C-ID Descriptor
Introduction to Public Health (Archived - for reference only)

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English, one level below transfer (i.e., eligibility for English composition (C-ID ENGL 100) and reading a course with an exiting skill of ability to read a college level text.

1. Definition of Public Health
   1. Distinction between personal and public health
   2. History and accomplishments of public health officials and agencies
   3. Core functions of public health professions and institutions
2. Analytical Methods of Public Health
   1. Epidemiology: the basic science of public health
   2. Principles, methods and limitations
   3. Statistics: making sense of uncertainty
   4. The role of data in public health
3. The Biomedical Basis of Public Health
   1. The conquest of infectious disease
   2. New infectious disease
   3. Chronic disease
   4. Genetic disease
4. Community Organizing and Health Promotion Programming
5. Social and Behavioral Factors in Public Health
   1. Health inequities among ethnic and minority groups
   2. Education and socioeconomic status and health
   3. Community concerns: including, but not limited to addiction, obesity, and violence
   4. Maternal, infant and child, adolescent, adulthood and elder health
6. Environmental Issues in Public Health
   1. Clean air
   2. Clean water
   3. Garbage
   4. Food and drug safety
   5. Population control
   6. Injury prevention
   7. Emergency Preparedness
7. Medical Care and Public Health

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At the conclusion of this course, the student should be able to:

Upon successful completion of the course, students will be able to:

1. Define important foundational concepts in community/public health.
2. Identify different public health disciplines, professions and organizations, and explain how each contributes to the field of public health.
3. Describe the historical development of public health including the most important achievements of public health.
4. Distinguish the difference between personal and public health.
5. Distinguish how public health differs from the traditional Western medicine approach to treating disease and illness.
6. Demonstrate the use of basic epidemiological methods, such as the analysis of rates, and the definition of cases, population at risk, risk factors, incidence, prevalence, morbidity and mortality.
7. Outline strategies for prevention, detection and control of infectious and chronic disease.
8. Outline the process of community organizing, building and health promotion programming.
9. Describe the interplay between health determinants, such as environmental conditions, social, behavioral and cultural factors, and biological considerations, and explain the role of each in determining local, national and global health organization and policy.
10. Analyze current public health issues and describe how they affect societal well-being among specific populations of age, sex, ethnicity, minority, education and socioeconomic status. 
11. Describe the organization, financing and delivery of various medical and population-based services in the U.S. healthcare system.
12. Identify, assess and utilize credible information resources on community health current issues, such as the Internet, social media, media outlets, and libraries

May include:

Exams
Quizzes
Written Assignments
Projects

McKenzie & Pinger, An Introduction to Community Health

Schneider, Introduction to Public Health

Riegelman, Public health 101