Family and Preventive Medicine

[ courses ]

All courses, faculty listings, and curricular and degree requirements described herein are subject to change or deletion without notice. Updates to curricular sections may be found on the Academic Senate website: http://senate.ucsd.edu/Curriculum/Updates.htm.

The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine’s mission is to improve health through both clinical care and research. Studies undertaken by departmental members focus on epidemiology as well as behavioral, and clinical research, education, and clinical care. The department has a major education mission and hosts both an undergraduate degree and a doctoral degree in public health. It has a major role in teaching in the School of Medicine curriculum and hosts four separate medical residencies in Family Medicine (two), Family Medicine-Psychiatry, and Preventive Medicine. In addition, the department hosts the self-funding master’s degree (MAS) in healthcare leadership.

The Undergraduate Program in Public Health

Introduction

Public health seeks to improve human health through the development and application of scientific knowledge that helps prevent disease and protects the public from exposure to potential harm, as well as promotes health throughout the state, the nation, and the world.

The Department of Family and Preventive Medicine offers a bachelor of science (BS) degree in public health with the options of three different specializations (epidemiology and biostatistics; social and behavioral sciences; and health policy) or an individually tailored program. The epidemiology and biostatistics specialization offers courses on the determinants and distribution of disease at the population level with a focus on analyzing and interpreting public health data using statistical methods. A social and behavioral sciences specialization is offered for students interested in how behaviors influence disease. The health policy curriculum emphasizes the structure, process, and outcomes of health services and policies that are commonly used to motivate people to healthier lifestyles.

All courses taken for the major, including prerequisites, must be taken for a grade. Students must receive a grade of C– or higher in any course to be counted toward fulfillment of the major requirements.

Lower-Division Requirements

Biology (twelve units)

Quantitative Methods (at least four units)

Public Health Sciences (eight units)

Social and Behavioral Science Electives (twelve units [at least two courses in one discipline])

Upper-Division Requirements

Core Disciplines (twenty-four units)—All Public Health Majors

Epidemiology and Biostatistics (two courses, eight units)

Environmental/Occupational Health (one course, four units)

Social and Behavioral Sciences (one course, four units)

Health Policy (two courses, eight units)

Electives: six courses (twenty-four units)

If a student chooses one of the three specializations, taking at least eight units from that particular specialization is recommended. Additional units may be from courses listed under the “Specializations” or from those listed under “Other General Electives.”

Epidemiology and Biostatistics Specialization
BICD 136, BIMM 114, BIEB 100, Math 111A, Math 111B, Math 181a, Math 181B, Math 181C, Math 181E, Math 183, Math 186, Econ 120A, Econ 120B

Social and Behavioral Sciences Specialization
BIBC 120, BIPN 108, PSYC 134, PSYC 155, PSYC 179, PSYC 181, PSYC 184, PSYC 188, SOCI 137, SOCI 134, SOCI 136E, SOCI 136F, SOCI 137

Health Policy Specialization
Econ 130, Econ 140, Econ 141, Poli Sci 160AA, SOCI 152

Other General Electives
ANSC 148, BICD 134, COCU 170, ENVIR 130, ETHN 103, ETHN 142, ETHN 183, ETHN 185, ETHN 190, HDP 115, HDP122, Phil 148, Phil 163, PSYC 104, PSYC 155, SOCI 104Q, SOCI 108, SOCI 113, USP 144, USP 145, USP 147, Econ 125, Econ 142, Econ 143

Description of Upper-Division Specializations

The programs outlined below are strictly examples for the three areas of specialization, plus an additional example for premedical students. The purpose is to illustrate possible programs that fulfill the requirements of the public health major. There are many possibilities, and the choices made to construct these sample programs may (or may not) fit any particular student’s needs and may (or may not) coincide with actual courses offered in a particular year/quarter. These examples can serve as a guideline to the creation of individual programs. Detailed sample four-year course plans for the different specializations can be found on the website for the major and through the student adviser.  

Epidemiology and Biostatistics

Overview

Epidemiology is the core discipline of public health and is the study of the distribution and determinants of disease, disabilities, and death in human populations; the characteristics and dynamics of human populations; and the natural history of disease and the biologic basis of health. Closely linked to epidemiology is biostatistics, which is the development and application of statistical reasoning and methods in addressing, analyzing, and solving problems in public health, health care, and biomedical, clinical, and population-based research. Upon graduation, a student specializing in epidemiology and biostatistics should be able to:

  1. Explain the importance of epidemiology for informing scientific, ethical, economic, and political discussion of health issues.
  2. Define the basic concepts and terminology used in epidemiology.
  3. Calculate basic epidemiology measures.
  4. Describe the leading causes of mortality, morbidity, and health disparities among local, regional, and global populations.
  5. Describe the risk factors and modes of transmission for infectious and chronic diseases and explain how these diseases affect both personal and population health.
  6. Apply epidemiology measures to evaluate strategies to safeguard the population’s health.
  7. Describe the basic concepts of probability, random variation, and commonly used statistical probability distributions.
  8. Explain common descriptive techniques used to summarize public-health data.
  9. Analyze basic public-health data using common statistical methods for inference.
  10. Interpret results of statistical analyses found in public-health studies.
1. Core Discipline Courses
2. Electives

Social and Behavioral Sciences and Public Health

Overview

The social and behavioral sciences in public health address the behavioral, social, and cultural factors related to individual and population health and health disparities over the life course. Research and practice in this area contributes to the development, administration, and evaluation of programs and policies in public health and health services to promote and sustain healthy environments and healthy lives for individuals and populations. Upon graduation, a student specializing in social and behavioral sciences should be able to:

  1. Describe the multiple determinants of health and the interconnectedness of the physical, social, and environmental levels of influence.
  2. Identify the basic theories, concepts, and models from a range of social and behavioral disciplines that are used in public health research and practice.
  3. Identify the causes of, and disparities in, social and behavioral factors that affect the health of individuals and populations.
  4. Apply evidence-based approaches in the development and evaluation of social and behavioral science interventions to improve public health.
1. Core Discipline Courses
2. Electives

Health Policy

Overview

Health policy is a multidisciplinary field of inquiry and practice concerned with the delivery, quality, and costs of health care for individuals and populations as well as laws and regulations aimed at influencing health-related behavior. Upon graduation, a student specializing in health policy should be able to:

  1. Define public health and the related roles and responsibilities of government, non-government agencies, and private organizations.
  2. Recognize the impact of policies, laws, and regulations on both individual behaviors and population health.
  3. Apply the principles of policy analysis to the evaluation in policy interventions.
  4. Undertake analyses of legislation, administrative regulations, and interpretations of judicial opinions and agency rulings.
1. Core Discipline Courses
2. Electives

The Doctoral Program in Public Health

A PhD in public health with a concentration in epidemiology, health behavior, or global health is offered by the joint faculties of the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU) and the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine (FPM) with assistance from other departments in the School of Medicine at UC San Diego. Currently there are three specializations: epidemiology, global health, and health behavior.

For each specialization, the first year in this program involves full-time course work at SDSU with second- year full-time course work at UC San Diego. These two years fulfill the residency requirements for both universities. Students are expected to advance to candidacy in the third year. Applicants who enter with a master’s degree s are expected to graduate by the end of the fifth year.

Details of the following program can be found at

UC San Diego—http://publichealth.ucsd.edu/jdp/
SDSU—http://publichealth.sdsu.edu/phdmain.php

The Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Epidemiology

Stein Clinical Research Building, Room 349
Mail Code 0607
UC San Diego—http://epidemiology.ucsd.edu/
SDSU—http://publichealth.sdsu.edu/phdmain.php

The doctoral program in public health (epidemiology) was developed as a joint program in 1990 between the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego), and the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU). Students in the program complete course work and conduct research at both institutions. Faculty from each campus serve on advisory and dissertation committees, providing students with extensive exposure to experts whose research interests represent the interdisciplinary nature of modern public health. Dr. Deborah Wingard (UC San Diego) and Dr. Richard Shaffer (SDSU) codirect the program.

Requirements for the joint doctoral degree include

  1. successful completion of required course work
  2. passing written preliminary examinations in epidemiology and biostatistics
  3. passing written and oral qualifying examinations
  4. demonstrating proficiency in two computer-based statistical software packages
  5. demonstrating proficiency in teaching
  6. completion and successful formal defense of a dissertation

Typical areas of emphasis include infectious disease epidemiology, chronic disease epidemiology, cancer epidemiology, behavioral epidemiology, community-based trials, physical activity/exercise/nutrition and health. San Diego is ideally located in a large and ethnically diverse metropolitan center bordering Mexico and the Pacific Rim, enabling students to carry out population-based multicultural and multinational studies of health problems.

Time Limits

The goal of this policy is to encourage PhD completion in a timely manner.

Precandidacy limit. Maximum registered time to advance to PhD candidacy: 4 years

Support limit. Maximum registered time doctoral student is eligible for support: 6 years

Total time limit. Maximum registered time to complete all PhD requirements: 7 years

Degree and contact information may be found on our website: http://publichealth.sdsu.edu/phdmain.php. Admission requirements and application material can be found at http://publichealth.sdsu.edu/phdapplication.php.

The Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Global Health

Ash Building, Room 109
Mail Code 0622

Since 2007, a PhD in public health with a concentration in global health has been offered by multidisciplinary faculty in UC San Diego’s School of Medicine and the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University. Global health relates to health issues and concerns that transcend national borders, class, race, ethnicity, and culture, stresses the commonality of health issues, and calls for collective, partnership-based action to resolve these issues. Accordingly, emphasis is on preparing graduates with the fundamental knowledge, understanding, and specific skills necessary to become public health researchers and professional leaders in global health settings. Proximity to the U.S./Mexico border and expertise of many current faculty support and encourage a focus on infectious diseases (e.g., HIV, TB, STDs) and health of migrant populations, although students are expected to develop other areas of specialization within the global health concentration. These may be content areas, such as chronic/infectious disease surveillance and prevention, environmental health, health policy, and substance abuse, or methodological areas such as quantitative, qualitative, and spatial research methodologies that are applied to address health problems of global health significance. Dr. Steffanie Strathdee (UC San Diego) and Dr. Jenny Quintana (SDSU) direct the program.

Requirements for the joint doctoral degree include

  1. Successful completion of required course work
  2. Passing written and oral qualifying examinations
  3. Demonstrated proficiency in teaching
  4. Demonstrated cultural competence appropriate to dissertation area
  5. Completion and successful formal defense of a dissertation

The Joint Doctoral Program (JDP) in Health Behavior

UC San Diego Moores Cancer Center, Room 3063
Mail Code 0901
UC San Diego—https://meded.ucsd.edu/asa/goddp/joint_doctoral_program_in_public_health/health_behavior/
SDSU—http://publichealth.sdsu.edu

A PhD in public health with a concentration in health behavior is offered by the joint faculties of the Department of Family and Preventive Medicine in the School of Medicine at UC San Diego and the Graduate School of Public Health at San Diego State University (SDSU). Students in the program complete course work and conduct research at both institutions. Faculty from each campus serve on advisory and dissertation committees, providing students with extensive exposure to experts whose research interests represent the interdisciplinary nature of modern public health. Dr. John P. Pierce (UC San Diego) and Dr. Joni Mayer (SDSU) codirect the program.

Emphasis is on producing graduates with a mastery of the central concepts and analytic processes of health behavior. Graduates of the program are expected to establish advanced skills in applied behavioral analysis for population application; to establish expertise in advanced qualitative and quantitative research methods; to establish advanced skills in the application of interventions and research methods to health behavior in disenfranchised populations; and to establish skills necessary to understand and change health policy. Graduates of the program are competitive for a variety of research, teaching, and community service positions in areas such as academic institutions, local and state health departments, federal and international agencies, and both private and public-sponsored research institutions.

Areas of specialization currently include physical activity, tobacco control, skin-cancer prevention, nutrition and obesity, and HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis prevention and control. An additional emphasis will be placed on methodologies, such as measurement and related research issues; and ecological approaches to understanding health behavior. San Diego is ideally located in a large and ethnically diverse metropolitan center bordering Mexico and the Pacific Rim, enabling students to carry out community-based multicultural and multinational studies of health problems.

Time Limits

The goal of this policy is to encourage PhD completion in a timely manner.

Precandidacy limit. Maximum registered time to advance to PhD candidacy: 4 years

Support limit. Maximum registered time doctoral student is eligible for support: 6 years

Total time limit. Maximum registered time to complete all PhD requirements: 7 years

Information regarding admission is found in the current edition of the Bulletin of the Graduate Division of San Diego State University. To receive an application for admission, contact SDSU/UC San Diego Joint Doctoral Program in Public Health, San Diego State University, 5500 Campanile Drive, San Diego 92182-4162, (619) 594-2743.

For more information, please contact UC San Diego Graduate Coordinator, 3855 Health Sciences Drive, Room 3063, La Jolla, CA 92093-0901, (858) 822-2382.