Theme 1 FIG Courses

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Equity, Inclusion, & Social Justice in Health

Students in this course pairing will develop an understanding of how the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age influence their health and access to health care. This course pairing examines health inequities within communities and introduces and explores social determinants of health including gender, race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, poverty, religion, governance, and policies. Students will gain an understanding of how social determinants of health contribute to health inequity.

Students will be introduced to the science of public health and policy, including epidemiology, environmental health, and healthcare systems. They will evaluate how health programs and the healthcare system influence equity, inclusion, and social justice. In this course pairing students will collaborate to assess issues of equity, inclusion and social justice in health and devise community-engaged solutions to improve health. The course pairing will explore health equity within the context of population health while examining some strategies for improving health equity through case studies and policy analysis.

Upon completion of this FIG, students will be able to identify health disparities and social determinants of health that adversely affect populations' health due to their social, economic, and environmental conditions, and apply strategies for improving health equity.

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Theme: Health of people and communities

HEA 201, Section 09
Healthcare Systems and Perspectives

Day/Time: Th, 1:00 pm – 3:45 pm
Instructor: Donna Dueker

About this Course

This course includes the examination of healthcare delivery systems (providing medical care to people) and personal health as an integrated processes that includes physiological (of the body), social, psychological (of the mind) processes. Topics include roles of healthcare providers (i.e. doctors); major healthcare organizations; contemporary healthcare issues; interactions of healthcare and physical environmental changes (such as water and air quality) which influence health of the whole person.

Theme: Introduction to Public Health

PUB 195, Section 02
Special Topics course for new majors

Day/Time: T/Th 11:30 am – 12:45 pm
Instructor: Saahir Shafi

About this Course

This course explores community public health issues with a particular focus on population health—the wide spectrum of factors that affect the health of individuals and the population as a whole. It offers a perspective on population health that prepares students for the challenges of citizenship in a democracy. Many of the issues that we deal with as a society stem from or benefit from a population health perspective. Whether we are dealing with communicable diseases, the impact of aging, climate change, or the cost of healthcare, the population health perspective can help us frame public health issues and analyze the options to improve health outcomes. Population health requires an evidence-based approach to collecting and using the facts to develop and implement approaches to improve community health.