Combined B.A.-M.S. Program
Qualified undergraduates may apply for admission to the M.S. program and, if accepted, simultaneously work toward completion of the requirements for both undergraduate and graduate degrees. See Combined Baccalaureate-Master's Degree Programs for details.
Hpm 500 Health Care Organization, Delivery and Financing
(3)
This is an introductory course intended to familiarize students with the organization,
delivery and financing of the health care system. The course covers historical,
societal, political and economic forces influencing the accessibility, cost
and quality of personal and public health services. Descriptions of the current
structures within the system, as well as changes occuring (the advent of managed
care) and their effect are emphasized. Health care concepts and terminology,
provider characteristics, methods of financing, government regulations and private
sector services will be discussed. The course is designed to provide baseline
understanding of the US health care system and its dynamics. But it is also
meant to begin training the student on how to apply this understanding to issues
in health policy and management.
Hpm 501 (Eco 509) Health Policy Analysis and Management (3)
This course introduces students to policy analysis and management by examining issues in the health sector. It fosters an appreciation of the complexity of policy problems and provides the basic tools used in policy design, implementation and evaluation.
Hpm 502 (Pub 512) Central Issues in Health Policy (3)
An examination of some of the major issues confronting health policy makers in the areas of health systems, family and community health, and environmental and occupational health. Provides an overview of the impact of public policy on health status, with a more intensive study of a few specific problems such as the financing and organization of medical care for the elderly, retarded and mentally ill.
Hpm 503 (Epi 503) Principles of Public Health (3)
Introduction to the basic principles of public health and their application to the development of activities that benefit the health status of populations. The skills of epidemiology, biostatistics, health care planning and policy development, health care administration, and community organization are applied to the assessment of public health needs and the development of prevention and control initiatives.
Hpm 511 (Eco 511, Pad 503) Economic Analysis for Health Policy and Management I (3)
This course introduces students to the basic concepts of economic theory as they are applied to issues in the health sector. Topics include: the supply and demand of health services; resource allocation; the demand for health, health care and health insurance; and the role of government intervention and regulation in the health care market.
Hpm 514 (Epi 514) Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health (3)
The course covers a major statistical computer program (e.g., SAS) used for the management, analysis and reporting of public health data. Topics include, how to access data stored in a variety of formats; techniques for identifying errors and outliers in data sets; combining data from multiple sources into a single data file; calculating statistical and epidemiologic measures; and report writing.
Hpm 516 (Pub 516) Introduction to Health Policy, Ethics, and Politics (3)
Analysis and description of the health policy processes that stresses both ethical and political factors shaping the emergence of problems, policies and the adaptation and implementation of policy solutions.
Hpm 520 Fundamentals of Research Design (3)
This course introduces students to the steps involved in designing and/or evaluating a research paper. Topics include translating a curiosity into a researchable question and testable hypotheses, the logic of different modes of inquiry, choosing appropriate study designs and samples, measuring phenomena of interest, and interpreting results, as well as principles of research ethics.
Hpm 521 Introduction to Family and Community Health (3)
This course provides students with an overview of key issues and contributing factors related to the health of families and communities. It includes focus on current and emerging public health concerns at each stage in the life-cycle, the needs of special populations and the range of policy and program responses. The course provides a framework for assessing the health of families and communities and for developing strategies for intervention and promotion of health and wellness. Prerequisites: Hpm 501.
Hpm 525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (3)
This course provides an introduction to the role of social, cultural, psychological, and behavioral factors in determining the health of populations. Students will: gain understanding of the significance of social, cultural, psychological, and behavioral factors in relation to health status and well-being; learn to analyze public health problems in terms of the social, psychological, cultural, economic, and demographic factors that contribute to or protect from vulnerability to disease, disability, and death; and improve their ability to apply social science theory, research, and principals to the critical analysis of the appropriateness of public health interventions.
Hpm 530 Introduction to Maternal and Child Health (3)
This course will examine issues relating to women�s health during the childbearing years, children�s health from birth to adolescence and the interrelationship between mothers� and children�s health. Specific topics that will be covered include: (1) the history and structure of maternal and child health (MCH) in the U.S.; (2) surveillance systems and health disparities; (3) women�s health and perinatal, prenatal and postnatal care; (4) health issues during infancy, childhood, and adolescence; (5) health care needs of children with special needs; and (6) special topics including family violence and international perspectives in MCH.
Hpm 550 (Bus 681) Financial Management of Healthcare Institutions (3)
This course covers significant issues in the areas of working capital management, capital financing, cost analysis and rate setting, budgeting, reimbursement, managed care contracting, and cost controls. The course has been developed to maximize student opportunities for independent analysis, development of PC-based problem solving applications, and in-class discussion and evaluation of pertinent financial issues and problems. An emphasis is placed on uses of information generated through accounting and financial management systems to control operations in health care organizations. To promote such understanding, students receive problem oriented assignments and examinations in which they can apply knowledge and reasoning techniques gained from this and other courses to reach logical decisions that would effectively control operations in the simulated exercises. Prerequisites: Hpm 500 or Permission of instructor.
Hpm 560 Public Health Genomics (3)
This course introduces students to the emerging field of public health genomics, which is the application of genetic/genomic science to population-based health issues such as health promotion, disease prevention, surveillance, and quality assurance. Prerequisites: HBms 551 or permission of instructor.
Hpm 605 Philosophical and Ethical Issues in Public Health (3)
Systematic exploration of the fundamental philosophical and ethical issues in health policy, and the relation of political and ethical theories to policies. Because public health is concerned with the nature and scope of the public, a major focus of the course will be on political philosophy. Course will usually cover one area of public health each time it is given, examining ethical and philosophical issues relevant to that area. May be taken more than once with consent of the instructor Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Hpm 610 Topics in Women's Health (1-4)
This course is designed to provide students with knowledge regarding the health needs of women. It is intended to help students gain insight into the existing policy, institutional, cultural, and interpersonal barriers to women's health, as well as learning about strategies for overcoming barriers and meeting women's health needs. Furthermore, this course is intended to be interdisciplinary, thus exposing students to the perspectives of other disciplines as well as to the advantages of drawing on the strengths of many disciplinary perspectives.
Hpm 612 (Eco 512) Applications in Health Policy Analysis and Evaluation (3)
Current issues and research in health policy are analyzed using a political economy framework that builds on tools developed in Hpm 501/Eco 509 and Hpm 511/Eco 511. Policy topics include: Controlling risk and uncertainty in insurance and health care markets, Incentives for profit and non-profit status, Health care quality and cost-continment n fee-for-service and managed care regimes, Rules vs. Incentives for health care delivery, Graduate medical education and malpractice reforms, Industry incentives in technology acquisition, and Equity and ethical dilemmas in efficiency evaluations. Prerequisite: Hpm 501/Eco 509 and Hpm 511/Eco 511.
Hpm 615 (Pad 635, Pub 635) Health, Safety and Environmental Regulation (3)
Presents a political and economic assessment of risk regulation policies as they have developed for air and water pollution, work place risks, auto safety, drug regulation and nuclear power. Prerequisite: Hpm 501 or consent of instructor.
Hpm 618 Decision Analysis for Health Policy and Medicine (3)
Introduction to methods of decision analysis and how these methods may be used as an aid in making clinical and health policy decisions. Topics include quantification of uncertainty by combining objective and subjective information; measurement and evaluation of outcomes; comparison of outcomes with several attributes through utility analysis; assessment of the value of information obtained from single tests, multiple tests, and repeated tests; decision trees; decision making under limited resources, and formal applications of decision analysis. Prerequisite: An introductory course in biostatistics.
Hpm 619 Communication and Public Health (3)
This course will provide an overview to communication and public health. It
will introduce theories and introduce various topics, including interpersonal
and organizational health communication, risk communication, media campaigns,
and media effects on health. The course will also look at advertising and the
influence of new media on public health.
Hpm 620 Health Disparities and Community Health (3)
The goal of this course is to understand what contributes to health disparities in the United States. The course will discuss underlying assumptions of group definitions, why particular groups may experience disparities and individual versus ecological approaches to health in our current health system. This course will also cover theoretical frameworks for understanding and addressing health disparities in health promotion. The course is geared for students to critically think about and discuss health disparities and use the knowledge gained through the class in their work as public health professionals and researchers. Readings will be multidisciplinary; from the fields of public health, psychology, political science, disability studies, and gender studies.
Hpm 621 Health Writing and Communications (3)
Writing and communication skills are essential for all professionals, but especially those in the health field. This course will address writing skills and expose students to a wide range of health communication techniques used in the public health profession. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Hpm 626 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Chronic Illness (3)
This course examines social and behavioral factors in chronic illness. Theoretical and conceptual frameworks for viewing chronic illness in the context of individual and family development across the life course will be discussed. The course will focus on the impact of chronic illness on families, psychosocial factors influencing adaptation to chronic illness, and interventions to promote self-management of chronic illness. Prerequisite: Hpm 525 or permission of instructor.
Hpm 625 Introduction to Public Health in Aging (3)
This course will provide an overview of the demography, epidemiology and examples of successful aging in our society. Areas to be covered also include: chronic disease, health promotion/wellness programs, health services needs and programs for older persons and their caregivers and ethical issues.
Hpm 627 Public Health Education: Targeting Social, Organizational and Behavioral Factors to Promote Health (3)
This course provides an introduction to the application of theory, research, and field experience to the development of social and behavioral interventions targeting public health problems. Students will learn to: apply a systematic diagnosis process to determine appropriate targets and levels of intervention; be able to distinguish between individual, group, organizational, and community levels of intervention, and identify the strengths and limitations of each; and identify and apply relevant theory and research to intervention design. Prerequisites: Hpm 525 or equivalent.
Hpm 630 Childhood Obesity From a Public Health Perspective (3)
This course will examine the epidemic of obesity, particularly childhood obesity,
and how various behavioral and environmental factors place children at risk
of becoming overweight. Sources of influence that will be examined include:
children’s nutrition and physical activity behaviors, the family environment,
the school environment, and community characteristics such as fast food restaurants
and access to safe walking and bicycling paths. In addition, this course will
examine ethnic and socioeconomic differences in the prevalence of obesity and
its predictors among children and adolescents. At its conclusion, this course
will examine obesity prevention programs and their effectiveness.
Hpm 635 Economic Evaluation in Health Care (3)
Economic evaluation methods such as cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit, and cost-utility analysis are presented as paradigms for addressing health care allocation issues and for purposes of program planning. This is an application-oriented course that incorporates economic analysis and its role in medical decision-making and health policy evaluation. Prerequisites: Hpm 511/Eco 511 or equivalent.
Hpm 641 Organization and Management in Health Institutions (3)
This course is designed to cover the major aspects of managing both public and private health care organizations. These aspects include managing external relationships with key stakeholders like patients and providers, understanding the individual and group dynamics that occur within health care delivery settings, and applying the business and emerging tools used in managing on an everyday basis in health care delivery settings. Topics that would be covered in this course include the strategic management process in health care (overview), forming organizational alliances, human resources issues in managing health care professionals, organizational behavior and culture, business essentials in the areas of marketing, accounting, and finance as they apply to specific health management needs, and emerging management tools like quality management and health information systems. Prerequisites: Hpm 500, Hpm 501, advanced standing or permission of Instructor.
This course examines the legal setting of public health and the role of courts and legal reasoning in public health policy, as well as a wide range of current legal issues, from HIV and tuberculosis prevention to malpractice and provider liability. Prerequisite: Graduate standing.
Hpm 645 International Health (3)
Public health and health care systems of different types throughout the world are surveyed; their major health problems, policy and management choices identified; and their morbidity, mortality, cost and quality outcomes evaluated. Each student selects a different country for in-depth study and similarly presents its health problems and choices, and makes recommendations for improving its outcomes. Programs of International Health agencies, aid programs of donor countries, nongovernmental health organizations and international conference recommendations. Prerequisite: Epi 501 or permission of instructor.
Hpm 647 Program Evaluation (3)
Provide students with a basic understanding of and skills in the uses and principles of evaluation models and methodologies. The course will provide an overview of evaluation, evaluation models, evaluation design methodology, principles of sampling, principles of measurement and data collection, the application of qualitative and quantitative analysis tools to evaluation data, as well as methods for enhancing the likelihood that evaluation results are utilized. Both quantitative and qualitative models and methods will be discussed. Prerequisites: Epi 501, Sta 552, or equivalent.
Hpm 648 (Pad 644) Health Care Finance (4)
Examines major policy and implementation issues in the financing of health care, particularly the poor. Among the topics addressed are health cost containment, Medicaid, long term care, AIDS, and the provision of care to the uninsured. Prerequisites: Pad 503 and Pad 505 (or equivalent).
Hpm 649 (Pad 656) Health Care Cost Containment (3)
Examines major issues in the growth of health care costs and the design and implementation of cost containment proposals. Prerequisite: Hpm 541 or Hpm 648 (Pad 644) or consent of instructor.
Hpm 650 Strategy & Leadership Applications in Health Management (3)
This course deals with the application of strategic management principles, organization theory, and leadership skills to a variety of �real world� management issues in both private and public sector health organizations. Primary focus is placed on using a strategic framework for identifying, thinking about, and addressing these issues as a health care manager. The course emphasized group decision making processes and case-based learning. In addition, leadership and an understanding of organizational dynamics in health care are included as critical factors determining how well the strategic planning process will work. In this course, it is expected that students will bring knowledge learned in other courses to bear in making strategic assessments and decisions for various cases. Thus, it is strongly recommended that students take this course toward the end of their program of study.
Hpm 652 Quantitative Methods in Health Policy (3)
Students are introduced to a variety of statistical methods and problems encountered by health policy analysts, planners and administrators. Quantitative methods for solving these problems and journal articles provide real-world examples for students. Methods include: nonparametric statistical methods; medical and health policy decision analysis; quantitative methods for health policy analysis. Prerequisites: Sta 552 and Sta 553, Epi/Hpm 514 or Permission of Instructor.
Hpm 653 Public Health and the Challenge of HIV/AIDS (3)
This course is an overview of the public health response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. The content focuses on varying geopolitical levels from the U.S. to individual communities within New York State. A matrix framework is utilized to examine policy, program design, evaluation and financing of prevention, health care and social support services affecting different HIV-infected populations.
Hpm 669 Topics in Health Policy and Management (3)
Seminar format to study selected health policy issues. Possible topics include assessing the regulation of the medical care industry in New York; public policy for trauma prevention and care; learning about quality of care implications for public policy; improving the health of people in poverty; setting priorities in environmental and occupational health, theory and practice of health systems planning, nutrition programs and policy, international health, topics in women's health. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
Hpm 690 HPM Field Placement (3)
A field experience in which the student works closely with a mentor on a project in health policy, management, or social behavior and community health. The field placement will often provide the basis for the master's paper. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
Hpm 695 Master's Project in Health Policy, Management and Behavior (3)
Selected project in Health Policy, Management and Behavior for each student. A report representing the entire semester of study is written on the subject studied.
Hpm 697 Independent Study and Research in Health Policy and Management (2-6)
Supervised independent study or research of selected topics and problems of health policy and management. Prerequisite: Permission of instructor.
Hpm 698 Master’s Research (1)
This course is for students who have completed all coursework, but are still working on the completion of their field placement or Master’s Project to maintain continuous enrollment.
Hpm 699 Master's Thesis in Health Policy, Management and Behavior (3)
Hpm 753 (Psy 753) Psychometric Theory and Research (3)
This course familiarizes the student with theories and practices relevant
to the development and use of psychosocial measures in basic and applied
research. Rationale for the utilization of different strategies in the
development and analysis of particular measures will be discussed. Prerequisites:
Sta 552, Sta 553, Epi 501, Hpm 647.