PAM 5280

Population Health for Health Managers

Course Description

Course information provided by the Courses of Study 2014-2015.

Provides students with training in the language, theories, concepts, methods, measurement, analysis, and implementation of population health. A framework of core functions and essential features of population health is used to familiarize students with the unique challenges of disease surveillance, health measurement and monitoring, identification of health indicators and determinants, measuring health disparities, and developing population health policies and programs. Key to this course is the role of epidemiology in evaluating population health, and developing interventions to improve different populations' health and reduce health disparities. Students develop competencies in population health analysis and management such as identification, analysis, evaluation, estimation, inference, implementation, and evaluation which are not only valued in the job market but also welcomed in a variety of research and other employment fields.

When Offered Spring.

Permission Note Enrollment limited to: Sloan students only.  

• Apply the basic terminology and definitions of population health to the study of health, health behaviors, and healthcare utilization.
• Understand and measure population health including disease classification, morbidity, disability, function, well-being, quality of life, fertility, and mortality.
• Identify and measure the social determinants of health and health disparities within and across populations.
• Describe basic demographic and health trends including leading causes of death, leading diagnoses (ICD-10), and leading DRGs.
• Use Census data to create a population pyramid and use ArcGIS to create a county-level choropleth map and understand the pros and cons of using choropleth maps to describe population health.
• Utilize demographic techniques appropriate to the study of population health including: population pyramids, life tables, age standardization, and risk adjustment.
• Identify and utilize descriptive social epidemiology including: measurement of risk, crude rates, specific rates, standardized rates, and risk ratios.
• Identify sources of population health data; access, analyze, and interpret population health data; display population health data in a meaningful format (e.g., create charts and graphs using Excel) and accurately interpret graphs and charts.
• Understand the contribution of different epidemiological study designs to population health research and identify methods/models for reducing bias.
• Utilize and apply skills learned in the class to work in small groups to conduct a county-level community health needs assessment.

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