PUBH 502 Population Health and Ethics

The core aim of this course is to equip physicians with the knowledge and skills to devise and utilize strategies that improve the health of ent ire communities and population and help reduce health inequities among population groups. A broad range of factors and conditions that have a strong influence on human health are considered and discussed. The history of medical ethics, ethical duties of physicians, patient autonomy, beginning of life issues and termination of pregnancy, and end-of-life decisions are examined as well as how fundamental concepts of law interface with ethical decision making. Core public health assessment tools such as biostatistics and epidemiology are introduced and the role which human behavior, the environment, and
politics plays in influencing health in different societies considered. Finally, a biopsychosocial approach to patient care is introduced, and the role cultural factors play within doctor-patient encounters discussed and examined.