Population Health: OpportChal

3 Credits · Level: Graduate, Undergraduate

The efforts of societies to improve health and increase longevity have constituted a major on-going social revolution of the past 200 years. Our work this semester will be a wide-ranging survey of social, economic, demographic, and public health perspectives on that movement. Lectures, readings, and class discussions will examine – as much as we can – the health of populations. We’ll look at how population health has evolved over time, examining how it can be measured, as well changes in the major causes and distribution (disparities) of disease over time, social and economic factors affecting the incidence and severity of illnesses, and societal consequences of changes in mortality and health. Active participation in the discussions is a requirement for this class.