Public Health & Society

Public health is an essential and expansive field of study, dedicated to practice and research focused on protecting and improving the health and well-being of populations worldwide. Integral to this field is its presence in undergraduate education, where it serves as both a broad academic discipline and a practical guide for addressing health challenges on multiple levels — locally, nationally, and globally. Public health scholarship focuses on the myriad ways in which the health of communities can be protected and improved. This involves a multi-faceted approach that not only incorporates direct health interventions but also advocates for policies, conducts research, and educates the public.

In the undergraduate Program in Public Health & Society, students are immersed in a well-integrated, interdisciplinary curriculum that bridges public health with a broad spectrum of foundational and theoretical issues in humanistic, biological, ecological, sociocultural, and historical perspectives on health and society. Core program courses are co-taught by Arts & Sciences faculty alongside Public Health faculty. This approach provides students access to and experience from people working across diverse communities in courses that blend theory and research with relevant practice. By examining these diverse viewpoints, students gain a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence public health. The curriculum is designed to cultivate critical reading skills, effective communication abilities, and broad-based thinking to navigate the complexities of public health within its varied social contexts, spanning the past, present, and future.

The Program in Public Health & Society emphasizes ethical training in public health science, highlighting the social determinants of health. Through this comprehensive and multidimensional education, students are prepared not only to identify and address public health challenges but also to lead initiatives that promote health for all. Graduates of the program are equipped to contribute thoughtfully and effectively to a wide variety of fields, advocating for and implementing solutions that improve the overall health and well-being of populations around the world.

Contact:	Kirsten Jacobsen
Email:	kjacobsen@wustl.edu
Website:	https://publichealthandsociety.wustl.edu/

Co-Chairs

Tristram R. Kidder
Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor
PhD, Harvard University

Lindsay Stark
Professor
DrPH, Columbia University

Director of Undergraduate Studies

Tristram R. Kidder
Edward S. and Tedi Macias Professor
PhD, Harvard University

Program Faculty

Mohammad Abba-Aji
Lecturer
MD, University of Maiduguri
MPH, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London

Jessica Bachman-Levy
Associate Professor of Practice
PhD, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill

Kristin Brig-Ortiz
Lecturer
PhD, Johns Hopkins University

Amy Eyler
Professor
PhD, Oregon State University

Sarah Moreland-Russell
Associate Professor of Practice
PhD, Saint Louis University

E.A. Quinn
Associate Professor
PhD, Northwestern University
MPH, Northwestern University

Chen Reis
Professor of Practice
PhD, University of of New South Wales
JD, Columbia University School of Law
MPH, Johns Hopkins University

Jill Richardson
Lecturer
PhD, University of Wisconsin–Madison

Rose Sommerhauser
Lecturer
PhD, Southern Illinois University, Carbondale

PUBHLTHSOC 1000 Foundations in Public Health

This course examines the foundations in public health using an equity and social justice approach emphasizing the interconnectedness of population and individual health. The course will cover the history and impact of public health, including the importance of health equity, social justice, and human rights, as well as the essential role of ethics in public health. The course will expose students to various public health professionals working on inter-professional teams to explore careers in public health, we will invite public health and community health experts from the St. Louis region as well as national and international guest speakers.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC EN: S

Typical periods offered: Fall

PUBHLTHSOC 2000 Introduction to Public and Global Health

Welcome to Intro to Public and Global Health, a course designed to provide a comprehensive introduction to the multifaceted dimensions of public health both within the United States and internationally. Throughout this course, students will embark on a journey to understand how health has been defined within the global context, exploring the historical evolution of public and global health disciplines as well as contemporary issues within the field. Delving into the ethical landscape of global health research, programming, and policy, students will articulate human rights issues and examine approaches ensuring ethical interventions. The course will shed light on the intricate interplay of social determinants of health, unraveling their impact on well-being and the emergence of health inequities. By examining both successes and failures in global health interventions, students will gain a nuanced understanding of the challenges inherent in the field. Furthermore, the course will foster a comparative analysis of the organization, structure, and function of diverse healthcare systems across international settings. Finally, with a focus on morbidity and mortality, students will explore major causes, trends, and measures of infectious and chronic disease, as well as some underappreciated and emerging issues, providing a holistic perspective on the critical issues shaping the landscape of public and global health today. We will engage with class topics through a range of mediums, including book chapters, scientific papers, media pieces, podcasts, guest lectures from leaders in the field, and TED talks. It may be a big class, but students will have the opportunity to voice their opinions on key class topics during small, weekly discussion groups. Get ready to be captivated, challenged, and inspired - because global health has never been this thrilling!

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC, SC

Typical periods offered: Spring

PUBHLTHSOC 2999 Undergraduate Teaching Assistant

Open to advanced undergraduates who have successfully completed the course for which they will request to be an undergraduate teaching assistant. Usual duties of teaching assistant in laboratory or other selected courses (e.g. instructor assistance, office hours, holding review sessions, some grading.) Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.

Credit 3 units.

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

PUBHLTHSOC 3000 Public Health Theories, Models, and Frameworks

This course will provide an overview of social and behavioral science and humanistic theories and frameworks that are currently used to: 1) understand health related behaviors; and 2) guide development of interventions and policies designed to promote positive health behavior including those that prevent, reduce or eliminate major public health problems. We will also explore the history of these theories and frameworks and the cultural and artistic approaches to change health and health related behaviors. We will use an ecological framework to examine theories at multiple levels of the culture and social ecology from individual to policy level, focusing on applications that will impact health at the population level.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC

Typical periods offered: Spring

PUBHLTHSOC 3010 Topics in Public Health & Society

Topics in Public Health & Society, the topics will change each semester.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

PUBHLTHSOC 4010 Topics in Public Health & Society

Water supplies are becoming scarcer globally due to climate change. We use clean water-fresh and salt-in a variety of ways that provide comfort, stability, and health, making it one of the most valuable commodities on Earth. While countries in the Global North are beginning to see more frequent and lengthier droughts, those in the Latin America, Africa, and South Asia have long struggled over how to distribute and use their clean water supplies. Focusing on building writing and analytical skills, this course will examine how colonialism and its far-reaching effects have created an environment of scarce water supplies in many areas of the world, affecting the health and well-being of millions of inhabitants. Water access is difficult to achieve, but for much of the Global South, the colonial period helped craft the problems we see today. This class will ask what colonial and postcolonial technologies' construction and use teach us about equitable clean water distribution, how social and cultural identities influence water supplies and use, and why water has been such an important element-and commodity-in our world, especially where Europeans settled and marginalized local populations.

Credit 3 units. A&S IQ: SSC

Typical periods offered: Fall, Spring

Public Health & Society

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