School of Public Health
Faculty
Dean
Philip Nasca, Ph.D.
State University of New York at Buffalo
Associate Dean for Academic Affairs
Mary Gallant, Ph.D., MPH
University of Michigan
Assistant Dean for Admissions and Student Affairs
Caitlin Reid, M.S.
Drexel University
Undergraduate Program Coordinator
Lue Ellis, B.S.
College of Saint Rose
Bio-instrumentation Program Director
John Tine, Ph.D.
Albany Medical College
Department of Biomedical Sciences
Nicholas Mantis, Ph.D., Chair
Department of Environmental Health Sciences
Patrick Parsons, Ph.D., Chair
Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics
Gregory DiRienzo, Ph.D., Chair
Department of Health Policy, Management & Behavior
Benjamin Shaw, Ph.D., MPH, Chair
Professors
David Carpenter, M.D.
Harvard University
Edward Fitzgerald, Ph.D.
Yale University
Shao Lin, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Howard Stratton, Ph.D.
University of California, Riverside
Martin Tenniswood, Ph.D.
Queen's University
JoEllen Welsh, Ph.D.
Cornell University
Igor Zurbenko, Ph.D.
Moscow State University
Clinical Professors
Mary Applegate, M.D., MPH
Johns Hopkins University
Dwight C. Williams, MSW
Rutgers University
Associate Professors
Erin Bell, Ph.D., M.S.
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Michael Bloom, Ph.D.
University at Buffalo
Douglas Conklin, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Diane Dewar, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Gregory DiRienzo, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Mary Gallant, Ph.D., MPH
University of Michigan
Akiko Hosler, Ph.D.
University at Albany
Janine Jurkowski, Ph.D., MPH
University of Illinois at Chicago
Igor B. Kuznetsov, Ph.D.
New York University
Jennifer Manganello, Ph.D., MPH
Johns Hopkins University
Roxana Moslehi, Ph.D.
University of British Columbia
Benjamin Shaw, Ph.D., MPH
University of Michigan
Barry Sherman, Ph.D.
University of Chicago
Wendy Weller, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Yuchi Young, DrPH
Johns Hopkins University
Recai Yucel, Ph.D.
Pennsylvania State University
Research Associate Professors
Sridar Chittur, Ph.D.
West Virginia University
Qishan Lin, Ph.D.
Chinese Academy of Sciences
Brian Parr, Ph.D.
Cornell University
Assistant Professors
Allison Appleton, Sc.D.
Harvard University
Christine Bozlak, Ph.D., MPH
University of Illinois at Chicago
Hyunok Choi, Ph.D., MPH
Columbia University
Beth Feingold, Ph.D.
Johns Hopkins University
Julia Hastings, Ph.D.
University of California, Los Angeles
Jason Herschkowitz, Ph.D.
University of North Carolina
Haider Khwaja, Ph.D.
University of New Brunswick
Ricky C. Leung, Ph.D.
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Tao Lu, Ph.D.
University of Rochester
Georges Potworowski, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Feng (Johnson) Qian, Ph.D.
University of Rochester
Ramune Reliene, Ph.D.
Swiss Federal Institute of Technology
Melissa Tracy, Ph.D.
University of Michigan
Elizabeth Vasquez, DrPH
New York Medical College
Tomoko Udo, Ph.D.
Rutgers University
Public Health’s mission is to address the physical, mental, and environmental concerns of populations at risk for disease and injury. Through a unique partnership between the University at Albany and the New York State Department of Health, the School of Public Health trains students to promote and improve the health of the population through education, research, community service, and leadership.
The School of Public Health is comprised of four academic departments: Biomedical Sciences; Environmental Health Sciences; Epidemiology & Biostatistics; and Health Policy, Management & Behavior. The School offers an undergraduate minor in Public Health and a Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health. Effective Fall 2015, the School of Public Health will begin accepting students into a new Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Bio-instrumentation. The School also offers the following graduate degrees: Master of Science, Master of Public Health, Doctor of Philosophy, and Doctor of Public Health.
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health
This degree sequence includes the educational objectives of nurturing critical thinking, analysis, and synthesis of information, and recognizing the historical and societal context of current trends in public health and health care delivery. It also provides an introduction to disease control and health promotion interventions, and determinants of health from a global perspective.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies major with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health requires an application during the sophomore or junior year. Applications are reviewed by the School’s Undergraduate Committee. Applicants must have completed a minimum of 24 credits prior to admission, and must have earned a grade of B or higher in A MAT 108. In addition, students should have completed the pre-core requirements and at least one public health course.
Please visit the School’s website https://www.albany.edu/sph/ or contact Lue Ellis, the School’s Undergraduate Program Coordinator for additional details: [email protected] or 518-442-3155.
Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Public Health
General Program B.S.: A minimum of 39 credits distributed as follows:
Prerequisite Core (9 credits)
A BIO 120 General Biology I
A MAT 108 Elementary Statistics
A PHI 115 Moral Choices
Public Health Core (21 credits)
H SPH 201 Introduction to Public Health
H SPH 231 Concepts in Epidemiology
H SPH 321 Global Environmental Issues and their Effect on Human Health
H SPH 332 Epidemiology and Biostatistics
H SPH 341 Promoting Healthy People and Communities
H SPH 342 How U.S. Health Care Works: Myths and Realities
H SPH 460Z Capstone: Evidence-Based Public Health
Electives (9 credits)
Students must complete at least 9 credits (three courses) of elective coursework, approved by the advisor. Of these 9 credits, 6 credits must be at the 300 level or above. Suggested elective courses are listed below, grouped into areas of emphasis that correspond to the main fields that make up public health. Because the undergraduate major is designed to give students broad interdisciplinary exposure to public health, students are advised to choose one elective from three different areas of emphasis. In rare circumstances, and with the approval of the advisor, a student who wishes to focus on a single discipline in greater depth can choose all electives from a single area of emphasis.
Note: Students may select other courses not listed below as part of their area of emphasis, with approval from their advisor. All elective courses in departments outside the School of Public Health will be available to students pursuing the Interdisciplinary Studies major on a space-available basis.
Policy and Management Emphasis
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges and Achievements in Public Health
H SPH/H HPM 310 Health Care in the U.S.: Key Policy Issues
H SPH/H HPM/A ECO 381 Economics of Health Care
A COM 465 Communication in Health Care Organizations
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Policy/Management focus)
H HPM 500 Health Care Organization, Delivery and Finance (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H HPM 550 Financial Management of Healthcare Institutions (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Social Behavior and Community Health Emphasis
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges, and Achievements in Public Health
A PSY 329 Health Psychology
A COM 465 Health Communication: Doctor-Patient Interaction
H SPH 343 Mass Media and Health Behavior
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Social Behavior focus)
H HPM 525 Social and Behavioral Aspects of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H SPH 421/H HPM 521 Preventing Disease, Disability and Premature Death
H HPM 531 Childhood Obesity from a Public Health Perspective (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Epidemiology Emphasis
A ANT 119 The City and Human Health
H SPH 202 From Cholera to Cancer: History, Challenges, and Achievements in Public Health
A ANT 418 Culture, Environment, and Health
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Epidemiology focus)
H EPI 501 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology I (Approval of department chair required)
H EPI 502 Principles and Methods of Epidemiology II (Approval of department chair required)
H EPI 503 Principles of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H EPI 514 Computer Programming for Data Management and Analysis in Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Biomedical and Environmental Health Sciences Emphasis
A ANT 119 The City and Human Health
A ANT 418 Culture, Environment, and Health
A CHM 425 Introduction to Undergraduate Research in Chemistry
H SPH/H EHS 323 Environmental Laboratory Perspectives in Public Health
H SPH 490 Field Placement in Public Health (Biomedical and/or Environmental Health Sciences focus)
H BMS 505 Biological Basis of Public Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H BMS 622 Cancer Biology (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
H EHS 590 Introduction to Environmental Health (Approval of department chair and course instructor required)
Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Bio-instrumentation
Research in the biomedical and biological sciences has been revolutionized in large part by advances in technology and instrumentation. These advances have increased the scope and throughput of research activities, and resulted in the development of new fields of study such as genomics and proteomics. Scientists can now study genomes and proteomes in their entirety, rather than focusing on just a few genes or proteins. The continued evolution and refinement of the instrumentation that facilitates these studies now places the ability to conduct this research within the reach of most research laboratories. The Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated interdisciplinary concentration in Bio-instrumentation is a combined major/minor program designed to develop students who have an in-depth knowledge of the theory and operation of state-of-the-art instrumentation currently in demand in biomedical, biology, biotechnology and public health laboratories. Students will also acquire a strong background in the biological sciences and be fully conversant with major public health issues.
Building upon a prerequisite core of general science and math courses, the degree curriculum provides a solid background in public health and in-depth theoretical and operational expertise in bio-instrumentation. Beyond the prerequisite core there are four facets to the program: the first consists of an introduction to the core components of public health; the second provides an in-depth understanding of the theory, operation, and application of instrumentation in molecular biology, genomics, proteomics, and cell analysis research; the third provides practical, hands-on research experiences with the use of instrumentation in these fields through internships in University laboratories; and the fourth provides real-world experience in the use of biotechnological instrumentation to address broader research questions, and an understanding of the expectations that come with a professional career in laboratory research, through cooperative training internships at local biotechnology companies or academic laboratories.
Admission Requirements
Admission to the Interdisciplinary Studies major with a faculty-initiated concentration in Bio-instrumentation requires an application during the sophomore year. Applicants must have completed 38 credits consisting of introductory science and math courses prior to formal entry into the major. Prerequisite courses can be fulfilled at UAlbany or by transfer from another institution. Applications are reviewed by the School’s Undergraduate Committee. An overall GPA of 2.5 will be required for admission. In addition, GPA in the prerequisite core science and math courses will be used as the selection criterion if there are more applicants than space available in the program.
Degree Requirements: Bachelor of Science in Interdisciplinary Studies with a faculty-initiated concentration in Bio-instrumentation
General Program B.S.: A minimum of 75 credits distributed as follows:
Prerequisite Core (38 credits)
A BIO 120 General Biology I
A BIO 121 General Biology II
A BIO 201 Introduction to Biological Investigations I (lab)
A BIO 202Z Introduction to Biological Investigations II (lab)
A BIO 212Y Introductory Genetics
A BIO 217 Cell Biology
A CHM 120 General Chemistry I
A CHM 124 General Chemistry I Laboratory
A CHM 121 General Chemistry
A CHM 125 General Chemistry II Laboratory
A CHM 220 Organic Chemistry I
A CHM 222 Organic Chemistry Laboratory I
A MAT 108 Elementary Statistics
A MAT 112 Calculus I
A PHY 140 Physics I: Mechanics
A PHY 145 Physics Lab I
Public Health Core (12 credits)
H SPH 201 Introduction to Public Health
H SPH/EPI 231 Concepts in Epidemiology
H SPH/EPI 332 Introduction to Biostatistics: Collection, Analysis & Interpretation of Public Health Data
H BMS 505 Biological Basis of Public Health
Bio-Instrumentation Courses (16 credits)
H BMS 310 Molecular and Genomic Approaches in Biotechnology I
H BMS 311 Molecular and Genomic Approaches in Biotechnology II
H BMS 312 Proteomic Methodologies in Biotechnology
H BMS 314 Animal and Cell Culture Model Systems
Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship Courses (6 credits)
Students will complete two of the following five courses:
H BMS 410 Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship, Molecular Core Lab
H BMS 411 Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship, Genomics Core Lab
H BMS 412 Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship, Proteomics Core Lab
H BMS 414 Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship, Cell Analysis Core Lab
H BMS 415 Instrumentation in Biotechnology Research Internship, Academic Lab
Bio-Instrumentation Co-operative Training Internship (3 credits)
H BMS 420 Bio-Instrumentation Cooperative Training Internship (Biotechnology Company/Academic Lab)
All undergraduate H SPH courses, H HPM 310, and H HPM 381, offered by the School of Public Health, are considered “liberal arts and sciences” courses for the purposes of meeting B.A. and B.S. degree requirements.
Courses in the School of Public Health are preceded by the school’s letter H.
