In recent years, entrepreneurship has gained enormous popularity, even becoming accepted as a means to address pressing social and environmental issues. A significant percentage of our economy is now based on small businesses, and an entrepreneurial career is more likely and possible than ever before. Even in a more traditional corporate career, entrepreneurial skills can serve a manager well as companies that see out new opportunities. The benefits of entrepreneurship are abundant: the creativity to grow and manager your own business, the freedom of time, the potential to accumulate significant wealth and the possibility of making the world a better place. How does it happen? How can we take an idea and a blank piece of paper and transform them into an operating business with customers, cash flow and profits?
This course will break the process into discernible steps and skills. It will teach skills in opportunity identification and evaluation as well as an understanding of the steps and competencies required to launch a new business. The focus will be on scalable businesses that are large enough to attract professional investors.
Utilizing a background in basic physical assessment, advanced practice nursing students apply the didactic content introduced in N8786 to this clinical practicum. Advanced physical assessment skills and the identification of abnormalities in the physical exam and appropriate documentation are emphasized with a focus on the ability to integrate systems appropriately. The complete pelvic exam is included. As well as complete male genital exam.
The Pivot_Professional Development is required for full-time MHA and MPH degrees in the Health Policy & Management (HPM) department. It is one component of the Professional Development Program (PDP), a comprehensive, co-curricular effort aimed at developing personal and professional skills to prepare students to enter the workforce successfully and to begin to develop necessary skills to be successful in their careers. The course will meet over three semesters for a total of 1.5 credits. Semester one will focus on self-discovery and personal branding, semester two will hone in on building skills to get your practicum and succeed in your practicum, and the third semester will largely focus on the full-time job search and the first 90 days on the job. Pivot will be complemented by Practicum Day, mock interviers, data software workshops and Career Service seminars.
The two main goals of this course are to develop skills needed to shape your professional self and develop the skills to find and thrive in a job. This course will help you achieve these goals by providing the tools to: (1) develop a professional persona (2) sharpen professional communication (3) collaborate effectively as a team member and (4) clarify career objectives.
The Pivot_Professional Development is required for full-time MHA and MPH degrees in the Health Policy & Management (HPM) department. It is one component of the Professional Development Program (PDP), a comprehensive, co-curricular effort aimed at developing personal and professional skills to prepare students to enter the workforce successfully and to begin to develop necessary skills to be successful in their careers. The course will meet over three semesters for a total of 1.5 credits. Semester one will focus on self-discovery and personal branding, semester two will hone in on building skills to get your practicum and succeed in your practicum, and the third semester will largely focus on the full-time job search and the first 90 days on the job. Pivot will be complemented by Practicum Day, mock interviers, data software workshops and Career Service seminars.
The two main goals of this course are to develop skills needed to shape your professional self and develop the skills to find and thrive in a job. This course will help you achieve these goals by providing the tools to: (1) develop a professional persona (2) sharpen professional communication (3) collaborate effectively as a team member and (4) clarify career objectives.
This course will introduce the student to the epistemology and scholarship of practice and to lifelong learning. Using the DNP Competencies in Comprehensive Care as the framework, students will analyze clinical decision-making and utilization of evidence for best clinical practices in a variety of mental health settings. Individual plans for guided study will be mapped for each student. Clinical review and discussion of interesting, complex cases from the practice environment will facilitate the students’ development of the knowledge base and skills essential to the role of the psychiatric nurse practitioner.
“Money, Politics & Law: Public Health and Abortion Policy” is a deep dive into health policy, health care finance, federalism, and regulatory and enforcement protocols through the unique lens of abortion. Public funding limitations, private insurance coverage restrictions and provider supply constraints are perpetually debated in health policy but remain critical leverage points influencing abortion care. With access alternately protected and eroded by courts, legislatures and regulators nationwide, abortion remains the single most controversial health care service in the United States. Although generally safe when performed legally and cost-effective relative to pregnancies carried to term, the future of abortion appears uncertain. Using abortion as a case study, students conduct a multi-disciplinary examination of legislative, executive and judicial branches of government in action.
In each of seven sessions, students will scrutinize facets health law and policy- from landscape view to microscopic dissection- to understand how abortion both mimics and is marginalized relative to other health care services. The course begins by exploring patterns of payment for abortion, selected abortion jurisprudence, federal statutes, key state laws and the regulatory frameworks affecting funding for abortion. How much does abortion cost? Who pays for it and how? Students focus on public financing limitations including the Hyde Amendment, Harris v. McRae and its state level progeny; private insurance coverage and coverage bans including the Affordable Care Act and implementing regulations; noninsurance based funding mechanisms for abortion services including out-of-pocket contributions, borrowed money, sliding scale negotiations, structured funds and philanthropy. Complex issues influencing the abortion provider supply including medical malpractice insurance, laws governing provision of care by non-physicians, and provider training pipelines are explored. This cutting edge health policy case study concludes by contextualizing US abortion policies among developed nations and examining abortion-related restrictions on US foreign funding.
This course provides an advanced, critical analysis of the delivery and payment of healthcare services in the U.S. with a specific focus on actions innovative healthcare providers and health insurers are
taking to improve the quality of patient care, manage the escalating costs of providing such care, and enhance business performance. It will analyze the attractiveness and feasibility of new approaches to address the challenges facing providers, payers and patients operating in an inefficient, misaligned, and fragmented healthcare system. Particular focus will be given to the impact of the 2009 HITECH Act as well as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) of 2010. There will be guest lectures by a variety of major leaders in healthcare business and policy. The course will be useful for students interested in careers in health system management, health insurance, HCIT, healthcare consulting & banking, private equity, investment management, health policy, entrepreneurship in the healthcare services sector and pharmaceuticals, medical devices & diagnostics.
For students who wish to acquire further knowledge and research skills in areas of special interest. Tailored to the particular needs and interests of individual students, they can take many forms - literature reviews, research projects, field experiences, other special studies, or learning experiences. The objective is to enrich the students program.
This course is designed to integrate foundation skills and strengthen the student's clinical practice in a variety of psychiatric mental health settings. The practicum is the first of two consecutive courses. Expectations of the clinical experience are direct patient contact (assessment, diagnosis, and treatment including medication management) and therapeutic interaction with staff, families, and systems. The student will develop a knowledge base and skills essential to the role of the advanced practice psychiatric nurse practitioner. Details of the practicum will be coordinated with the agency by faculty in line with courses objectives, agency objectives, and student education goals.
This course consists of two components: a computer science component and a health policy-specific component. The first component consists of lectures, homework assignments, and in-class quizzes in the Department of Computer Science, which introduce students to algorithmic problem solving and implementing solutions in Python. These lectures will include students enrolled in context sections from other parts of the University, and assume no prior experience with programming whatsoever. They will be supplemented by a weekly lab at CUMC for Mailman students, which will focus on guiding students through practical examples/applications of the methods presented in the lectures. The second component of the class is context-specific, and includes a health policy analysis project, in which students apply programming methods learned in class to a health policy problem, as well as context lectures given at CUMC in the second half of the semester. These context lectures will focus on the ever-expanding role of computing and “big data” in health policy and healthcare, and will discuss recent research on these topics. Attendance for all lectures and labs is mandatory.
With the Middle East and other regions of the world in political turmoil, and with the frequent occurrence of natural disasters and deadly epidemics, the demands on and the stakes involved with humanitarian aid in health grow steadily higher. Yet both historical and recent political and scientific controversies abound regarding how it should be planned and delivered. In this course, students will explore some of the most salient of these controversies and review concrete cases of intervention from Africa, Asia, the Americas, the Middle East, Europe and former Soviet Union. The twin objectives of the course are to provide students with: 1) a rigorous understanding of current policies and approaches to humanitarian aid in health, and 2) the analytical tools and historical perspective to participate, as public health professionals, in the field’s renewal. The course will be provided through a mix of lectures, discussion and debates. Major international UN and NGO practitioners will be invited to participate in the debates and a United Nations Headquarters tailored site visit will be organized.
Pedagogy of Sexuality Education will provide students with the background and skills they need to design, implement and evaluate effective sexuality education interventions. The course will emphasize teaching methodology for working with groups, and students will learn both theories of behavior change and techniques for influencing the key determinants that are relevant in encouraging sexual health. Further, all students will learn strategies for facilitating group learning, responding to the needs of students of various ages and developmental stages, and ways to engage parents. The course will include designing and delivering lesson plans and receiving substantive feedback from the other course participants and the instructor. The course will analyze emerging digital approaches to sexuality education and ways to translate what has been learned about effective in person sex education into digital strategies. We will also cover techniques for working effectively within tight time constraints and preventing controversy. The context in which young people are learning about sexuality as well as current dominant cultural scripts about sexuality will be examined.
This 8 week course, during the fourth term of the DPT curriculum is the first of two courses on cardiopulmonary physical therapy. This course provides extended exposure to normal physiology and pathophysiology of the cardiovascular system.
Exploration of pathophysiological changes of the cardiovascular system and of evaluative techniques for identifying these changes will provide the student with knowledge critical to decision making in contemporary clinical practice. The course will cover examination, evaluation, diagnosis, prognosis, intervention, and outcomes for patients with various cardiopulmonary disorders. This course will be given in a hybrid-learning format consisting of asynchronous on-line video lectures, as well as in person classroom and lab time for higher-level activities to solve problems and apply what has been learned outside the classroom to new situations. Students will need to prepare before a class session and then apply what was learned in face-to-face class meetings.
This 10 week course, during Term 7 of the DPT curriculum is the second of two courses on cardiopulmonary physical therapy. This course provides extended exposure to cardiac and thoracic surgical interventions, their physical therapy, an understanding of medications, ventilators and pacemakers.
Exploration of pathophysiological changes of the cardiovascular system and of evaluative techniques for identifying these changes will provide the student with knowledge critical to decision making in contemporary clinical practice. The course will cover surgical interventions for cardiac and pulmonary diagnosis, including transplant and ventricular assist devices. Medications and support (ventilators) will be discussed and the implications to PT care explored. This course will be given in a hybrid-learning format consisting of asynchronous on-line video lectures, as well as in person classroom time for higher-level activities to solve problems and apply what has been learned outside the classroom to new situations. Students will need to prepare before a class session and then apply what was learned in face-to-face class meetings.
The class explores how laws, policies, and rights function to shape public health, with particular emphasis on the implications of this interaction for rights-based approaches to health programs and policy. After introducing the principles, practices, and underlying assumptions of law, policy, and rights, the class offers students the opportunity to use human rights tools in documentation of health-related human rights violations and formulating programs, policy responses, and advocacy strategies to violations. A wide range of issues - sexual and reproductive rights, HIV/AIDS, health problems of criminalized populations, the intersection of the environment and health, and others - are explored to illustrate the importance of sustained human rights inquiry and analysis in public health.
This is one of two consecutive seminars designed to introduce the DNP student to the fundamental principles of pediatric primary care. The focus of this course is the development and application of critical thinking, clinical reasoning, and introduction of the CUSON DNP Competencies as essential components of the PNP role. Utilizing case scenarios representing pediatric acute and chronic disease processes students will begin to analyze clinical decisions and apply evidence for best practice.
This is the third in a series of four courses on orthopedic physical therapy. This course emphasizes differential diagnosis, clinical decision-making, and development and implementation of a plan of care for patients demonstrating musculoskeletal dysfunction of the upper extremities.
This course applies the Patient Management Model to musculoskeletal conditions associated with the upper extremities. Examination, intervention, progression and outcome assessment of the upper extremity is linked with diagnostic imaging and conservative and surgical management. Interventions integrate joint and soft tissue manual therapy techniques with therapeutic exercise. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision-making and evidence-based practice in individuals with orthopedic conditions. Exercise applications that are utilized throughout lifespan that address identified impairments; activity and participation limitations are emphasized. Students will apply clinical decision-making strategies to practice, design, modify and progress exercise programs with proper biomechanical alignment and proper muscle balance for optimal performance. This course will be given in a flipped hybrid-learning format consisting of synchronous classroom time, synchronous small group team meetings, asynchronous on-line video lectures. The active learning strategies facilitate “thinking on your feet.” Students will need to prepare before a class session and then apply what was learned in face-to-face class meetings as well as the video lectures.
This course will examine key issues in sexual and reproductive health and development over the life span. The issues included will represent positive as well as the more typical negative sexual and reproductive health outcomes and experiences. The examination will illustrate how issues in the field are often viewed as fitting with the reproductive health (RH) or the sexual health (SH) “box” and how a more integrated perspective would enhance our research questions, findings and policy/programmatic responses to these issues. It will also focus on gender, sexuality and sexual orientation, class and race/ethnicity as key intersectionalities that affect SRH outcomes and development.
This 8-week course during the fourth term of the DPT curriculum is the first of a two-part series which applies the Patient Management Model to adults with neuromuscular conditions, in particular acquired brain injury disorders, stroke, and traumatic brain injury.
Examination, intervention, progression and outcome assessment for stroke and traumatic brain injury disorders are linked with diagnostic imaging and management via medical and surgical methods. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision-making and evidenced-based practice in individuals with neurological conditions.
In this course you will learn to develop and implement a quantitative data analysis plan and to interpret the results of quantitative analyses using datasets from actual evaluation studies. The early phase of the course will focus on necessary but essential pre-analysis tasks often overlooked in the research training process. These include: Data entry, data cleaning, and data transformation. The second half of the course focuses on conducting bivariate and multivariable statistical tests. This is an applied course, emphasizing skill building through hands-on work using SPSS in each class session. Reflecting the focus on skill building, this course includes weekly homeworks using SPSS.
This course explores the technical and programmatic characteristics of the communicable diseases most frequently encountered in international emergencies. Discussions will focus more on the epidemiological aspects of prevention and control and how these measures can be implemented in the exceptional circumstances that surround emergencies, rather than on etiological, diagnostic, and treatment considerations, although these will be mentioned as well. Particular emphasis will be put on community-based control and evaluation activities. Political, cultural, and economic characteristics of disease control will also be discussed. Classes will mix lecture, video presentations, group discussion, and case studies.
Child mortality has steadily declined over the last century. In 1918, approximately one in three children died before the age of five. Today, that number is one in twenty. Global progress is however marred by tremendous disparities, and much more progress is possible. Students in the course will learn about the conditions that affect children in high-mortality settings; review the evidence base for major child survival interventions; and examine the practical issues related to their implementation. Students will look at these issues from a global, national, and program perspective, ranging from the impact of global policies, to the track record of national strategies, to key program management skills they will need to be effective. These skills include monitoring, evaluation, communication, cross-cultural understanding, leadership and human resources. Students will also learn about relevant cross-cutting areas of knowledge, such as health systems, community health, child development, crisis settings, aid effectiveness, inequality, and power dynamics.
The health of children in the United States has been largely driven by confluence of scientific discovery and policy. But decision makers do not always approach policy from a scientific approach, partly because of differening educational and experentiual backgrounds which are commonly more focused on legal, regulatory, and/or political frameworks than science. It therefore behooves those practicing public health to understand the principal governmental agencies that impact pediatric populations, their main areas of focus, and the processes used to make decisions about resource allocation. Initial sessions in this course will thereby focus on gaining an understanding of key federal and state agencies and a review of example programs focused on pediatric populations. Students will be challenged to constructively critique existing programs and policy and suggest novel ideas which have the potential to improve child health and reduce disparities. They will be taught and expected to demonstrate some of the skills necessary to make convincing arguments to those lacking a public health background but whose influence on program and policy development is nonetheless significant.
This is the second of three consecutive seminars designed to build upon knowledge from DNP Seminar I with a continuation of focus on clinical decision making and evidence-based practice for the provision of primary care to the pediatric patient across settings. Utilizing the clinical encounter format and CUSON DNP Competencies in Comprehensive Care as a framework, the student will analyze clinical decisions, appraise, and apply evidence for best practice using patient cases from practicum.
This 8-week course during the second year of the DPT curriculum, is the first of a pair of courses on orthotics and prosthetics in physical therapy. This course presents information on the types, components, and appropriate prescription of orthotics in the management of patients. Principles of biomechanics will be utilized to understand the application, evaluation, and prescription of orthotics in the context of patients/clients with musculoskeletal and neuromuscular dysfunctions of the trunk, upper- and lower-extremities.
The course will introduce and expand students’ knowledge of orthoses used in physical therapy for upper-extremity, lower-extremity, and trunk dysfunctions. Emphasis will be placed on applying biomechanical principles, the available evidence base, and clinical evaluation and management considerations underlying the clinical decision-making of orthotic prescription and clinical care for individuals with range of orthopedic and neurologic dysfunctions. Particular attention will be paid to developing gait assessment skills to allow evaluation of gait abnormalities that can be affected with orthoses. This course requires development of clinical problem-solving skills to determine orthotic solutions and a comprehensive plan of care.
While the collection of qualitative data is widespread and growing in public health research, the credibility and quality of data analysis suffers from an absence of system and rigor in recording, organizing, categorizing and interpreting qualitative findings. Focusing in particular on interview data, this course introduces a variety of approaches to qualitative data analysis, and encourages their application through hands-on group work and homework assignments.
Digital technology is permeating nearly every sphere of public health, from the way that hospitals store and share records, to the way that parents interact with and ultimately raise their children. Understanding how new technologies present potential opportunities for intervention across the life course is a critical area of study for future health practitioners and researchers. This course will also cover how digital technologies can increase health risks.
Course topics will span the lifecourse (children, adolescents, adulthood and end-of-life) and the globe. Specific topics of study will include: immunization registries, text-based interventions and teen pregnancy; media and youth development; HIV, sexual behaviors, and cell phones; mobile dating and sexual health; mobile technology in displaced and refugee populations; diversity, technology and life transitions.
After completing this course, students will be well positioned to understand the current digital technologies, and to create and critique the technologies of the future. Students will be able to effectively analyze research studies and identify developmental and technological characteristics that contribute to risk and opportunities for protection. Students will formulate initiatives that reduce the potential risks and maximize potential protective characteristics using current health technology.
This seven-week course explores the socio-cultural and political factors that contribute to the existence of gender-based violence and which lead to an increased occurrence of acts of gender-based violence in complex emergencies, with an emphasis on conflict zones. Students will develop a practical understanding of effective interventions for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in different phases of complex emergencies. Specifically, students learn the conceptual framework for preventing and responding to gender-based violence and the practical framework for developing gender-based violence programming. Furthermore, students review strategies for incorporating critical elements of gender-based violence programming: coordination among humanitarian agencies; evidence-based programming; and engaging communities in programming.
Increasing demand for transparency and accountability, particularly with respect to donor-funded humanitarian programs, has heightened the need for skilled evaluators. To this end, students in this course will become familiar with various forms of evaluation and acquire the technical skills necessary for their development, design and execution through lectures and discussion, exercises, guest presentations and real world examples. Specifically, students will discover evidence-based methods for identifying stakeholders, crafting evaluation questions, designing instruments, sampling and data gathering to achieve good response rates, analysis and synthesis of information for report-writing and case studies.
Japan’s brief Momoyama period (1573-1615) is often characterized as an “age of gold,” an era in which politically powerful warlords commissioned lavish works of art. During the 150 years between the Ōnin War and establishment of the Tokugawa shogunate in the early 17th century, a series of military rulers unified the warring Japanese states, and for the first time in Japan’s history engaged briefly with the world beyond China through contact with European missionaries and merchants. The same warlords participated in every sphere of cultural life, sponsoring the construction of lavish fortresses and temples, contributing to the development of the arts of Tea and Noh drama, and encouraging the importation of printed books from China and Korea. This course will explore the art of painting in the Japan’s “era of unification.” We will concentrate on the gilded screens and panel paintings that temples, castles, and palaces, but will also study fan paintings, portraiture, and genre painting in order to comprehend the profound impact that this pivotal era would have on all succeeding periods of Japanese art.
In this course, students will learn about the disproportionate burdens of environmental contamination and resultant health disparities affecting marginalized communities across the United States and globally. The curriculum will explore the ways in which the environmental justice movement in the US has succeeded in implementing just forms of health research, progressive environmental health policies, and protections from racial/cultural injustice, as well as obstacles, policy impediments and potential paths forward. We will examine environmental health/justice theories and perspectives in the contexts of health impacts on various populations, including American communities of color and the socioeconomically disadvantaged, indigenous peoples, women and children. We will study climate change, natural disasters, urban pollution and segregation, extractive industries, and environmental sustainability. Students will be asked to critically examine these topics and also explore unresolved, chronic problems relating to environmental injustices and their health impacts.
The Materials, Chekhov, & 3rd Year PWF presentations provide an excellent opportunity for stage managers to apply the skills they have acquired through their classroom work and practical training. Each of these productions is attached to three separate “Rehearsal & Production” courses; as such, each requires stage managers to take the lead position as PSM (Production Stage Manager) and shepherd each of the following from pre-production and rehearsals through final presentation.
The Materials, Chekhov, & 3rd Year PWF presentations provide an excellent opportunity for stage managers to apply the skills they have acquired through their classroom work and practical training. Each of these productions is attached to three separate “Rehearsal & Production” courses; as such, each requires stage managers to take the lead position as PSM (Production Stage Manager) and shepherd each of the following from pre-production and rehearsals through final presentation.
Evidence-based public health (M Plescia, AJPH 2019) includes making decisions based on peer-reviewed evidence, using data systematically, and disseminating what is learned. Conducting evidence-based public health that reflects the mission and values of the Department of Population & Family Health (PopFam) requires skills to: clarify gaps in knowledge and evidence to explicate how such gaps can be filled; solicit funding and community support for research projects that can inform public health practice; ensure applied public health research is feasible, and carried out efficiently and according to plan; and that the results and “lessons learned” are disseminated to guide next action steps. This course will provide students with skills to engage in culturally competent public health work from the get-go – recognizing how to be attentive to inclusion and equity in generating research and evaluation questions, project management, and communication and dissemination. This course is designed as a complement to students’ experiences with research or program-based practica and their subsequent capstone/integrated learning experience (ILE); therefore, priority will be given to second-year PopFam students.
Childhood and adolescence are critical windows of opportunity in human development to influence health, learning and productivity throughout life. In the earliest years of childhood, survival, growth and development are interlinked; growth affects both chances of survival and the child's development, and all three are influenced by family care practices, resources and access to services. Adolescence is the second period of rapid growth when foundational learning associates with distinct neuro-maturational changes. Contributing to increased investment in the early years and adolescence are new demands related to changing economic, social, demographic, political and educational conditions. The course will focus on populations along the lifespan, thinking through child development and why and how programs positively affected health outcomes. Students will understand the role of early child development programs (ECD) in the achievement of improved educational success and improved long-term health. The course will also explore adolescence through a developmental lens and the complex life events and social constructs that can influence adolescent behaviors. Through interactive lectures, small-group discussions and debates, and presentations by established guest speakers, students will learn to analyze programs and services, including how we can work with parents, support young children and adolescents in time of emergencies, and work within the health care system through a variety of hospital, community, school and family-based approaches to promote health and positive development.
The purpose of the course is to teach participants the key principles and skills needed to design, deliver, and evaluate participatory training activities for public health programs in the United States and in developing countries.
This required course in the PNP program introduces the advanced student to the provision of health care to children with special health care needs, including mental health. Emphasis is placed on the collaborative role of the PNP in the patient-and-family-centered medical home. The importance of palliation in the delivery of health care to children with chronic conditions and special health care needs is highlighted. The course will provide the student with the knowledge base to recognize and manage common chronic conditions in the pediatric population.
The course will cover various topics in number theory located at the interface of p-adic Hodge theory, p-adic geometry, and the p-adic Langlands program.
The function of a stage manager in the process of a musical – through the use of technological advances. This class will be an in-depth examination of how modern stage management contributes to this process through the implementation of seminal methodologies. Focus will be placed on how digital platforms can be used to support this process from beginning to end.
The occurrence of murder, disappearances, and rape are common during complex emergencies and yet the rate of these events is rarely measured while the conflict is ongoing. In some cases, groups are denied life-sustaining services because of race, politics, or HIV status. Public health practitioners are uniquely situated and qualified to advocate for populations whose human rights and survival are threatened by the intentional actions of organized groups. This class will teach students techniques for detecting and estimating the rates of these major abuses of human rights in order to better advocate for the abused, and to permit the evaluation of programs designed to prevent such events. At the end of the course, students will be expected to be able to evaluate the sensitivity of surveillance systems, and undertake surveys, designed to measure the rates of violent deaths and rape. Classes will involve a combination of lectures, case studies, and a research project ending with a debate. Students will be evaluated based on class participation and a paper.
Humanitarian action has come to occupy a central place in world politics and a theory of rights rather than charity is now driving international assistance and protection in wars and disasters. Global events over the past two decades indeed suggest that the world needs a humanitarian system capable of responding reliably, effectively and efficiently across a full range of emergencies. Whether people are suffering as a result of an earthquake in China or organized violence in Darfur, the humanitarian response system is expected to reach them in a timely and informed manner. Global wealth suggests that it can; and, global morality says that it should. Success of humanitarian action depends upon political, technical and organizational factors. The practice of public health focuses on improving the technical and organizational capacities, but this course will display that political forces are equally essential for alleviating human suffering. Deep problems of political distortion and perennial problems of agency performance and practice continue to compromise global, impartial and effective humanitarian action. This course examines efforts to provide humanitarian assistance and protection in war and disaster crises. It combines the theoretical with the possible, highlighting constraints to action from the perspective of the humanitarian agency and professional worker in the field. Key public health priorities—including the major causes of disease and death and how best to detect, prevent and treat them--are examined. Particular attention is paid to human rights and humanitarian protection, including their nature, content, and linkages with public health assistance. Students will be exposed to current trends and debates, sides will be taken and defended, and the class will be enriched by the participation, contributions and challenges of the students.
This course offers a forum for students to reflect upon and discuss their experiences in the practicum environment. Through discussion and presentation, students have the opportunity to integrate their practicum experience into the public health curriculum, as well as to incorporate input and perspectives from other students' experiences. Students who have previously completed their required practicum will deliver a professional presentation of findings from the research conducted or programmatic input provided during the internship. Through this mode of presentation and analysis, students hone their analytic skills, develop leadership capacity, and apply strategic communication techniques. This course forms a fundamental building block in the master's degree curriculum as students synthesize field-based learning with their classroom instruction and gain training for future leadership in public health.
The Capstone Paper requires students to demonstrate their abilities to think and communicate clearly, reflect on their new knowledge and training, and make professional contributions to their main fields of interest, with guidance from faculty capstone readers. It serves as the final piece of evidence that the student is prepared to practice as a public health professional. The value of a well-researched and well-written Capstone Paper extends far beyond the MPH degree. Effective organizations depend upon staff members who can design needs assessments, programs, evaluations, and strategic plans, and document them in writing. Policy advocates seek professionals to articulate complicated public health evidence and ideas in briefs, articles, reports, and monographs. Doctoral programs look for students who can conceptualize, analyze, and communicate complex, interdependent health circumstances. Capstone Papers stand as concrete examples of students’ mastery of substantive areas, as well as proof of their competencies in key public health skills.
The department will share the Capstone handbook with students, which includes details about the options to meet the Capstone paper requirement.
This seminar will focus on key issues in adolescent sexual and reproductive health research both domestically and internationally. Using a Journal Club structure, students will discuss, dissect and debate recent and classic research papers – primarily through student-led discussions. Students will gain a greater understanding of the role of research in contributing to adolescent sexual and reproductive health advocacy, policy and programming in the U.S. and internationally. Students will also be able to effectively evaluate research designs and formulate initiatives promoting adolescent sexual and reproductive health. Through a combination of journal article reviews, occasional lectures, and group discussions, students will use science and research to inform their future career goals. Specific topics will include: abstinence-only until marriage policies, programs and funding; school-based health centers;LGBTQ youth; replicating successful interventions; and coital and non-coital sex.
This course offers a forum for students to reflect upon specific public health topics within their field of study. Through discussion and presentation, students will have the opportunity to integrate their chosen topics into the public health curriculum, as well as to incorporate input and perspectives from other students' experiences. Through presentation and analysis, students hone their analytic skills, develop leadership capacity, and apply strategic communication techniques. This course forms a fundamental building block in the master's degree curriculum as students synthesize field-based learning with their classroom instruction and gain training for future leadership in public health.
The initial sessions will be led by faculty, who model seminar leadership and participatory discussion. Subsequent sessions will be co-led by students, who will rotate in this responsibility. In advance of each session, the lead students will work with faculty to refine the suggested reading list of documents or presentations for critical analysis and reflection. All participating students will prepare annotations and commentary, which will be available to other students, and will be a foundation for discussion in each session. An overall grade for such analysis will be awarded.
Students will present a brief list of key readings for a specific topic and a two-page outline of the proposed review for discussion before session 3. Students will start leading the discussion of those topics beginning in session 4 of the class. Where possible, the student(s) leading each session will have real-world work experience in that area. Students will be graded on their specific summary outline and the leadership of their class discussion. Students will then choose one topic to focus on, and will submit a final version of their review paper (to length and format required by the targeted journal) within seven days of the final session of the class (session 14).
For anybody who’s spent even a little time in public health circles, it doesn’t take much effort to list the many societal ills that desperately call for action. What’s equally important, though, is answering the classic question that’s bedeviled advocates for centuries: “What is to be done?” This course will help us sharpen our answers to that question through study of recent advocacy efforts around COVID-19; HIV/AIDS; climate change; reproductive rights; environmental justice/racism; mass incarceration and criminal justice reform (particularly in the context of the Black Lives Matter movement), and others. Along the way, we’ll also learn about enduring dilemmas scholars have identified that confront all health advocates. These include: the costs and benefits of working within (versus outside of) formal politics; framing rhetoric to reach wider audiences; the virtues and drawbacks of confrontational direct action; public apathy towards “health” issues; oppositional movements at complete odds with theirs; and more recently, the potential of social media.
This course also contains a skills component, where students will learn basic legislative, legal, and media research that can aid advocacy efforts.
This 16-week course during the first term of the DPT curriculum is the first in a series of two courses on evidence-based practice. It equips students to apply or translate research evidence to patient care practices and clinical decision-making.
This course is the first in a series of two courses, which prepare students with knowledge and skills to be an evidence-based physical therapist. The two courses are offered in the first two semesters of the Doctor of Physical Therapy program. The American Physical Therapy Association recognizes the use of evidence-based practice as central to providing high quality clinical care and decrease unwanted variation in practice. Evidence-based practice is a method of clinical decision-making and practice. It includes the integration of best available scientific research with clinical expertise and a patient’s unique values and circumstances. This course covers two major topics: 1) finding and appraising evidence to improve patient care; and 2) communication and technology for evidence-based practice. For the former topic, the focus is on intervention research studies and diagnostic research studies.
Climate science informs us that global emissions of greenhouse gas emissions must be rapidly and dramatically reduced if humanity is to avoid catastrophic climate change. After three centuries of rising emissions, the entire global economy must now decarbonize in the coming three decades. Fortunately, most of the technologies and investment capital necessary to reduce and eventually eliminate emissions exist or are in development, but the urgency to implement those solutions is critical.
This course provides an overview of climate change, its effects on business, and how businesses can (and should) respond. The course covers emissions sources and their impact on climate change, followed by an exploration of the policy landscape, including current legislation, carbon markets, and climate justice. The course then evaluates current and evolving mitigation technologies, reviews the tools of climate finance, and considers strategies for reducing emissions to net zero. Finally, the course introduces the role of businesses in addressing climate change, including net-zero goals, actions they can take to mitigate their impact, and the perspectives of shareholders.
Throughout the course, the business case for climate action is emphasized, highlighting the economic benefits of taking action to address climate change.
Program evaluation is an essential competence in public health. Across all areas of public health, stakeholders pose questions about effectiveness and impact of programs and interventions. This course will examine principles, methods and practices of evaluating health programs. A range of evaluation research designs and methods will be introduced and strategies to address challenges in real world program settings will be emphasized. The course will incorporate examples of evaluations of actual health programs and opportunities to learn through professional program evaluation experiences of the instructor. The combination of lectures, textbook readings, examples, discussions, in-class exercises, and an extensive applied group assignment to design an evaluation for a real program will help students gain evaluation skills and an appreciation for the art and science of program evaluation. The goal is for students to learn competencies required of an entry-level program evaluator, including design and implementation of evaluation studies and interpretation and communication of evaluation findings.
Tunisia, the birthplace of the Arab Spring, was a crossroads of many civilizations from its indigenous Berber population to the Phoenicians who founded Carthage in 814 BC, to the Romans who destroyed Carthage in 146 BC after three Punic wars, to the Arabs introducing Islam and Arabic in the 7th century, to the Turkish Ottomans who ruled Tunisia from 1574 to 1881, and more recently to the French who occupied Tunisia from 1881 to 1956. This melting pot of more than 3000-year history is what distinguishes Tunisia from other countries in the Middle East and North Africa. Because of its free trade agreements with Europe and several countries in Africa and the Middle East, Tunisia can potentially become a gateway to a market of more than a billion people. As Tunisia is still going through profound political changes following the initial upheaval of the Arab Spring in 2011, there are many questions that await. Will Tunisia transition to a stable democracy? Will it be able to create a business environment that is attractive to investors? If so, what investment opportunities exist in Tunisia? What are the risks involved and the future challenges? And, how best to enter such a market? The course will explore these questions with a focus on the entrepreneurship ecosystem and doing business in Tunisia. The course project involves working closely with start-ups from Africa. The project provides a truly immersive, multicultural experience where students will partner, mentor, coach, and interact with young entrepreneurs, both online and offline. Travel to Tunis will take place prior the class meetings, October 12-18, 2025. A predeparture meeting will take place on Tuesday, September 30 12:30-2:00pm to prepare students for the pre travel assignment and week of travel. This class will follow the A term add/drop period. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Upon return from Tunisia, the class will meet for 6 weeks during the fall B term; students will continue to work on their projects during this time as well. Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes combine half a term in New York with a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. The 2025-2026 Global Immersion Program mandatory fee for all classes is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does
The Master's Thesis is the capstone requirement of all students in all tracks of the MPH program of the Department of Sociomedical Sciences (SMS). The thesis is intended to reflect the training you have received in the MPH program and demonstrate your ability to design, implement, and present professional work relevant to your major field of interest. Writing the thesis is an essential experience that could further your career development. Employers seek in potential employees with a MPH degree the ability to write articles and reports, and want to see evidence that you can design studies, analyze data, write a needs assessment, and/or design a health program. If you plan to continue your academic studies, developing expertise and demonstrating your ability as a writer are two important skills required of doctoral candidates. A well-written paper is a great asset that you can bring with you to a job interview or include in an application for further study. The thesis ought to demonstrate your ability to think clearly and convey your thoughts effectively and thereby provide an example of your understanding and insight into a substantive area in which you have developed expertise.
This immersive course explores the dynamic tech landscape of Africa, with a special focus on Nairobi, Kenya. Known as "Silicon Savannah," Nairobi has emerged as a leading hub for innovation, startups, and technological advancement on the continent. The city is renowned for its vibrant tech ecosystem, which includes pioneering initiatives like M-Pesa, the revolutionary mobile money transfer service that has transformed financial inclusion across Africa. Throughout the course, we will delve into various facets of the African tech scene. We will learn about the historical evolution of technology in Africa and how Nairobi has become a pivotal center for tech innovation. The course will cover a broad spectrum of sectors where technology is making a significant impact, such as financial technology (FinTech), agriculture technology (AgriTech), healthcare technology (HealthTech), and educational technology (EdTech). The class will compose of a mixture of lectures that provide theoretical foundations and case studies and guest lectures from industry leaders. The in-country portion will have visits to tech hubs, startups, and multinational companies. M-Pesa will not only serves as a case study in the transformative power of mobile technology but also illustrates how African solutions can lead the way in global tech innovation. The course also aims to address the unique challenges faced by tech startups in Africa, such as regulatory hurdles, infrastructure limitations, and cultural factors affecting tech adoption. The class will allow students to identify and analyze these challenges while exploring the abundant opportunities within the African tech market. Ultimately, the course seeks to critically evaluate the impact of technology on economic and social development in Africa, fostering a deep understanding of how innovative solutions are driving progress across the continent. Please note this class will meet in the A term, and travel to Kenya will take place during December 6-13, 2025. A predeparture meeting will be held on November 20 during the lunch break. The 2025-2026 Global Immersion Program mandatory fee for all classes is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course. No program fee refunds
Prerequisites: G6215, G6216, G6211, G6212, G6411, G6412. Students will make presentation of original research in Microeconomics.
Brazil is the largest national economy in Latin America, and the world's tenth largest. It is one of the world's leading producers and exporters of food, it has become self-sufficient in energy thanks to the development of ethanol and deep-sea drilling and has a sizeable and well-developed consumer market. It is also a stable and peaceful democracy. However, it is a complex economy with large inequalities and systemic deficiencies in infrastructure, education, and basic services. After a spurt of healthy and resilient growth for more than a decade, the economy is facing serious headwind lately. Most of Brazil’s problems, however, are self-inflicted and can be corrected. The purpose of the Global Immersion Program is to understand the sources and the challenges impacting current and future growth in the Brazilian economy, identify business opportunities that appear as the country grows and, through your research towards the final project, gain in-depth knowledge and become an “expert” in an aspect of Brazilian business and economics that particularly interests you. Global Immersion Program classes bridge classroom lessons and business practices in another country. These three credit classes meet for half a term in New York prior to a one week visit to the country of focus where students will meet with business executives and government officials while working on team projects. Upon return from the travel portion of the class, students will have a wrap up meeting at Columbia Business School. The course consists of six 1.5-hour sessions in New York during the first six weeks of Fall 2025 semester before traveling to Brazil. There will be a follow-up post-visit class for 2 hrs on a Friday in the B term.. We will be visiting companies and meeting with business leaders in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. Attendance and regular participation both in New York and Brazil are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Travel to Brazil will take place October 12-18, 2025 to Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. The 2024-2025 Global Immersion Program mandatory fee for all classes is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learn
Prerequisites: G6215, G6216, G6211, G6212, G6411, G6412. Students will make presentations of original research in Microeconomics.
This course provides an opportunity to learn about family enterprise, the predominant form of business worldwide, along with stakeholdership, sustainability, and innovation, through theory and practice that goes far beyond a typical class experience. Students will delve into the driving forces behind these timely issues, with specific focus on the Nordic region as a leader in each area. After a series of classroom sessions in NYC, students will travel to Sweden and Denmark, countries that are not only major players in the Nordics but also vibrant economies, innovative business environments, leaders in social enterprise, and consistent (positive) outliers on global "happiness" ratings. Other unique regional issues include current challenges caused by immigration shifts, transition from the Nordic model, and strong governance norms. English language fluency and relative openness and transparency about family and business provide an open window into personal experience and insights not always available elsewhere. Through site visits with principals, business executives, and experts at start-ups, foundations, and family businesses, students will have a chance to ask questions and compare notes on doing business, being family, and leading innovation with a sustainable focus in another part of the world. There is no better way to learn about family enterprise innovative business models than at the source. The trip will also provide an opportunity for students to travel with their peers and exchange ideas about the cross-cultural experience as it is happening. For this course, the Nordic region is defined as Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Sweden, and Norway. There will be six 90-minute sessions on campus during the A term, followed by a weeklong trip October 12 - 17, 2025, and a de-brief session after the trip. Course objectives are: • Increase understanding of the global role and importance of family enterprises through in-depth focus on the Nordic region. • Experience "behind the scenes" looks and engage in open discussions with family principals, owners and next generation members • Learn about cutting edge innovation and sustainable social enterprise, including in the family office context. •Explore stakeholdership in the region that was at the forefront of developing this vision of business. • Provide point of comparison to cultures in which students live and work. • Examine aspects of ownership and governance, including the Nordic industrial foundation. Global Immersion Program classes
Some of the questions that we examine include: What have been the main sources of growth for the UAE? What are the initiatives the government has taken to diversify the economy away from oil and to promote growth? What drives the dynamism of the UAE’s business environment and where do future opportunities lie? What role does the UAE play in global business, and how is this role evolving? How does the UAE collaborate (and compete) with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and its other Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) neighbors? What role might the UAE play in students' post-CBS careers and personal lives? The course will consider the UAE’s business landscape from three lenses: (1) enterprises focused on the UAE, (2) UAE-based enterprises serving the GCC and MENA region, and (3) global investors and businesses based in the UAE. To what extent is business in the UAE unique, and to what extent is it the same as business elsewhere? The group will be based in Dubai with day trips to Abu Dhabi and other emirates. During our week in the UAE, we plan to visit key institutions that help shape the business and financial environment in the country. During our on-campus sessions before we travel, we have guest practitioners share their expert perspectives on the UAE and the broader GCC region. Travel to Dubai and Abu Dhabi will take place October 11-18, 2025. The 2025-2026 Global Immersion Program mandatory fee for all classes is $2100 and provides students with double occupancy lodging, ground transportation and some meals. It does not cover roundtrip international airfare. Attendance both in New York and in-country and regular participation are a crucial part of the learning experience and as such attendance is mandatory. Students who miss the first class meeting may be removed from the course. No program fee refunds will be given after the add/drop period has closed. Please visit the Chazen Institute website to learn more about the Global Immersion Program, and visit the Global Immersion Policies page to review policies affecting these courses. Only second year students may participate in Global Immersion Program fall courses; please note exams scheduled during this week may be rescheduled and papers due during that week are expected to be turned in by their due date. Please note all international travel involves risk. We do not control the cities and companies we visit. We try our best to plan a safe trip with positive experience. However, if your tolerance for risk or uncertainties is low, GIP is not for you.
This course will provide an overview of theoretical perspectives and concepts relevant to the study of sexuality, particularly as they relate to public health. This entails exploring perspectives from across the social sciences, with an emphasis on sociology, anthropology, and histroy, and somewhat more limited reference to work in psychology and political science. Drawing upon assigned readings, lectures, discussions and individual assignments, students will develop the capacity to identify the strengths and limitations of perspectives used to frame research and interventions related to sexuality. Although the substantive focus of this course is the theorization of sexuality, over the course of the semester we will address a more fundamental question in public health – namely, what shapes ‘health behaviors’? Developing a sophisticated conceptualization of why people engage in behaviors that have detrimental health consequences, or conversely why they fail to take health-enhancing actions, lays the foundation for effective health promotion policies and programs. Because a great deal of sexual health promotion programming draws implicitly on behavioral science and interpersonal-level determinants of health practices, a goal of this course is to counter-balance that through an emphasis on the broader structural and institutional determinants of sexual practices.
This course is a review of both recent as well as field-changing scholarly work from the last fifty years that shapes and shaped the historiography of the premodern Middle East, broadly defined. It is designed to aid graduate students in this field to understand the history of their craft, of current intellectual debates, and of major historiographical trends. In the process of refining their own understanding and interests in the field, students will also deepen their understanding of the premodern history of the region. This course is relevant for students of the premodern Middle East, premodernists in general, as well as students of the modern Middle East and adjacent regions.
Disparities in health and illness related to social and economic inequality in the U.S. Theoretical and empirical research on factors linked to class, gender, racial and ethnic differences that have been hypothesized to explain the generally poorer health and higher rates of mortality among members of socioeconomically disadvantaged groups. Concepts, theories and empirical evidence will be examined to expand our understanding of the impact of structural factors on health behavior, lifestyles and outcomes.
This course focuses on the critical factors and approaches that managers and sophisticated investors use to identify and value attractive business opportunities and investments in the medical technologies sector. It will provide students with an understanding of the current economic and competitive environment for the development and commercialization of new medical devices, including regulatory, pricing, and reimbursement factors. It will highlight new emerging technologies in the field, and explore how to assess such novel technologies and build commercial models for valuation purposes.
Guest speakers from the medical device industry (company executives, physicians/ surgeons, investors, investment bankers) and investment case studies will be used to provide students with practical insight into this complex sector. Critical issues to be examined include:
- Strategies and risks associated with discovering, developing, and approving new medical technologies, including impact of government oversight and regulation;
- Pricing/reimbursement and health policy/ legislative matters impacting the medical technology sector; - Keys to evaluating novel medical technologies and analyzing business drivers and future performance of medical device & diagnostic companies (public and private);
- How to build commercial models, including valuation methodologies that successful investors use to value/price companies in this sector;
- Conducting due diligence and market analysis on medical technologies from which to formulate investment ideas;
- Considerations in taking long and short investment positions in this sector.
The course is cross-functional in its approach and focuses on real-world" problems currently facing senior managers and investors in this sector. This course will be useful for students interested in careers in the life science and healthcare services sectors, as well as healthcare consulting, investment banking, equity research, venture capital, private equity, and investment management given the large and growing healthcare practices of such firms. Some understanding of, or experience in, the healthcare/medical technologies sector will be highly valuable."
Over the 17 years that I have taught this course, I have tried to present students with articles that would provide an exposure to the growing body of research, commentaries, and critiques that discuss the relationships between race, ethnicity, and health. The premise upon which our work is based is rather simple: race is highly correlated with health status, but after many years of investigating this association, researchers are not entirely clear what this association means, nor are they clear how to use their research to improve the lot of people of color who are at risk for a wide variety of health conditions. Put more precisely, we don’t know what it is about someone’s race that causes the excess morbidity and mortality that is observed among members of so many ethnic minority groups. Typically, in the first class of the semester, students find this to be a puzzling way of defining the key issues in race and health. Given the dynamics of last year’s presidential elections where race played a huge role, it seems all the more bizarre to suggest that race is a concept of limited value to the science of public health. To students born in this country or who have lived here for an extended period of time, nothing could be more obvious than the fact that race matters. Racism is a fact of American life, and that its victims should suffer poorer health status than mainstream Americans seems almost self-evident. As the semester progresses and as the critique of current health research about race becomes more pronounced in the readings, students of all races, I hasten to add often feel compelled to say: “I don’t care what the articles say, race MATTERS!!!!!” Agreed. Race does matter, and it often matters in ways that are intensely personal, painful, and gut-wrenching. But the point of this course is not to deny the student’s personal experience of race, but rather to ask you to look beyond such experiences to develop a science of public health that specifies how and in what way race “acts” to cause the excess morbidity and mortality we observe in so many communities of color.
Prerequisite: Instructor-Managed Waitlist.
Propaganda, Russia and the World Information War is a highly current guide to propaganda and disinformation, the geopolitical impact of information, and how false, weaponized narratives threaten the world's news and information environment.
The course teaches how propaganda and disinformation work, the most effective ways to counter them, and the effects of artificial intelligence. The course draws many of its examples from information operations by Russia, but also considers operations by state and private actors worldwide. This includes overt and covert activities by Western governments, including in the Ukraine war.
The course also discusses information at a more philosophical and sociological level. How do we receive and process information? Can there actually be more than one truth? What is the future of the world’s information climate given all the political, social, and technological stresses on it?
The course is aimed at students with interests in geopolitical analysis involving Russia or any region; the techniques of public persuasion, in any context; or in countering propaganda and disinformation.
Interested students are encouraged to contact the instructor at
tjk17@columbia.edu
.
Overview of medical anthropology, the examination of health, disease, and medicine in the context of human culture. Examine the relationship between culture, structural factors, and health gain ways to utilize ethnographic, anthropological, and qualitative data in health interventions, policy, and evaluation gain critical skills in evaluating the adequacy and validity of formulations about 'culture' and 'tradition' in health programs and research become familiar with range of work on culture and health, domestically and internationally acquire skill in utilizing data about culture and health at macro and micro levels.
This half-semester course introduces students to the marketing tools and audience development strategies available to the not-for-profit theatre institution. It starts with an investigation of theories of relevance; an assessment of who is (and is not) currently in the audience and why; and a look at the role that mission and vision play in shaping an institution’s engagement plans and priorities. Through case studies, related readings, and writing assignments, the remaining weeks explore the different techniques by which a theatre can connect with potential theatregoers, including paid advertising, direct response, online/social media, and surveys/research studies.
This half semester course provides students with the opportunity to perform due diligence on early-stage social ventures
(nonprofit and for-profit ventures with a social or environmental mission). This course is designed for MBA students
interested in impact investing, social entrepreneurship, or philanthropy. The objective of the course is for students to
learn both the theory of investing in early-stage social ventures and the practice of evaluating early-stage social ventures
through a due diligence process. This course is not designed for the evaluation of larger, well-established social
enterprises.
Students are placed in teams to evaluate social entrepreneurs from the Columbia University community who have applied
for funding from the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures. The course is a combination of in-class lectures and discussion, and
practical application of class lessons outside of the classroom. Major topics covered include: the due diligence process,
assessing venture pitches and teams, due diligence in emerging markets, due diligence of non-profits, impact
measurement and management, and valuations and deal structure.
During the course, each student team completes detailed due diligence on their assigned social venture, including
diligence on applicants, the social venture and the sector. The course concludes with student teams submitting a written
due diligence report and a recommendation for funding to the Investment Board of the Tamer Fund for Social Ventures.
Aspects of the commercial theatre with perspectives from Executives of The Shubert Organization.
The Shubert Organization owns 17 Broadway, 6 Off-Broadway and 2 “road” theatres. It is a multi-million dollar company with significant real estate holdings, a substantial investment portfolio, a major ticketing operation and over 1,500 employees. But whether you are dealing with a 1,750-seat theatre or a converted garage, the issues are the same: What shows should be produced/booked? How to find an audience for them? How to make the most of ever-advancing modes of technology? How to contend with artistic, financial, organizational and legal challenges? The fundamental question: How to present the finest work in the best possible circumstances for the largest number of people in order to achieve the greatest artistic and financial return possible?
Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has received growing attention over the past several decades as international, domestic, funding agencies and researchers have renewed a focus on an approach to health that recognizes the importance of social, political, and economic systems to health behaviors and outcomes. The long-standing importance of this approach is already reflected in the 1988 Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) landmark report The Future of Public Health and many other publications. The report indicates that communities and community-based organizations are one of six potential partners in the public health system and that building community-based partnerships is a priority area for improving public health. CBPR is not a method but an approach to research and practice that involves the active collaboration of the potential beneficiaries and recognizes and values the contributions that communities and their leaders can make to new knowledge and to the translation of research findings into public health practice and policy. CBPR is a collaborative approach to research that recognizes the value of equitably involving the intended beneficiaries throughout all phases of research and/or intervention design, implementation, and evaluation. CBPR is also an important approach to advance health and social equity and is essentially a way to promote and operationalize health and social equity in research settings.
Behavioral and environmental factors are major determinants of today's most pressing health issues. Community-level behavior change and health promotion interventions are promising strategies to address these issues on a large scale. This course will provide an overview of program planning, implementation, and evaluation – essential public health services and fundamental competencies for professionals working in the field of public health. Although the PRECEDE-PROCEED model will be used as the framework for the course structure and individual assignments, other planning models will also be presented and discussed. By the end of the course, students will develop a deep understanding of the complex processes involved in organizing public health programs, and learn the skills necessary to create a program and evaluation plan in a local community.
Health Literacy is defined in Health People 2010 as “the degree to which individuals have the capacity to obtain, process and understand basic health information and services for appropriate health decisions” In this course we will explore the multi-layered interactions between health and literacy. We will begin by examining the issues related to literacy in the US and transition to the concept of health literacy. We will discuss issues related to reading comprehension, and usability of health related materials. The class will evaluate the major health literacy assessment instruments, learning how to administer these for different populations. We will focus on the role of language and culture as confounders to health literacy. Time will be spent assessing and then developing appropriate health materials for print, visual, auditory and internet venues. The course will shift towards examination of different health situations utilizing a health literacy approach including the research participants and informed consent, health literacy and medication/adherence, patient-physician communication models, and risk comprehension. Finally we will examine special topics including emergency preparedness. The classes are designed to include a mixture of didactic lectures, analysis of reading materials, group discussion and exercises.
This course focuses on the development of a fundamental knowledge base for the assessment, diagnosis, and management of patients presenting for sexual and reproductive healthcare in primary care settings. Topics include the most common sexual and reproductive health maintenance issues and challenges across the life cycle. This course include an overview of deviations from sexual and reproductive well-being that are within the scope of practice of the advanced practice nurse practitioner and identifies conditions that require collaborative management and/or referral. A simulation lab session concurrent to the course enhances and grounds the didactic experience.
This course focuses on the essential technology and procedures utilized in the management of the critically ill that is inherent to the role of this nurse practitioner. During laboratory/clinical experiences psychomotor skills and the use of advanced technologies for the nurse practitioner will be developed along with the skill of oral/written presentation of select patients.
Theoretical Foundations of Sociomedical Sciences is the first in a two-semester seminar series that is required for all doctoral students in the Department of Sociomedical Sciences. This seminar will examine a number of the major theoretical traditions – and enduring problems – that undergird contemporary practice in the sociomedical sciences. The historical review in the fall – like the critical examination of current research projects in the spring – will be guided by the framing interests and signature emphases of the department: urban environs in transformation, social structures and axes of inequality, disparities in morbidity and mortality, agency and identity, social construction and production of health and disease, globalization and marginalization. The overall aim is to familiarize students with the relevant interpretive/analytic traditions, provide a rehearsal stage for testing out particular tools and frameworks in compare- and-contrast exercises, and build the theoretical foundations that will enable them to critically assess contemporary work in the field. Close reading, class discussion, and reflective writing will be the practical means we employ to get there.
The student is introduced to the signs, symptoms and DSM-5 classification of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan. Special emphasis is placed upon the ability of the student to conduct and record a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation to American Psychiatric Association (APA) standards in conjunction with instruction provided in the clinical practicum.
This practicum is designed to provide an opportunity for students to learn how to interview psychiatric patients in order to formulate and record a comprehensive psychiatric evaluation.