PH 150B. INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES (2) Two hours of lectures and one hour of discussion per week. Prerequisites: Prior background in biological science required or consent of instructor. This course will present the major human and natural activities that lead to release of hazardous materials into the environment as well as the causal links between chemical, physical, and biological agents in the environment and their impact on human health. The basic principles of toxicology will be presented including dose-response relationships, absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion of chemicals. The overall role of environmental risks in the pattern of human disease, both nationally and internationally, will be covered. The engineering and policy strategies, including risk assessment, used to evaluate and control these risks will be introduced. Rappaport (F)
PH 220. HEALTH POLICY DECISION-MAKING (3) Three hours lectures per week. Introduction to federal-level health policy and analysis of government capacity in addressing major issues in health policy. The course explores structural impediments to reform in the US regulatory decision-making – particularly decision-making under conditions of uncertainty, and basic tools of policy analysis. Students will apply these tools in a seminar paper that analyzes a proposed or existing health policy or program. Keller (F)
PH 220C. HEALTH RISK ASSESSMENT, REGULATION, and POLICY (4) Two 2-hour lectures per week. Prerequisite: PH 250A, PH 270A, and PH 270B recommended. This course introduces the basic scientific components of environmental and occupational health risk assessment and describes the policy context in which decisions to manage environmental health risks are made. The course presents the quantitative methods used to assess the human health risks associated with exposure to toxic chemical, focusing on the four major components of risk assessment-hazard identification, dose-response assessment, exposure assessment, and risk characterization. Students use these tools to develop their own risk assessment for an environmental health problem. The course also provides a broad overview of occupational and environmental health regulations and consideration of how hazard, risk, cost, and benefits are considered. Current political controversies about environmental policy will be examined. McKone, Hammond (F)
PH 254. OCCUPATIONAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL EPIDEMIOLOGY (3) Two 1 1/2 hour lectures per week. Prerequisites: PH 250A Epidemiological methods for designing, conducting, and interpreting epidemiological studies of persons occupationally or environmentally exposed to chemical and physical agents. A Smith, Steinmaus (Sp)
PH 256. MOLECULAT&GENETIC EPIDEMIOLOGY AND HUMAN HEALTH IN THE 21st CENTURY (4) Molecular and genetic epidemiology are exciting and rapidly evolving fields of research that utilize highly specialized laboratory and analytical methodologies. This course will cover basic principles of human/population genetics and molecular biology relevant to understanding approaches in molecular and genetic epidemiology. The latest designs and methods for genome-wide association studies and other approaches to identify genetic variants and environmental risk factors important to disease and health will be presented. The application of biomarkers to define exposures and outcomes in epidemiologic research will be explored. The course will cover recent developments in genomics, epigenomics and other ‘omics’, including ‘next-generation’ sequencing technology. The current role of genomics in personalized medicine and health will be presented. Computer and wet laboratory work will provide hands-on experience with modern tools of molecular and genetic epidemiology, including biobanking and data analysis. Ethical, legal and social issues will be discussed. Examples from public health will be emphasized, including the application of these important fields to studies of common chronic diseases. Students will also participate in critical review of journal articles relevant to molecular and genetic epidemiology. There will be written midterm and final exams. Holland, Barcellos (S)
PH 267B. CHARACTERIZATION OF AIRBORNE CHEMICALS (3) Two 1 1/2 hour lectures per week. Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Environmental Health Sciences or consent of instructor. Principles underlying the use of air monitoring methods in industry. Topics include behavior of gases, vapors and aerosols; mechanisms of absorption and elimination of inhaled toxicants; and methods for measuring airborne chemicals. Intended primarily for students specializing in industrial hygiene. Hammond (Sp odd-number years)
PH 267D. HEALTH IMPACT ASSESSMENT (3) Three hours of lecture per week. Health Impact Assessment (HIA) refers to a diverse set of analytic and communicative practices that aim to inform and improve social decisions in order to improve the environmental economic and social conditions required for optimal population health. This course provides an introduction of HIA with a focus on the need for an application of HIA to land use and transportation planning and development. The objectives of the course include understanding and comparing the range of practices used to conduct Health Impact Assessments in the US and Internationally; identifying the opportunities and obstacles for using the environmental impact assessments as vehicles for health analysis; and development and application of environmental health assessment tools to inform a decision-making as part of a class project. Seto (Sp)
PH 269C. OCCUPATIONAL BIOMECHANICS (3) One 3-hour lecture per week. Introductory course covering pathophysiology and work-related risk factors of chronic musculoskeletal disorders, biomechanics of material handling, anthropometry applied to workstation design and seating, and structure of ergonomics programs. Students will conduct a job analysis. Rempel (Sp)
PH 269D. ERGONOMICS SEMINAR (2) One 2-hour lecture per week. Prerequisites: PH 269C or consent of instructor. Readings and lectures in occupational biomechanics. Topics to be covered are: muscle, tendon, and joint biomechanics, material handling models, mechanisms of injury, hand tool design, and instrumentation issues. Students will prepare critical reviews of recent publications and design an engineering intervention to reduce work-related risk factors. Rempel (F)
PH 269E. CURRENT TOPICS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MEDICINE (3) Two hours of lecture per week. Will provide students with an overview of the health impacts, disease mechanisms, and public controversies related to selected environmental exposures. The course will cover established environmental diseases as well as impacts of some emerging exposures of concern. The focus will be primarily on disease pathophysiology, issues related to exposure pathways, and the susceptibilities of specific human populations. No prior medical knowledge required. Seward, Harrison (F)
PH 270. INTRODUCITON TO ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SCIENCES (1) -This survey course covers the breadth of hazards to chemical, biological, and physical agents of concern to environmental health professionals. Lectures are presented by experts on particular topics that emphasize the activities involved in professional practice. Students will also meet twice monthly with the instructor to discuss advanced readings and assignments related to the lecture topics. Students will conduct a project on a topic of current interest in some aspect of environmental health (under the guidance of the instructor). This course is designed for MPH students in Environmental Health Sciences and other graduate-level students interested in an overview course on environmental health. First year masters students only. Balmes (F)
PH 270A. EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT AND CONTROL I (3) Two 1 1/2 hour lectures per week. Direct and indirect methods and procedures for the estimation and control of human exposure to chemical, physical and biological agents of concern to health in the community and in occupational settings. Includes review of measurement technologies, exposure assessment strategies, and multi-pathway analyses. Also covers exposure control options and strategies including administrative procedures, personal protective equipment and various engineering control approaches. Nicas (F)
PH 270B. ADVANCED TOXICOLOGY (3) Covering case studies, dose-response, toxicity testing, chemical metabolism, mechanisms of toxicity, carcinogenesis, interpretation of toxicological data for risk assessment and target organ toxicity. M. Smith (Sp)
PH 270C. PRACTICAL TOXICOLOGY (2) One hour of lecture, and one hour of group discussion. This course will focus on cutting-edge issues involving real-world toxicology in drug discovery, pesticide regulation, and stem cell research etc. Many well-known toxicologists, regulators and consultants from pharmaceutical companies, petroleum industry, private consulting firms, non-profit institutes, federal and state regulatory agencies in Bay Area will be invited to talk to our participating students. Some of the speakers are our school’s alumni who understand exactly what our students need to know before entering the real world. Zhang (Sp)
PH 271D. GLOBAL BURDEN OF DISEASE (3) Two hours of lecture, discussion, presentation per week. Prerequisite: Graduate standing or consent of instructor. The Global Burden of Disease (GBD) database utilized by WHO provides estimates of illness, injury, and death by disease type, age, sex and world region in a consistent and coherent manner. The course will explore the ways such a detailed database makes possible a wide range of new types of analysis of health priorities and the relationships of database will also be introduced. This seminar will also provide an opportunity for reading and discussion of the basic assumptions, data limitations, critiques, and methodological difficulties of the GBD. It is intended to be a true seminar relying heavy on class participation. The homework assignments will be greatly facilitated by use of computer spreadsheets. K Smith (Sp)
PH 271E. SCIENCE AND POLICY FOR ENVIRONMENT AND HEALTH (3) Two 1 1/2 hour lectures discussion per week. Scientific knowledge and analyses are important to the development of public policies that address impact of the environment on health. The limits of existing knowledge and uncertainties in research result create significant challenges in applying science to answer critical questions. This course critically examines how scientific information is used in policy decisions. Case studies of current issues address characterization of scientific knowledge, interpretation of science in policy contexts, scientific integrity, and factors in addition to science that influence decisions. Assignments prepare students to effectively translate technical knowledge for multi-disciplinary and lay audiences and to participate in public policy proceedings. Core materials addresses differences between regulatory and market-based approaches, emerging paradigms including the precautionary principle and environmental justice; and key elements of risk assessment and cost-benefit analysis. Kyle (Sp)
PH 271G. GLOBAL ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE FOR HEALTH SCIENTISTS (2) Two hours of lecture, discussion, presentation per week. The course will provide a basic foundation in the physical and societal basis of climate change, including atmospheric structure and feedbacks, carbon cycling, and the sources and trends of human and natural greenhouse pollutant emissions. Forecasts of future climate, and their uncertainties, will be discussed, emphasizing parameters of potential relevance to human health. We will explore epidemiologic, risk assessment, and statistical methods appropriate for understanding the impact of climate on health in different populations, including reviews of current burden of disease estimates of avoidable and attributable risk. The public health implications, positive and negative, of society’s efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change will be elaborated, including discussions of ethical, political, economic aspects. The one-unit version ends before the spring break. Students in the two-unit version will continue and be responsible for formal class presentations summarizing and critiquing the evidence base on a health outcome related to climate change. Smith, Jerrett (Sp)
PH272A. GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SCIENCE FOR PUBLIC AND ENVIRONEMENTAL HEALTH (4) One two hours of lecture, and two hours of laboratory per week. Prerequisites: Introductory statistics course or equivalent. Geographic information systems (GIS) is generally seen as a spatial analysis system for the organization, storage, retrieval, and analysis of data for which the location and other spatial attributes are considered important (e.g., incidence of a specific disease condition in relation to a pollution source). GIS also encompasses the organizational structure, personnel, software, and hardware needed to support spatial analysis. For many health and social scientists, GIS has evolved into a new lens for viewing their work. The course will provide students with an introduction to this exciting and expanding field of inquiry. On successful completion of the course you should possess the following skills and knowledge: 1) A basic understanding of the fundamental geographic and cartographic concepts that underlie GIS. 2) Working knowledge of ArcGIS, a powerful “desktop” GIS software package that runs in a Windows environment. 3) Introductory knowledge of past, present, and possible future applications of GIS for health and environmental studies. Jerrett (Sp)
PH 290. QUANTITATIVE EXPOSURE ASSESSMENT (3) Two 1 ˝ hour lectures/discussion per week. This course is intended for graduate students in Public Health, particularly PhD students interested in exposures to chemicals. It focuses upon statistical models for evaluating and controlling workplace hazards, on one hand, and for evaluating biases in exposure-disease associations, on the other. After a brief introduction to the milieu of chemical exposure assessment, the variability of exposure levels in characterized using summary statistics based upon lognormally distributed data. Next, analysis of variance and mixed-effects models are fit to actual exposure data obtained from longitudinal studies. Then, the statistical parameters, estimated from these models, are used to compare exposure levels with occupational exposure limits, to optimize options for control, and to evaluate attenuation biases in exposure-response relationships. Finally, the connections are developed between airborne exposure levels and the corresponding levels of chemicals and their products (called biomarkers) inside the body. By considering the relative variability of air and biomarker measurements, it is possible to optimize the use of air and/or biomarker measurements in an epidemiologic study. Rappaport (F) (Cancelled Fall 2011)
PH 293. EHS SEMINAR FOR DOCTORAL STUDENTS (1) Two hours of discussion every other week. Provides mentoring and academic support. Includes discussion of academic/research ethics, grant writing, and other career-related issues. Required every term for registered doctoral students in residence. (F/Sp)
PH 297. FIELD STUDY IN ERGONOMICS. (1-12) Students will be placed in an off-campus site and supervised by an ergonomics specialist and the instructor. Regular meeting with faculty sponsor and written reports required. Rempel (F/Sp)
PH 298. CLINICAL ERGONOMICS. (2) Students will observe clinical practices of an occupational medicine physician and nurse, orthopedist, neurologist and physical therapist to understand methods of managing chronic musculoskeletal disorders and role of ergonomics. Students will perform job analysis of patients' workplaces. Rempel (F/ Sp)
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