This course is intended to provide a foundation about public health practice in the United States. The course will include discussion of the range of topics considered to be core public health functions. We will also devote time to understanding the structure and function of the United States health care delivery system. There is an expectation for students to spend a significant amount of their time preparing public health topics for presentation in class. This seminar type course discusses strategies used in the analysis of health care delivery systems.
Special attention is given to organizational and performance aspects of health care.
The course covers the health systems of the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Costa Rica and England. Students are required to present an analysis of a health care system of a country in a developed or developing nation of their choice. This course will review some of the major events and individuals, which contributed to the development of the Public Health Sciences and related professions. The course will provide an overview of events from antiquity to the present, in a number of nations, and the leadership roles of individuals, agencies and governments. Appreciation of how past societies responded to public health issues can provide insight to how current and future public health issues might be managed.