The Pharmaceuticals Program
The revolution in pharmaceuticals over the past half-century has provided public health with some of its most important and powerful tools. However, the processes by which new drugs are developed, tested, licensed, regulated, and manufactured are poorly understood—even by most health care professionals. The BUSPH Pharmaceuticals Program is a unique educational offering, designed to bridge those gaps and provide a practical overview of pharmaceuticals from a public health perspective. The program is available to Master of Public Health students and should be of particular interest to students considering careers in the pharmaceutical industry, service delivery programs, or pharmaceutical policy making agencies.
Students enrolled in the program will learn what drugs are and how they work; how they are tested, developed, and monitored; how formularies are derived; and how drugs are licensed and regulated. Students will develop key analytic skills useful for framing pharmaceutical policy and decision making in domestic and international contexts. The Pharmaceuticals Program prepares students for positions in both the public and private sectors, including positions in federal and state government agencies, the pharmaceutical industry, contracting research organizations, and international agencies.
Program Goal
The goal of the Pharmaceuticals Program is to provide students with the knowledge and expertise to address pharmaceutical issues from a public health perspective.
Specific Objectives
Upon completion of the Pharmaceuticals Program, students should be able to:
- Identify major pharmaceutical issues and priorities in the context of public health domestically and globally.
- Discuss the range of pharmaceutical research, policy, and programmatic interventions facing the global public health community, including relevant health policy and management experiences of different organizations, nationally and internationally.
- Evaluate pharmaceutical programs in the context of economics, organization, regulation, and politics.
- Contribute to the design and implementation of policy and program interventions to address pharmaceutical issues in a domestic and global context.
- Understand how new pharmaceuticals are tested and licensed.
- Understand the principles for how drug safety is monitored and assessed in clinical and post-marketing settings.
Requirements for Completion of Certificate
- Take at least 12 credits of approved Pharmaceuticals Program courses and earn a minimum grade of B in all courses.
- Actively participate in the seminar series throughout participation in the program.
- Complete a practicum that has been approved by the program director and the director of the student’s primary concentration.
Application Process
All students who have been accepted to BUSPH for the MPH program are eligible to apply for the Pharmaceuticals Program. Students are encouraged to apply and join the program during their first semester at BUSPH, but are able to enter the program at later points in the educational path provided they can meet the degree requirements. Students wishing to enroll complete a Pharmaceuticals Program Entry Form, obtain signatures from the program director, Dr. Gill, and submit the completed form to the BUSPH Registrar’s Office.
Curriculum
The Pharmaceuticals Program gives students a solid foundation in pharmaceuticals while providing flexibility to tailor their coursework toward a specific career path in policy, industry, or in health programs and non-governmental organizations. Through tailoring their electives, students have the opportunity to identify and acquire the specific skill sets they plan to use after graduation.
Policy
- Health policy
- Health services research methods
- Pharmacovigilance
- Clinical trials
- Patent law
- Insurance systems
- Qualitative research methods
Industry
- Project management
- Good clinical practice
- Discovery and development
- Clinical trials
- Regulatory affairs
- Intellectual property
Health Programs/NGOs
- Project management
- Infectious diseases
- Vaccines
- Rational drug management and adherence
- Corruption
- Qualitative research methods
Throughout the program, students complete a mixture of required and elective courses totaling 12 credits. In addition to their coursework, students participate in a bi-weekly Pharmaceuticals Program Seminar Series and complete a practicum that includes activities relevant to both pharmaceuticals and their concentration. All practicums must be approved by the Pharmaceuticals program director.
Policy
Required Courses
- PM 742 Introduction to Pharmaceutical Assessment, Management, and Policy 2 cr
- PH 970 Practicum 0 cr
- Pharmaceuticals Program Seminar 0 cr
Core+ Courses
Select one of the following:
- PM 811 Health Services Research and Methods
- EP 745 Pharmacoepidemiology
- IH 820 Global Issues in Pharmaceutical Policy and Programming
Policy Track Electives
Select 6–8 credits based on your concentration and career interest:
Health policy
- IH 757 Fighting Corruption Through Accountability & Transparency 2 cr
- IH 820 Global Issues in Pharmaceutical Policy and Programming 2 cr
- LW 709 Health Care Rationing: Needs and Options 2 cr
- PM 733 Health Program Management 4 cr
Health services research methods
- BS 810 Meta-Analysis for Public Health & Medical Research 4 cr
- PM 811 Health Services Research and Methods 4 cr
- PM 807 Introduction to Cost-Effectiveness Analysis 2 cr
- PM 855 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Analysis (note prerequisites) 4 cr
Pharmacovigilance
- EP 745 Pharmacoepidemiology 4 cr
- EP 830 Drug Epidemiology (note prerequisites) 4 cr
Clinical trials
- EP 762 Clinical Epidemiology 4 cr
- BS 722 Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials 4 cr
Patent law
- IH 885 Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health 2 cr
Insurance systems
- LW 830 Health Insurance, Health Reform, and the Law 4 cr
- IH 704 International Public Health and Medical Care: A Systems Approach 4 cr
Qualitative research
- SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods 4 cr
Industry
Required Courses
- PM 742 Introduction to Pharmaceutical Assessment, Management, and Policy 2 cr
- PH 970 Practicum 0 cr
- Pharmaceuticals Program Seminar 0 cr
Core+ Courses
Select one of the following:
- BS 722 Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials
- IH 800 Clinical Development of a New Medicinal: A Case Study About Licensing a New Vaccine for the Developing World
- GMS CI 631 The Management of Clinical Research*
Industry Track Electives
Select 6–8 credits based on your concentration and career interest:
Project management
- IH 854 From Data to Dashboards: Building Excel Skills to Support Health Program Decisions 2 cr
- IH 743 Implementing Health Programs in Developing Countries: Making Programs Work 4 cr
- GMS CI 631 The Management of Clinical Research* 4 cr
Discovery/development
- IH 800 Clinical Development of a New Medicinal: A Case Study About Licensing a New Vaccine for the Developing World 2 cr
- GMS PM 881 Drug Discovery and Development* 2 cr
Regulatory affairs and good clinical practice
- LW 790 Research with Human Subjects: Legal and Ethical Issues 4 cr
Clinical trials
- EP 762 Clinical Epidemiology 4 cr
- BS 722 Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials 4 cr
Intellectual property
- IH 885 Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health 2 cr
* Requires cross-registration with Graduate Medical Sciences here on the Medical Campus and approval for transfer of credits.
Health Programs and Non-governmental Organizations
Required Courses
- PM 742 Introduction to Pharmaceutical Assessment, Management, and Policy 2 cr
- PH 970 Practicum 0 cr
- Pharmaceuticals Program Seminar 0 cr
Core+ Courses
Select one of the following:
- IH 744 Program Design for International Health
- SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods
- PM 743 Implementing Health Programs in Developing Countries: Making Programs Work
Health Programs and Non-governmental Organizations Track Electives
Select 6–8 credits based on your concentration and career interest:
Project management
- IH 854 From Data to Dashboards: Building Excel Skills to Support Health Program Decisions 2 cr
- IH 743 Implementing Health Programs in Developing Countries: Making Programs Work 4 cr
- IH 744 Program Design for International Health 4 cr
Infectious diseases
- EH 735 The Environmental Determinants of Infectious Diseases 2 cr
- EP 755 Infectious Diseases Epidemiology 4 cr
- EP 764 The Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS in the Developed and Developing Worlds 2 cr
- EP 784 The Epidemiology of Tuberculosis in the Developed and Developing Worlds 2 cr
- IH 805 Controversies in Global Control and Eradication of Infectious Diseases 2 cr
Rational drug management and medication adherence
- IH 715 Antiretroviral Program Management and Adherence Issues in Low-Resource Settings 2 cr
- IH 803 Antimicrobial Resistance: Facing a Future Without Effective Medicines? 2 cr
Vaccines
- EP 730 Epidemiology of Vaccine-Preventable Diseases 2 cr
- IH 800 Clinical Development of a New Medicinal: A Case Study About Licensing a New Vaccine for the Developing World 2 cr
Corruption
- IH 757 Fighting Corruption Through Accountability & Transparency 2 cr
Qualitative research
- SB 818 Qualitative Research Methods 4 cr
- Experienced students may also design their own course of study in conjunction with the Pharmaceuticals program director.
