UD to offer undergrad course in public health
Bethany Hall-Long

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1:25 p.m., Jan. 29, 2010----Beginning with the spring 2010 semester, the University of Delaware will offer a new undergraduate-level course in public health. HLPR/UAPP 267, Introduction to Public Health, will be open to students in all majors. UD is also developing a minor in public health, which will be voted on by the Faculty Senate at its May 2010 meeting.

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Public health is the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting health through the organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, the public and private sectors, communities, and individuals.

The new course will be taught by Bethany Hall-Long, a professor in UD's School of Nursing with a joint appointment in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy. She is developing course materials in collaboration with Michael Peterson, professor in the Department of Health, Nutrition and Exercise Sciences, and Eric Jacobson, associate professor in the School of Urban Affairs and Public Policy and associate director and policy scientist in UD's Institute for Public Administration.

“This is a very exciting time to pilot a course in public health,” says Hall-Long, who is also a state senator (D-Middletown). “Globally, we're facing many health-related issues, from crises like the recent earthquake in Haiti and the H1N1 scare to significant increases in diseases like cancer and diabetes.”

She adds, “Working toward disease prevention and health promotion has been very important for our state. Every one of us has a vested interested in healthcare from the perspective of the choices we make.”

The new course will provide an overview of public health by addressing the history, epidemiological principles, social and behavioral factors, and environmental, political, and medical-care issues concerning public health practice.

“All undergraduates are welcome,” says Hall-Long. “In fact the Institute of Medicine, which is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, encourages all undergraduates to become educated about public health.”

The course will cover such topics as health care and public health systems; epidemiology and communicable/non-communicable disease; environmental and occupational health; health disparities and vulnerable populations; health communication and mass media; public health, preparedness, and disaster management; health policy, law, and ethics; and current events.

Key experts from the region and the nation will be brought in as guest speakers. These include Karyl Rattay, M.D., director of Delaware's Division of Public Health (DPH); Herman Ellis, M.D., medical director of the DPH; and Rob Simmons, director of the MPH program at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU). UD's partnership with TJU will be a critical element in development of the public health minor at UD.

“The field of public health crosses virtually every domain,” Hall-Long says. “We anticipate that students from a variety of disciplines -- from business and languages to agriculture and early education -- will be interested in taking the class. Enrollment in similar courses at other universities has doubled and even tripled over the past few years.”

For more information about the course, contact Hall-Long at [blong@udel.edu].

Article by Diane Kukich

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