Classes This Semester!

I don't think I've ever been quite to excited about all of the classes I am taking! It's such a nice feeling to really want to take classes. In fact, my biggest challenge was trying to schedule all the classes I wanted to take. But, here is the final list. The course descriptions are from www.sph.tulane.edu (courses).

Social and Behavioral Aspects of Global Health (Mark VanLandingham, Mai Do)
This course covers the behavioral, social, and cultural aspects of health and disease in both developed and developing countries. Students learn how behavioral and social theories are relevant to health promotion and disease prevention efforts. They also learn how factors that protect or erode health operate at multiple levels (including individual, community, societal, and global levels), and how interventions are developed to improve health by addressing critical factors at each of these levels. The course also addresses the roles of culture, race, and ethnicity in the conceptualization of health and illness. (It's a core class.)

Tropical Virology (Dan Bausch)
This course covers the broad area of virology with an emphasis on viruses of public health concern in developing and tropical countries. Both historically problematic and emerging viruses are covered. Topics include the molecular biology, epidemiology, and pathology of selected viruses. Focus is placed on developing an understanding of the molecular aspects of the viral life cycle that give rise to transmission and pathogenic characteristics, especially in the context of the co-evolution of the virus and host. Additional topics include the interactions between the virus and host immune response, as well as viral control and the development of vaccines and anti-viral pharmaceuticals.

Epidemiology of Infectious Disease (Susan Hassig)
This course provides students with the knowledge and skills required for the investigation, control, and prevention of a variety of infectious diseases. Students will explore the characteristics of a range of specific disease agents, compare their impact on populations, practice approaches used to investigate disease outbreaks, and examine local and global efforts to monitor, control, and/or eradicate selected infectious diseases. Zoonotic diseases are included in the course.

Survey of Environmental Health (Assaf Abdelgani)
Major environmental health problems, including water quality, wastewater, occupational health, trace elements in the environment, municipal and hazardous waste, food protection, vector control, and air quality are discussed. (Another core class.)

Preventative Tropical Medicine (Richard Oberhelman)
This course presents the basic principles of preventive medicine in the context of the special environment (physical, biological, and social) of tropical developing countries. Emphasis is placed upon the prevention and control of infectious diseases of major public health importance. Vaccine preventable diseases are given special emphasis. In addition to presenting concepts and theoretical methods of disease control, detailed examples of actual programs are provided.

Program Skills in Crisis and Transition
This course is designed to equip students with a set of skills related to the assessment and analysis of the social, economic, and policy aspects of complex political emergencies, as well as post-conflict/transitional settings. The course covers selected topics in preparedness, response, and transition in complex political emergencies, and their effects upon the civilian populations and the agencies that seek to assist them. Students develop skills in the following areas: information management, program operations management, and policy and context analysis. In terms of information management, students develop the capacity to adapt surveys to conflict-affected settings and utilize a series of rapid assessment approaches and participatory rural appraisal techniques for data collection. Students also learn to identify and utilize the principal components of crisis prevention and early warning information systems. In terms of program operations management, students develop skills in the construction of a logistics management system appropriate for emergency settings, and learn how to develop key programs of particular importance in post-conflict and transitional settings. In terms of policy and context analysis, students are equipped with analytical skills related to assessing potential harmful effects of humanitarian assistance, international political aspects of humanitarian work, international humanitarian law, and opportunities for promoting conflict resolution, capacity building, and development through humanitarian assistance.

It's going to be a busy, but interesting, semester!