MPH Concentration in Global Environmental Sustainability & Health

The MPH concentration in Global Environmental Sustainability and Health provides students with an understanding of how human consumption and standards of living have exceeded the carrying capacity of the earth; how, as a result, the environmental resources upon which we depend have been severely compromised; and how this affects the health of individuals, communities, and the global population.  Specifically, students will learn how land use (including patterns of suburban sprawl), transportation patterns and systems, energy use, food production and distribution, water use, and population growth contribute to climate change, ecosystem degradation, and species extinctions and biodiversity losses, and how these, in turn, threaten human health on local, regional, and global scales.

The goal of this concentration is to provide students with the necessary knowledge about the drivers of global environmental change and the consequences for health.  In addition, students will gain necessary skills to develop solutions for global environmental sustainability through qualitative research methods and behavioral change interventions.

The objectives of the MPH concentration include:

1.  Acquire key knowledge of the drivers of global environmental change and possible solutions:
     a.  Identify the five main drivers of global environmental change: land use, energy use, food use (i.e., food production and distribution), water use, and population growth.
     b.  Explain how these drivers interact with each other to result in global environmental consequences such as climate change, ecosystem degradation, biodiversity loss, and species extinctions.
     c.  Describe the complexities and interrelationships of these drivers and their environmental consequences.
     d.  Explain the implications of the consequences to individual, community, and global health.
     e.  Compare and contrast potential solutions to ensure global sustainability and improved health in the context of the complicating challenges of "after peak oil," U.S. federal indebtedness, and myriad political obstacles.
     f.  Describe the types of organizations and businesses working on addressing the problem of global environmental change, and the approaches each type is taking to producing change.

2.  Develop a set of intervention skills to change behavior.
     a.  Present information on global environmental change and possible solutions for a range of audiences (e.g., professional groups, community organizations, schools).
     b.  Select models and theories relevant to the design of behavior change interventions for different groups and behaviors, and apply them in design of the intervention.
     c.  Develop a plan for behavior change communication for behaviors related to sustainable use of the environment.

Course of Study

Students are required to complete all of the following courses:
180.611	The Global Environment & Public Health	4 units	1st term
188.688	Global Environmental Sustainability & Health MPH Seminar	1 unit each term	2nd & 4th terms
180.651	Energy Policy & Public Health	2 units	3rd term
188.682	Buildings, Land Use, Transportation, and Public Health	2 units	4th term
Students are required to take one of the following courses:
180.614	Environmental Health and the Developing World	4 units	3rd term
182.640	Food- & Water-borne Diseases*	3 units	3rd term
Students are required to take one of the following courses:
180.620	Nutritional Health, Food Production & the Environment	3 units	2nd term - Internet Only
222.654	Food, Culture, and Nutrition	4 units	4th term
Students are required to take one of the following courses:
224.689	Health Behavior Change at the Individual, Household, and Community Levels*	4 units	2nd term
410.650	Introduction to Persuasive Communications: Theories and Practice*	4 units	2nd term
The following courses are recommended but not required. These courses do not fulfill credit requirements of the concentration but do contain relevant content or skills.
221.629	Water & Sanitation Needs in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies	2 units	2nd term
260.652	Principles of Public Health Ecology	4 units	2nd term
182.626	Tropical Environmental Health	2 units	3rd term
221.624	Urban Health in Developing Countries	2 units	4th term, Onsite & Internet

*Also fulfills MPH core requirement.

Capstone Experience

The MPH capstone experience in Global Environmental Sustainability and Health provides students with the opportunity to apply the skills and competencies they have learned to a global environmental sustainability and public health problem that is of particular interest to them.  Students complete a minimum of 2 units of capstone special studies during the 3rd term under the supervision of a growing list of concentration-affiliated faculty mentors.  The capstone special studies and informal lunchtime meetings of the concentration will take the place of the sustainability seminar during 3rd term.  The capstone can also involve participating in faculty research related to the global environmental and sustainability, working with the Center for a Livable Future or the Center for Water and Health, or collaborating with local organizations engaged in action to address these issues.  The resulting paper from the capstone experience will satisfy MPH capstone requirements and will be of publishable quality.  The capstone projects will be presented at the end of the year MPH capstone symposium or a specially-scheduled concentration capstone symposium, depending on the number of students.

Faculty Concentration Directors

Cindy Parker, MD, MPH, Instructor, Environmental Health Sciences, 443-287-6734

Brian Schwartz, MD, MS, Professor, Environmental Health Sciences, 410-955-4158

Peter Winch, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, International Health, 410-955-9854