Program in Global Health and Health Policy
Co-Director
Thomas E. Shenk
Burton H. Singer
Executive Committee
Elizabeth M. Armstrong, Woodrow Wilson School, Sociology
João G. Biehl, Anthropology
Evan Lieberman, Politics
Christina H. Paxson, Woodrow Wilson School, Economics
Deborah A. Prentice, Psychology
Daniel I. Rubenstein, Ecology and Environmental Biology
Thomas E. Shenk, Molecular Biology
Burton H. Singer, Woodrow Wilson School
Winston O. Soboyejo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Associated Faculty
Elizabeth M. Armstrong, Woodrow Wilson School, Sociology
João G. Biehl, Anthropology
Angela N. H. Creager, History
Lynn W. Enquist, Molecular Biology, Princeton Neuroscience Institute
Zemer Gitai, Molecular Biology
Noreen Goldman, Woodrow Wilson School
John Groves, Chemistry
Elizabeth Harman, Philosophy, University Center for Human Values
Simon A. Levin, Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Evan S. Lieberman, Politics
A. James Link, Chemical Engineering
Manuel Llinás, Molecular Biology, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
Adel Mahmoud, Molecular Biology
Celeste M. Nelson, Chemical Engineering
Daniel Notterman, Molecular Biology
Christina H. Paxson, Woodrow Wilson School, Economics
Deborah A. Prentice, Psychology
Robert K. Prud’homme, Chemical Engineering
Joshua D. Rabinowitz, Chemistry, Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics
Leon Rosenberg, Molecular Biology
Carolyn M. Rouse, Anthropology, African American Studies
Daniel I. Rubenstein, Ecology and Environmental Biology
Eldar B. Shafir, Psychology, Woodrow Wilson School
Harold T. Shapiro, Woodrow Wilson School, Economics
Thomas E. Shenk, Molecular Biology
Lee M. Silver, Molecular Biology, Woodrow Wilson School
Burton H. Singer, Woodrow Wilson School
Peter Singer, University Center for Human Values
Winston O. Soboyejo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Erik J. Sorensen, Chemistry
David W. Wood, Chemical Engineering
The Program in Global Health and Health Policy is an interdepartmental program in which undergraduates can study the determinants, consequences, and patterns of disease across societies; the role of medical technologies and interventions in health improvements; and the economic, political, and social factors that shape domestic and global public health.
Core Courses
GHP 350 Epidemiology — Fall
Focuses on measurement of health status, disease occurrence, survival, and the association between risk factors and health outcomes; design, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiologic research studies; and bias and confounding. Other topics include synthesis of epidemiological studies, disease outbreaks, causal inference, social inequalities in health, and research ethics. The course will examine individual-centered epidemiology and macro-epidemiology to assess population impact and inform health policy. Prerequisite: an approved basic statistics course. Two lectures, one preceptorial.
GHP 351 Critical Perspectives on Global Health and Health Policy — Spring
Introduces students to the main disease and health care problems facing the world’s populations today and examines the efforts under way to improve health at a global level. Taking an interdisciplinary approach, the course probes the multiple factors—environmental, social, political, economic—that shape patterns and variations in disease and health across societies. Topics include: infectious and chronic diseases, pandemic threats, development and risk factors, pharmaceuticals and public health interventions, public-private partnerships, and health services for the world’s poorest people. Two lectures, one preceptorial.
Requirements for Admission
The Program in Global Health and Health Policy is open to undergraduate students of all disciplines. Students apply to the program in the second semester of their sophomore year and are accepted if they have met the following prerequisites: submission of an essay describing the rationale for completing the certificate and plans for the junior and senior year; completion of an approved basic science course (EEB/MOL 211, EEB/MOL 210, MOL/EEB 214, or MOL/EEB 215) by the end of sophomore year; completion of an approved statistics course (*EEB/MOL 355, PSY 251, ORF 245, ECO 202,*WWS 332, or POL 345) by the end of sophomore year; a minimum GPA requirement of 3.0 overall and 3.3 in science and statistics prerequisites; and a demonstrated commitment to the field of global health through completion of a health-related internship, volunteer work, or community service.
Program of Study
To obtain the certificate, students must complete the following requirements:
Completion of GHP 350 (Epidemiology) by the end of junior year.
Completion of GHP 351 (Critical Perspectives on Global Health and Health Policy) by the end of senior year.
Three additional electives from an approved list of health-related courses, at least one of which is in an area outside of the student’s department of concentration.
A senior thesis written in the student’s department of concentration that has been approved by one of the faculty co-directors, and that addresses or relates to global health and health policy in an interdisciplinary manner. Students doing a lab thesis can satisfy this requirement by writing a chapter that connects their research to global health.
An approved research-focused internship or independent research during the summer between the junior and senior year.
Related Courses in Global Health and Health Policy
Courses that may be used to satisfy program requirements are listed below. If other courses on global health and/or health policy are offered, these may be added to the list of approved courses with the permission of the program director.
African American Studies
*AAS 403/ANT 403 Race and Medicine
Anthropology
ANT 335 Medical Anthropology
*ANT 405 Topics in Anthropology: Global Pharmaceuticals: Science, Political Economy, Ethics
*ANT 431 Biomedical Anthropology
Computer Science
*COS 495 Special Topics in Computer Science: Medical Informatics
Council on Science and Technology
STC 349 Science Journalism
STC 398 Health and Human Rights in the World Community
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
EEB 328 Ecology and Epidemiology of Parasites and Infectious Diseases
Economics
ECO 571/SOC 531 Survey of Population Problems
Electrical Engineering
*ELE/CEE/MAE/MSE 455 Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the Environment
Environmental Studies
ENV 401 Environmental Policy Workshop
History
HIS 394 The Rise of Modern Biomedicine: Global Trends in Health and Healing, 1500–2000
HIS/AFS 496 Africa, Medical Pluralism, and the History of Health and Disease
History of Science
*HIS/HOS 599 Special Topics in the History of Science: African History and the Question of Science
*HOS/HIS 599 Special Topics in the History of Science: Tropics, Empires, and the Biosciences, 1600–2000
University Center for Human Values
*CHV/PHI 308 Perfecting Life: Designing Children, Designing Memories, Designing Death
Latin American Studies
*LAS 405/HIS 401 Latin American Studies Seminar. Health and Society in Latin America during the 20th Century
Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
MAE 344 Introduction to Bioengineering and Medical Devices
Molecular Biology
*MOL 328/WWS 399 U.S. Medical Research and Researchers
*MOL 380A,B Modern Microbiology and Disease
*MOL 425/WWS 474 Infection: Biology, Burden, Policy
MOL 435 Pathogenesis and Bacterial Diversity
*MOL 440 Genome Integrity and Human Disease
MOL 459 Viruses: Strategy and Tactics
MOL/STC 460 Diseases in Children: Causes, Costs, and Choices
Politics
*POL 334/AAS 335 The Politics of Race and Health in America
Psychology
PSY 320 Theories of Psychotherapy
PSY 410 Depression: From Neuron to Clinic
PSY 419 Childhood Psychopathology
Sociology
SOC/CHV 364 Sociology of Medicine
Woodrow Wilson School
WWS 315 Bioethics and Public Policy
WWS 316 Health and the Environment
WWS/MOL 320 Human Genetics, Reproduction, and Public Policy
WWS 327/CHM 443 Pharmaceutical Research and Health Policy
*WWS/STC 458 Special Topics in Public Affairs: Decision-Making on Environmental and Medical Risks
*WWS/URB/SOC 469 Special Topics in Public Affairs: Health, Housing, Employment: What Works for the Poor in Small Cities?
*WWS 585A/POP 505 Topics in Science, Technology, and Environmental Policy Population, Environment, and Health
WWS 598/POP 508 Epidemiology
*One-time-only course or topic