During the two-credit longitudinal course, you will work at your own pace with assessments that mark your progress and assure you integrate your other electives with this learning. You’ll be introduced to the knowledge, skills, and range of care needs that physicians encounter in different roles in the public health system and how those skills serves to improve the health of communities through prevention, control of communicable disease, and environmental health. Importantly, you will revisit the role of social and societal factors that affect health and illness that disproportionately impact many communities. The course integrates your foundation of clinical, scholarly, and leadership knowledge with new public health principles and grounds it in the clinical cases you are encountering in your fourth-year electives.
As of the launch of the course on May 26, 2025, modules are being uploaded to this learning website in a just in time, rolling fashion. You will be notified via the Slack channel when new content is available.
- Explore and reflect on the role of physicians in public health practice and policymaking, including advocacy, community engagement, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
- Analyze and describe the current and emerging public health challenges, trends, and ethical considerations in the United States.
- Evaluate social determinants of health, such as the impact of socio-economic factors, cultural beliefs, and political determinants on population health outcomes and healthcare access; considering the biopsychosocial and socioecological approaches to health and illness.
- Critically evaluate public health data, including epidemiological studies, surveillance reports, and health outcome metrics.
- Hypothesize and propose public health interventions aimed at improving population health and reducing health inequities that are considerate of the appropriate stakeholders.
- Compare and contrast biomedical ethics and public health ethics.
- Interpret how public health concepts and principles affect real-world cases and community-based initiatives.
Course modules
Assessments
Formative, self-assessments that are at the end of each lesson.
Multiple-Choice Quizzes
Formative but required. These will be completed via E.Flo MD.
Students will utilize the Slack channel #public_health_virtual. This is where we will update you on content release and deadlines, and we will engage you in active discussion about clinical cases (formatively assessed with the expectation that you check and reply to the channel weekly).
Policy Brief Written Assignment
Low-stakes summative. More information to be released later in the course.
Final oral presentation
- Summative assessment.
- Review the handout Virtual Public Health Presentation located within the Assessment folder on the Rotation Overview section of the E.Flo MD course page and start considering what clinical cases might support this work. Obtain at least verbal consent from your patient to use their case for this presentation.
- A link will be provided later in the course to schedule your presentation date and time.
- Attend at least two presentations of your peers. This may require schedule negotiation with the preceptor of any other course you are enrolled in at the time of the presentations.
- Provide formative feedback to at least two of your peers’ presentations (these will be submitted via E.Flo MD).
Assessments
(Subject to change.)
|
Module |
Assignment |
Grade |
Outcome |
Grader |
Notes |
|
Reading assignments |
Formative |
Complete, Incomplete |
Automated |
|
|
|
Multiple Choice Quiz (via E.Flo MD) |
Formative vs low-stakes summative? |
Scored P/F |
Automated |
Content based off required reading. |
|
|
2: SDH |
Reading assignments |
Formative |
Complete, Incomplete |
Automated |
|
|
Case* Discussions (3) |
Formative |
Scored engagement |
JB, BL, CZ |
|
|
|
3: Science of PH |
Reading assignments |
Formative |
Complete, Incomplete |
Automated |
|
|
Multiple Choice Quiz (via E.Flo MD) |
Formative vs low-stakes summative? |
Scored P/F |
Automated |
Content based off required reading. |
|
|
4: Intersection |
Reading assignments |
Formative |
Complete, Incomplete |
Automated |
|
|
Policy Brief written assignment |
Low-stakes summative |
Scored |
JB, BL, CZ |
|
|
|
5: Interventions |
Reading assignments |
Formative |
Complete, Incomplete |
Automated |
|
|
Case* Discussions (3) |
Formative |
Scored engagement |
JB, BL, CZ |
|
|
|
6: Reflection |
Final Presentation (should cover all modules) |
Summative |
Scored by panel, peers |
JB, BL, CZ and peers in cohort |
|
*Cases may be authentic patients from other experiences or CBL prompts.
Assignments/Deliverables
References
- American Society of Health-System Pharmacists. (2021, January). Preferred Bloom’s taxonomy action verbs (Original Bloom’s taxonomy).
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (n.d.). Crisis and emergency risk communication (CERC).
- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee for the Study of the Future of Public Health. (1988). The future of public health. National Academies Press.
- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Assuring the Health of the Public in the 21st Century. (2002). The future of the public’s health in the 21st century. National Academies Press.
- Institute of Medicine (US) Committee on Educating Public Health Professionals for the 21st Century, Gebbie, K., Rosenstock, L., & Hernandez, L. M. (Eds.). (2003). Who will keep the public healthy? Educating public health professionals for the 21st century. National Academies Press.