Key Courses - MPH in Environmental Health

EH department students only. Required foundation course for students in all master's programs administered by Department of Environmental Health. Introduces students to major topics in environmental health, including mechanisms of toxicity, pesticides and other chemicals, children's health, WASH (water, sanitation, and hygiene), infectious disease, air pollution, climate change, and planetary health. Describes tools used to understand these EH topics, such as exposure science, epidemiology, toxicology, biomarkers/omics, risk assessment, implementation science, and policy.

In this course, students will be introduced to the concepts of exposure science. Students will learn how contaminants are transported from sources to receptors and how human receptors are affected by such contact. Varying exposure science approaches, across a range of environmental media, including air, water, soil, and internal biological matrices, will be considered. Methods of assessment including direct monitoring of environmental media, modeling, as well as biomarkers of exposure will be presented and discussed in detail. Students will examine the literature of exposure science through readings, in-class article discussions, and by conducting a collaborative exposure assessment.

Prerequisites: college-level biology and chemistry or instructor's permission. The goal of this course is to introduce the student to the basic principles of toxicology. Humans are exposed to a variety of dangerous substances through occupational and environmental exposures. In order to interpret the public health implications of these exposures one must have a good understanding of how these compounds get into the body, how they are processed in the body, and how they damage particular organ systems. To accomplish this, students will gain practical knowledge of the workings of specific organ systems and will be able to identify particular environmental chemicals and their mechanisms of action that underlie organ toxicity. This information will be conveyed through lecture material and reinforced by relevant readings, in-class discussion, and additional assignments that are focused on ensuring that the toxicological topics are further evaluated and considered in the context of current environmental and human health concerns and do not simply exist as standalone facts.

Surveys the general principles and practices of environmental health risk assessment for toxic exposures in the environment and interactions with other factors contributing to human health risks. A variety of case studies will be used to demonstrate the basic methods and results of risk assessment, including estimation/evaluation of potential risk based on empirical evidence (e.g., laboratory animal studies, epidemiological studies), hazard and dose-response assessment for regulatory decisions, and uncertainty analysis and risk communication. Students will be introduced to and use key tools used in quantitative risk assessment.

Prerequisites: EH Department student or Instructor Permission, EPI 530 and BIOS 500. Students will gain experience reading, evaluating, and interpreting epidemiologic studies on the impact of both workplace and environmental exposures, and thinking through practical considerations. The course aims to strengthen each student's ability to read epidemiological literature critically. This aim will be realized through in-depth exploration of major study designs including cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, and case-control studies; and through the weekly readings and case studies. Although some data analysis is required, the focus of the class is on conceptual issues common in environmental and occupational epidemiology research and on the interpretation of findings. Successful completion of the course will also contribute to a richer appreciation of how the environment affects public health.

Prerequisites: Required: EPI 530 and BIOS 500; BIOS 501 or BIOS 591P; also preferred: EPI 539, EPI 540 or EPI 545; or instructor?s permission. Students will gain experience reading, evaluating, and interpreting EPI studies on the health impact of workplace & environmental exposures. Students will understand & interpret the EPI literature. Skills are developed through class lectures, assigned readings, & case studies. Most case studies require data analysis though the focus of the class is on conceptual issues common in environmental EPI rather than on applied statistics. Cross listed with EPI 747.

This course introduces students to the major laws, regulations, and policies applicable to environmental health, primarily in the United States. Readings, discussions, and expert guest speakers are designed to explore the history, politics, economics, and ethics of environmental health policy, including issues around environmental justice. Case studies, in-class activities and policy analysis assignments will emphasize practical skills in policy development and promotion while exposing students to the challenges of advancing evidence-based environmental health policy in the context of competing political perspectives and priorities.

This course introduces basic concepts underpinning research and project design in environmental health. Students will learn of integrative learning experience (ILE) project types in environmental health, identify and/or refine their individual ILE project topics, develop key elements required for proposing work on their project topic, and demonstrate project feasibility by producing preliminary results. Throughout, students will develop and apply their writing skills and participate in providing feedback to peers. By the end of the course, students will submit a full written ILE proposal and a final presentation that provides an oral overview of their proposed ILE.

The course provides a productive, supportive and critical environment for the completion of integrative learning experiences (ILE). EH skills gained during the MPH program are applied and integrated. Students will submit a completed ILE paper that describes the justification, methodologies, findings, and products of their ILE project, as well as a poster presentation that summarizes the highlights of their project.

An Applied Practice Experience (APE) is a unique opportunity that enables students to apply practical skills and knowledge learned through coursework to a professional public health setting that complements the student's interests and career goals. The APE must be supervised by a Field Supervisor and requires approval from an APE Advisor designated by the student's academic department at RSPH.