Concentration in Environmental Health
Environmental Health Concentration
The goal of the DrPH Environmental Health concentration is the development and training of senior-level professionals with sufficient understanding of the biomedical and behavioral sciences, epidemiology and biostatistics, legal, economic and social issues, engineering and management technologies, management concepts, and communication skills to provide leadership and management to multidisciplinary environmental issues.
Graduates of the program should be able to analyze and assess complex environmental risks, emergencies, and problems, and offer sound guidance and advice for the reduction of these risks and the resolution of environmental problems. They will also work toward becoming practitioners who can comprehend and integrate the many dimensions of environmental health sciences, define the disciplines that can best be applied to a problem, make sound and critical judgments, and interpret their recommendations clearly in the decision-making processes of policy formulation in industry, government or academia. Graduates are expected to communicate and convey information effectively to the public.
The DrPH Environmental Health Concentration comprises two tracks:
Environmental Health Track
Health Security Track
Scroll below to see the competencies and curricula for both tracks. When applying to the Environmental Health concentration, applicants will need to select both the concentration and a track.
Environmental Health concentration students must complete at least 26 credits of courses within one track per the requirements listed below. Students also complete at least two credits of TBD Graduate Seminar in Environmental Health to fulfill the 28 concentration credits.
DrPH Environmental Health Track
The DrPH Environmental Health track training emphasizes the skills necessary to assess the needs for occupational and environmental health services at regional, national and international levels, and the development of policy and the regulatory framework.
Environmental Health Track Competencies
| 1. | Analyze the state of the science and current research and policy issues related to environmental and occupational health. |
| 2. | Explain how environmental and occupational health sciences can be used to improve public health practice at local, state, national and international levels. |
| 3. | Evaluate environmental and occupational health programs and policies by applying toxicology, biostatistics, epidemiology, risk assessment, risk communication, and risk management principles to program planning, implementation and goals. |
| 4. | Design, advocate and provide leadership for effective environmental and occupational health interventions using law, regulation and policy at local, state, national and international levels. |
| 5. | Assess and communicate environmental and occupational health risks based on scientific, ethical, environmental justice and community-based principles. |
Environmental Health Track Curriculum
In addition to two credits of TBD DrPH Environmental Health Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.
Course Requirements for the DrPH Environmental Health Track (min. 26 credits)
1. Required Courses (19 credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 180.628 | Introduction to Environmental and Occupational Health Law | 4 |
| 183.631 | Fundamentals of Human Physiology | 4 |
|
188.680 182.623 |
Fundamentals of Occupational Health OR Occupational Health Management |
3 3 |
| 317.600 | Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy | 4 |
| 187.610 | Public Health Toxicology | 4 |
2. Elective Courses (min. 7 credits)
Students must select from the below elective courses to meet 26 credits for the track requirement.
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 180.609 | Principles of Environmental Health | 4 |
| 180.620 | Introduction to Food Systems and Public Health | 4 |
| 180.624 | Biotechnology and Health Security | 3 |
| 180.626 | Environmental Justice and Public Health | 3 |
| 317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication | 3 |
| 180.634 | Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Sciences | 3 |
| 550.630 | Public Health Biology | 3 |
| 182.625 | Principles of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene | 4 |
| 180.601 | Environmental Health | 5 |
| 180.623 | Infectious Disease Threats to Global Security | 3 |
| 182.615 | Airborne Particles | 4 |
| 187.645 | Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications | 3 |
| 180.640 | Molecular Epidemiology and Biomarkers in Public Health | 4 |
| 180.606 | Case Studies in Food Production and Public Health | 4 |
| 180.632 | Introduction to Molecular Toxicology | 3 |
| 180.647 | Health Effects of Indoor and Outdoor Air Pollution | 3 |
| 180.670 | Introduction to Public Health Emergency Preparedness | 3 |
| 185.600 | One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities | 3 |
| 187.625 | Animals in Research: Law, Policy and Humane Sciences | 3 |
| 187.650 | Alternative Methods in Animal Testing | 3 |
| 340.680 | Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology | 4 |
| 187.655 | Evidenced-based Toxicology | 3 |
| 180.600 | Public Health Implications of Health as a Human Right | 2 |
| 340.666 | Foundations of Social Epidemiology | 3 |
| 182.621 | Introduction to Ergonomics | 4 |
DrPH Health Security Track
The DrPH Health Security track prepares students to tackle high-profile public health emergencies, such as the such as the COVID-19 pandemic, the global spread of Zika virus and the Ebola Epidemic in West Africa. Each of these events has had severe consequences—from public health outcomes that have extended beyond the illness and deaths directly caused by these viruses, to generational impacts on societies and economies. With risk factors for the emergence of domestic and international health security threats increasing (e.g., globalization, environmental change, urbanization, mass displacement, terrorism, and biotechnology), there is good reason to expect that the occurrence of health security threats (e.g., emerging infectious diseases, laboratory accidents, and deliberate epidemics) will continue to occur and may increase with time. In this track, students will gain skills and training to be ready to prevent, detect, and respond to these health security threats.
Health Security Track Competencies
| 1. | Identify major health security threats; characterize the human, social, economic and political risks they pose to societies; and demonstrate the importance of public health to national security. |
| 2. | Apply risk assessment principles to program planning, implementation and goals, particularly in the context of emergency response and health security problems. |
| 3. | Examine the origin and evolution of major US and international organizations and initiatives to prevent, detect, and respond to health security threats; and assess those areas of health security where preparedness is strongest and where additional progress is needed. |
| 4. | Evaluate the effectiveness of strategies to enhance health security and prevent or mitigate health security threats. |
| 5. | Synthesize and communicate important health security information in a way that enables political leaders and policy-makers to take appropriate action. |
Health Security Track Curriculum
In addition to two credits of TBD DrPH Environmental Health Concentration Seminar, students are expected to complete a minimum of 26 credits of track-specific courses. Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill track requirements.
Course Requirements for DrPH Health Security Track (min. 26 credits)
I. Required Courses (19 credits)
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 317.600 | Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy | 4 |
| 317.610 | Risk Policy, Management and Communication | 3 |
| 180.634 | Public Health Emergencies: Risk Communication and Decision Science | 3 |
| 180.623 | Infectious Disease Threats to Global Health Security | 3 |
| 180.624 | Biotechnology and Health Security | 3 |
| 185.600 | One Health Tools to Promote and Evaluate Healthy and Sustainable Communities | 3 |
II. Elective Courses: select from the following courses (min 7 credits)
Students must select from the below elective courses to meet 26 credits for the track requirement.
| Course # | Title | Credits |
| 187.610 | Public Health Toxicology | 4 |
| 221.613 | Introduction to Humanitarian Emergencies | 3 |
| 317.605 | Methods in Quantitative Risk Assessment | 4 |
| 221.639 | Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies | 3 |
| 317.615 | Topics in Risk Assessment | 2 |
| 120.603 | Molecular Biology of Pandemic Influenza | 3 |
| 300.650 | Crisis and Response in Public Health Policy and Practice | 3 |
| 180.670 | Introduction to Public Health Emergency Preparedness | 3 |
| 180.627 | Lessons Learned in 1918 Pandemic Flu | 1 |
| 180.630 | Chemical and Biological Weapons Threats: Science, Public Health, Policy | 3 |
| 260.606 | Major Global Infectious Diseases: Prospects for Control | 2 |
| 301.692 | The Role of Community-Based Organizations (CBOS) and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOS) in Improving Global Public Health | 3 |
| 221.615 | Health Emergencies in Large Populations (H.E.L.P.) | 5 |
| 340.668 | Topics in Infectious Disease Epidemiology | 3 |
| 340.765 | Professional Epidemiologic Methods: Epidemiologic Intelligence and Population Health Assessments | 2 |
| 223.684 | Vector-Borne Diseases in the Tropics | 4 |
| 340.658 | Critical Reading of Epidemiologic Literature | 1 |
| 340.636 | Epidemiology in Evidence-Based Policy | 2 |
| 340.666 | Foundations of Social Epidemiology | 3 |
| 185.803 | Health Security Journal Club (max. 2 cr) | 1 |
Concentration Directors
Daniel Barnett, MD, MPH '01, studies emergency preparedness, response, and recovery to identify approaches for optimizing population health in emergencies and disasters.
