Concentrations

The Epidemiology Concentration prepares students for careers in epidemiologic practice across diverse public health settings. The objective of this concentration is to graduate students who will be able to:

1. (EPI 1) Apply advanced epidemiological study designs and analytic methods to assess associations between exposures and health outcomes.
2. (EPI 2) Implement appropriate statistical methods to analyze epidemiological data, interpret findings, and assess public health implications.
3. (EPI 3) Critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of epidemiologic evidence from peer-reviewed literature.
4. (EPI 4) Integrate epidemiological concepts and methods to address public health issues within a specific domain (e.g. cardiovascular disease, infectious disease, or mental health).
5. (EPI 5) Communicate epidemiologic findings effectively to scientific and lay audiences using appropriate formats and strategies.

Concentration lead: Dr. Richard Garfein

Required Courses (16 units total):

• PH 415 - Advanced Epidemiological Methods (4 units)
• PH 419 - Biostatistics II (4 units)

• PH 413 - Ethics in Public Health Research and Practice (4 units)
• PH 417 - Cardiovascular Disease Epidemiology (4 units)
• PH 418 - Infectious Diseases: Epidemiologic Methods and Emerging Trends (4 units)
• PH 420 - Infectious Disease Epidemic and Health Economic Modeling (4 units) 
• PH 425 - Epidemiology of Public Mental Health (4 units)

Sample Course Plan

The Health Behavior concentration will address the behavioral, social, and cultural factors related to individual and population health and health disparities. The objective of this concentration is to graduate students who will be able to:

1. (HB 1) Identify and understand the multilevel behavioral determinants of health that are individual, environmental, and social and health disparities stemming from them.
2. (HB 2) Understand and apply theories and models from psychosocial, behavioral, and medical disciplines to health behavior changes and promotion.
3. (HB 3) Apply evidence-based approaches in evaluating and designing interventions that improve individual and public health.
4. (HB 4) Understand methodological considerations in interpretations and applications of biopsychosocial factors in health outcomes.
5. (HB 5) Understand and apply ethical considerations in health behavior and intervention research and practice.
6. (HB 6) Understand and demonstrate knowledge in promotion of health in the community in a culturally sensitive and equitable manner.

Concentration lead: Dr. Suzi Hong

Required Courses (16 units total):

• PH 410 - Health Behavior Interventions (4 units)
• PH 411 - Program Optimization and Evaluation (4 units)
• PH 413 - Ethics in Public Health Research and Practice (4 units)

Any one of the following courses:

• PH 412 - Health Promotion and Communication (4 units)
• PH 419 - Biostatistics II (4 units)
• PH 426 - Mental Health, Health Behavior, and Addiction (4 units)
• PH 429 - Substance Use & Population Health (4 units) 

Sample Course Plan

The Public Mental Health concentration aims to train students to recognize and address mental health issues at a population level, and to understand the relationship between mental and physical health. The concentration's core competencies include: 

1. (PMH 1) Apply epidemiological methods to monitor trends and determine risks in current public mental health issues;
2. (PMH 2) Design, evaluate, and implement effective mental health intervention and programs
3. (PMH 3) Assess public health care systems in the context of specific mental illnesses to improve dissemination and implementation;
4. (PMH 4) Prepare public health leaders to promote mental health among specific vulnerable populations and in a culturally appropriate manner;
5. (PMH 5) Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve mental health in diverse populations
6. (PMH 6) Assess selected trends, risks, disparities, and outcomes in mental illnesses across the lifecourse or substance use and related harms at the individual, relational, organizational, community, and societal levels building on clinical and epidemiological methods and assessment standards 

Concentration lead: Dr. Wael Al-Delaimy

Required Courses (16 units total):

• PH 425 - Epidemiology of Public Mental Health (4 units)
• PH 426 - Mental Health, Health Behavior, and Addiction (4 units)

Any two of the following courses:

• PH 427 - Mental Health across the Lifecourse (4 units)
• PH 428 - Dissemination and Implementation, Policy, and Health Services in Mental Health (4 units)
• PH 429 - Substance Use & Population Health (4 units) 

Sample Course Plan

This concentration prepares students to design and evaluate population-level interventions that are tailored to the biological, social, and contextual characteristics of diverse communities. Students learn to use diverse and novel data sources—including genomic, geospatial, and digital data—to inform targeted public health strategies, as well as apply ethical principles to the use of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence. The curriculum emphasizes informatics, implementation science, and interdisciplinary collaboration to support the effective translation of precision public health approaches into real-world practice.

These competencies have been updated from the original competencies to emphasize more actionable, measurable outcomes and bring them into alignment with other public health concentration competencies.

1. (TPH 1) Design and evaluate population-level interventions that are tailored to the biological, social, and contextual characteristics of diverse populations.
2. (TPH 2) Identify diverse data sources (e.g., genomic, geospatial, digital, behavioral, environmental, and social) to inform targeted public health strategies.
3. (TPH 3) Understand and apply ethical principles in the use of precision public health tools, including artificial intelligence and machine learning, with specific attention to privacy, bias, transparency, and equitable implementation.
4. (TPH 4) Apply principles of implementation science and systems thinking to effectively scale precision public health interventions in real-world settings.
5. (TPH 5) Recognize the role of interdisciplinary and cross-sectoral collaboration in the development, implementation, and evaluation of precision health approaches.

Concentration lead: Dr. Cinnamon Bloss

Required Courses (16 units total):

• PH 430 - Technology and Precision Health (4 units)

Four units from the following courses:

• PH 411 - Program Optimization and Evaluation (4 units)
• PH 412 - Health Promotion and Communication (4 units)
• PH 413 -  Ethics in Public Health Research and Practice (4 units)
• PH 277 - Addressing Health Equity Through Policy (4 units)

Eight units from the following courses:

• PH 431 - Public Health Informatics (4 units)
• PH 420 - Infectious Disease Epidemic and Health Economic Modeling (4 units)
• PH 433 - Internet as Data (4 units)
• PH 460 -  Design and Public Health (4 units)
• PH 291 - Introduction to Genetic Epidemiology (4 units)

 Sample Course Plan

Health policy is a dynamic field comprised of three main academic disciplines: public policy/political science, economics, and organizational behavior. The concentration's core competencies include: 

1. (HP 1) Identify policies, laws, or regulations impacting health systems, the delivery of healthcare services, or health outcomes.
2. (HP 2) Identify the major frameworks for policy implementation and provide examples of health policy implementation challenges.
3. (HP 3) Evaluate the effectiveness, efficiency, or equity of health policies regulating the healthcare industry and impacting public health.
4. (HP 4) Describe the economic drivers of the healthcare system and the delivery of healthcare services.
5. (HP 5) Develop a plan for evaluating either the implementation or impact of a policy proposed to address health disparities.

Concentration lead: Dr. Sara McMenamin

Required Courses (16 units total):

• PH 440 - Introduction to Health Economics (4 units)
• PH 441 - The Organization and Financing of the US Healthcare System (4 units)
• PH 277 - Addressing Health Equity Through Policy (4 units)

Any one of the following:

• PH 413 - Ethics in Public Health Research and Practice (4 units)
• PH 428 - Dissemination & Implementation, Policy, & Health Services in Mental Health (4 units)
• PH 442 - Qualitative Research Methods (4 units) 
• GLBH 260 - Global Health policy ( 4 units)
• GPPS 421 - The Politics of Economic Inequality (4 units)
• GPPS 428 - The Politics of Energy and Environmental Regulation (4 units)
• SIOC 291S - Introduction to Climate Policy (4 units)
• SPPS 207 - Introduction to Health Care Systems and Policy (4 units)
• MGT 433 - Managing Health Care and Life Sciences (4 units)

Sample Course Plan:

The General Public Health (GPH) concentration is designed for U.S. medical students, practicing physicians, and other healthcare professionals with a doctoral level degree who hope to utilize public health training within or in conjunction with the healthcare field. It can be completed in approximately one year. A student may qualify if they have already completed their medical degree at a U.S. institution, have a foreign medical degree but have license to practice in the U.S., or have completed at least two years of U.S. medical school. Eligibility is determined by program leadership.

The concentration's core competencies include:

1. (GPH 1) Identify the role of the healthcare professional in the context of the healthcare system
2. (GPH 2) Analyze a current health policy problem as it relates to the healthcare system
3. (GPH 3) Describe how to implement evidence based practices in public health or medical settings
4. (GPH 4) Describe the ethical frameworks involved in creating or implementing public health interventions
5. (GPH 5) Utilize ethical frameworks to analyze current events related to a public health problem.

Concentration leads: Dr. Deepa Sannidhi

Required Courses (12 units total):

Students are required to take three concentration courses. The following are the recommended concentration courses to take:

• PH 413 - Ethics in Public Health Research and Practice (4 units)
• PH 441 - The Organization and Financing of the US Healthcare System (4 units)
• PH 428 - Dissemination and Implementation, Policy, and Health Services in Mental Health (4 units) or PH 277 - Public Health Policy, Equity, and Development (4 units)

Students may also choose other courses from the five other concentrations. Students should speak with their concentration lead if they are interested in taking courses outside of the above recommended courses. 

Sample Course Plans

The course plans below assume waiving of 16 elective units. Students in this concentration who do not waive elective units will likely need 1-2 additional quarters to finish the program.

Completion in 3 quarters:

Completion in 4 quarters: