Bioethics and Health Humanities Course Descriptions
BHH 6097 Research
This course is designed to afford the student the opportunity to develop a thesis or dissertation proposal under faculty guidance. The proposal development may involve a literature search, preliminary experimentation, or a pilot field study. The research
will be preliminary but relevant to the thesis or dissertation. Credit and hours to be arranged. Teaching technique is tutorial in nature.
Prerequisites: None
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week:
Variable
BHH 6098 Thesis
Once admitted to candidacy, it is required for students pursuing a Master of Science or Master of Arts degree to enroll in this course. This course is for the formal research and writing leading to the preparation and completion of the thesis for the
Master of Science or Master of Arts degree while under the direction of the student's supervisory committee. The student will pursue the proposed research and present a progress report and/or agreed upon objectives to the mentor and/or supervisory
committee for approval and recommendations. Grading will be based upon the student's level of performance as reported by the chairperson of the student's supervisory committee and will be assigned as Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (N), or Unsatisfactory
(U).
Prerequisites: Admission to candidacy
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year Offered: Annually
Hours per week: Variable 3-9
BHH 6099 Dissertation
Once admitted to candidacy, it is required for students pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy degree to enroll in this course. This course is for the formal research and writing leading to the preparation and completion of the dissertation for the Doctor
of Philosophy degree while under the direction of the student’s supervisory committee. The student will pursue the proposed research and present a progress report and/or agreed upon objectives to the mentor and/or supervisory committee for approval
and recommendations. Grading will be based upon the student's level of performance as reported by the chairperson of the student's supervisory committee and will be assigned as Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (N), or Unsatisfactory (U).
Prerequisites:
Admission to candidacy
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year Offered: Annually
Hours per week: Variable 3-9
BHH 6101 Ethics in Scientific Research
This course aims at providing an introduction to the ethics of scientific research and its impacts on society. The course first looks at ethical decision-making, norms and ideals of science, and discusses why ethics should be important for science. We
will learn how to apply ethical frameworks to topical issues including conflict of interest, bias, research collaboration, peer review, authorship, research on human subjects, animal research, and research misconduct.
Small group discussions throughout the course will help students develop critical thinking skills. Using case-based analysis students will identify ethical issues, discuss applicable ethical principles and frameworks, and justify appropriate actions or
outcomes. By sharing this thought process in small group settings, students will identify different systems of thought, values, and cultures.
BHH 6302 Interdisciplinary Methods
This course aims to familiarize students with the knowledge, skills, and tools that are used in a variety of approaches in bioethics and health humanities. During the course, we will explore conceptual approaches in various philosophical and critical
traditions. We will also assess comparative textual or narrative approaches found in art, literature, history, law, critical theory, and cultural studies. We focus particularly on approaches that are typically found in social science and behavioral
research in fields such as sociology, anthropology, and psychology. While we will mainly read about qualitative methods, we will also learn about quantitative and mixed-methods approaches. Across all the weeks, we will consider how conceptual, normative,
and empirical commitments and methods can intersect to understand complex socio-technical problems, provide normative recommendations to shape practice, and develop innovative ways of making knowledge.
BHH 6303 Justice Theories for Ethical Practice
This course aims to combine theory and practical considerations for students interested in the nature of injustice and ways of intervening in healthcare, public health, and research settings where injustices occur. The course is separated into three parts.
In the first part, students will learn traditional and non-traditional theories of justice and practice their analytic skills. In the second part, they will learn about injustices as they exist in healthcare, public health and research settings for
a range of people and groups and apply their analytic skills developed in part 1 to explore them further. In the third part, they will take all their learning from part 1 and 2 to understand ethically supported actions to affect change in healthcare,
public health and research settings considering the range of people and communities affected in particular cases and examples informed by range of philosophies and approaches.
BHH 6304 Introduction to Health Humanities
This foundational course provides an overview of the fundamental relationship between humanities and health. The first part of the course provides an historical introduction to emergence of the humanities and the recognition of their importance in medicine
and health care. In the second part of the course, invited speakers from several health related professions introduce students to the history and value of their respective health professions and the ways in which humanities are important in their
work.
BHH 6318 Global Governance of Biomedicine
This course is a graduate seminar focusing on the different ways in which citizens, patients, and nations relate to, react to, and frame advances in medicine and biotechnology. Such advances raise both ethical and social challenges that require an institutional
response and the recognition of their cultural situatedness. The recent pandemic made evident the need for international coordination and the multiplicity of responses and health outcomes at different socioeconomic levels. This course draws on science
and technology studies, bioethics, and other disciplines in the social sciences. Based on a comparative approach, the course first puts into question the meanings of the global and their associated global governance and global ethics. Then explores
guiding concepts drawing from thinkers about biomedicine and society, and examinations of institutions and frameworks tasked with governing transnationally, emphasizing the imbalances in power and access to health among nations and citizens. In the
second part of the course, we will discuss particular instances and issues that put into question different constructions of responsibility, citizenship, difference and identity, national borders, legality, and what brings us together as humanity.
Looking into specific cases, involving reproduction– including assisted reproduction technologies, abortion, and surrogacy, clinical trials, genetic technologies, medical tourism, human genetic modification, pharmaceuticals, and the prolongation
of longevity, we will examine how societies have reached different conclusions about ethical dilemmas in biomedicine, and the difficulties of coordination that governance requires.
We finish the course with a discussion of public participation
and frameworks of responsibility as avenues for better addressing these issues. The course involves both discussions of the theoretical approaches presented in the readings, and a critical examination of the cases presented, supported by texts such
as policy reports or columns.
The course and its readings will emphasize:
1. The diversity of disciplinary approaches and conceptualizations to problems and challenges in bioethics and biomedicine.
2. The role of institutions and different actors at different scales.
3. The framing of problems requiring attention and policy, including access to health and disparities between nations and citizens.
4. The mechanisms and ways of reasoning by which ethical norms are established or challenged.
5. The role
of economic, political, and social contexts in shaping responses to health and medicine.
BHH 6361 Narratives of Trauma
It would seem that traumatic experience creates something of a black hole in memory: the experience is “not fully assimilated as it occurs,” contends Cathy Caruth. In the face of its manifestation, we are challenged to “ask what
it means to transmit and to theorize around a crisis that is marked, not by simple knowledge, but by the ways it simultaneously defies and demands our witness.” Yet, Caruth continues, “such a question . . . can never be asked in
a straightforward way, but must, indeed, also be spoken in a language that is always somehow literary: a language that defies, even as it claims, our understanding.” How does such a language work? What is it like to be immersed in
it? What unique skills of narrative competence are called for in listening to stories of trauma? What does it mean to serve as a devoted audience to the sufferers of trauma, enter empathically in the fragmentation of sufferers’ lives,
and offer a companionship that encourages the construction of life stories through which hope for a future may be kindled? Addressing questions such as these becomes imperative as conditions of globalization, war, genocide, and violence associated
with population shifts and urban expansion prompt drastic increases in the incidence of trauma and in the devastating repercussions that flow from traumatic experience. In this course, then, we will indeed begin to address these questions.
We will consider a range of clinical and theoretical accounts ranging from Freud’s and Janet’s to those of recent writers who seek to integrate biological, clinical, and cultural perspectives to understand the phenomenon of trauma.
But we will also consider numerous works of fiction that depict and speak from the borderland of trauma’s vacuity, and inquire as to the value of such works in promoting an improved understanding of trauma and in suggesting responses to it that
have considerable clinical and therapeutic implications. The course will be divided into three parts: I. Trauma, Narrative, and History; II. War and the Undoing of Character; and III. Narrative and Resilience.
Biostatistics and Data Science Course Descriptions
BIOS 6303 Intro to Big Data Visual Analytics
The accelerated growth and complexity of biomedical data far exceeds our cognitive abilities to exploit it for the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of diseases. A promising approach to bridge this gap is through the emerging field of visual analytics
defined as the “science of analytical reasoning facilitated by interactive visual interfaces." This course provides the theoretical foundations and practical methods related to visual analytics focused towards the analysis and comprehension
of large and complex biomedical datasets (e.g., genomic data, and electronic health records). The theoretical foundations will focus on principles related to cognition, computation, and graphic design. The practical methods will focus on hands-on
experience in using commercial applications and research prototypes which integrate machine learning with visual analytics, neither requiring knowledge of programming. Through a required project, students will have the opportunity to integrate their
theoretical and practical knowledge of big data visual analytics to analyze, comprehend, and present complex patterns in a biomedical dataset. Application of the visual analytical methods to analyze COVID-19 and PASC patient data will be highlighted
during the course.
BIOS 6341 Categorical Data Analysis
This course surveys theory and methods for the analysis of categorical response and count data. The course begins with an overview of classic results and likelihood based inference for categorical data analysis (chi-square statistics). We will then examine
appropriate methods for dealing with contingency tables. Additional topics include logistic regression, model building strategies, multiple logistic regression, poisson regression, Loglinear Models, Multicategory Logit Models, and
Models for Matched Pairs.
Epidemiology Course Descriptions
EPI 6211 Cancer Epidemiology
This course builds on PHS 6330 “Introduction to Epidemiology” offered in the Fall of the previous year. This course will cover fundamentals in cancer epidemiology and current issues in cancer epidemiology and research. Cancer topics in the
theory and practice of cancer epidemiologic research and public health practice will be covered during this course, which include acquire information about the population distribution of cancer, etiology and prevention, and examine the role of lifestyle
risk factors, genetic variants, and environmental exposures in the causation of cancer.
Weekly assignments will include reading of cancer epidemiology scientific papers, preparation of a final written critique of a published study. Students will be responsible for leading a class presentation and discussions on various assigned topics or
readings (journal club format).
The tools and techniques presented in cancer epidemiologic have been selected because they:
- are widely used and can be applied by students without the benefit of advanced training in mathematics, statistics or computers;
- serve as fairly simple models which can be appropriately presented to a wider audience;
- provide a sound introduction to understanding more advanced concepts and techniques.
EPI 6212 Reproductive & Perinatal Epidemiology
This course presents the epidemiology of major reproductive and perinatal outcomes and offers an overview of human reproduction. The course covers the basic principles of reproductive biology and physiology as well as outcomes in reproductive and perinatal
research including fertility and fecundity and adverse pregnancy outcomes. The course will discuss unique methodological issues and novel study designs in reproductive and perinatal epidemiology. An emphasis of the course will the evaluation of the
current literature related to reproductive and perinatal complications as well as the design of a reproductive or perinatal epidemiologic study.
EPI 6395 Applied Epidemiology
This course is designed as an introduction to epidemiologic and public health aspects of infectious disease, chronic disease, and injury prevention and control. The course will provide epidemiologic frameworks for understanding, prioritizing, preventing,
and/or controlling these issues, with specific topics emphasized. Course materials, readings, discussions, and a semester-long project will provide an overview of these topics as well as an opportunity to select a specific topic to design an epidemiologic
study.
Global Health & Emerging Diseases Course Descriptions
GHED 6303 Global Health Governance & Diplomacy
The course aims to build capacity for achieving the health-related sustainable development goals by cultivating a better understanding of the governance structures for health, the challenges of program implementation, and the application of a health diplomacy
framework. The course will also discuss the challenges facing health systems during the time of pandemic, focusing on the role of governance structure and stewardship in shaping the pandemic response. Grades are based on submitting and presenting
weekly homework assignments, active participation and engagement in group work and professionalism.
GHED 6334 International Field Experience
This two-week course is designed to provide hands-on training in public health field studies in South America. The course focuses on investigation of a simulated outbreak of febrile illness in a rural community in northern Peru. The course includes training
in the design, conduct and publication of epidemiological field investigations. The fieldwork component includes specific abilities, such as GPS mapping, household interviews, collection of biological specimens from humans and household animals, trapping
small mammals, vector collection, and basic parasitology, bacteriology and virological techniques in BSL 2/3 laboratories. This course is directed at health professionals who have completed at least an introductory course with content in epidemiology
and who have at least basic Spanish language skills.
Population Health & Health Disparities Course Descriptions
PHHD 6160 Applications of Population Health
The primary objectives of this course are to apply knowledge of research design, epidemiology, and biostatistics in 1) developing hypotheses and research questions; 2) creating conceptual models; 3) developing and implementing analysis plans to test hypotheses
and research questions; 4) interpreting and translating findings from analyses; and 5) applying the skills, knowledge, and tools learned in courses to hands on research projects. A secondary objective is to provide students with a practical conceptual
and methodological framework for conducting empirical research in population health, clinical science, and rehabilitation sciences. Course assignments—readings, meetings, brief papers, and presentations.
Prerequisites: Introduction to Biostatistics, Introduction to Epidemiology, Introduction to Linear Models, Expected eligibility to sit for qualifying exams at next offering
PHHD 6304 Proposal Development
Students will be guided in writing a research proposal. Students will develop their own research projects, following a standard professional format for a dissertation proposal or small federal or foundation grant. Each section will be considered
in detail. One focus will be on presenting a clear and logical argument with a rationale for the proposed work with appropriate supporting references. A second focus will be on the writing itself and how to develop productive writing skills.
Students will share in critiquing one another’s writing in order to learn how to write clearly. Students will set weekly goals and keep a log of writing activities and progress. The semester’s project is a complete proposal.
PMCU Course Descriptions
PMCU 1050 Collaborative Approaches to Public Health
This course is designed to provide students with exposure to basic public health concepts and introduce students to community-based public health practice. Students will utilize basic public health skills to describe and explain population health problems
and will identify and review the evidence for policy and community responses.
Students will gain a better understanding of underserved populations, health and non-health needs that affect health outcomes, and community-based resources that align
with public health and medical education, training, and practice. The course includes an introductory overview of concepts and methods used in public health followed by more in-depth consideration of current issues in the field. Grading will be based
on, attendance and active participation, mentored team projects, presentations and other deliverables, and peer evaluation.
School of Population and Public Health Course Descriptions
SPPH 6011 Rotation
This course allows the student, under faculty guidance, to engage in a limited research project unrelated to his or her thesis or dissertation, but concerned with their area of study (Population Health Sciences, Clinical Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences,
or Public Health). Credit and hours to be arranged. Course grade will be based on satisfactory performance and accomplishments in the chosen research area.
SPPH 6016 Integrative Learning Experience
The Integrative Learning Experience (ILE) is a requirement of all MPH students. The ILE is a culminating project that allows students to integrate the knowledge and skills they have gained throughout their MPH coursework and practice experience. It is
intended to provide students with the opportunity to explore a public health area of interest in greater depth, produce a high-quality written product that aligns with their educational and professional goals, and demonstrate the synthesis of competencies
attained during the MPH program.
SPPH 6070 Applied Practice Experience
This course involves the completion of the Applied Practice Experience (APE) requirement described by the Council on Education for Public Health (CEPH). The APE allows students to gain experience and develop skills towards the application of public health
knowledge to address public health problems. Students are able to gain applied experience in a variety of settings, including governmental, non-governmental, non-profit, and for-profit agencies. The activities that are completed through this course
should be mutually beneficial to both the student and the selected site.
SPPH 6097 Research
This course is designed to afford the student the opportunity to develop a thesis or dissertation proposal under faculty guidance. The proposal development may involve a literature search, preliminary experimentation, or a pilot field study. The research
will be preliminary but relevant to the thesis or dissertation. Credit and hours to be arranged. Teaching technique is tutorial in nature.
Prerequisites: None
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year offered: Annually
Hours per week:
Variable
SPPH 6098 Thesis
Once admitted to candidacy, it is required for students pursuing a Master of Science or Master of Arts degree to enroll in this course. This course is for the formal research and writing leading to the preparation and completion of the thesis for the
Master of Science or Master of Arts degree while under the direction of the student's supervisory committee. The student will pursue the proposed research and present a progress report and/or agreed upon objectives to the mentor and/or supervisory
committee for approval and recommendations. Grading will be based upon the student's level of performance as reported by the chairperson of the student's supervisory committee and will be assigned as Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (N), or Unsatisfactory
(U).
Prerequisites: Admission to candidacy
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year Offered: Annually
Hours per week: Variable 3-9
SPPH 6099 Dissertation
Once admitted to candidacy, it is required for students pursuing the Doctor of Philosophy degree to enroll in this course. This course is for the formal research and writing leading to the preparation and completion of the dissertation for the Doctor
of Philosophy degree while under the direction of the student’s supervisory committee. The student will pursue the proposed research and present a progress report and/or agreed upon objectives to the mentor and/or supervisory committee for approval
and recommendations. Grading will be based upon the student's level of performance as reported by the chairperson of the student's supervisory committee and will be assigned as Satisfactory (S), Needs Improvement (N), or Unsatisfactory (U).
Prerequisites:
Admission to candidacy
Terms offered: I, II, III
Year Offered: Annually
Hours per week: Variable 3-9
SPPH 6142 Professional Career Development
This lecture-based course will inform students about academic and non-academic career options. Topics will include contemporary issues for careers in academic and non-academic settings, developing pre-doctoral skills to pursue careers in different settings,
and available resources to pursue different career options.
SPPH 6156 Grant Writing for Public Health Professionals
This course is designed to be an introduction into grant writing for public health professionals. Grant writing is a crucial component of public health practice and research. Students will gain applied skills for identifying and applying for public health
funding opportunities, including locating opportunities for funding, responding to calls for proposals, & writing effective grant proposals.
SPPH 6195 Professional Development
This course allows students to increase their knowledge and skills around current issues in public health, programs, and research in various areas, including public health, preventive medicine, health policy, advocacy, and community engagement.
The seminar also offers an opportunity for practical knowledge exchange and application of skills to help students become well-rounded practitioners in the field of public health.
SPPH 6227 Intro to Occupational Illness & Injury
This course will be taught in lecture format, with handouts and slides, using one text as reference. It will serve as an introduction to Occupational Medicine for the Preventive Medicine (Aerospace) Residency Program and is available for credit through
the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (GSBS). Students will learn the history of occupational medicine and get an overview of a variety of work and health related subjects.
SPPH 6338 Applied Public Health Leadership
This course is designed to provide Master of Public Health students with knowledge and skills around leadership.
SPPH 6367 Archer: Policymaking from Ground Up
This course will focus on the three key elements of federal policymaking utilizing assigned readings, classroom discussion, multimedia, case studies, external speakers, written assignments, and a semester-long analysis of a current federal topic involving
a final oral presentation.
SPPH 6368 Archer Center Washington Internship
This course consists of an internship in a governmental or non-governmental organization in Washington, D.C. The student is expected to work full-time (40 hours a week) at the internship, which may be paid or unpaid. Students are responsible for seeking
and selecting their internships. The Archer Center does not guarantee any internship placements, but Archer Center faculty and staff will provide students with information about internship opportunities and advice about placements. The Archer Center
faculty meet regularly with students to debrief and to integrate this practical training with other lessons in professional development.
SPPH 6369 Archer Center Independent Study and Research
This course is tailored to each student’s graduate program of study. An Archer Center faculty member will work independently with each student to develop a research project that is designed to advance the student’s academic and research goals. The project will align with the requirements of the student’s graduate degree. Individually, Fellows will identify a policy problem and develop and describe strategies for assessing the policy problem, develop strategies for resolving or addressing the policy problem, and determine linkages between specific academic/research interests, knowledge resources in the D.C. area, and their internship experiences. Collectively, as part of the policy working group, Fellows will read additional material specific to their policy area as a group and congregate to discuss and divergences, and providing a forum for networking.
SPPH 6682 Principles of Aviation & Space Medicine
This is a required course for all UTMB Aerospace Medicine Residents. Numerous experts in the field of Aerospace Medicine volunteer their time to lecture in this course. Course participants are expected to have completed an M.D. (or equivalent) degree
or be in their final year of medical school.
The intent is to provide a thorough familiarization with:
- The history of aviation, spaceflight and the specialty of Aerospace Medicine.
- Human physiology in aviation and spaceflight.
- Human factors engineering concepts related to aviation and spaceflight.
- The role of Aerospace Medicine specialists in the selection, training, medical certification and health maintenance of aviation and spaceflight personnel.