Readings and discussion-based seminar. Readings emphasize practice and policy solutions to health disparities. prereq: CSPH 5115 OR PubH 6066 OR PUBH 6055 OR PUBH 6855, 2d yr MPH student completing SPH health disparities interdisciplinary concentration] or instr consent

How knowledge can become resource for individual, family, community health. Interactive glimpse of wisdom of cultural communities. Develop capacity to see culture within professional education/practice. Cultural constructs underpinning medical system, role of culture in interaction between practitioner/patient, role of reconnection to cultural heritage in healing. prereq: Jr or sr or grad student or instr consent

Extent and causes of social inequalities in health. Degree to which understanding of these inequalities is hampered by methodological limitations in health research. Focuses on individual, community, and policy approaches to reducing social inequalities in health.

Taught with Powderhorn-Phillips Cultural Wellness Center. Introduction to community building/organizing. Using culture as a resource for health, reducing barriers, identifying community assets, planning organizing strategy, understanding the impact of history. Emphasizes self-reflection and skill-building for authentic, grassroots community work.

Introduction to common theoretical/empirical approaches used by sociologists to study health/illness. How content reflects social inequalities in health/illness. Social processes that shape experience of health/illness. prereq: [[Grad or professional school] student, previous experience with statistical software] or instr consent

Often, the most progress on challenging issues such as health and equity is made when you apply an interdisciplinary perspective. The same is true for global health issues. Whether responding to emerging pandemics, food insecurity, maternal mortality, or civil society collapse during conflict, solutions often lie at the intersection of animal, environmental, and human health. In this course, students will work in teams to examine the fundamental challenges to addressing complex global health problems in East Africa and East African refugee communities here in the Twin Cities. Together we will seek practical solutions that take culture, equity, and sustainability into account. In-field professionals and experts will be available to mentor each team, including professionals based in Uganda and Somalia. This exploration will help students propose realistic actions that could be taken to resolve these issues. This course will help students gain the understanding and skills necessary for beginning to develop solutions to global health issues. This is a Grand Challenge Curriculum course. GCC courses are open to all students and fulfill an honors experience for University Honors Program students.

Imagine a world where factors such as race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status had no bearing on a person's health status, quality of life, or longevity--a world where everyone had an equal opportunity to live a long and healthy life. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Despite decades of focused public health efforts, health inequities remain; individuals from low income and diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds are far more likely to, (1) struggle with chronic health conditions, (2) report lower quality of life, and (3) have a lower life expectancy, than others. Bold and innovative solutions are needed to address this grand challenge. Integration is one such method that can potentially increase the success and sustainability of approaches to reduce health disparities and create a culture of health for all. Integration is an approach to solving complex public health problems that merges academic research, clinical practice, policy and community resources in new ways. This interactive course will challenge students to identify root causes of health, including access to food, housing, transportation and education. Students will also focus on health disparities and barriers to eliminating these existing, disparate, negative outcomes. Students will be introduced to the concept of integration science and practice; will learn about the importance of integration across research, practice, community, and policy domains to address health disparities; and will cultivate the communication skills needed to intentionally and successfully facilitate integration practice. Course instructors with unique vantage points as concerned scientists, health practitioners, and policy wonks will engage students in class discussions and activities, individual writing assignments and small-group work aimed at unveiling the reasons health disparities persist globally--challenging them to consider opportunities for integration to alleviate existing disparities. The semester will culminate in students working in groups to create their own integrated projects aimed at addressing a health disparity.

Focus on population- based public health and mental health nursing practice across the lifespan, with local to global perspectives. Emphasis on health equity, health promotion and levels of disease prevention. Apply theory and research to examine interventions and outcomes.

Physical/spatial basis for land use planning at community/regional level. Role of public sector in guiding private development. Land use regulations, comprehensive planning, growth management, innovative land use planning/policies. prereq: Major or minor in urban/regional planning or instr consent

Nature/extent of poverty/inequality in the United States, causes/consequences, impact of government programs/policies. Extent/causes of poverty/inequality in other developed/developing countries. prereq: Grad or instr consent

Historical roots of racial inequality in American society. Contemporary economic consequences. Public policy responses to racial inequality. Emphasizes thinking/analysis that is critical of strategies offered for reducing racism and racial economic inequality. prereq: Grad or instr consent

Introduction to key issues in global health. Global burden of disease. Cultural issues/health. Nutrition. Infectious diseases. Environmental problems. Women/children. Prereq Grad student.

The course will present evidence that cultural humility is a lifelong quest toward achieving positive outcomes in work with American Indian Tribes and American Indian communities. It is essential that health care and health service providers learn the respective cultures of the American Indian population they are serving. Equally important is the fact that every federally recognized tribe, of which there are 573, has their own unique traditional customs, history with other tribes, and often subpopulations within the governance of a single tribal government. The realization of understanding how populations have been driven by their respective cultures to their overall health and well-being is necessary to promote achievement of positive outcomes for stakeholders and communities. The course will target methods to help health professionals to ensure that health services take into account individual understanding of the professional?s knowledge and how this knowledge should be respectful of individual cultural preferences. A systematic process will be provided to assist in how to learn community policies, learning processes, and traditions; as well as learning about various structures by which the culture of governments, organizations and individuals develop and support the attitudes, behaviors, practices and systems that are needed for effective cross-cultural interactions between health professionals and community members. Students will learn that ultimately, cultural humility effectiveness is determined by the individual who is receiving the services. The course is grounded in the understanding that cultural humility can effectively be used to strive for continuous improvement, to effectively utilize assets and address the health needs of individual American Indian communities.

How a society's social interactions, past and present, yield differential exposures and differences in health outcomes between persons who make up populations. New disease-specific risk factors. How well-known exposures emerge and are maintained by social system.

Population health is the field of practice and research concerned with the health of groups of individuals and the equitable distribution of health within these groups. Populations may be defined by geographic area, by social and economic characteristics such as gender, socio-economic status, and race/ethnicity, by disease states such as persons with mental illness or diabetes, or by enrollment in a health care plan or utilization of a specific health care organization. Population health takes an upstream approach, focusing on the social determinants of health and fundamental issues of health equity. While improving population health requires the involvement of multiple sectors such as public health agencies, health departments, education, housing, faith-based organizations and criminal justice, here we focus on how population heath can be addressed from within the health system through partnerships with other sectors. Using case studies, we will explore how population health innovations are applied by health systems.

Women's health conditions, programs, services, and policies in developed/developing countries. Social, economic, environmental, behavioral, and political factors affecting health behaviors, reproductive health, chronic and acute diseases, premature mortality and longevity. prereq: Grad level student

This course is focused on 1) major causes of illness at each phase of fetal, infant, and child development, 2) how the social determinants of health interact with underlying biology in early life to shape health over the life course, and 3) evidence-based child public health programs and interventions.

This two-credit course focuses on the major public health issues of adolescents and the programs and policies that impact the health and well-being of this population. Course readings and discussion focus primarily on adolescents in the United States, although international contexts are also considered. The course is designed to examine the prevalence and etiology of health and wellness indicators for youth, including mental health; sexual and reproductive health; physical activity and nutrition; and prevention of tobacco, alcohol, and other drug use, violence involvement, and injury. In addition, the course analyzes contemporary social movements and issues that impact adolescents through a public health lens (e.g., Black Lives Matter, DACA and the DREAM Act, achievement gap, inequitable distribution of wealth and economic opportunities, gender equity, civic engagement). The course is designed for graduate public health students with professional interests in preventive interventions to reduce health inequities. Students in other related health professions (e.g., medicine, nursing) or human services professions (e.g., public affairs, social work) with an interest in health issues are also welcome. The course meets the requirement for the Health Equity Minor in the School of Public Health.

Programs, services, and policies that affect women's health in the United States. Methodological issues in research. Emphasizes social, economic, environmental, behavioral, and political factors. Measurement/interpretation of factors, how they translate into interventions, programs, and policies.

Social-psychological processes that shape experience of mental health/illness. Consequences of disorders for individuals, families, and communities. Epidemiology research, theories of mental health/illness. Effect of policies related to organizing/financing services.

This introductory course is intended for junior faculty, post-docs, graduate students and community practitioners interested in adding CBPR to their repertoire of effective approaches to understanding and addressing social and health disparities. Topics will explore the purpose and applications of CBPR; partnership formation and maintenance; issues of power, trust, race, class, and social justice; conflict resolution; ethical issues; CBPR's relationship to cultural knowledge systems, and funding CBPR projects. This is NOT a methodology course. CBPR is an approach to conducting research that is amenable to a variety of research designs and methodologies and will NOT cover topics such as survey design, quantitative methods, qualitative methods, focus groups, community needs assessment procedures, etc.

Public health problems associated with armed conflict; interdisciplinary perspective with emphasis on analyzing the complexities. Consequences of mass displacement, effects on community and family, women's roles and experiences, trauma and healing. Health intervention strategies. Seminar discussion format.

Major theoretical debates. Classic and contemporary theoretical approaches to studying U.S. race relations; contemporary and historical experiences of specific racial and ethnic groups.

Definition/importance of culture as dimension of social life. Structural/Durkheimian approaches, cultural Marxism, practice theory. Cultural creation/reception. Identities as cultural formations. Culture/social inequality. Culture and race. Cultural construction of social problems. Culture and globalization.

Community practice, including community organizing, policy advocacy, social service/change leadership. prereq: [5051, 5101, 8151, 8152, 8153, 8154] or MSW Adv Standing or instr consent