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
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 |