Ph.D. in Public Health
with a concentration in
Occupational and Enviromental Health Sciences

Courses Offered

Public Health Core Seminar (4 credits taken over four semesters): The seminar is common to all students in the doctoral programs in public health. This student-centered seminar series will meet weekly in both the Fall and Spring semesters of the students’ first 2 years and will involve a broad range of faculty and outside speakers with expertise in public health. The seminar will be structured with the following format: Students will read and discuss relevant papers in advance of each seminar, then participate in discussions with the seminar speaker. In some instances student speakers will be scheduled as part of the seminar series (especially as these student speakers approach completion of their research projects). During their fourth semester, students will present an overview of the literature supporting their proposed research project.

The seminar will provide synergy between the proposed concentration in Occupational and Environmental Health and the recently approved concentration in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences.  An overall theme for each semester will be developed for the seminar in coordination with the MPH program’s Public Health Practicum. The seminar will also be integrated with existing topical seminar programs on the two campuses.  These seminars are sponsored by, for example:

• Center for Health and HIV Prevention,
• Health Services Management Program,
• Child, Health, and Culture Center,
• Occupational and Environmental Medicine colloquium series,
• Center on Aging seminar series, and
• Pharmacology/Toxicology departments.

Research Methods (9 credits): Students must complete a minimum of nine credits of graduate level research methods courses. Courses must be pre-approved by the student’s advisory committee. The following are the core research courses for the Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences concentration.

At least one course (3-credits) from each of these three areas:

Concentration Core (9 credits): Students will take 9 credits of common courses. The core courses are planned to provide a base of detailed knowledge in health effects resulting from occupational and environmental exposures, together with multilevel working knowledge of exposure/risk assessment and prevention/control strategies focused on occupational and environmental sources (primary and secondary prevention) as well as regulatory and policy approaches to prevention.  Students will first gain knowledge of toxicology and the internal dose/body burden and health effects, then examine exposure and risk modeling and analysis, followed by health policy and regulation.  The following are the core courses for the Occupational and Environmental Health Sciences concentration.

I. Toxicology/Health Effects

PHAR 5454           Principles of Safety Evaluation

PHAR 5472           Advanced Pharmacology II: Drug Disposition

II.  Exposure/Risk Analysis

PUBH 6940      Exposure and Risk Analysis (3 credits)
Instructors: Silbart and Warren 

III. Law/Policy/Regulation

PUBH 5465    Occupational and Environmental Health Policy  (3 credits)  
Instructor:  Morse

GRAD 5910 Responsible Conduct in Research (1 credit)

This course familiarizes all doctoral students with their responsibilities to ethical conduct in research.

Elective Courses to Complete Plan of Study (8 - 12 credits):  The student and committee develop a plan of study that includes 8 - 12 credits of graduate level course work that supports the research program. No more than 6 credits of recent graduate course work that has not been transferred towards the completion of a degree may be used for the plan of study.

Dissertation Research Credits (15 credits):  Each student will complete a minimum of 15 credits of dissertation research.