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Curriculum

Concentration in Women’s and Reproductive Health

The concentration in Women's and Reproductive Health focuses on the general and reproductive health status of women, the determinants of their health status, the disparities therein, the application of related gender equity frameworks, and preventive strategies and programs to address women’s life course health and that of their newborns and young children.

There are many challenges to improving women’s and reproductive health including the low status of women in many cultures and countries, political constraints to addressing the reproductive health needs of women and men alike, under-representation of women in research, providing the full complement of reproductive services to populations in need and the limited evidence for effective strategies to improve women’s reproductive and broader health and well-being.

Students will address these challenges by choosing coursework about women’s, reproductive, maternal and child health concerns, either domestically or in a low resource setting.

This concentration is well suited to those seeking leadership positions in domestic and international agencies concerned with addressing the complex and challenging problems in women’s and reproductive health in high income countries as well as low- and middle-income countries.

Concentration Co-directors

The concentration director for the DrPH Women's and Reproductive Health concentration is

Sally Safi, PhD

Ian Salas, PhD

Please click her link to learn more about her research interests, departmental and center or institute affiliations, and contact information.

Concentration Competencies

1.

Assess the principal health concerns for women or mothers and newborns, the associated population-based risk factors, and the relative impact of each risk factor.

2.

Apply a life course framework to understanding the determinants of a woman’s or reproductive health concern, implications for a woman’s health later in life, and the population strategies to address it.

3.

Evaluate strategies to promote population-level women’s, reproductive, maternal and child health, including healthcare services and systems delivery strategies used to address health concerns in the population.

4.

Evaluate research approaches to understand woman’s or reproductive health concerns and the implications of the research.

5.

Apply frameworks related to women’s and reproductive health for improving their health, including gender equity frameworks.

6.

Identify and assess the causes and consequences of population change related to women’s and reproductive health using demographic methods.

 

Concentration Curriculum

Students are expected to complete a minimum of 28 credits of concentration-specific courses.* These courses cover the following six domains:

1. Health Concerns for Women, Mothers, and Newborns (2 courses)

2. Life Course Perspectives on Women's, Maternal, and Newborn Health (1 course)

3. Promote Population-level Women's, Reproductive, Maternal , and Child Health (1 course)

4. Evaluate Research Approaches (1 course)

5. Apply Frameworks Other Than Life Course (1 course)

6. Population Change and Methods (1 course)

In addition to the requirements described above, students must take additional coursework (proposed electives) to make up a total of 28 credits of concentration-specific courses. The proposed elective courses could be taken from any of the course options listed below or from other courses at the School. Courses electives outside the options listed below will require the advisor’s approval prior to registration.

*Courses taken to fulfill foundational requirements may not be applied to fulfill concentration requirements.

Course Requirements for the Women's & Reproductive Health Concentration

1. Required Courses (14 credits)

Course # Course Title Credits
380.611 Fundamentals of Program Evaluation 4
380.604 Life Course Perspectives on Health 4
380.603 Demographic Methods for Public Health 4
TBD DrPH Women's and Reproductive Health Concentration Seminar 2

2. Principal Health Concerns for Women, Mothers & Newborns  (2 courses from the below):

Course # Course Title Credits
380.765 Preventing Infant Mortality and Promoting the Health of Women, Infants, and Children 3
380.663 Gender-Based Violence Research, Practice and Policy: Issues and Current Controversies 3
380.761 Sexually Transmitted Infections in Public Health Practice 4
380.762 HIV Infection in Women, Children, and Adolescents 4
380.664 Reproductive and Perinatal Epidemiology 4
380.666 Women's Health 3

3. Promote Population-level Women's, Reproductive, Maternal , and Child Health (1 course from the below)

Course # Course Title Credits
380.624 Maternal and Child Health Legislation and Programs 4
380.768 Selected Topics in Women's Health and Women's Health Policy 4
380.665 Family Planning Policies and Programs 4
380.667 Women's Health Policy 3
380.771 Understanding and Changing International Reproductive Health Policy 3

4. Women's and Reproductive Health Frameworks (1 course from the below)

Course # Course Title Credits
380.774 Nutrition and Growth in Maternal and Child Health 3
380.768 Selected Topics in Women's Health and Women's Health Policy 4
380.655 Social and Economic Aspects of Human Fertility 3
380.668 International Perspectives on Women, Gender and Health 3

5. Elective Courses: In addition to the requirements described above, students must take additional coursework (electives) to meet the 28 credits required for the concentration. Elective courses should be selected from the options above (a course cannot count twice), or from the options below. Elective courses outside these options require advisor and concentration co-director approval prior to registration.

Course # Course Title Credits
380.706 Using Data to Inform Family Planning Policies 2
380.707 Advocating for Global Reproductive Health 2
380.710 Public Health Perspectives on Abortion Policy 1
380.601 Critically Evaluating the Science for Policy and Practice 2
380.755 Population Dynamics and Public Health 2
120.620 Fundamentals of Reproductive Biology 3
380.600 Principles of Population Change 4
380.662 Critiquing the Research Literature in Maternal, Neonatal and Reproductive Health 4
380.711 Issues in Survey Research Design 3
380.610 Substance Use in Women and Families 3
380.620 A Coalition-Based Smart Approach to Public Health Advocacy 3
340.727 Introduction to Health Survey Research Methods 2
380.623 Adolescent Health and Development 3
380.765 Preventing Infant Mortality and Promoting the Health of Women, Infants, and Children 3
380.749 Adolescent and Sexual Reproductive Health 3