MPH Context Certificate: Pharmaceuticals

Nearly every public health program relies on pharmaceuticals to achieve its goals—from treating infectious diseases to managing preventive and chronic care. This certificate is one of the world’s few programs examining the intersection of public health and the pharmaceutical sector. Students will gain skills in pharmaceutical development, delivery, and policy. Students will be able to effectively translate their knowledge and skills into rapidly growing public health, pharmaceutical, and medical technology markets.

Upon graduation, students will be able to:

  • Communicate the role of pharmaceuticals as public health tools for prevention and treatment of acute and chronic diseases.
  • Examine critical steps in research and development of pharmaceuticals, including clinical trials and market dynamics.
  • Analyze the performance of the pharmaceutical sector using key indicators.
  • Demonstrate the ability to access and use data related to the financing, procurement, distribution, and use of pharmaceuticals in order to propose solutions to domestic and international pharmaceutical challenges.
  • Apply a multi-disciplinary systems approach to analyzing the overlapping roles of the public and private sectors in pharmaceutical policy including innovation, intellectual property, and medicines regulation.

Course Requirements

  • PH 740 Foundations in Public Health and Pharmaceuticals (4 cr)
  • At least 4 credits from the following (Level 2):
    • GH 715 ARV Program Management (2 cr)
    • GH 800 Clinical Development of a New Medicinal (2 cr)
    • PM 802 Pharmaceutical Management, Policy & Practice (2 cr)
    • PM 833 Health Economics (4 cr)
    • GMS CI 640 Regulatory & Compliance (4 cr)
    • BS 722 Design & Conduct of Clinical Trials (4 cr)
    • GMS CI 675 Designing Clinical Research Studies (4 cr)
  • At least 4 credits from the following (Level 3):
    • GH 722 Supply Chain Management (2 cr)
    • GH 756 Analyzing Pharmaceutical Systems (4 cr)
    • GH 885 Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health (2 cr)
    • GH 891 Global Pharmaceutical Policy: At the Intersection of Process & Politics (2 cr)
    • EPI 748 Drug Epidemiology (4 cr)