Course Listings
Public Health (PUBH)
PUBH 501. Advanced Professional Writing. 3 Hr. A review of English syntax and usage in professional writing; constructing and developing ideas; research and writing based on careful reading of author’s instructions, using the APA Style M annual, using library sources, and academic honesty.
PUBH 536. Worksite Wellness. 3 Hr. Overviews the field of health promotion in a worksite setting, offering a comprehensive introduction. Persons with interest in exploring the possibility of employment in health promotion in a worksite setting will find this course helpful.
PUBH 580. Prevention through Resilience. 3 Hr. The principles of resilience, resiliency theories and current research, resilience and stress and the mind-body implications, recognizing and eliciting resilience and resilient outlooks and behaviors in ourselves and clients, professional and public health implications.
PUBH 581. Rural Gerontology. 3 Hr. This course is designed to provide students with a broad understanding of current research information regarding health and social aspects of rural elderly in the United States. The course consists of lecture and class discussions.
PUBH 586. Public Mental Health. 3 Hr. This course will teach the students the principles, concepts, and methods of general epidemiology, and how to apply them to the study of the distribution and causes of mental disorders in populations.
PUBH 595. Independent Study. 1-6 Hr. Faculty supervised study of topics not available through regular course offerings. PUBH 601. Introduction to Community/Public Health. 3 Hr. An introduction to the field of community/public health with an emphasis on the relationship and role of public health to other disciplines in resolving public health problems. PUBH 605. Global Public Health. (Previously named International Public Health) 4 Hr. This course identifies and explores major global issues in public health including infectious diseases, malnutrition, famine, and water sanitation. Approaches for devising solutions to these problems in developing countries will be explored. Please contact Nancy Sanders to register. nsanders@hsc.wvu.edu
PUBH 611. Applied Biostatistics for Health. 3 Hr. Statistical models, distributions, probability, random variables, tests of hypotheses, confidence intervals, regression, correlation, transformations, F and Chi-square distributions, analysis of variance and multiple comparisons. For students in the MPH and CHPR programs.
PUBH 615. Nutrition/Chronic Disease Prevention. 3 Hr. This course addresses the role of nutrition and food components in primary, secondary, and tertiary disease prevention. Through cooperative learning, students will practice critical thinking skills in the study of nutrition in chronic disease prevention.
PUBH 617. Ethical/Legal Issues in Public Health. 3 Hr. This course provides an opportunity for sustained reflection on the many ethical and legal issues involved in public health. Ethical and legal frameworks will be identified and applied to the analysis of critical issues.
PUBH 618. Health Services/Outcomes Research Methods. 3 Hr. This course covers the key issues facing the health care system today and teaches the basic skills needed to evaluate health care programs addressing these issues. PUBH 619. Issues in Men’s Health. 3 Hr. Men are markedly at risk for specific health problems and complications. This course will provide skills for students to research and develop educational programs to improve health and well-being of men.
PUBH 620. Women and Violence. 3 Hr. This course examines the issue of violence in the lives of women across the lifespan and from a sociocultural perspective. Implications for health concerns and educational interventions will be addressed.
PUBH 621. Issues in Women’s Health. 3 Hr. This course examines a broad array of health issues and causes of illness that shape and define women’s access and understanding of health concerns across the lifespan, which includes examination of cultural diversity.
PUBH 623. Public Health Disaster Response. 3 Hr. This course addresses the basics of how public health practitioners respond to disasters, develop response protocols, and perform as skillful leaders in the 21st century.
PUBH 625. Biology Society and Human Health. 3 Hr. This course will cover fundamental biological knowledge about disease developments in individuals and populations. The interaction of social and physical environments with physiological, psychological, and emotional characteristics is emphasized.
PUBH 628. Aging Women & Cultural Issues. 3 Hr. This course will use a multidisciplinary approach to examine the impact of gender, race/ethnicity, and culture on aging and the aging population.
PUBH 629. Survey Methods. 3 Hr. This course presents scientific knowledge and practical skills used in survey research. Focus is on question construction and development, questionnaire design, sampling and survey modes, interviewing techniques, and survey data analysis.
PUBH 630. Policy and The Health System. 3 Hr. Overview and analysis of the development of health-related public policy in the United States, with particular emphasis on aging populations, policy development, process, and implementation on the state and national levels.
PUBH 631. Community-Based Participatory Research. 3 Hr. This course focuses on initiating and conducting research projects in meaningful partnership with communities, including human research ethics and community-based participatory research elements, principles, and theories via a combination of readings, lectures, videos, and exercises.
PUBH 645. Fundamentals of Gerontology. 3 Hr. This course introduces students to a broad spectrum of topics and issues related to aging by drawing upon several core disciplines and their contributions to the corpus of gerontological knowledge and research.
PUBH 646. Public Policy of Aging. 3 Hr. Analysis of major policy and public programs for older adults, including Medicaid, Medicare, Security, and the Older Americans Act. A major emphasis is placed on programs in West Virginia.
PUBH 650. Environmental Health. 3 Hr. A review of issues illustrating the responsibilities and roles of the public health work force in identifying, managing, and preventing casualties from environmental causes in air, water, soil, food, pesticides, and related subjects. Problems are illustrated using policy dilemmas facing West Virginia.
PUBH 660. Public Health Epidemiology. 3 Hr. Examines mortality and morbidity trends, disease and injury models, data sources classification, measures of frequency and association, research design, causal assessment, data interpretation, and screening from an epidemiological perspective.
PUBH 661. Advanced Epidemiology. 3 Hr. PR: PUBH 611 and 660. Causality and threats to validity in epidemiologic research are presented, focusing on assessment and control of bias, including selection bias, information bias, and confounding. Assessment and control of effect modification (interaction) are included.
PUBH 665. Worksite Evaluation. 2 Hr. Students are introduced to health and safety hazards associated with industrial operations through in-plant inspections, interaction with plant medical and safety staff, and in-class discussions.
PUBH 678. Adolescent Health. 3 Hr. An introduction to adolescent health, medicine, and risk behavior intervention. Topics include epidemiology of risk and health outcomes, theories of risk and methods for intervention, assessment and research on risk behavior change in adolescence.
PUBH 679. Public Health Seminar. 1 Hr. Students are given opportunities to synthesize information about the latest developments within the field of public health through dialogue.
PUBH 680. Health-Based Leadership. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 635 or equivalent. Gain personal understanding, knowledge, and growth in the human dimensions of leadership: developing rapport, trust, teamwork, and mentoring; managing tone and facilitating “problem” situations; evaluating systems and leading systems change; articulating vision, mission, and strategy.
PUBH 687. MPH Practicum Proposal. 2 Hr. PR: PUBH 611, PUBH 630, PUBH 650, PUBH 660, CHPR 612, PUBH 691E or CHPR 634. A structured, faculty-supported process for developing a proposal for the 300-hour practice- and theory-based practicum.
PUBH 688. MPH Practicum Report. 3 Hr. PR: PUBH 611, PUBH 630, PUBH 650, PUBH 660, PUBH 687, CHPR 612, PUBH 691E or CHPR 634, and PUBH 689. Provides students with the opportunity to report the results of their practicum projects to others via a professional paper and presentation.
PUBH 691. Understanding and Preventing Occupational Injury. This course will provide students with an introduction to occupational injury in the United States. It will cover the epidemiology of occupational injuries, explore causal pathways in depth, and provide a critical analysis of current prevention strategies and the regulatory and policy frameworks that impact occupational injuries. It will also explore several special topics, to be determined (e.g. workplace violence, repetitive strain injuries).
PUBH 689. Practicum. 3 Hr. PR: PUBH 611, PUBH 630, PUBH 650, PUBH 660, CHPR 612, PUBH 691E or CHPR 634, and PUBH 687. Under guidance of faculty and field counselors, MPH students will assume major responsibilities for intervention and practice projects during a semester in a community-based organization. Grading may be S/U.
PUBH 691 A-Z. Advanced Topics. I, II, S. 1-6 Hr. PR: Consent. Investigation of advanced topics not covered in regularly scheduled courses.
PUBH 693 A-Z. Special Topics. 1-6 Hr. A study of contemporary topics selected from recent developments in the field. PUBH 695. Independent Study. 1-6 Hr. Faculty supervised study of topics not available through regular course offerings.
PUBH 701. Qualitative Research Methods. 3 Hr. Application of qualitative research methods to public health issues. Students will learn about theory of public health qualitative research methodology, hypothesis generation, data collection, preparation, analysis, reporting, and conclusion.
PUBH 702. Public Health Program Evaluation. 3 Hr. Application of scientific public health program evaluation methods. Students will learn about theory and methods of program evaluation, identification of stakeholders, data collection, preparation, analysis, reporting, and conclusion.
PUBH 703. Social and Behavioral Measurement. 3 Hr. Theory and development of effective tools for measuring social and behavioral public health phenomena. Students will learn how to find, construct, and analyze effective social and behavioral measurement instruments.
PUBH 704. Mortality and Survival. 3 Hr. PR: PUBH 660 or equivalent, and basic proficiency in Excel. Life table and other population-based techniques and approaches to studying international and socio-demographic patterns and differentials in mortality, morbidity, and disability.
PUBH 705. Injury Control Research Methods. 3 Hr. PR: PUBH 660 or equivalent and PUBH 611 or equivalent. Evidence-based approach to increasing the knowledge and methodological skills necessary for basic injury (unintentional and intentional) control research.
PUBH 706. Current Research Issues. 2 Hr. The purpose of this course is to utilize research-based discussions to stimulate a unique information-gathering environment of current research and investigation.
PUBH 707. Applied Multivariable Statistics. 3 Hr. Basic theory and application of survival analysis, multivariate analysis of variance (MANOVA), and exploratory factor analysis.
PUBH 766. Medical Toxicology. 2 Hr. This course introduces healthcare providers to the clinical aspects of toxicology, including the evaluation and treatment of individuals and populations with potential toxic exposures.
PUBH 791. Epigenetics and Systems Biology: 3 credits: This course provides an overview of the ways that non-genetic factors interact with and influence gene expression; comparing and contrasting systems biology approaches to more traditional reductionist methods for investigating complex phenotypes.
Community Health Promotion (CHPR)
CHPR 170. Health of the Individual. 3 Hr. Examines personal health-related problems in terms of information, services, and actions, as they relate to attainment and maintenance of individual health.
CHPR 172. First Aid and Emergency Care. 2 Hr. Emergency aid for the sick and injured. Emergency services aimed at reducing the potential of permanent disability or threats to life, as well as pain, damage, or suffering of a less serious nature.
CHPR 210. First-Aid Teaching Practicum. 3 Hr. This class prepares students to conduct a first-aid course. Students work with the instructor in all aspects of course management. Students who complete this course are eligible to apply for instructor candidate training with the American Red Cross.
CHPR 250. History and Philosophy of Health Education. 3 Hr. Provides the student with a historical perspective of health education's development, its present status, and its current philosophical foundations.
CHPR 271. Health in the Community. 3 Hr. Develops an understanding of the organization, structure, and function of official, voluntary, and professional community health components in terms of their protecting and maintaining the health of the community.
CHPR 301. Elementary School Health Program. 2 Hr. PR: Junior standing. The organization, educational aspects, and personnel relationships involved in elementary school health services, healthful school living,
and health education.
CHPR 302. Secondary School Health Program. 3 Hr. PR:CHPR 170 and CHPR 301. Overview of coordinated school health: organizational structure, community and national partnerships, and instructional modalities/evaluation of secondary school methods.
CHPR 305. Disease Across the Life Span. 3 Hr. PR:CHPR 170. Students will identify causative factors, treatment, prevention, and educational implications for disease across the life span.
CHPR 320. Drug and Alcohol Abuse Prevention. 3 Hr. Experiences designed to prevent the development of abusive drug-taking relationships by focusing on psychological variables such as self-esteem, coping skills, and development of support networks.
CHPR 333. Foundations of Wellness. 3 Hr. Provide students with physical, mental, emotional, and environmental health concepts and experiences that will expand their knowledge and skills. These relate to the processes and techniques for promoting and maintaining individual and community health changes.
CHPR 400. School Health Teaching Seminar. 2 Hr. PR:CHPR 250 and CHPR 301 and CHPR 302. This course is designed for students who plan to complete their student teaching requirement in health education. Format of the course will include lecture, discussion, and student teaching in a public school.
CHPR 365. Men’s Health. 3 Hr. Optimal health is a theme for men across the lifespan. This course will address men’s health specific to race, ethnicity, and orientation, to provide skills to be an informed consumer of health information.
CHPR 380. Women and Health. 3 Hr. Examination of theories, myths, and practices surrounding women's physical and mental health from both historical and present-day perspectives. Exploration of specific health issues and controversies and the rise of the women's health movement.
CHPR 436. Introduction to Worksite Wellness. 3 Hr. An introduction to the field of health promotion in a worksite setting. Persons with interest in exploring the possibility of employment in health promotion in a worksite setting will find this course helpful.
CHPR 507. Community Health: Human Sexuality. 3 Hr. PR: Consent. Analysis of sex-related issues including parenting, sex education, sexual sanctions, pornography, sexual dysfunction, and sexual variance. Designed for teachers, health professionals, and interested lay people.
CHPR 509. Community Health: Drug Education. 3 Hr. PR: Consent. Designed to help students learn appropriate components of a drug education program, gain an understanding of drug taking in this society, and acquire insights into dependent behaviors.
CHPR 604. Advanced School Health. 3 Hr. PR: Admission to School Health Master’s Program. Course addresses the teacher’s role in organizing and implementing comprehensive school health programs at the elementary and secondary levels. Additional attention is paid to providing instruction specific to health educator skills and standards.
CHPR 612. Social and Behavioral Theory. 3 Hr. The focus of this course is on the role of individual behavior in attaining health. Integration of the concepts of health education and behavioral science to facilitate changes in health behavior is addressed. CHPR 613. Certified Health Education Specialist. 1 Hr. This course addresses competencies of a Certified Health Education Specialist (CHES), and prepares students for the national credentialing exam.
CHPR 614. Injury Prevention and Control. 3 Hr. The injury control problem is examined as a public health concern. Strategies and programs for injury prevention are studied for implementation with target groups who are overrepresented within the injury problem.
CHPR 633. Foundations of Wellness. 3 Hr. Wellness is examined as a component of health promotion. A wellness lifestyle is fundamental to promoting a holistic wellness concept. Quality-of-life issues and programs are explored for a variety of audiences.
CHPR 634. Health Promotion Research Methods. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 612. This course is designed to introduce students to the basic elements of conducting effective evaluation of health promotion programs.
CHPR 635. Management for Community/Public Health. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 612 and PUBH 601. The course provides students with the essential skills to be effective managers in the community and public health environment.
CHPR 638. Community Health Assessment/Evaluation. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 612 and PUBH 601. This course is designed to convey theory and practice for developing health promotion programs. The course addresses assessment and evaluation principles appropriate to a wide range of health promotion programs.
CHPR 640. School Health Program Design. 3 Hr. PR: Admission to School Health Master’s Program. Course provides a practical application experience for students to design a health education course curriculum, demonstrate classroom teaching, and self-evaluate their own teaching.
CHPR 642. Grant Writing for Public Health Research. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 612. This course addresses various components of the grant writing process, including collaboration, funding sources, proposal preparation, and grants management for the health professional.
CHPR 648. Intervention Design. 3 Hr. PR: CHPR 638. Students will apply information learned in CHPR 638 and other foundation courses in designing a health promotion intervention for a health agency or enterprise. Students will defend their intervention before their faculty committee.
CHPR 650. Practicum. 1-12 Hr. PR: Consent. Students are assigned to a field placement based on prior health promotion work experience. Under the supervision of faculty, students assume major responsibility for a program with a community health promotion organization. Grading may be S/U.
CHPR 655. Introduction to Health Promotion. 3 Hr. The course provides an overview of the Health Promotion/Health Education profession. Course material will assist Health Education/Health Promotion professionals-in-training to identify and pursue career goals.
CHPR 671. Community Health. 3 Hr. This course provides health educators with an introduction to community health focusing on organization, resources, programming, and special populations.
CHPR 680. School Health Concepts. 3 Hr. Addresses content areas for health education, the National Health Education Standards, the CDC Adolescent Risk Factors, and Healthy People 2010 Objectives as applicable to emotional health, injury prevention, disease and nutrition, and physical activity.
CHPR 690. Teaching Practicum. I, II, S. 1-3 Hr. PR: Consent. Supervised practice in college teaching of Community Health Promotion. Note: This course is intended to insure that graduate assistants are adequately prepared and supervised when they are given college teaching responsibility. It will also present a mechanism for students not on assistantships to gain teaching experience. Grading will be S/U.
CHPR 691 A-Z. Advanced Topics. 1-6 Hr. PR: Consent. Investigation of advanced topics not covered in regularly scheduled courses.
CHPR 693. Special Topics. 1-6 Hr. A study of contemporary topics selected from recent developments in the field.
CHPR 695. Independent Study. I, II. S. 1-6 Hr. Faculty-supervised topics not available through regular course offerings.
CHPR 697. Research. 1-15 Hr. PR: Consent. Research activities leading to thesis, problem report, research paper or equivalent scholarly project, or dissertation. Grading may be S/U.
CHPR 782. Supervised Applied Health Education Project. 1 Hr. PR: Advanced graduate standing or Consent. Doctoral students only. Plan and conduct a health education intervention in other than a classroom setting, i.e., a defined community.
CHPR 783. Supervised Health Education Research Report. 1 Hr. PR: Advanced graduate standing and Consent. Doctoral students only. A written report of empirical research of either a survey or an experiment.
CHPR 790. Teaching Practicum. 1-3 Hr. PR: Consent. Supervised practice in college teaching of health-related learning experiences. Note: This course is intended to insure that graduate assistants are adequately prepared and supervised when they are given college teaching responsibility. It will also present a mechanism for students not on Assistantships to gain teaching experience. Grading will be S/U.
CHPR 791 A-Z. Advanced Topics. 1-6 Hr. PR: Consent. Investigation of advanced topics not covered in regularly scheduled courses. Study may be independent or through specially scheduled lectures.
CHPR 792. Directed Study. 1-6 Hr. Directed study, reading, and/or research.
CHPR 793. Special Topics. 1-6 Hr. A study of contemporary topics selected from recent developments in the field.
CHPR 794. Seminars. 1-6 Hr. Seminars arranged for advanced graduate students.
CHPR 795. Independent Study. 1-6 Hr. Faculty-supervised study of topics not available through regular course offerings.
CHPR 796. Graduate Seminar. 1 Hr. PR: Consent. It is anticipated that each graduate student will present at least one seminar to the assembled faculty and graduate student body of his/her program.
CHPR 797. Research. I, II, S. 1-15 Hr. PR: Consent. Research activities leading to thesis (697), problem report (697), research paper or equivalent scholarly project (697), or a dissertation (797). Grading may be S/U.
CHPR 798. Dissertation. 2-4 Hr. PR: Consent. Note: This is an optional course for programs that believe that this level of control and supervision is needed during the writing of their students’ reports, thesis, or dissertations. Grading may be S/U.
CHPR 799. Graduate Colloquium. 1-6 Hr. PR: Consent. For graduate students not seeking course work credit but who wish to meet residence requirements, use the University facilities and participate in its academic and cultural programs. Note: Graduate students not actively involved in course work or research are entitled, through enrollment in the department’s Graduate Colloquium, to consult with graduate faculty, participate in both formal and informal academic activities sponsored by his/her program, and retain all of the rights and privileges of duly enrolled students. Grading is S/U; colloquium credit may not be counted against credit requirements for master’s degree programs.
CHPR 900. Professional Development. 1-6 Hr. Professional development courses provide skill renewal or enhancement in a professional field or content area (e.g., education, community health, geology.) These continuing education courses are graded on a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory grading scale and do not apply as graduate credit toward a degree program.
CHPR 930. Professional Development. 1-6 Hr. Professional development courses provide skill renewal or enhancement in a professional field or content area (e.g., education, community health, geology.) These tuition-waived continuing education courses are graded on a Satisfactory or Unsatisfactory grading scale and do not apply as graduate credit toward a degree program.