Academic Courses

Graduate Level Courses
Public Health Practice: Current Issues & Methodologies: This course provides a synthesis of how environmental, biological, behavioral, and social-political factors affect the contemporary world. Students will utilize critical thinking to best address these issues with particular attention on policy formation, communication, and the need for cultural competence in a globalized world.

Undergraduate Level Courses
Introduction to the Health Sciences: This is an introductory course specifically designed to meet the needs of students interested in a variety of health-related professions. Through an interdisciplinary approach, students are provided with the underpinnings of the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice (IPCP). Students gain a beginning understanding of the US health care system and health professions.

Ethics & Teamwork in Health Care: This course focuses on the Interprofessional Core Competencies of Teams and Teamwork and Values and Ethics for Interprofessional Practice. Emphasis is placed on understanding the impact of health disparities on health outcomes. Team-based activities and a Service-Learning component provide opportunities for experiential learning and reflection.

Eastern Approach to Nutrition & Movement: In this course, students will develop an introductory understanding and knowledge of Eastern approaches to nutrition and physical exercise, their roles in enhancing health and wellness, and their potential use in preventing and managing chronic disease. Specifically, this course will look at how Chinese Medicine utilizes dietary therapy, food selection, cooking styles, physical exercise prescriptions, meditation, and breath work as primary forms of nourishment and activity. Additional time will be dedicated to exploring how these concepts and principles can be applied to allopathic healthcare systems, as well as their potential implementation into the daily lifestyle of individuals not raised in a culture that utilizes this particular form of health care.  

Basic & Therapeutic Nutrition: The purpose of this course is to introduce the learner to the fundamental principles of human nutritional science with specific emphasis placed on the maintenance of health and wellbeing throughout the lifespan. Discussion of essential nutrients, dietary sources, absorption and digestion of food/nutrition are presented with the goal of aiding learners in understanding how the human body utilizes the nutrients from our foods. Medical nutrition therapy is introduced as it relates to the management of common chronic disease states, as well as the need for nutritional health literacy.

Spirituality, Narrative, and Health: This course introduces students to the ways in which religious, faith-based, and spiritual systems have shaped the history and functioning of the US Healthcare System. In addition, students will learn how religious and spiritual identity impart a significant impact and influence on healthcare access, experiences of health disparities, and beliefs surrounding specific health interventions. Time will also be paid to building skills related to analyzing story, narratives, and qualitative research pertaining to spiritual identity and practices.

Health Communication & Literacy: This course focuses on the application of evidence-based practices and theories related to communicating and sharing health-based information. Attention is paid to how health messages and information are communicated in a variety of settings and medium (i.e. social media, websites, newsprint, television and entertainment, etc.), and the role of information literacy in promoting healthy lifestyle behaviors. Learners will explore best practices related to how to critically evaluate and review sources of health information found in a variety of different settings (including community wellness, clinical education, and professional settings). Learners will also explore how levels of cultural competency can impact how health information messages are shared, received, and interpreted.

Research for the Health Sciences: This course introduces students to concepts in health research such as ethics, quantitative and qualitative research methods, systematic literature reviews, evidence-based practice, collaborative research practices, and data interpretation. Significant emphasis is placed in the understanding of the research process, critical evaluation of evidence, and application of these skills to Evidence-Based Practices (EBP).   The course has a dual emphasis in theory and practice of the aforementioned skills. At the end of the course, students are expected to be able to discern between reliable and unreliable “scientific evidence” and adopt new knowledge and practices in their professions based on solid empirical evidence. Further, by the end of the course students are expected to be able to report findings in multiple ways (e.g., presentations, scientific papers).

Story, Narrative Medicine, and Health: Health narratives and stories offer rich opportunities for us to empathize with others during times of medical crisis. The practice of Narrative Medicine refers to the purposeful application of deep listening and close reading in order to more fully engage with the stories and accounts of other people, specifically in relation to health and the healthcare system. In this class, students will develop an understanding of the structural shortcomings of the US healthcare system, identify ways in which the US healthcare system operates from a disease-centered model (as opposed to a human or social-centered model), and study a selection of literary works while learning to listen deeply, ready closely, inquire critically, and analyze creatively.