Trace the evolution of public health and its growing importance in the 21st century.
Format: Online
Duration: 8 weeks
We hear a lot about public health, but what is it exactly? It's the laws, systems and policies set up to improve the public's health. It's a system that has evolved over the decades, becoming even more complex, and more necessary.
In MPH 6002 Public Health System, you will examine different definitions of public health and how its challenges and responses have changed over time. As you trace the origins of law and government in public health, you'll learn how legislation can improve the public's well-being directly and indirectly through funding and organization of government agencies. You'll see how systems can work together and how the Affordable Care Act of 2010 is influencing them to change.
New technologies, aging baby boomers, infectious diseases and natural disasters are challenging today's public health systems. As you create a public health agenda for the 21st century, you'll gain a greater understanding of the significance of the history, processes, policies and philosophies of this field.
What You'll Learn in MPH 6002
You'll study different definitions of the discipline and how public health challenges and responses have changed over time. You will be introduced to the use of a "logic model," a conceptual tool that helps researchers analyze the complexity of public health or "population health" problems and solutions.
You'll use analytical tools and diagrams to identify the many layers of determinants of health status, and look at ways to measure or quantify social and environmental determinants to develop workable solutions.
Course Topics
Throughout this course, weekly topics may include but are not limited to:
- What is Public Health?
- Measuring Population Health
- Public Health and the Health System
- Law, Government, and Infrastructure of Public Health
- 21st Century Community Public Health Practice
- Managing Public Health Interventions
- Public Health Workforce
- Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response
Course Learning Outcomes
Upon completion of MPH 6002, you will be able to:
- Embrace a definition of public health that captures the unique characteristics of the field (e.g., population-focused, community-oriented, prevention-motivated, and rooted in social justice).
- Identify the main components and issues of the organization, financing and delivery of health services and public health systems in the U.S.
- Apply systems thinking concepts to the public health system.
- Apply the core functions and essential public health services framework to public health problems.
Request More Information
To learn more about the online Master of Public Health curriculum from Benedictine University, including Public Health System, call (866) 295-3104 to speak with a program manager or request more information.