Program in Global Health and Health Policy
Co-Director
Joćo G. Biehl
Thomas E. Shenk
Executive Committee
Elizabeth M. Armstrong, Woodrow Wilson School, Sociology
Joćo 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
Winston O. Soboyejo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Associated Faculty
Elizabeth M. Armstrong, Woodrow Wilson School, Sociology
Joćo 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 Llinįs, 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
Peter Singer, University Center for Human Values
Winston O. Soboyejo, Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering
Erik J. Sorensen, Chemistry
The interdepartmental Program in Global Health and Health Policy enables undergraduates to 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-epidemiologyto assess population impact and inform health policy. Prerequisite: an approved basic statistics course. Two lectures, one preceptorial. Staff
GHP 351 Critical Perspectives on Global Health and Health Policy (also WWS 491) Spring SA
This course introduces students to the main disease and health care problems facing the world’s populations today and examines the efforts underway 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. B. Singer, C. Paxson, E. Lieberman
Requirements for Admission
The program is open to undergraduates 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 210, EEB 211, MOL 214, or MOL 215) by the end of sophomore year; completion of an approved statistics course (ECO 202, *EEB 355, ORF 245, POL 345, PSY 251, or SOC 301) by the end of sophomore year; a minimum grade of B in each of the prerequisite courses and a minimum GPA requirement of 3.3 overall; and a demonstrated commitment to the field of global health through completion of a health-related internship, volunteer work, or community service.
Students who have placed out of departmental requirements and/or introductory-level courses with Advance Placement (AP) credit have the option of taking higher-level courses in lieu of the standard science and statistics prerequisites, with permission of the program co-directors.
Advanced science course options: EEB 309, EEB 314, EEB 328
Advanced statistics course options: ECO 302, ECO 312, ORF 405, SOC 404
Program of Study
To obtain the certificate, students must complete the following requirements:
Completion of GHP 350 by the end of junior year and GHP 351 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 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
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
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
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?
*One-time-only course or topic