Public Health Leadership Program (GRAD)

The Public Health Leadership program (PHLP), which is housed in the Gillings School of Global Public Health, is an interdisciplinary academic unit dedicated to providing public health professionals with leadership education to meet the challenges inherent in assuring and improving population health. PHLP’s mission is to create public health leaders with the vision and ability to anticipate and solve future health challenges wherever they occur throughout the world. 

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.)

The redesigned UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health’s master of public health (M.P.H.) degree is for individuals who are passionate about solving urgent local and global public health problems. With a legacy of outstanding education, cutting edge research and globally-recognized leadership, the UNC Gillings School is creating the next generation of public health leaders through our integrated training curriculum and 21st-century curriculum.  The Public Health Leadership Program is home to master of public health concentrations in Leadership in Practice, Place-Based Health, and Population Health for Clinicians. Additionally, PHLP also co-leads the Global Health concentration.

Certificate in Field Epidemiology

The online graduate Certificate in Field Epidemiology is cosponsored by the Department of Epidemiology and the Public Health Leadership Program. The certificate requires the completion of 12 credit hours (4 courses) that are designed for working practitioners and emphasizes practical, applied skills.

Certificate in Global Health

The online graduate Certificate in Global Health examines the complexities inherent in improving health on a global scale. The curriculum for the certificate requires the completion of 9 credit hours (3 courses) that are designed to strengthen the global health competencies and abilities of healthcare practitioners.

Certificate in Public Health Leadership

PHLP offers an online graduate Certificate in Public Health Leadership. The certificate is a 9-credit-hour course of study. The content contains two required master’s of public health (M.P.H.) degree concentration courses in the Leadership in Practice concentration, along with a graduate elective course offered by the Public Health Leadership program.

The Public Health Leadership program (PHLP) is the academic home to master of public health (M.P.H.) concentrations in three areas: Leadership in Practice, Place-Based Health, and Population Health for Clinicians. Additionally, PHLP faculty are engaged in leadership and teaching and mentoring in the Global Health concentration. All M.P.H. concentrations offered by the school consist of a 42-credit-hour interdisciplinary and practice-based curriculum addressing the core functions and competencies of public health.

The Leadership in Practice concentration is designed to support professionals in all areas of public health practice, at every level of their leadership journey whether they are entry-level public health practitioners, public health executives, or in between. This concentration provides students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead teams, projects, organizations, and systems to eliminate inequities, improve conditions, and foster change in local and global communities. Through this concentration, students will be prepared to empower populations to live their best lives — no matter their location. The Leadership in Practice concentration is available in residential or online format, as a full-time or part-time course of study.​

The Population Health for Clinicians concentration is designed for medical students, practicing physicians, and other clinicians who wish to increase their knowledge in public health and population science to better serve their communities. This concentration offers a unique interdisciplinary focus on clinical, prevention, population, and policy sciences which enable students to improve clinical environment when they complete the program. This concentration is available only in a full-time, residential format.

The Place-Based Health concentration is designed for professionals who wish to engage and collaborate with diverse communities to promote access to services and care, economic security, home stability, higher quality social systems, and optimal health. This concentration is available only in a residential format, as a full-time or part-time course of study. Please note that this concentration is based in Asheville, NC through the Mountain Area Health Education Center (MAHEC).

The Global Health concentration is designed to train current and aspiring professionals to advance the health and well-being of populations in diverse global settings. Through this concentration, students will partner with governmental and non-governmental organizations, research institutions, and the private sector to develop and analyze public health programs and projects that are aligned with local cultures, contexts, and resources. This concentration is available only in a residential format, as a full-time or part-time course of study.

PHLP also offers three graduate-level academic certificate programs: the certificate in field epidemiology, the certificate in global health, and the certificate in public health leadership. These graduate certificate programs are offered only in an online format as administered by PHLP.

Professors of the Practice

Anna P. Schenck, Director, Public Health Leadership Program; Health Outcomes, Public Health Quality and Quality of Care, Cancer Prevention and Treatment, Research Methods for Public Health Practice, Aging, Associate Dean for Public Health Practice, Online Education, Certificate Administrator Public Health Leadership Online Certificate Program
Vaughn Upshaw, Concentration Lead (Leadership in Practice); Public Health Leadership, Online Education

Professors

Rohit Ramaswamy, Continuous Quality Improvement, Implementation Science, Online Education
Sue Tolleson-Rinehart, Population Health for Clinician, Health Policy

Associate Professors

Kauline Cipriani, Public Health Leadership, Diversity and Inclusion
Lori Carter-Edwards, Public Health Leadership, Online Education
Lori A. Evarts, Director Graduate Studies; Project Management, Team Effectiveness, Clinical Research, Leadership, Online Education

Assistant Professors

Karine Dubé, Public Health Leadership, Online Education
Cythnia Feltner, Concentration Lead (Population Health for Clinicians); Medicine
Tamarie Macon, Place-Based Health, Rural Health
Aimee McHale, Public Health Leadership, Online Education
Dana Rice, Public Health Leadership, Online Education
Sarah Brill Thach, Place-Based Health, Rural Health

Adjunct Professors

Timothy Gabel, Population Health for Clinicians
Russell Harris, Public Health Leadership
Daniel Jonas, Population Health for Clinicians, Health Services Research, Comparative Effectiveness
Linda Kinsinger, Public Health Leadership
Amy Lanou, Place-Based Health
J. Lloyd Michener, Population Health for Clinicians
Virginia Moyer, Population Health for Clinicians
Medge Owen, Public Health Leadership
Marcus Plescia, Public Health Leadership
Greg Randolph, Population Health for Clinicians, Quality Improvement
Kevin Sowers, Population Health for Clinicians
Paula Brown Stafford, Public Health Leadership
Hugh Tilson, Public Health Practice, Leadership, Epidemiology
Anthony Viera, Population Health for Clinicians
Sanjay Zodpey, Public Health Leadership
Adam Zolotor, Population Health for Clinicians

Adjunct Associate Professors

Ameena Batada, Place-Based Health, Rural Health
Martha Carlough, Population Health for Clinicians
Anthony Charles, Population Health for Clinicians
Nancy McGee, Public Health Leadership
Sandy Moulton, Leadership, Practicum Placements
Jacqueline Olich, Practicum Placements, Leadership, Global Online
Deborah Porterfield, Population Health for Clinicians 
Richard Scoville, Population Health for Clinicians

Adjunct Assistant Professors

Kathryn Andolsek, Population Health for Clinicians
Jim Bowles, Public Health Practice
Marcella H. Boynton, Population Health for Clinicians
Russell Coletti, Population Health for Clinicians
Sheri Denslow, Place-Based Health
Pamela Dickens, Public Health Leadership
Donna Dinkin, Public Health Leadership
Diane Davis, Public Health Leadership
Bahar Emily Esmaili, Public Health Leadership
Marie Lina Excellent, Public Health Leadership
Kim Faurot, Population Health for Clinicians 
W. Oscar Fleming, Public Health Leadership 
Jill Fromewick, Public Health Leadership, Rural Health
Jared Gallaher, Public Health Leadership
Erica Gregory, Population Health for Clinicians 
Jennifer Griffin, Epidemiology, Global Health, Online Education
Mamie Sackey Harris, Public Health Leadership, Global
Lisa Macon Harrison, Public Health Leadership
Sheila Higgins, Public Health Nursing
Elizabeth High, Public Health Leadership
Fabrice Julien, Place-Based Health
Leila C. Kahwati, Public Health Leadership
Katherine Kirkland, Public Health Nursing
Manish Kumar, Public Health Leadership, Professional Development
Brettania Lopes, Public Health Leadership
Rebecca Maine, Public Health Leadership
Karen Mastroianni, Public Health Nursing
Paul Meade, Public Health Leadership
Vanessa Miller, Public Health Leadership
Charles Mike Newton-Ward, Public Health Marketing, Online Education
Christine Pettitt-Schieber, Public Health Leadership
Sean Philpott-Jones, Global Health
Trista Reid, Public Health Leadership
Ghazaleh Samandari, Public Health Leadership, Global Online
Jennifer Sanchez-Flack, Place-Based Health
Tanvi Shah, Public Health Leadership
Michael Steiner, Population Health for Clinicians 
Amy Belflower Thomas, Public Health Leadership 
Gretchen Van Vliet, Public Health Leadership, Global Health
Meera Viswanathan, Public Health Leadership
Donna Warner, Public Health Leadership
Rachel A. Wilfert, Public Health Leadership
Louise Winstanly, Public Health Leadership, Ethics, Global Health
Jacqueline Wynn, Public Health Leadership
Susan Zelt, Public Health Leadership, Practicum Placement, Research Design and Management

Adjunct Instructors

Carol Breland, Public Health Leadership, Online Education
Jeannine Herrick, Public Health Leadership
David Holden, Public Health Leadership
Emily Kiser, Public Health Leadership

Professors Emeriti

Russell Harris, Population Health for Clinicians 
Arnold D. Kaluzny, Public Health Leadership 
William A. Sollecito, Public Health Leadership


 

The Public Health Leadership Program uses the PUBH abbreviation for course listings. PUBH courses are open to any student unless the individual course indicates permission of instructor is required. Visit the website for additional information.

Advanced Undergraduate and Graduate-level Courses

PUBH 420.  HIV/AIDS Course.  1 Credits.  

This course offers participants a multidisciplinary perspective on HIV/AIDS -- its etiology, immunology, epidemiology and impact on individuals and society. The course will ask what lessons about pandemics can be learned from studying HIV/AIDS, with a specific focus on parallels with COVID-19. Open to undergraduate, graduate, and professional students.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Pass/Fail.  
PUBH 610.  Introductory Spanish for Health Professionals.  3 Credits.  

This course is intended for students who know no Spanish or so little that they feel the need to start over. Students with more than two semesters of college Spanish are not eligible. The course covers the curriculum of first-semester Spanish taught within a health context, with a focus on speaking.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: NURS 610.  
PUBH 613.  Intermediate Spanish for Health Care I.  3 Credits.  

This intermediate course is the equivalent of the third semester of college Spanish. Students will hone their listening and speaking skills in class primarily through role-playing activities and class discussion. Activities center on an original film set in a health clinic in rural North Carolina.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 615.  Advanced Spanish for Health Care I.  3 Credits.  

Required preparation, third semester Spanish or equivalent. This advanced course reviews the grammar of the third and fourth semester of college Spanish. Students hone their listening and speaking skills through role-playing activities and class discussion. Activities center on an original film set in a Latino-run health clinic.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 690.  Special Topics in Public Health Leadership.  1-3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. Sections will focus on specific topics of current interest to health workers. Fliers describing the section offering will be distributed prior to registration each semester. Lecture hours per week dependent upon credit.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 696.  Independent Study.  1-3 Credits.  

Independent Study to address goals and objects of student. Prior faculty agreement is required. Registration for an independent study course must be completed after the learning contract has been approved and no later than the last day of "late registration" (the end of the first week of classes in F/S).

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  

Graduate-level Courses

PUBH 701.  Cost-Effectiveness in Health and Medicine.  2 Credits.  

Overview of economic evaluations of public health and health care interventions, understanding basic methods of cost-effectiveness analyses (CEA) and use of CEA to inform resource allocation decisions. Critically appraise CEA for internal validity and applicability. Explore controversial CEA issues, including methodological controversies and ethical issues for the prioritization of resources.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 702.  Systematic Review.  2 Credits.  

Course gives students background in assessing and conducting systematic reviews. Focuses on 1) reading, discussing, and critiquing systematic reviews on various topics; 2) reading background and methods articles on systematic reviews; 3) developing a focused question for systematic review; and 4) developing a protocol for a systematic review over the semester.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EPID 702.  
PUBH 704.  Foundations of Global Health.  2-3 Credits.  

Students will gain a broader understanding of population-based global health issues. Critically examines global health topics with learning from on-line modules and learning assignments and interactive seminars with student presentations.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 705.  One Health: Philosophy to Practical Integration.  1-3 Credits.  

This course explores the intersection of human, animal, and environmental health and facilitates the understanding of health as an inexorably linked system requiring multidisciplinary collaborative efforts. The One Health concept demonstrates the importance of a holistic approach to disease prevention and the maintenance of human, animal, and environmental health.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: ENVR 705.  
PUBH 706.  Advanced Health Policy for Clinicians.  3 Credits.  

An introduction to the fundamental organization, behavior, financing, and challenges of the health system of the United States. The course treats the entire edifice of American health care as "the American health system," and intends to examine it in toto, including by comparing it to other national health systems, and in part, by examining critical components of the system. Students must be enrolled in the Population Health for Clinicians Concentration or permission of the instructor.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 708.  Place-Informed Health Communications.  3 Credits.  

In-depth examination and practice of methods for communicating health messages to and with groups and populations. Public health communication theory, sociocultural issues, and communications contexts including place, are explored while developing communication skills and strategies. Topics include health communication research, data visualization, media advocacy, communication with policy makers, social media, public health presentations, use of technology, health promotion materials development, and health and media literacy. Emphasis on written and oral communication to promote health.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, SPHG 713 and PUBH 734.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 710.  Introduction to Global Health Ethics.  1 Credits.  

This course is designed to give students the skills to identify and effectively address ethical issues that arise in global health research and practice.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 711.  Critical Issues in Global Health.  3 Credits.  

Explores contemporary issues/controversies in global health through an interdisciplinary perspective; examines complexity of social, economic, political, and environmental factors affecting global health; analyzes global health disparities through a social justice lens; and exposes students to opportunities in global health work and research.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 712.  Global Health Ethics.  3 Credits.  

This course will introduce students to the theoretical and practical aspects of public health ethics. Develop student's analytical skills to evaluate ethical issues related to public health policy, prevention, treatment, and research. Topics include: ethical reasoning; concepts of justice; principles of interacting with communities; professional conduct and research. Online course.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 714.  Introduction to Monitoring and Evaluation of Global Health Programs.  3 Credits.  

Fundamental concepts/tools for monitoring/evaluating public health programs including HIV/AIDS/STDs, maternal/child health, environment, and nutrition. Concepts and practices in M&E will be covered: logic models, theory of change, indicators, data collection methods, process evaluation, research design, and mixed methods. Small group work to create M&E plan for global health case-study. Online.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 718.  Systems and Design Thinking for Public Health Leaders.  3 Credits.  

Using powerful tools from engineering and management, this course equips students to conceptualize, design, and analyze public health and healthcare delivery systems for successful implementation.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 791; Leadership in Practice students only.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 720.  HIV/AIDS Course.  1 Credits.  

This course offers participants a multidisciplinary perspective on HIV/AIDS and COVID -- their etiology, immunology, epidemiology, and impact on individuals and society. How pandemics are framed by a society determines not only how affected persons are treated but also the degree to which the rights of the individual are upheld.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 723.  The Political Determinants of Health.  3 Credits.  

The course uses Daniel Dawes' "The Political Determinants of Health" as its foundational text, with additional readings and resources to further supplement the students' understanding of how the political determinants - voting, government and public policy - operate to structure decisions and systems that allocate opportunities for people and communities to be healthy, to succeed and to thrive...or not.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPHG 721 or instructor permission.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 725.  The HIV/AIDS Course Online.  1 Credits.  

This online course offers a multidisciplinary perspective on HIV/AIDS -- its etiology, immunology, epidemiology, and impact on individuals and society. How HIV/AIDS is framed by a society determines not only how affected persons are treated but also the degree to which the rights of the individual are upheld.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 729.  Migration and Health.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the linkage between migration and health by taking into account existing models and frameworks that assess the dynamics of an increasingly mobile society. The course evaluates trends in health outcomes among migrants, social determinants of health that affect new migrants and migrant health across the life course. Other elements: labor migration and occupational health; place-based health; access to health coverage; health service provision to migrants.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 730.  Leading Quality Improvement in Public Health.  3 Credits.  

Overview of continuous quality improvement (CQI) and its important relationship to leadership. Focus on practical skills with sufficient theory to understand the origins of the philosophy and processes encompassed by CQI. For working practitioners with current or future management/leadership responsibilities within their organizations.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 791 prerequisite applies only to Leadership in Practice concentration MPH students; contact instructor if permission is needed.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 731.  Public Health Social Marketing.  3 Credits.  

Course will orient students to market-based strategies, models, and tactics for improving individual and community health status within the framework of marketing, strategic communication, and advocacy. Online course.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 734.  Place-based Theory in Public Health.  2 Credits.  

This course addresses concepts of place-based public health including the histories of people, landscapes, landmarks, culture, structures, and/or other aspects of place and how they provide assets and barriers for a community's health. Students compare public health concepts of a place-based approach with multiple disciplines' perspectives on place. Students integrate concepts with visits to, and experiences with, people and health institutions in Western North Carolina. Fall.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 736.  Individual Transformation Applied to Public Health and Place.  2 Credits.  

In this course, students assess personality preferences and leadership styles to better understand themselves, their values, and their relationship to the identities and values of others and effectively engage groups and communities. They examine social location and structures and their effects on preferences, personality, and styles; personal health; and public and community health. They deepen their knowledge and awareness to facilitate transformation of self and public health teams to implement multi-level change efforts.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 737.  Place-based Research & Evaluation Methods.  2 Credits.  

This course is an applied research workshop that engages students in foundational skill-building, from interrogating history and foundations of public health research, to developing a research question, describing methods and approaches, and sharing research findings, informed by place and practice. The course focuses on a range of research methods and how to appropriately apply them to study and improve health. Students develop a research study proposal in this course.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, SPHG 711, SPHG 712, SPHG 713, PUBH 734, and PUBH 736; permission from the instructor for students lacking the prerequisites.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 738.  Place-based Community Transformation.  3 Credits.  

This course explores the who, what, where, when, why, and how of community health transformation. We learn about cultural context, purpose, and approaches supporting and enacting health justice from community co-educators; engage with models (Participatory Action Research and Community-Based Participatory Research/Action) and resources; explore the roles of history, perspective, relationships, and trust in community work; visit to/with community co-educators, engage in community-collaborative activities, and analyze a community health transformation.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 737.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 739.  Place-Based Systems Transformation.  3 Credits.  

This course provides opportunities to understand, investigate, interrogate, and reimagine complex systems as they relate to health care, public health, and social drivers of health. Students evaluate a wide variety of factors impacting health outcomes using a case-based and problem-based approach in multiple systems, with place as a core construct.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPHG 713.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 740.  Implementation of Place-based Theory and Design in Public Health.  3 Credits.  

In response to Western North Carolina organizations' requests, students use place-based principles to understand public health issues and design community-based, multi-level interventions. Student teams and interested parties explore community priorities and perceptions, and then student teams develop sustainable plans for host organizations to implement.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, PUBH 734, PUBH 736, PUBH 737, PUBH 738, and PUBH 739.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 743.  Climate Change and Human Health.  3 Credits.  

This course will produce foundational knowledge for public health professionals to understand and help mitigate the global and regional human health impacts of climate change. This course leverages the expertise of experts in Asheville at the National Centers for Environmental Information and the Climate Program Office within the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisites, SPHG 711, 712, and 713.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 745.  Leadership Across the Program Development Continuum.  3 Credits.  

Introduces concepts and methods for: leading community health improvement efforts; implementing public health programs; evaluating their process and effectiveness. Grounded in public health practice, students will complete the course with the skills necessary to lead the design of a community health assessment and improvement process, and conceptualize and develop a program and evaluation plan. Working in interdisciplinary teams, students discuss and practice skills for building effective teams and accomplishing individual and group objectives through teamwork.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 746.  Applied Public Health Leadership in Program Planning and Evaluation.  3 Credits.  

SPH majors or permission of the instructor. Fundamentals of public health program planning and monitoring, with emphasis on applications in community settings and proposal development for program funding.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 747.  Project Management Principles and Practices.  3 Credits.  

Graduate students only. Provides an overview of knowledge and skills required for effective project/team leadership and management. Includes modules on leadership, management techniques, application of continuous quality improvement, and organizational designs that complement team-based organizations. Online course.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 748.  Leadership in Health Policy for Social Justice.  3 Credits.  

This course will provide students with the knowledge and skills to develop policies that address public health challenges, with an emphasis on improving health equity, promoting social justice, and creating systems in which the human right to health is given full effect.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 791, LIP students only.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 749.  MPH Year & Career.  1 Credits.  

Designed for students in the Population Health for Clinicians concentration in the MPH program who are actively working on their practicum/master's paper. Ten required evening sessions are scheduled in the fall and ten required evening sessions are scheduled in the spring.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 2 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 750.  Strategies of Prevention for Clinicians.  3 Credits.  

Designed for those interested in the clinical arena. Establishes a framework for examining prevention activities for clinicians, and then considers a number of important health problems and the evidence for applying prevention strategies to these health problems. Encourages active student participation and involves a multidisciplinary faculty. Students must be enrolled in the Population Health for Clinicians Concentration or have permission of the instructor to enroll.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 751.  Critical Appraisal of Health Literature I.  2 Credits.  

Emphasizes the process of critical appraisal of existing medical research literature, with examples from a variety of subject areas. Students must be enrolled in the Population Health for Clinicians Concentration or have permission of the instructor to enroll.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 752.  Critical Appraisal of Health Literature II.  1 Credits.  

Emphasizes the process of critical appraisal of existing medical research literature, with examples from a variety of subject areas. Student presentations of structured critical appraisals constitute about 50 percent of sessions. Students must be enrolled in the Population Health for Clinicians Concentration or have permission of the instructor to enroll.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 754.  Research Frameworks and Methods for Assessing and Improving Population Health.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to provide students with the fundamental research and analytic methods needed by public health leaders to assess the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of healthcare in order to improve population health. The focus will be on research skills needed by practitioners with the objective of improving health outcomes.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 755.  Translating Evidence into Practice for Population Health.  2 Credits.  

The course provides an engaging, intellectual environment for students to discuss conceptual frameworks, study designs, and population outcome measures for closing the gap between evidence and daily practice across important population subgroups and in diverse clinical settings. Students complete a series of assignments, including a final paper and presentation.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 760.  Clinical Measurement and Evaluation.  3 Credits.  

Provide a broad-based introduction to the concepts and methods of epidemiology with particular emphasis on their application in clinical research, clinical practice and health care policy.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
Same as: EPID 711.  
PUBH 763.  The Politics of Health Reform, Quality, Outcomes, and Effectiveness.  3 Credits.  

Systematic analysis of recent reforms to the U.S. health care system, including passage and initial implementation of the Affordable Care Act, with particular attention to how reform is intended to improve access, quality, equity, and effectiveness and whether reform can accomplish this while controlling cost.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 767.  Team Leadership in Research Navigation.  3 Credits.  

Team leadership and management practices with an emphasis on successful team leadership in clinical research. Team effectiveness strategies provide framework for development of successful leadership of teams undertaking clinical research.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 781.  Community Engagement and Leadership in Health.  3 Credits.  

PUBH 791 could be a co-requisite with another required concentration course, only with instructor permission. Students will gain a basic understanding of how to be leaders in applying principles of community engagement in public health programs and organizational settings by engaging different stakeholder sectors, promoting multi-level cohesion among different audiences, communicating strategies, and collaboratively designing community engagement and implementation plans.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 791, Leadership in Practice students only.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 782.  The Public Health Impact of Criminalizing the Marginalized.  2 Credits.  

This course will define criminalization and describe how this phenomenon disproportionately impacts the health of marginalized populations. Students will analyze the social construction of illicit behavior and subsequent criminal involvement and use the principles of life course theory and social ecological framework to explore associations between what is criminalized and health outcomes. The course will also describe the impact of criminalization on emerging health policy and introduce public health tools needed to address these challenges.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Pre- or corequisite, SPHG 711, SPHG 712, and SPHG 713; permission from instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 783.  Mass Incarceration & Public Health.  2 Credits.  

This course examines the public health implications of mass incarceration in the US. Using a public health prevention framework, students will investigate the intersection of the criminal justice system with health outcomes. Students will identify alternative strategies grounded in public health, social justice and human rights principles to create healthier communities.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, SPHG 711, 712, 713 preferred but not required; contact instructor for permission if SPHG 711, 712, 713 have not been undertaken.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 784.  Project Management Strategy and Application.  3 Credits.  

This course presents classic project management concepts and methods, applicable to research, public health, healthcare, information science and other team projects, with an aim to develop a toolbox of strategies to effectively manage projects using globally accepted theoretical frameworks; practice is gained via assignments, cases, lectures, and course project.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 785.  Community Engagement for Governance.  3 Credits.  

This is an applied service-based course in public health leadership. Students will engage with community-based partners to co-design and develop evidence-driven interventions that will strengthen collaborative infrastructure needed to address Social Determinants of Health.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 791; Pre- or corequisites, SPHG 711, 712 and 713.  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 6 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 790.  Fundamentals of Public Health Leadership.  3 Credits.  

This course is designed to gain a deeper insight into their own and others' leadership styles, behaviors, and emotional intelligence. Students will engage in a day-long active-learning workshop every other week and access videos, readings and assignments online. Students will engage with the instructor and peers in person via reflection journals, large and small group activities, leadership assessments. Students will produce a leadership development plan and generate a set of professional goals.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 791.  Core Principles in Public Health Leadership.  3 Credits.  

Course will introduce students to leadership theories and research, provide a context for leadership in public health, and help students learn core leadership skills.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 805.  Addressing Health Inequities and Social Determinants of Health through Service Learning.  1 Credits.  

This course bridges coursework and knowledge gained in health inequities with applied practice. Each semester, a specific health inequity and/or social determinant of health will be chosen based on current events. Students will hear from practitioners about how this issue affects public health on-the-ground as well as: participate in related service-learning projects with community/practitioner partners during Spring Break, incorporate reflection-in-action into activities and reflection-on-action to identify how they will incorporate lessons learned into future work.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit. 2 total credits. 2 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 810.  Population Health: Interprofessional Management in a Changing Healthcare System.  3 Credits.  

Admission to SPH graduate program required for course enrollment. Course experience will involve medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work students engaging together to learn skills and knowledge to apply population health principles. Key themes include inter-professional collaboration and teamwork, identification and stratification of populations-at-risk, and discussion of evidence-based care planning/coordination.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 811.  Population Health in Health Care: Field Experience.  3 Credits.  

This inter-professional field-based course offers opportunities to engage with students from medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and social work to learn skills and knowledge to apply population health principles in a primary healthcare setting. Students will work on team-based projects in primary care settings.

Rules & Requirements  
Requisites: Prerequisite, PUBH 810; permission of instructor for students lacking the prerequisite.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 886.  Field Practicum in Public Health.  1-6 Credits.  

The practicum or field experience is intended to provide the student an opportunity to integrate course work in a new or different type of health-related setting. This experience will be completed after most regular course work. The practicum cannot be only an observational experience.

Rules & Requirements  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 890.  Special Topics in Public Health Leadership.  1-3 Credits.  
Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit; may be repeated in the same term for different topics; 12 total credits. 4 total completions.  
Grading Status: Letter grade.  
PUBH 992.  Master's (Non-Thesis).  3 Credits.  

Permission of the instructor. A major paper on a problem relevant to public health practice. This study may extend over more than one semester. Credit is assigned accordingly.

Rules & Requirements  
Repeat Rules: May be repeated for credit.   

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Leadership in Practice Concentration

The Leadership in Practice concentration is designed for professionals interested in transforming health systems in all areas of public health practice. The program, offered on-campus and online, will provide students with the knowledge and skills necessary to lead teams, projects, organizations, and systems in local and global communities. The curriculum fosters relational skills needed to co-design systems with community partners in order to identify and prevent problems, mitigate and eliminate inequities, and improve and advance health outcomes. Leadership M.P.H. students gain skills and expertise in systems and design thinking, evidence-based problem-solving and decision-making, and community engagement and conflict management strategies. Graduates of the Leadership in Practice M.P.H. are equipped to mobilize change at the community level to advance equity and social justice, address underlying conditions that affect individual and population health, and innovate to improve the social determinants of health.  

Degree Requirements

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 711Data Analysis for Public Health Fall 12
SPHG 712Methods and Measures for Public Health Practice Fall 12
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 701Leading from the Inside-Out Spring 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
M.P.H Practicum
SPHG 703MPH Pre-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours) Summer 10
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Fall 20.5
M.P.H. Concentration
PUBH 791Core Principles in Public Health Leadership Fall 13
PUBH 730Leading Quality Improvement in Public Health Spring 13
PUBH 718Systems and Design Thinking for Public Health Leaders Fall 23
PUBH 748Leadership in Health Policy for Social Justice Fall 23
PUBH 781Community Engagement and Leadership in Health Spring 23
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
PUBH 992Master's (Non-Thesis) Spring 23
Total Hours42

Competencies

Students will develop the following Leadership in Practice competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.

LIP01. Prioritize public health values and ethics in a philosophy of leadership relevant to adaptive public health challenges.
LIP02. Demonstrate effective communication skills to promote a compelling public health agenda.
LIP03. Facilitate inclusive engagement and collaborative decision-making across professions and with diverse stakeholders to lead in public health practice.
LIP04. Design transformational systems and innovative approaches to ensure effective public health practice.
LIP05. Integrate research and practice-based evidence to continuously improve the quality of public health practice.
LIP06. Develop structures of accountability to promote good governance and stewardship of resources to improve population health.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Population Health for Clinicians Concentration

The Population Health for Clinicians concentration is designed for medical students, practicing physicians, and other clinicians who wish to increase their knowledge in public health and population science to better serve their communities. This concentration offers a unique interdisciplinary focus on clinical, prevention, population, and policy sciences which enable students to improve clinical environment when they complete the program. This concentration is available only in a full-time, residential format.

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the M.P.H. degree in the Population Health for Clinicians concentration

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
PUBH 760Clinical Measurement and Evaluation Fall 1 *3
BIOS 641Quantitative Methods for Health Care Professionals I Fall 14
PUBH 749MPH Year & Career (Part 1 - Fall 1; Part 2, Spring 1) Fall 1 followed by Spring 1 *2
M.P.H. Practicum
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours)0
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
M.P.H. Concentration
SPHG 702Practicum Assignments & Interprofessional Practice Activities Spring 1/Summer *1
PUBH 750Strategies of Prevention for Clinicians Fall 13
PUBH 706Advanced Health Policy for Clinicians Fall 13
PUBH 751Critical Appraisal of Health Literature I Fall 12
PUBH 752Critical Appraisal of Health Literature II Spring 11
Graduate-level "Selective" course for clinicians/practitioners Spring 13
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
PUBH 992Master's (Non-Thesis) Final Term3
Total Hours42.5

Competencies 

Students will develop the following Population Health for Clinicians competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.  

PHC01. Demonstrate the ability to think critically and analytically about the priority prevention needs of populations and appropriate prevention strategies, considering evidence about benefits, harms, and costs.
PHC02. Adopt a systematic approach to critical appraisal of health literature to inform the appropriate use of evidence.
PHC03. Demonstrate a clear understanding of, and ability to contribute to the creation and use of innovative system strategies that enable constructive dialogue and collaboration across all health stakeholders and build public health and medical systems that deliver quality, effectiveness, safety, and equity.
PHC04. Apply appropriate data collection methods to measure the burden of disease in a population, and to assess potential benefits and harms of various strategies to improve health and advance health equity.
PHC05. Synthesize evidence and disseminate findings that enhance the rapid translation of knowledge into policy and practice to promote population health priorities in clinical and community contexts.

Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) — Place-Based Health Concentration

The Place-Based Health concentration teaches individuals to apply place-based approaches to advance health equity in rural and under-resourced communities. The UNC Asheville–UNC Gillings Master of Public Health (M.P.H.) program, located on the campus of the Mountain Area Health Education Center in Asheville, N.C., will provide students with the knowledge and skills to engage and collaborate with diverse communities to promote thriving, healthy, connected communities for all. Through the Place-Based Health concentration, students will increase their confidence in developing, supporting, and sustaining collaborations that contribute to more equitable systems and better lives.

Degree Requirements

Requirements for the M.P.H. degree in the Place-Based Health concentration, available in Asheville only

M.P.H. Integrated Core
SPHG 711Data Analysis for Public Health Fall 12
SPHG 712Methods and Measures for Public Health Practice Fall 12
SPHG 713Systems Approaches to Understanding Public Health Issues Fall 12
SPHG 701Leading from the Inside-Out Spring 12
SPHG 721Public Health Solutions: Systems, Policy and Advocacy Spring 12
SPHG 722Developing, Implementing, and Evaluating Public Health Solutions (MPH Comprehensive Exam administered in class) Spring 14
M.P.H. Practicum
SPHG 703MPH Pre-Practicum Assignments Spring 10.5
SPHG 705MPH Practicum (200 minimum hours) Summer 10
SPHG 707MPH Post-Practicum Assignments Fall 20.5
M.P.H. Concentration
PUBH 734Place-based Theory in Public Health Fall 12
PUBH 736Individual Transformation Applied to Public Health and Place Fall 12
PUBH 737Place-based Research & Evaluation Methods Spring 12
PUBH 738Place-based Community Transformation Fall 23
PUBH 739Place-Based Systems Transformation Fall 23
PUBH 740Implementation of Place-based Theory and Design in Public Health Spring 23
M.P.H. Electives
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
Elective (Graduate-level courses, 400+ level at Gillings, 500+ level at UNC)3
M.P.H. Culminating Experience
PUBH 992Master's (Non-Thesis) Spring 23
Total Hours42

Competencies

Students will develop the following Place-Based Health competencies, building on the foundational public health knowledge they attain in the Gillings M.P.H. Integrated Core courses.

PBH01. Analyze the concept of place in multiple disciplines and in the context of key public health issues locally in Western NC and adapt these concepts to other settings.
PBH02. Apply deeper knowledge and awareness to facilitate transformation of self and public health teams in order to implement multi-level change efforts.
PBH03. Design applied research studies to explore a question of place-based public health importance.
PBH04. Apply principles and examples of community-led change that support, promote, and advocate for healthy and just communities.
PBH05. Apply principles of systems and design thinking to analyze systems and identify changes that promote health and social equity.
PBH06. Synthesize principles of individual, community, and systems transformation to co-create approaches with the potential to sustainably improve the social drivers of health and ultimately actualize health equity.

Admissions

Please visit Applying to the Gillings School first for details and information. Application to the residential M.P.H. is a two-step process. Please apply separately to (1) SOPHAS and (2) UNC–Chapel Hill (via the Graduate School application). Visit https://gradschool.sites.unc.edu/master-of-public-health/ for more details. If you are interested in the online M.P.H., please visit the MPH@UNC website and fill out an inquiry form.

Milestones

The following list of milestones (non-course degree requirements) must be completed; view this list of standard milestone definitions for more information. 

Practicum

Prior to beginning a practicum, students must: 1) have final grades in SPHG 711, SPHG 712, SPHG 713, SPHG 701, SPHG 721, SPHG 722 and SPHG 703 and 2) receive approval from the practicum team to begin their practicum hours.

To satisfy degree requirements, a Gillings M.P.H. practicum must:

  • Be an applied public health practice experience that addresses a health issue from a community or population (not individual) perspective.
  • Take place in a professional public health setting such as a health department, nonprofit organization, hospital or for-profit firm. To be appropriate for a practicum, University-affiliated settings must be primarily focused on community engagement, typically with external partners. University health promotion or wellness centers may also be appropriate. Faculty-supervised lab settings are not appropriate for the practicum.
  • Allow for the application of graduate-level public health skills.
  • Yield at least two student-generated, practical, non-academic work products (e.g., project plans, grant proposals, training manuals or lesson plans, surveys, memos, videos, podcasts, presentations, spreadsheets, websites, photos with accompanying explanatory text, or other digital artifacts of learning), produced for the practicum site’s use and benefit, that demonstrate attainment of five CEPH M.P.H. Foundational Competencies.
  • Be mentored by a supervisor (preceptor) with public health expertise and experience to guide the practicum work. (See “Preceptor Requirements” below.)
  • Take place in a location approved for student travel (UNC Travel Policy), and the student must complete UNC Gillings International Pre-Departure Travel Requirements prior to travel if applicable.
  • Comprise a minimum of 200 hours (equivalent to five weeks of full-time work).

Comprehensive Exam (Master's Written Exam)

A milestone degree requirement for all graduate students at UNC–Chapel Hill, including M.P.H. students at the Gillings School of Public Health, is the comprehensive exam. The comprehensive exam will cover the public health foundational knowledge and competencies covered in the  M.P.H. Core courses: SPHG 711, 712, 713, 721, 722. Students will have an opportunity to demonstrate synthesis and higher order learning of the 22 core competencies achieved in the M.P.H. Core courses during the exam. The written exam will be administered in SPHG 722 and graded by Gillings faculty.  Clear instructions on how to prepare for and complete the comprehensive exam will be provided.  Should students not successfully pass the comprehensive exam a remediation plan will be developed. Students cannot retake the comprehensive exam for 90 days after the initial exam and must be registered in at least one credit while taking the comprehensive exam. 

Culminating Experience (Thesis Substitute)

M.P.H. students must have permanent grades in all M.P.H. Core or concentration courses before taking the culminating experience (992) course. An Incomplete in any M.P.H. Core or concentration course will prevent a student from beginning the culminating experience (992) course. Each student completes a 3-credit culminating experience and produces a high-quality written product that is completed in the last term of the program of study. The high-quality written product demonstrates a synthesis of two foundational and two concentration-specific competencies appropriate to the student’s educational and professional goals. This culminating experience ideally is delivered in a manner that is useful to external stakeholders, such as nonprofit or governmental organizations, and could take the form of a course-based capstone project or master’s paper but will be tailored to the concentration a student chooses.

Academic Advising and Faculty Mentoring 

We are committed to providing quality academic advising and mentoring for all students. We ensure that M.P.H. students get the guidance they need with several components: 1) an orientation program that provides an overview of the types and sources of M.P.H. advising; 2) cohort advising sessions in year 1 to disseminate information that is relevant to course planning and registration (one-on-one advising is available to students at any point). One-on-one advising in year two as students prepare for graduation; 3) faculty mentoring that provides students with tailored support for their academic, professional, personal development, and practicum support.

M.P.H. students will complete a 14-credit-hour Integrated Core taught by an interdisciplinary team of instructors. The 6-credit first semester focuses on understanding public health issues, and the second semester, 8-credit focuses on creating solutions to those issues.

All M.P.H. students complete COMPASS (Core Online Modules to Promote and Accelerate Student Success). These self-paced online modules are open for students prior to their first academic year. Students can complete any and all parts of COMPASS up to and including the first week of class.

Electives

Students in the M.P.H. program are required to take 9 credits of elective coursework. Students are expected to use their electives in a thoughtful way to strengthen their public health knowledge/skills and are encouraged to consult with their academic coordinator early prior to the registration period for this purpose. In addition to those courses offered in the Gillings School there are many appropriate electives elsewhere in the University. 

For information on policies and procedures, please visit the Gillings School Student Handbook website.

Residency Requirements

Exit Survey

Public Health Leadership Program

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Director

Anna P. Schenck