PUBPOL 3280

Fundamentals of Population Health

Course Description

Course information provided by the 2026-2027 Catalog.

Population health focuses on the health and well-being of entire populations. Populations may be geographically defined, such as neighborhoods or counties; may be based on groups of individuals who share common characteristics such as age, race-ethnicity, disease status, or socioeconomic status; or may be specific patient groups attributed to accountable healthcare organizations using a variety of methods. With roots in epidemiology, public health, and demography, key tools of population health include health measurement, risk stratification, chronic care management, identifying upstream social determinants of health, cross-sector collaboration to improve prevention and wellness, and increasing health equity. Given the shifting health care environment - from fee-for-service to value-based care - students who are able to apply tools to measure analyze, evaluate, and improve the health of populations (and achieve the Triple Aim) will be well-positioned for jobs in health care, health policy, public health, and medicine (among others) as the field continues to evolve. (HCP-EL)

Forbidden Overlaps GDEV 3280, PUBPOL 3280, PUBPOL 5280

Enrollment Priority Enrollment limited to: sophomores, juniors, and seniors. Recommended prerequisites: GDEV 2200 or HD 1150 or HD 1170 or HD 2180 or PUBPOL 2030 or PUBPOL 2100 or PUBPOL 2208 or PUBPOL 2300 or PUBPOL 2350 or PSYCH 1101 or SOC 1101.

Distribution Requirements (SBA-AG), (SBA-HE)

Program Requirements (HCP-EL)

Last 4 Terms Offered 2025FA, 2024FA, 2023FA, 2022FA

Learning Outcomes

• Apply a population health and health equity perspective to problem solving.
• Calculate and use for decision-making, key population health metrics and methods.
• Leverage publicly available social, place, demographic, and health data to analyze the health of a local community.
• Analyze claims data to identify high cost patients and build tailored care teams to support patient needs.
• Recommend population health management practices (i.e., risk stratification, care coordination, complex care management, patient engagement, cross-sector collaboration), population health delivery models (e.g., medical homes, telehealth), and payment models (e.g., capitation; Medicaid waivers), to achieve the Triple Aim.
• Consider different perspectives and demonstrate multicultural competence and inclusive communication while working in diverse groups or sharing in Discussion posts.
• Explain how structural racism contributes to observed health disparities and apply a health equity framework to class projects and discussions.

View Enrollment Information