Course Descriptions
PubH 7210�Global Food Systems: Pork
An understanding of the global food system for pork products is important for protecting public health. This course will describe the pork food system from farm to retail. Participants will visit a pork processing plant to see the care and handling of the animals and discuss animal health and environmental issues related to the safety of pork products. They also will visit a retail and/or food service establishment handling pork products to examine the storage, handling and sale of pork products. The product distribution system will be mapped, and processing and distribution issues related to food safety will be discussed. Examples of real foodborne disease outbreaks involving pork products will illustrate critical control points in the production of safe pork products.
PubH 7210 Global Food Systems: Produce
An understanding of the global food system for fresh fruits and vegetables is important in the protection of the community and security of the publics health. This system is reviewed beginning with commercial cultivation on the farm. A commercial or organic grower is visited to illustrate cultivation, irrigation, fertilization, pesticide treatment and environmental issues related to the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables. A fresh produce distributor is visited to illustrate the variety, volume and sources of fresh produce available in the marketplace. The product distribution system is reviewed. A fresh produce processor is visited to illustrate produce handling and sanitation measures. A retail and/or food service establishment handling fresh fruits and vegetables is visited to examine the storage, handling and sale of fresh produce. Consumer issues related to the safety of fresh fruits and vegetables are discussed. Examples of real food-borne disease outbreaks involving fresh fruits and vegetables are used to illustrate critical control points in the production of safe fresh fruits and vegetables.
PubH 7213�Applications of Microbiology to Food Monitoring
This course focuses on the application of microbiology to food systems monitoring. The course will explore the logic and application of microbiological testing to determine the prevalence of pathogens in specific foods, to identify the causes of foodborne disease outbreaks and to monitor critical control points. The course will review and demonstrate traditional and rapid laboratory methods used to detect indicator organisms, pathogens and other contaminants of public health concern.
PubH 7214 Principles of Risk Communication
�Risk communication� refers to a body of knowledge and set of practical skills public health professionals can use to characterize/manage issues, disseminate information, and communicate effectively in crisis/ emergency situations. Principles of risk communication are derived from psychological research and theory, social science research, communication theory, and experience of professionals who have addressed real-world public health communications issues on a day-to-day basis. Examination of key concepts of risk communication theory and their practical application to collecting/sharing information in support of individual/community decision-making on public health issues; includes application of risk communication principles to routine/ongoing public health issues and emergency/crisis issues.
PubH 7215�Food Safety Risk Assessment
Foodborne diseases continue to be a major problem. The USDA and FDA have begun to develop risk assessments to identify important foodborne disease hazards, evaluate potential control strategies and identify research needs. This course will review risk assessment methods and data needs using the USDA's risk assessment of the public health impact of E. coli 0157:H7 in ground beef as a model.
PubH 7216�Food Safety Risk Management
Foodborne diseases continue to be a major public health problem. Current systems of food production cannot deliver a risk-free food supply. Risk assessment tools provide a basis for managing risks in an informed way, both from the standpoint of production and regulation of the food supply. This course examines strategies for managing risk for specific foods and across the food system.
PubH 7217 Advances in Molecular Epidemiological Analysis
The rapid development of laboratory techniques to detect, identify and characterize infectious disease agent has led to explosive growth in the field of molecular epidemiology. Molecular sub typing systems have been incorporated into national surveillance programs, such as PulseNet. Genetic sequencing has been conducted on everything from individual PCR amplicons to whole organisms. Much of the laboratory methods development has focused on issues of sensitivity and specificity. However, discriminatory power does not always equate with epidemiologic usefulness. This course explores the epidemiologic application of these methods to current foodborne and infectious disease problems.
PubH 6181 Surveillance of Foodborne Diseases and Food Safety Hazards
Principles/methods for surveillance of Foodborne diseases. Investigation of outbreaks, assessment of food safety hazards. Focuses on integration of epidemiologic/laboratory methods.
PubH 7231�Surveillance of Foodborne Diseases in Humans
This course focuses on principles and methods for surveillance of foodborne diseases, investigation of outbreaks, and their application for the assessment of food safety hazards. Focus will be on the integration of epidemiologic and laboratory methods for surveillance of human populations.
PubH 7232 Surveillance of Foodborne Diseases in Animals and Plants
This course focuses on principles and methods for surveillance and monitoring of diseases and pathogens in animals and plants that affect public health. The connectedness of animal, plant and human health is emphasized. Focus will be on the integration of surveillance systems and the development of programs to protect public health and animal/plant health. The link between surveillance, timely decision-making and action is investigated.
PubH 6711�Public Health Law
This course will address basic concepts of public health law and legal bases for existence/administration of public health programs.� Balancing legal aspects of current public health issues, controversies, individual rights and the regulatory role of government in the health services system will be considered.
PubH 7200�The Politics of Policy: Turning Good Ideas into Better Health
This course is designed to help participants understand how and why health policies reflect the politics and political system in which they were developed and implemented. The role of public health and health care professionals in the political and policy processes - problem identification, policy development, lobbying and advocacy, decision-making, and implementation - will be illustrated. The course examines previous efforts to reform various aspects of the personal health care and public health care systems. Participants will apply what they have learned by analyzing current health and health care reform issues such as the Food and Drug Administration's drug approval and market regulatory policies, tobacco control policy, development of obesity prevention policy, occupational safety and health rule making, and tax deductibility of privately purchased health insurance.
PubH 7200�Food Labeling and Nutrition and Law
The course explores food labeling and nutrition laws in the United States. The course examines the major legislation, science, policy and practice issues in food labeling regulation. Participants will gain a better understanding of the legal and policy issues involved in the regulation of food labeling and nutrition.
PubH 6282 Emerging Infectious Disease: Current Issues, Policies and Controversies
This course will review a series of current issues and controversies in the prevention and control of infectious diseases. It will also serve as a forum for students to debate the merits of these issues and controversies.� Finally, we will develop a framework for considering realistic and innovative solutions to these problems.
PubH 7230�Topics in Infectious Disease: Pandemic Influenza Readiness- Past Lessons, New Challenges and Promising Practices
In this course, participants will review key issues related to avian influenza and pandemic influenza from an historical perspective and discuss the present day realities, newly documented challenges, and promising practices collected from the field. Topics covered in this course include clinical challenges, implications for healthcare systems, non-pharmaceutical interventions, anticipated impacts on basic infrastructure, business preparedness, domestic and international research on avian influenza, addressing the needs of at-risk populations and community engagement and resiliency. Course instruction will be through pre-assigned readings, lectures, and large group discussions. Following the course, participants who are taking the class for graduate credit will be asked to write a short paper.
PubH 7221�Planning for Urgent Threats
Concern over the intentional release of infectious disease agents as weapons of bioterrorism has led to an increased emphasis on the role of public health in disaster preparedness. However, public health agencies have always had a critical role in responding to public health emergencies, from outbreaks of infectious diseases to natural disasters such as floods and tornadoes.� Because local and state public health agencies have limited resources, in terms of staff and budgets, the occurrence of an intentional or natural disaster can place a great burden on a community's public health resources. This course explores the role of public health in disaster preparedness and how public health agencies plan for managing the crisis, providing surge capacity to maintain public health functions, and recovery from diverted resources.�
PubH 7200 Epidemiology and Ecology of Mycobacterial Diseases
Tuberculosis (TB) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Mycobacterium tuberculosis, the causative agent of TB, infects over a third of the world's population and has been considered a re-emergent infection in the United States. This is compounded by the fact that bovine TB (a zoonosis), once thought eradicated in many parts of the United States, including Minnesota, has also re-emerged. Several atypical mycobacterial diseases of humans have re-emerged as a consequence of human immunodeficiency virus infection. This course is designed to provide an understanding of the epidemiology (observational and molecular) of mycobacterial diseases (with special emphasis on TB) in animal and human populations in the United States and worldwide. The course is designed to integrate discussion and interaction of participants and instructors on several aspects of mycobacterial ecology, epidemiology and zoonotic potential through lectures, examples and case studies.
PubH 7200�Global Studies in Infectious Disease
When measured by premature deaths and associated physical suffering, the greatest threat to human security is infectious disease. Campaigns to eradicate infectious disease are ongoing but pathogens have exhibited remarkable resilience and flexibility. Infectious diseases cross all national and regional boundaries and effective long-term solutions require international scientific exchange and cooperation.
This course, offered by visiting professor, G.D. Ravindran, Bangalore, India, will provide an overview of factors significantly increasing the threat of infectious diseases in India and Asia such as demographic shifts, rapid urbanization, increasing migration, population growth, persistent poverty, cultural and health beliefs, ecologically unsound practices and changing human behaviors. International travel, environmental changes, climate change and antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals rebounding with detrimental effects will also be discussed as factors transforming the nature of the environment in which people and pathogens interact.
The course will cover the biology, epidemiology, diagnosis, economics, risk analysis, methods for prevention and control, and the global implications of infectious diseases such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, leshimaniasis, Dengue and Japanese B encephalitis, as well as typhoid, polio and rabies.
PubH 7200�Understanding the Emergence of Zoonotic Diseases
This course focuses on zoonotic diseases of public health importance. The course will review the genetic, biological, social, environmental and ecological factors for the emergence or re-emergence of zoonotic diseases. Included in this discussion are principles that can be used to prevent and control transmission and ultimately protect human health.
Last modified on Thursday Jul 16, 2009