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GW: Pathways to Public Health

Pathways to Public Health provides learners with a working knowledge of the issues public health professionals are striving to address every day. You will meet public health specialists who focus on dimensions of health relating to: the environment, family and community, personal behaviors and decision making, health services delivery and access, and utilizing data to both identify the underlying causes of disease, and to track and control the spread of disease.

Pathways to Public Health
8 weeks
2–4 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
Optional upgrade available

There is one session available:

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Starts Nov 21
Ends Dec 2
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Pathways to Public Health

About this course

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Pathways to Public Health introduces you to a wide array of topics that are fundamental to public health and its place within the broader health sector. These topics are an essential starting point for the study of public health, including as preparation for the Maternal and Child Health MicroMasters. This course examines important and impactful public health topics, approaches, and methodologies, including but not limited to: the genetic and biological basis for disease, environmental factors, social determinants of health, individual levels of behavior change, globalization, research methods, and many more.

This course provides a valuable introduction to core public health concepts, theories, and language that will inform your understanding of persistent and emerging health issues such as the COVID-19 pandemic, health disparities, and the impact of climate change on human health.

At a glance

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated programs:
  • Associated skills:Biology, Decision Making, Social Determinants Of Health, Research Methodologies, Maternal Child Health, Health Equity, Public Health, Climate Variability And Change

What you'll learn

Skip What you'll learn
  • Describe the essential functions and services of public health in both the domestic United States and international settings.
  • Discuss issues public health attempts to address relating to: health disparities, health services delivery and access, epidemiology, global health, changing health behaviors, prevention, influencing policy, and the importance of evidence in decision making.
  • Describe the various professional roles public health professionals play, and their intersections with outside professions.
  • Identify underlying influencers of individual and community health, including the social, environmental, commercial, and biological determinants of health.

Who can take this course?

Unfortunately, learners residing in one or more of the following countries or regions will not be able to register for this course: Iran, Cuba and the Crimea region of Ukraine. While edX has sought licenses from the U.S. Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) to offer our courses to learners in these countries and regions, the licenses we have received are not broad enough to allow us to offer this course in all locations. edX truly regrets that U.S. sanctions prevent us from offering all of our courses to everyone, no matter where they live.

This course is part of Maternal and Child Health MicroMasters Program

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Expert instruction
5 graduate-level courses
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
10 months
2 - 4 hours per week

Ways to take this course

Choose your path when you enroll.

Certificate

Free

Price

$379 USD

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Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

Expires on Jan 16, 2025

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edX support

Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

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