12:00pm.

MPHP 655: Dual Degree Field Practicum II (100/3986)

Foster, J; Morris, A

This course is designed to be taken by MSW/MPH joint degree students as the second field period of their master's program. It consists of a field practicum and participation in professional development opportunities. The Field Practicum is an integral component of the MSW and MPH curriculums, allowing students to apply, develop, and refine their conceptual knowledge and skills as part of a planned, supervised, and evaluated community-based experience. The Practicum is designed to move students beyond the walls of academia, to understand the political, economic, social, and organizational contexts within which social work and public health activities are conducted. These collective experiences provide students with a forum to develop skills, integrate and operationalize the values and ethics inherent in professional practice, and confront social injustice as self-reflective, competent developing practitioners. (EPAAS Program Objective M6 and EPAAS Content Area 4.7). The overall goal of this course is to provide graduate level MSW/MPH joint degree students with field related opportunities to continue to develop foundation level competencies in the eight MSSAS abilities by helping students apply knowledge of social work and public health theory, skills, values and ethics acquired in the classroom in an agency setting. Offered as MPHP 655 and SASS 655.

MPHP 656: Dual Degree Field Capstone III (100/3790)

Foster, J; Morris, A

The Public Health Capstone Project is an integral component of the MPH curriculum, allowing students to apply, develop, and refine their conceptual knowledge and skills as part of a planned, mentored, and evaluated public health scholarly project. This course is designed to be taken by advanced level students. It consists of a 288 hour field based Capstone experience and participation in 12 hours of professional development opportunities. The overall goal of this course is designed to move students beyond the walls and constraints of the classroom, to understand the political, economic, social, and organizational contexts within which public health and social work activities are conducted. It is also designed to provide graduate level dual degree students with field related opportunities to begin to develop advanced level competencies in the eight abilities by helping students apply knowledge of social work theory, skills, values and ethics acquired in the classroom in an agency setting. These collective experiences provide students with a forum to continue to develop and hone social work skills, integrate and operationalize the values and ethics inherent in professional practice, and confront social injustice as self-reflective, competent developing practitioners. (EPAS Program Objective M6 and EPAS Content Area 4.7). Offered as SASS 656 and MPHP 656.

MPHP 657: Dual Degree Field Capstone IV (100/3422)

Foster, J; Iciek, J; Morris, A

MPHP 657: Dual Degree Field Capstone IV (101/4292)

Iciek, J; Morris, A