MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MPH)
Introduction
The Master of Public Health (MPH) at Saint Monica University prepares graduate students to apply core principles of public health education within a variety of community settings and to advance the public health profession. Students acquire knowledge and necessary skills in the following areas: determinants of health and disease; external and internal factors shaping health care and public health systems; structure, functioning, and performance of health systems; policy analysis and development; management; strategies for improving health; evaluation and methods; and individual skills. The MPH program offers a solid foundation in the core disciplines of Public Health with two concentration areas namely: Health Education and Health Promotion (HEP), and Health Services (HES). Students will satisfy the core Public Health Courses (6 courses) along with concentration courses (3 concentrations, 1 internship, 1 thesis) summing up to at least 48 credits to graduate with an MPH degree
Objectives
The master of public health provides students with the education and skills to:
- Integrate and apply skills they have mastered in their curriculum in a public health setting.
- Demonstrate their mastery of Public Health content and discipline specific content.
- Develop writing and speaking skills, presentation skills, and teamwork skills.
- Review science-based literature, synthesize its content, and apply evidence-based practices in the community.
- Enter the Public Health workforce and assume positions of leadership through progressive career development and demonstrate Public Health professionalism.
- Formulate plans for the diffusion and implementation of these interventions
- Test, evaluate and refine those interventions
Career Prospects
The program prepares students to provide leadership in a variety of settings, including:
- Nonprofit organizations
- Community health agencies
- State and local health departments
- Schools and universities
- Businesses and corporations
- Faith-based organizations
- Hospitals and clinics
Program Structure
Core Courses
MPH 610: Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
MPH 620: Health Policy Advocacy
MPH 630: Health Program Planning and Evaluation
MPH 640: Environmental and Occupational Health
MPH 650: Biostatistical Applications in Public Health
MPH 660: Advanced Concepts in Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Disease
HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION CONCENTRATION COURSES
HEP 610: Foundations of Health Education and Health Promotion
HEP 620: Global Health Promotion
HEP 630: Community School Health Promotion
HEP 693: Health Education and Health Promotion Practicum – Field Work
HEP 698: Master’s Thesis in Health Education and Health Promotion
HEALTH SERVICES ORGANISATION CONCENTRATION COURSES
HSO 610: Strategic Management of Health Organizations
HSO 620: Community Health Organization
HSO 630: Comparative Health Care Systems
HSO 640: Global Health Leadership & Management
HSO 650: Telemedicine and Telehealth
HSO 693: Internship in Health Services Organization
HSO 698: Master’s Thesis in Health Services
Course Description
CORE COURSES
MPH 610: Legal and Ethical Issues for Health Professionals
This course presents an overview of the legal issues facing the health care industry with some inferences on Cameroon. It provides students with a basic working knowledge of health law and Professional ethics. It is a comprehensive and inclusive review of a wide variety of health care legal issues. Students are provided with a realistic knowledge of health law and its application to the real world. At the end of this course, students are expected to do and validate the online institutional review board (IRB) training course on ethical issues in health research at the National Institute of Health (NIH)( https://phrp.nihtraining.com/users/login.php).
MPH 620: Health Policy Advocacy
This course prepares students to understand health policy advocacy and how to create policy impact among stakeholders. Course will examine the measures taken by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) so that students can extract ideas to influence health policies in their countries.
MPH 630: Health Program Planning and Evaluation
The focus of course is to develop skills that empower students to be able to plan and evaluate health education and health promotion programs in all settings–communities, schools, corporations, military, and hospitals
MPH 640: Environmental and Occupational Health
This course covers terms and concepts in environmental health with particular emphasis on various types of environmental pollution, global warming, Greenhouse effect, Occupational health, and the role environment plays in the transmission of communicable diseases. The main goal of this course is to educate students about the terms and concepts in environmental and occupational Health with particular emphasis on the various types of pollution, global warming, Greenhouse Effect, and the role of the environment in the transmission of communicable diseases.
MPH 650: Biostatistical Applications in Public Healthd
Course covers application of biostatistical principles to critical analysis of retrospective and prospective studies, and controlled clinical trials, as well as health services, health education and health promotion literatures, Course will also cover basic calculations (rates and ratios), and data analysis (SPSS), and interpretation of statistical methods (Chi Squares, ANOVA etc.) for detection of significant associations and differences (see GEN 520)
MPH 660: Advanced Concepts and Methods in Epidemiology & Control of Infectious Disease
The purpose of this course is to provide students with more knowledge about the principles and practice of infectious disease epidemiology, including how communicable diseases and their control affects public health locally, nationally and internationally. Topics include: general principles of infectious disease epidemiology, including: principles of Infectious diseases; outbreak investigation; role of the public health laboratory; disease surveillance; principles of screening and screening tests; Major infectious diseases and modes of transmission, including: food borne illness; zoonotic diseases; tuberculosis; influenza; vector borne diseases; malaria; other parasitic diseases; HIV/AIDS; sexually transmitted diseases; viral hepatitis; antibiotic resistant bacteria, different control and evaluation strategies for infectious diseases, including: vaccination; nosocomial infections; behavior change and HIV/AIDS; blood safety; immigrant and refugee health etc
HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH PROMOTION CONCENTRATION COURSES
HEP 610: Foundations of Health Education and Health Promotion
This course introduces the student to the discipline and profession of health education and health promotion per WHO, Health promotion is the process of enabling people to increase control over, and to improve, their health. To reach a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, an individual or group must be able to identify and to realize aspirations, to satisfy needs, and to change or cope with the environment. Health is, therefore, seen as a resource for everyday life, not the objective of living. Health is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources, as well as physical capacities. Students will examine the concepts of health and wellness, the determinants of health behavior, national health status, the history of health education and health promotion. The student will recognize health education as an important foundation for population-based healthcare.
HEP 620: Global Health Promotion
Globalization of Health Education and Health Promotion is gaining grounds. The focus of DPH 635 Global Health Leadership is to introduce the students to contemporary global health topics and to compare and explore how they can provide leadership in these areas in their countries.
HEP 630: Community School Health Promotion
Courses covers the organization and practice of community health. It also discusses community health promotion issues and approaches, Community organizing models, community program planning, implementation, and evaluation. Also explained are the roles of Government in Community Health Promotion.
The course introduces students to community health promotion concepts and practices and paves the way to practical application of health education and health promotion principles, theories and Models in Community health need assessments, program planning, implementing, measurement and evaluation
HEP 693: Internship in Health Education and Promotion (Fieldwork in Health)
This course is intended to enhance practical application of principles in a Health Unit or Office, or Community Health Foundation or Non-Profit Organization or Primary School through High School under close supervision and evaluation. Students are responsible to make site arrangements anywhere in their country. Students are expected to put in at least 20 hours per week for 12 weeks.
HEP 698: Master’s Thesis in Health Education and Health Promotion
Students will conduct a survey, write and defend a Thesis in health education and health promotion covering the Five Chapters. This entails, definition and hypothesis, Literature Review, Methodology and Data Collection, Data Analysis, Reporting and Recommendation using APA Format.
HEALTH SERVICE ORGANIZATION CONCENTRATION COURSES
HSO 610: Strategic Management of Health Organizations
This course focuses on the development and implementation of strategy and market positioning by health care organizations in the changing health care marketplace. The course stresses practical approaches to articulate an organization’s mission and vision and formulate strategies that fit the external and internal situation. Topics include: External and internal assessment, Strategy development, Strategy implementation, Market positioning, Redesigning organization structures to support strategy, Provider-purchaser relationships, Vertical and horizontal integration models, Governance and management structures, Performance benchmarking.
HSO 620: Community Health Organization
Overview of institutions and agencies which provide health information, education, services, and care. Includes historical foundations, constituencies, organizational goals and structure, funding and expenditures, modes of service delivery, political and ethical issues.
HSO 630: Comparative Health Care Systems
The course examines health care delivery systems internationally and explores contemporary issues affecting the institutions that provide health care and the people who seek health services. The course will cover the historical development of international health care systems, the organization and financing of systems of care, and the policy process and priority setting. Finally, the course will cover current efforts at health care reform. The goal of the course is to provide students with the necessary professional skills to be effective participants in efforts to evaluate and improve the delivery of health care nationally and internationally
HSO640: Global Health Leadership & Management
Global health systems must be led by those who possess the skills to mobilize, coordinate, and direct broad collaborative actions within the complex global health system. The Global Health Leadership & Management course focuses on the knowledge, skills and practical tools needed to manage oneself and direct organizations to successful implementation of institutional vision and overall strategy. It is intended for students who are or will pursue managerial careers in global/public health and health care settings. The Course is organized into two major Modules – Individual Leadership, Management & Teamwork and Organizational Management, Strategy and Planning. Students will engage in lectures, discussions, self‐assessments, interactive exercises, case analyses, practice and real world application of skills. As students prepare for and enter leadership careers, they face a workplace that is very different from the one managers faced a decade ago and one that will change significantly during their tenures. This course will provide them with the know‐how and skills to transfer self‐understanding, critical reasoning, and analytical problem solving skills to such rapidly changing environments.
HSO 650: Telemedicine and Telehealth
This course describes and analyses the role of information and communications technologies in enabling remote patient care, health professional collaboration at a distance, and in supporting patient-self management. This is considered with reference to technological, clinical, sociological and policy perspectives. Non-communicable diseases and global health challenges are core themes. Topics to be covered include: Introduction to Telemedicine and Telehealth, Practical Examples/Case Studies, Telehealth in the Home, Smart housing and communities, Telemedicine for health professionals, Telehealth in the Developing World, Human and sociotechnical factors, Ethical and legal challenges, Evaluation of telemedicine systems, Future Trends in Telemedicine.
HSO 693: Internship in Health Services Organization
This course is intended to enhance practical application of principles in a health services organizations, Offices, or Community Health Foundation or Non-Profit Organization under close supervision and evaluation. Students are responsible to make site arrangements anywhere in their country. Students are expected to put in at least 20 hours per week for 12 weeks.
HSO 698: Master’s Thesis in Health Services
Students will conduct a survey, write and defend a Thesis in health services organization covering the Five Chapters. This entails, definition and hypothesis, Literature Review, Methodology and Data Collection, Data Analysis, Reporting and Recommendation using APA Format.
