300.712.01 HEALTH POLICY II: PUBLIC HEALTH POLICY FORMULATION

Explores the considerations, activities and participants involved in the formulation of public health policy. Examines the process of selecting and assessing policy options, and discusses the role that various players have in the making of health policy. Through the analyses of case studies, students learn how policy-makers interact, and how outside influences such as the media and advocates help shape policy. Presents basic legal principles that govern health policy, and discusses the roles of economics and ethics in policy formulation.

After successfully completing this course, students will be able to do the following:

• Develop the skills to identify a public health issue and to consider the range of policies to address that issue. • Describe the assessment and selection of a policy from among different options. • Identify the role that various government branches and officials play in the formulation of policy. • Assess the feasibility of translating an idea into policy. • Explain the interaction of policy makers with those trying to influence policy choices. • Describe the legal principles that underlie health policy formulation. • Define the role of academic researchers in policy making. • Provide examples of how policy has effectively reduced public health problems.