This first week we are going to do some heavy lifting and a good bit of reading. We have to learn the foundational facts, ideas, and theories of public health.
In order to accomplish this, we will examine what public health is, look at the impact of health behaviors and the models used to change those behaviors, take a brief look at health communication and policy, and gain an understanding of epidemiology. This foundational material will set the stage for the next three weeks.
Our case study for Week 1 is the Love Canal disaster.
Dosis sola facit venenum or "only the dose makes the poison." -- Paracelsus, "The Father of Toxicology"
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Essentials of Epidemiology in Public Health by 
Public Health Policy by 
Jonas and Kovner's Health Care Delivery in the United States by 
Crucial Conversations Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High, Second Edition by 
Love Canal by 
Health Communication by 
Love Canal by 
The Ghost Map by To begin this elective we first need to have a firm understanding of what Public Health is, what its goals are, and how it operates. Below are four videos that provide a broad overview of Public Health and should start to give you an idea of how comprehensive and complex Public Health is. The last video is a really neat older video from the National Library of Medicine that provides a brief history of Public Health in the United States.
Learning Objectives:
Watch:
Why do we do the things we do even when we know they are bad for us? According to Schroeder's article, behavioral patterns contribute 40% to premature death. The materials below will provide you with an introduction to the field of health behavior, its impact, and the models that are used to try and change behaviors. Be sure and browse the Promoting Health for Adults from the CDC for examples of actual programs using the models covered in this module.
Learning Objectives:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Schroeder, S. A. (2007). Shattuck Lecture. We Can Do Better — Improving the Health of the American People. The New England Journal of Medicine, 357(12), 1221–1228.
Supplemental Materials:
In this module we are going to look broadly at health communication and policy and a little more in depth into crisis/disaster communication. As you are working your way through these materials, think about how things have unfolded with the COVID-19 pandemic. What sorts of communications have you received regarding the pandemic? What sorts of new laws and regulations do we have because of the pandemic? Be sure and look critically at the Guidance and Checklists for COVID-19 from the CDC. Does what the CDC provides match what you have learned in this module?
Learning Objectives:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials:
Who doesn't want to be a disease detective? Epidemiology, often called the backbone of public health, is concerned with the five Ws: diagnosis or health event (what), person (who), place (where), time (when), and causes, risk factors, and modes of transmission (why/how). This module provides an overview of epidemiology as well as a couple of key concepts. Chapter 2 on measures of disease frequency is included for your reference. If you have time, be sure to watch the Great Stink listed in the supplemental materials -- it is amazing that anyone in the Victorian period lived.
Learning Objectives:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials:
Our case study for Week 1 is the Love Canal disaster in Niagara Falls, New York. Considered the worst toxic pollution event in US history, the Love Canal disaster touches on many of the elements covered this week, in particular, epidemiology, communication, activism, policy, and law.
Learning Objectives:
Watch:
Read: (in E-Reserves unless linked below)
Supplemental Materials: