300.610.01
Public Health Policy

Location
East Baltimore
Term
Summer Term
Department
Health Policy and Management
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2024 - 2025
Instruction Method
In-person
Class Time(s)
Tu, Th, 9:00 - 10:50am
Auditors Allowed
No
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Joshua Sharfstein
Contact Name
Josh Sharfstein
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Prerequisite
Description
Introduces MPH students to the field of public health policy and its application to the goal of health improvement in communities around the world. Focuses on identifying and understanding decisionmakers, framing problems and key questions, developing and evaluating policy options, and advocating for change.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
  1. Recognize the power of different types of public health policies to improve health and save lives
  2. Identify and describe the role of key decision-makers for specific policy issues
  3. Define policy questions in a way that evidence and ethics can be brought to bear on designing response options
  4. Assess policies using multiple criteria (including cost, equity, cultural values and practices, and impact) and recommend preferred policies based on this assessment
  5. Appreciate the politics of public health policy, including key values and considerations relevant to policymakers, communities, and the general public
  6. Write a coherent public health policy memo that proposes, describes, and analyzes different options and makes a recommendation
  7. Compare the organization, structure and function of health care, public health and regulatory systems across local, national, and international settings
  8. Advocate to improve political, social, and economic policies that will improve health in diverse populations
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
  • 10% Quizzes
  • 10% In-class Exercises
  • 80% Assignments
Enrollment Restriction
undergraduate and interdivisional students are not permitted in this section
Instructor Consent
No consent required
Special Comments

All full-time students should register for this onsite section.