Overview

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

Globalization and industrialization impacts on the health of the environment, populations, and workers. Environmental hazards in consumables (food, air, and water) and waste (liquid, solid, and gaseous) with special reference to hazardous waste. Risk assessment in community, workplace, and residential settings. A case studies approach.

COURSE DETAILS:

This is a graduate level overview of the multidisciplinary field of environmental and occupational health. We will cover a broad spectrum of environmental and work hazards, their interactions with human health and susceptibility, and their relevance to the effective maintenance and promotion of public health. 

Approach: The course has been designed using a hybrid standard lecture and flipped classroom model; there are 11 modules to complete throughout the semester. Students will learn through online study, in-class learning activities, a comprehensive group project, and a final class poster session. The main characteristic of the flipped classroom component is that content and material are delivered primarily outside of the face-to-face classroom, using online tools and educational technologies, while in-class time is used to work through problems, advance concepts, and engage in collaborative learning.   Every week, students will need to complete the activities outlined under the ‘Preparing for in-class learning’ section in canvas (generally watching a vodcasts, completing 1-2 readings, and preparing for in-class activities). It is important that students come to class prepared. Workplace, community and home exposures are considered with a case studies approach. The examples are chosen to be representative of the major media or settings in which environmental hazards are commonly encountered: water and wastewater, solid and hazardous waste, food, and air; in community, workplace, and residential settings in addition to global health threats such as climate, conflict and weapons of mass destruction. With support of the online and classroom lectures, the small group work will evaluate environmental issues and risks that have consequences for environmental and occupational health on a population basis. These may include analysis of classical or contemporary incidents, risk communication challenges, or future public health threats outside the basic topics below.

Basic Topics
1.     Principles of occupational and environmental health.
2.     Principles 2: Basic toxicology, risk assessment, risk communication.
3.     Human susceptibility and interactions with environmental exposures.
4.     Introduction to global environmental health issues including health effects of climate change.
5.     Introduction to occupational health. Shifting global economics and industrialization and impact on workers.
6.     Air Pollution and global disease epidemiology.
7.     Indoor air hazards, housing and human health.
8.     Human health impact of climate change.
9.     Water as an important route of exposure in human disease.
10.   Regulation and environmental health policy.
11.  The built environment.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

Objectives: Students will gain general familiarity with fundamental principles and general areas of knowledge that are important to the broad field of environmental and occupational health (EOH); the approaches used to anticipate, recognize, assess, and prevent or manage environmental health hazards and their associated health risks; the standard-setting processes, current regulatory policies, and points of controversy using representative examples of environ­mental and occupational health hazards. This course aims to expose students to numerous EOH issues and to encourage critical thinking and reflection on these issues as well as what we can do about them. Finally, this course aims to inspire interest in the role of the environment in promoting and maintaining the health of populations across the world.  Students will also develop collaborative problem-solving and leadership skills relevant to public health practice more broadly.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

RECOMMENDED READING: