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Prepared for Public Health
I am a Biology student at St. John's hoping to work in public health research - specifically the spread of diseases in vulnerable communities, such as low income or in prisons or nursing homes. As I enter my final year of undergrad, which types of classes would help prepare me to branch into this field? #public-health #social-work
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Steven’s Answer
coursera.org has a variety of courses on Epidemiology and related disciplines that you can audit for free. Epidemiology is such a protean field that I wonder if there is any science that does not impinge on it.
You will need a grounding in the application of the scientific method to Epidemiological studies beyond simple descriptive statistics but ultimately issues concerning cause and effect. Just remember that correlation does not necessarily prove causality and there are so many subtle ways a study can be biased.
A course on Immunology would give you a good idea of how the body responds to infection and what may be involved in susceptibility to disease. It has however gotten very very detailed into the biochemistry of the matter so brush up on your fundamentals of Chemistry and learn some biochemistry (I'm doing that myself).
You will be concerned about the mechanisms of transmission and it's prevention which gets into issues of Hygiene and its communication to the Public. I think Nurse Charania's advice on taking some nursing courses pass/fail would be helpful in this regard. It also would keep you grounded in the human side of medicine. Remember that every population is made up of individuals.
I think only Sociology is the really the only science that deals with the problem of poverty and discrimination. Frankly I wish Sociologists were more scientifically rigourous and less ideological but some of their ideas may be helpful. The World Health Organisation has courses you can also take for free and their reports may give you a sense of the appalling health problems of less developed countries.
I hope this helps,
Steve
You will need a grounding in the application of the scientific method to Epidemiological studies beyond simple descriptive statistics but ultimately issues concerning cause and effect. Just remember that correlation does not necessarily prove causality and there are so many subtle ways a study can be biased.
A course on Immunology would give you a good idea of how the body responds to infection and what may be involved in susceptibility to disease. It has however gotten very very detailed into the biochemistry of the matter so brush up on your fundamentals of Chemistry and learn some biochemistry (I'm doing that myself).
You will be concerned about the mechanisms of transmission and it's prevention which gets into issues of Hygiene and its communication to the Public. I think Nurse Charania's advice on taking some nursing courses pass/fail would be helpful in this regard. It also would keep you grounded in the human side of medicine. Remember that every population is made up of individuals.
I think only Sociology is the really the only science that deals with the problem of poverty and discrimination. Frankly I wish Sociologists were more scientifically rigourous and less ideological but some of their ideas may be helpful. The World Health Organisation has courses you can also take for free and their reports may give you a sense of the appalling health problems of less developed countries.
I hope this helps,
Steve
Wow, thank you so much for your help!
Elise
Updated
Anh’s Answer
The biggest thing is probably being able to work with other people because we do a lot of group based work in my public health classes and. A lot of what we talk about too is like with Community health education and different aspects of your Community like learning how to work with others to do things like write grants and set-up different kind of like education. Events and things like that for your community, so probably to prepare for the major, not so much like on the science side, but mostly like being able to work with other people.
Updated
Madison’s Answer
Sociology courses could provide a really unique lens into the fields you are interested in. I think one key phrase to look for as you research courses and areas of study would be "Social Determinants of Health". This specific phrase will help key you in to conversations that are directly related to your interests.
Other important facets of developing experience and knowledge in this area include research and volunteer work. Get out into the field and get your hands on the issues! You'll learn the most from direct experiences and hearing from those impacted by these social determinants. Also look into existing programs or internships that you can tap into!
Other important facets of developing experience and knowledge in this area include research and volunteer work. Get out into the field and get your hands on the issues! You'll learn the most from direct experiences and hearing from those impacted by these social determinants. Also look into existing programs or internships that you can tap into!
Updated
Sanober’s Answer
Hi Elise!
That's an incredible field to pursue. I would recommend taking an epidemiology course, a course in population health, and if you are allowed into any nursing courses, those would be great to take (maybe as a pass or fail course) so that you can learn about vulnerable communities through the eyes of nurses in order to better understand public health as a whole. You can also look into finding ways to visit/volunteer at low-income prisons and/or nursing homes to see firsthand and gain data on what makes up the disparities in these populations.
I hope this helps :)
Sanober
That's an incredible field to pursue. I would recommend taking an epidemiology course, a course in population health, and if you are allowed into any nursing courses, those would be great to take (maybe as a pass or fail course) so that you can learn about vulnerable communities through the eyes of nurses in order to better understand public health as a whole. You can also look into finding ways to visit/volunteer at low-income prisons and/or nursing homes to see firsthand and gain data on what makes up the disparities in these populations.
I hope this helps :)
Sanober
I never considered nursing course, but that's a great idea. Thank you so much!
Elise
I LOVE that you took the time to say thank you, Elise! CareerVillage volunteers love that and it's such an important practice to keep up. Good luck with your journey, Elise! We are rooting for you.
yoonji KIM, Admin