Health and Behavioral Sciences
Chair: David Tracer
Undergraduate Program Director: Hyeyoung Nelson
Program Assistant: Maria Rase
Office: North Classroom 3018
Telephone: 303-315-7157
E-mail: hyeyoung.nelson@ucdenver.edu
Mailing Address:
Program in Health and Behavioral Sciences
Campus Box 188, P.O. Box 173364
Denver, CO 80217-3364
Overview
Public health is working to protect the environment, identifying sources of illness in population groups, controlling disease outbreaks, evaluating the economic impacts of changing demographics, developing interventions to promote healthy behavior, and producing health policy legislation. Public health draws from a broad array of disciplines, such as the social and behavioral sciences, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, business, economics, statistics, epidemiology, law and biology, and each provides unique insights for the diverse set of activities involved in public health practice.
Undergraduate Information
In response to the tremendous career and research opportunities in public health, the Department of Health and Behavioral Sciences in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS), in collaboration with the Colorado School of Public Health (CSPH), created an undergraduate major in public health. Most core classes for the public health major are team taught with one faculty member from the downtown campus (CLAS) and the other from the Anschutz campus (CSPH).
The mission of the Undergraduate Program in Public Health (BA/BS) is to prepare students with concepts, theories, and skills from social science, natural science, and public health disciplines to advance population health. We embrace a multidisciplinary approach, equip students with the capacity to respond to current and emerging issues in public health, and promote health equity, inclusivity, diversity, and social justice.
This degree is designed to accommodate as many student interests as possible. At CU Denver, we are committed to helping students develop their own individualized educational path; we strive to serve the needs of both the student who wishes to specialize in communication strategies for effective public health education campaigns, as well as the student who wants to hasten the translation of the latest bench science technologies into public health practice. To this end, the major consists of both BA and BS tracks.
Two options are available for the undergraduate major in public health: Bachelor of Arts (BA) or Bachelor of Science (BS). After completion of the program, students will have a broad background to serve as the foundation for a variety of career paths, such as immediate entry into public health positions, background training for a professional school (including but not limited to medical, dental, nursing, pharmacy or law school), or the pursuit of an advanced degree such as a master’s or Ph.D. in a range of social, behavioral or natural sciences.
Honors
Public Health majors can receive Latin honors if they register for a honors section of PBHL 4099 (Capstone Experience in Public Health), successfully complete the honors requirements of the course, and maintain a 3.5 overall CU GPA and 3.7 or higher PBHL major GPA at the time of graduation. Honors distinctions are awarded as follows for the degree, based on CU and major GPAs at the time of graduation:
- Cum Laude: PBHL GPA 3.70-3.79
- Magna Cum Laude: PBHL GPA 3.80-3.89
- Summa Cum Laude: PBHL GPA 3.90-4.0
Graduate Information
Please go to the Graduate catalog to read about our graduate programs.
Faculty
Professors:
jimi adams, PhD, Ohio State University
Karen Spencer, PhD, Indiana University
David P. Tracer, PhD, University of Michigan
Sara Yeatman, PhD, University of Texas Austin
Associate Professors:
Jennifer Boylan, PhD, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Patrick Krueger, PhD, University of Colorado
Ronica Rooks, PhD, University of Maryland College Park
Assistant Professors:
Emma Bunkley, PhD, University of Arizona
Hyeyoung Nelson, PhD, University of California Los Angeles
Research and Clinical Faculty:
Jorge Ivan Ramirez, PhD, Michigan State University
Professors Emerita:
Debbi Main, PhD, University of Colorado
Jean Scandlyn, PhD, Columbia University
Public Health (PBHL)
Course focuses on the principles, tools, and population approach of social epidemiology as it relates health to race, gender, and class. Contemporary topics in public health will be used as case studies to illuminate principles and tools both in lecture and in recitation sections. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Restriction: Restricted to Freshman level students
An overview of the discipline and practice of public health. Includes the history of the field, its population perspective, emphasis on prevention, tools and techniques. General principles of the field are illustrated through contemporary public health case studies. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 4 Credits. GT: Course is approved by the Colorado Dept of Higher Education for statewide guaranteed transfer, GT-SS3.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: GT courses GT Pathways, GT-SS3, Soc Behav Sci:Hmn Behav, Cul; Denver Core Requirement, Social Sciences.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
This course examines current issues in population growth, fertility, mortality and migration throughout the globe; introduces basic demographic tools; encourages critical thinking about the causes and consequences of population change. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Additional Information: Denver Core Requirement, International Perspectives.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
An in-depth study of selected social science perspectives/theories and their applications to population health. Topics will vary from semester to semester, with a particular emphasis on current, salient population health problems. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Introduces the basic concepts of public health and epidemiology, including assessment of disease in the community, the study of causation and association of disease with lifestyle and environmental risk factors, as well as related special topics. We recommend coursework in college algebra or higher as preparation for this class. We have found that students who take this class before completing their math requirements are at a distinct disadvantage in this course, which is math-intensive. Therefore a grade of C or higher in MATH 1110 or equivalent is strongly recommended. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Surveys core issues contributing to racial or ethnic minority differences in health status. Historical and contemporary U.S. health and social policy, including the areas of environmental health, sexual and reproductive health, children and immigrants, are examined. Cross-listed with ETST 3002. Term offered: fall. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall.
The focus of this course is on human sexuality using a public health lens, examining a number of sexual health issues and their relationship to individual, familial, organizational, and social-level influences. Additionally, we will focus on identifying both primary prevention and intervention approaches to reducing sexual risk factors and increasing healthy behaviors. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This introductory survey course focuses on the human health implications of environmental exposures. Topics include pathways of exposure, toxicology, risk assessment, regulations, and policy development. Additionally, environmental equity, ethics, globalization, international perspectives, climate change, sustainability, and activism are considered. Prereq: PBHL 2000 or 2001 with a C- or higher. Note: Students will not earn credit for this course if they have already earned credit for PBHL 2020. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: PBHL 2000 or PBHL 2001 with a C- or higher
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Provides an overview of the field of health promotion, including an introduction to key theories and methods, as well as exposure to the breadth of programs and diversity of settings through several case studies. Includes attention to health behaviors as contributors to current public health problems and community-based approaches to health promotion in addressing them. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Health policies may have a profound effect on quality of life. Accessibility, cost, quality of health care; safety of food, water, and environment; the right to make decisions about our health; these issues are vitally tied to health policies. This course provides a framework for understanding the social, political and economic dimensions of health policy. Prereq: PBHL 2000 or 2001 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: PBHL 2000 or PBHL 2001 with a C- or higher
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Introduces the multi-factorial nature of human health and well-being. Considers the influences of biology (genetics), behavior, environment, culture and social determinants, and health policy on the nature of disease and health problems from an integrated perspective. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Examines health and illness for individuals, families, and societies from multiple international perspectives, focused on topics such as traditional vs. Western medicine, characteristics of healers and therapeutic relationships, and stigmatized segments of society and their health status. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course discusses current research on decision making/behavioral economics, as well as its application to individual well-being and public policy. You will gain insights on how and why people can be irrational in their daily decisions. Cross-listed with ECON 3050 and PSYC 3050. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course takes a social and public health--as opposed to medical, biological or psychiatric--approach to understanding mental disorder and society. Course addresses historical definitions of mental illness, social patterns of mental disorder and treatment and experience of mental illness patients, focusing on the U.S. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Surveys core issues shaping health experiences and health status of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities in the United States. Historical and contemporary U.S. health and social policies that have directly impacted AAPI health and well-being in the United States are examined. Students will also engage with community leaders and partners committed to AAPI communities. Cross-listed with ETST 3060. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course examines public health approaches to analyzing health issues and identifying evidence-based and culturally appropriate interventions to reduce health inequities and improve global health. Focuses on challenges to global health such as under-resourced health systems, lack of effective global governance, aging populations, rising chronic diseases, and climate change. Prereq: PBHL 2000 or 2001 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: PBHL 2000 or PBHL 2001 with a C- or higher
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Surveys trends and determinants of sexual and reproductive health around the globe and in the United States. Examines the social and behavioral determinants of sexual and reproductive health and the influence of policy. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course introduces students to urban health and the various factors of the physical, social and health environments that affect well-being and vulnerability of communities and neighborhoods in cities. Note: This course will include a weekly collaborative assignment, a high-impact educational practice, that foster student engagement with active and problembased learning. Although not required, it would be helpful for students to have completed a 2000-level course from the undergraduate program in Public Health. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course provides a broad overview of the interdisciplinary field of public health aging, ranging from individual attitudes and beliefs about aging to policies that aim to maximize health and well-being among older adults. A key focus is on the diversity that exists among older adults and the promotion of healthy aging for all by examining changes to social, behavioral, and biological functioning with age. Note: Although not required, it would be helpful for students to have taken a 2000-level course in public health. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Explores the relationship between human migration, voluntary and forced, and social organization and culture in the modern world. Case studies include pastoralists, foragers, refugees, immigrants, sojourners, and settlers and their impact on health, culture, identity, ethnicity, tradition and nationality. Cross-listed with ANTH 3200. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course covers key issues in population health and emphasizes how sociological perspectives both challenge and augment biomedical perspectives on health and health care. We also discuss the social causes and consequences of race/ethnic, sex, and socioeconomic disparities in health. Cross-listed with SOCY 3440. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Experiences involving application of specific, relevant concepts and skills in supervised employment situations. Prereq: Students must have junior standing and at least a 2.00 GPA and must work with Experiential Learning Center advising to complete a course contract and gain approval. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Repeatable. Max Hours: 9 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 9.
Prereq: Junior standing or higher and at least a 2.00 cumulative GPA
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
Explores topics in public health. Topics will vary from semester to semester, with a particular emphasis on current topics. Prereq: Junior or senior standing or permission of instructor. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Within a limited period of time, middle and low income countries have experienced dramatic changes that affect the length and quality of peoples' lives. The health indicators for each country reflect a rich and meaningful context within interacting systems of economic, social, cultural patterns, and environmental and social justice. Analysis and contrast of public health indicators such as the millennium development goals develop an understanding of the complexity against a background of change. Prereq: Junior or Senior standing or permission from instructor. Cross-listed with URPL 6349. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Introduces applied methods of public health, including: analyzing community-level assessment data, developing a casual model for selected health outcomes, maximizing community participation in the assessment process, developing assessments as a team, and setting the stage for effective intervention and evaluation. Prereq: Upper division standing, a course in statistics, and an introductory course in epidemiology (HBSC 4001, 5001). Cross-listed with HBSC 5021. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Qualitative, ethnographic tools for practical applications in public health, including methods of direct observation, informant interviews, focus groups, structured ethnographic methods, rapid assessment and participatory action research. Basic analytic strategies, including review of computer software, coding and data display techniques. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course explores social inequalities in physical and mental health, the illness experience, the healing professions, health policy, relations between providers and patients, and the structure, access to, and financing of health care organizations, with some cross-national discussions. Prereq: PBHL 2000 or 2001 with a C- or higher. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: PBHL 2000 or PBHL 2001 with a C- or higher
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
The purpose of this seminar is to provide students with an understanding of how historical, psychosocial, environmental, and to some degree, biological and genetic factors contribute to inequality in health and health care. Prereq: PBHL 4040, PBHL 3001, PBHL 2051 with a grade of C- or better. Repeatable. Max hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Prereq: PBHL 2051, 3001, and 4040 with a grade of C- or better
A travel-study course that provides students the opportunity to work on global health issues in the context of a supervised internship experience. In addition to a formal internship placement or directed research opportunity, students attend formal lectures and participate in seminars devoted to addressing those health issues most relevant to the country in which the course is being taught. Prereq: Junior or Senior standing or permission from instructor. Cross-listed with ANTH 4080/5080. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Psychotropic drugs, both legal and illicit, are a predominant part of our everyday lives. This course examines their use and meaning within cultures of health and wellness, and the plant medicine, spiritual, social, political and economic issues that surround their production, use and misuse. Course activities focus on ethnographic research strategies and arts-based approaches to public scholarship. Prereq: Junior or Senior standing or permission from instructor. Cross-listed with ANTH 4090/5090. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Offers students the opportunity to integrate, synthesize and apply concepts learned throughout the core curriculum of the public health major to real-world issues. The course involves extensive writing and small group presentations on the epidemiological, global, social, environmental, and policy dimensions of current problems in public health. Prereq or Coreq: PBHL 2000 or 2001 and all or all but one of PBHL 2020 or 3020, PBHL 3001, PBHL 3030, PBHL 3070, PBHL 4040 with a C- or better. Students must enroll in that remaining course concurrently with PBHL 4099. Term offered: fall, spring. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq/Co-req: PBHL 2000 or 2001 and all or all but one of PBHL 2020 or 3020, PBHL 3001, PBHL 3030, PBHL 3070, PBHL 4040 with a C- or better, and take that remaining course concurrently with PBHL 4099.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring.
Public health views family violence from a prevention perspective. Our exploration of child abuse, intimate partner violence, and other forms of family violence will complement other disciplinary approaches by focusing heavily on the community and social factors that contribute to abusive relationships. Theories of power and coercion and approaches to researching these issues will be analyzed and discussed through our exploration of the various forms of family violence. Prereq: Junior or Senior standing or permission from instructor. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Prereq: junior standing or higher
Provides a foundation for a critical analysis of HIV/AIDS in global context, concerning topics such as disease, the body, ethnicity/race, gender, sexuality, risk, addiction, power, and culture together with a set of ethnographic texts that explore the epidemic's impact. Cross-listed with HBSC 4200. Term offered: summer. Max Hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Typically Offered: Summer.
We are bombarded all day with communication expressing a sense of risk, of danger, of threats to our individual and communal well-being. This class acquaints students with contemporary theory, research, and practice in health risk communication across a variety of threats both real and imagined. Cross-listed with COMM 5620, COMM 4620, and ENVS 5620. Max hours: 3 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
This course requires active independent learning based upon a written curricular outline and agreement with faculty in Public Health who supervise the student's work throughout the semester. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS undergraduate advising office for approval. Permission of instructor required. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Repeatable. Max Hours: 4 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 4.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
Students will engage in original research projects supervised and mentored by faculty. Students must work with faculty prior to registration to develop a proposal for their project and receive permission to take this course. Note: Students must submit a special processing form completely filled out and signed by the student and faculty member, describing the course expectations, assignments and outcomes, to the CLAS undergraduate advising office for approval. Term offered: fall, spring, summer. Repeatable. Max Hours: 6 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 6.
Typically Offered: Fall, Spring, Summer.
This course is reserved for CU Denver faculty-led study abroad experiences. The course topic will vary based on the location and course content. Students register through the Office of Global Education. Prereq: Upper division undergraduate standing and permission of instructor. Repeatable. Max Hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
An in-depth study of selected social science perspectives/theories and their applications to population health. Topics will vary from semester to semester, with a particular emphasis on current, salient population health problems. Prereq: Junior or senior standing or permission of instructor. Cross-listed with HBSC 5999. Repeatable. Max hours: 12 Credits.
Grading Basis: Letter Grade
Repeatable. Max Credits: 12.
Prereq: junior standing or higher