In addition to the above 22 foundational competencies, which are achieved through the program required courses, students are required to demonstrate the following competencies based on the track that they choose.
1. Epidemiology Track
Students who opt to specialize in the Epidemiology Track are required to complete, in addition to the program-required courses (30 credits), the following four track-required courses (3 credits each).
Epidemiology Track Required Courses
Note that students in this track must successfully complete Principles of Epidemiology and Principles of Biostatistics with a minimum passing grade of “B” in both courses to be allowed to take this Track.
Epidemiology Track Competencies
Public Health Surveillance:
- Construct a public health surveillance system to identify outbreaks and important health indicators utilizing credible evidence.
- Formulate and test hypotheses by examining empirical evidence.
Prevention Effectiveness:
- Design intervention strategies to promote public health practice.
Epidemiologic Thinking and a Public Health Approach:
- Demonstrate how an epidemiologic approach provides inference on causes and correlations of diseases.
Analytic Epidemiology:
- Determine the most appropriate epidemiologic study design to investigate different hypotheses.
- Analyze empirical data from an experimental study.
- Interpret empirical data from an observational study
2. Environmental and Occupational Health Track
Students who opt to specialize in the Environmental and Occupational Health Track are required to complete, in addition to the program-required courses (30 credits), any four of the following track-required courses (3 credits each).
Environmental and Occupational Health Track Required Courses
Environmental and Occupational Health Track Competencies
- Formulate interventions for environmental and occupational factors which adversely affect the health of humans.
- Synthesize and critically evaluate environmental or occupational literature to draw appropriate conclusions about the results.
- Evaluate and relate how regional and internationally accepted legislative frameworks, conventions, and protocols impact on environmental and occupational health outcomes.
- Apply interdisciplinary approaches to resolve environmental health problems.
- Apply risk management tools to calculate population risk profiles.
3. Health Policy & Administration Track
Students who opt to specialize in the Health Policy & Administration Track are required to complete, in addition to the program-required courses (30 credits), the following four track-required courses (3 credits each).
Health Policy & Administration Track Required Courses
Health Policy & Administration Track Competencies
- Analyze the steps and procedures in the design, implementation, and evaluation of empirically supported interventions and policies that are directed towards identified public health issues.
- Communicate, think critically, and creatively propose solutions related to health policy, management and health promotion programming for the issues of global importance.
- Demonstrate an understanding of professional and ethical issues related to stakeholder participation in the assessment and prioritization of community and population needs on a global scale.
- Identify market failures in the market for public health activities and health care.
- Apply principles of leadership, governance ad management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration and guiding decision making.
4. Global Health Track
Students who opt to specialize in the Global Health Track are required to complete, in addition to the program-required courses (30 credits), the following four track-required courses (3 credits each).
Global Health Track Required Courses
Students in the Global Health track are not required to come to Grenada to attend any of their classes.
Global Health Track Competencies
- Apply global principles, and monitoring and evaluation techniques to strengthen global health strategies and outcomes.
- Resolve common challenges that arise in working within diverse economic, political and socio-cultural contexts to address global health issues.
- Evaluate barriers and propose evidence-based and sustainable solutions to health and healthcare in middle and resource-limited settings locally and internationally.
- Apply the principles of community engagement in diverse and vulnerable populations to strengthen the role of communities in responding to global health problems at the local and national levels.
- Apply social justice and human rights principles in sexual and reproductive health among diverse and vulnerable populations.
5. Veterinary Public Health Track
Students who are enrolled in the DVM/MPH dual degree program are also required to complete the program-required courses (30 credits). Additionally, they will receive 12 credits from courses taken in the Veterinary School curriculum. These 12 credits, together with the 30 credits of Public Heath coursework and the 1 credit Seminar Series in Community Health offered by the Department, will form the basis of the DVM/MPH Dual degree.
* Only students who were enrolled in the DVM program before Fall 2016 are required to take PUBH 855: Seminar Series in Community Health.
The courses from which the DVM/MPH student will receive credit are as follows.
Veterinary Public Health Track Courses
Veterinary Public Health Track Competencies
- Identify and evaluate microbial hazards of animal origin to human health such as: zoonotic diseases; animal-associated food borne diseases; potential bio-agroterrorism agents, foreign animal disease.
- Select appropriate governmental regulations and professional standards for addressing animal-associated human health risks.
- Apply principles of veterinary sciences in the investigation and surveillance of animal-associated public health problems.
- Determine appropriate prevention and control strategies for animal-associated human health risks.
- Provide advice to stakeholders (pet owners, farmers) on animal-associated risk prevention and control for humans.
6. Preventive Medicine & MD/MPH Track
Students in the MD/MPH Dual Degree program are also required to complete the public health program-required courses (30 credits). Additionally, they will receive 12 credits from courses taken in the Medical School curriculum. These 12 credits, together with the 30 credits of Public Heath coursework and the 1 credit Seminar Series in Community Health offered by the Department, will form the basis of the MD/MPH Dual degree.
* Only students who enroll in the MD program before Fall 2016 are required to take PUBH 855: Seminar Series in Community Health.
The courses from which the Preventive Medicine and MD/MPH student will receive credit are:
Preventive Medicine & MD/MPH Track Courses
Preventive Medicine & MD/MPH Track Competencies
- Explain the epidemiological principles and microbiological factors involved in the transmission, prevention, and control of communicable diseases.
- Calculate and interpret the parameters of diagnostic and screening tests for disease detection in public health practice.
- Discuss strategies used to prevent communicable and non-communicable diseases to improve patient outcome.
- Interpret and analyze biomedical data on health promotion.
- Appraise scientific literature relating to the prevention and screening of diseases.