MPH635 Design of Community Health Programs and Interventions (3 cr.)

Prerequisite(s): all MPH core courses
This course explores the research and process of designing effective public health programs and interventions.  Students use tools and techniques to engage and involve communities, assess community needs, and create appropriate, evidence-based programs and interventions with an emphasis on health equity. Topics include behavior change theory, logic models, community engagement and participation, rationale development, and timeline and budget creation.  

Upon completion of the course, students are expected to be able to do the following:

1. Define the presence of a community or potential community and its subgroups to ensure appropriate place-based public health initiatives.
2. Create and use tools that assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
3. Select appropriate strategies for different audiences and sectors.
4. Develop a realistic and valid logic model to support program development.
5. Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs with a focus on health equity.
6. Critically examine the strengths and weaknesses of program design strategies for different populations and situations.
7. Apply basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
8. Integrate public health behavior change theories, interventions, and strategies into community engagement, organizing, and outreach.
9. Outline expected outcomes to be measured through evaluation.