Course Administrative Notes
Course PDF
PDF of all session 1 documents
Course Bookmarks
Admin Video [video] for those not able to attend the May 19 group meeting. If the video does not load promptly you may need to click on the refresh or reload button once.
Also, for those who could not make it into the first group meeting, look at this video Introducing me to you.[video]
Before you do anything else: Be sure you know your ACTIVE VCU Email address. When you registered for the course an email address was assigned to you. I must use this email address in the Blackboard scoring & tracking system. Before the class starts on May 19, 2008, IF YOU do not know your active VCU Email account go to the VCU Technology Site and activate the email used for your Blackboard account. If you have any problem with this call the Student help desk. The number is 804-828-2227
The first class will start with a face to face meeting on Monday May 19 at 5 p.m. in the 3rd floor conference of the Leigh House. It should last about 1 hour to introduce you to the Blackboard system and computerized tools we will use, and the various textbooks required and recommended.
If you want me to use a different email address from the required VCU email address, used to access Blackboard, for routine contact with you please email me with your full name and preferred email contact address.
List of students (will be postedby May 22) enrolled in Blackboard on May 20.
MPH Program - Mission Statement - On-Line Course
The Mission of the MPH Program at Virginia Commonwealth University is to promote health and well-being through commitment to public health education, excellence in research, and dedication to community service.
The MPH Program emphasizes community service for under served populations by working closely with local counties, municipalities, and state agencies, as well as with service organizations, to identify community needs and educational and service opportunities for program students and graduates. The Program directly advances the University Mission and the School of Public Health Mission.
Americans with Disabilities Act.
The Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 requires Virginia Commonwealth University to provide reasonable accommodation for any individual who advises us of a physical or mental disability. If you have a physical or mental limitation that requires an accommodation, or an academic adjustment, please arrange a meeting with me at your earliest convenience.
"Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 require Virginia Commonwealth University to provide an 'academic adjustment' or a ‘reasonable accommodation 'for students with documented disabilities. Students seeking academic adjustments or accom0odations must self-identify with the Coordinator of Services for Students with Disabilities on the appropriate Campus. After meeting with the Coordinator, students are encouraged to meet with their instructors to discuss their needs, and if applicable, any lab safety concerns related to their disabilities
If you have not identified yourself to the Coordinator
of services for Students with disabilities please do
so immediately
VCU Services for Students
with Disabilities
Coordinator: Cheryl Chesney-Walker (clchesneywal@vcu.edu)
Campus location: VMI Building, 1000 E. Marshall Street,
Room 301
Mailing address: PO Box 980124, Richmond, Virginia
23298-0214
Voice: 804-828-9782 | TTY: 804-828-4608 | FAX:
804-828-4609
Web: www.vcuhealth.org/vp/sassdss
COURSE Overview:
This course, consistent with the above Mission Statement, is designed to provide students with an overview of the broad field of public health with an emphasis on its application at the community level focusing on under served populations.
The students are expected to read current journals on public health issues and be conversant with relevant public health matters currently under discussion in local, state and national media as well as scholarly publications. All recommended journas are available on- line through the Thompson McCaw Library system using the journal search tool.
This on-line course is taught in 12 weekly sessions developed by experienced public health and clinical faculty, with direction, coordination and supervision of the course director.
The various faculty, teaching this course, have many years of experience. Some have experience since the end of the second world war, the time at which the recommended reference, by Rosen finishes. During the course we will update you on important policies and activities that have occurred in the last 50 years.
COURSE Objectives:
Upon completion of this course students should be able to describe the skills necessary for the various public health specialists to practice their craft in the community. They should be able to describe the organization of community health services and their relation to, and interdependency with, national and state public health agencies. They should be able to describe the major tracks within public health in which the various public health specialists apply their skills and how these skills are melded together to improve community health status. This includes the organization of public health within various levels of government, and the components of health care as it relates to under served populations. The course objectives are derived from the 2003 studies by the Institute of Medicien: 1. ' Who will keep the Public Healthy' and 2. 'Future of PH in the 21st Century". Also included in the objectives are those recommended by the Association of Schools of Public Health and those approved by the faculty as part fo our current accreditation. Each course session will include several of these competencies as part of the session presentation.
PREREQUISITES:
The prerequisite courses include completion of an undergraduate degree, which contained courses basic to public health such as history, biology, chemistry, statistics, psychology & behavioral science.
Blackboard
All students must use the Blackboard to obtain
credit for this course. you will find this at
Use your VCU logon and password (see above-assigned when enrolled into this course, unless you already had an active VCU email account) to logon to the course. If more than one of your courses is available on the blackboard system choose EPID-600 (Introduction to Public Health, Summer 2007). When you get to the Blackboard you will find the course discussion web. Answers to one or more discussion questions will be required each week, after reveiwing the data;readings in the syllabus for the week. . The tests (quizzes) are available for each weekly session, and found in the assignment section. Use of 'Blackboard' discussion fora and tests will be covered in the introductory session to be held during the first week of the Summer Semester. I want to meet with all students enrolled in this course at 5.00 pm in the 3rd floor conference room in the Leigh House, Monday May 19th to be sure we all understand how this course will be conducted. This should NOT take more than 1 hour.
For those of you unable to come to the initial meeting review this Video [video]
After logging on to Blackboard the first time visit the help tab in case you do not have all the media readers recommended.
Course Web Pages
It is the intention of the lecturers that the students prepare for each weekly session by reviewing the material on the web pages in this course, plus the readings, and by using the web to search for current topical information using the web links provided within the weekly web pages, plus other links they find for themselves and share with the class. Each weekly on-line lecture session is intended to be give and take, using the discussion board, to be sure that you understand the principles identified for each session. This survey course will provide you with examples of more than 30 different areas of public health practice.
Note on course Material: As some of you may not be comfortable working from a computer screen. I have provided pdf. files for all the slides shows and for the text material for each session. These should be downloaded with Adobe Acrobat, unless you have some other valid '.pdf' page viewer, from which you can print the pages.
If any of you are from outside the US or have little familiarity with the US health care system I have prepared a non credit resource to introduce students to the US Health Care System at http://www.commed.vcu.edu/IntroPH/essentialsushcs/
On-Line Course Times
The weekly sessions will start each Monday, starting Monday May 19th, AD 2008 and finishing August 12th. These presentations should take about 4-hours to review each week
go to Course Objectives