Environmental Health

• SPH EH 866: Risk Assessment Methods
  Graduate Prerequisites: (SPH EH 730 or SPH EH 731, which may be taken concurrently) or consent from instructor - Nearly all regulatory authorities globally rely on risk assessment for decision-making. Students learn practical application of risk assessment methods to various environmental problems. The focus of the course is on human health risk assessment and teaches students to quantify the risk of illness from exposures to chemicals, pathogens, and air pollution. The strengths and weaknesses of risk assessment methods, the inherent uncertainties, the relationship between risk assessment and risk management, and different approaches to the use of scientific evidence in policymaking are discussed. Applications of the risk assessment framework in less-traditional contexts will also be discussed. Students conduct a risk assessment and communicate process and findings in response to a community concern or other relevant topic.
• SPH EH 872: Environmental Data and Exposure Modeling
  Graduate Prerequisites: (SPH EH 730 or SPH EH 731 AND SPH BS 723 or SPH BS 730) or consent from instructor - Suppose you need to analyze the potential risks of a proposed point source or a possible replacement chemical in a consumer product. To do this, you need to know exposures to a pollutant, but you can't measure them for everyone. What do you do? Estimation of exposure is an essential skill for building a sustainable economy, evaluating regulatory compliance or permits, risk assessment, environmental epidemiology, examining environmental justice, and other purposes. Students will learn how to use publicly available data and models to estimate exposure. This hands-on course develops skills in the assumptions behind and the use of equilibrium models, compartmental models, and dispersion models--all widely used in the field. Sample problems include estimation of exposure from eating contaminated fish using sediment PCB concentrations, exposure to flame retardants or PFAS from biomonitoring (blood, urine) data, and inhalation of air pollutants emitted by an industrial facility. This course is suitable for PhD students as well as MPH or MS students who meet the prerequisites.
• SPH EH 900S: FT Doctoral Study in Environmental Health
  Doctoral Student Summer Enrollment for students engaged in coursework.
• SPH EH 905S: PT Doctoral Study in Environmental Health
  
• SPH EH 961: Directed Studies in Environmental Health
  Directed Studies in Environmental Health provide the opportunity for students to explore a special topic of interest under the direction of a full-time SPH faculty member. Students may register for 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. The directed study can be an exploration of a particular aspect of environmental health, a practice experience, or an applied project aligned with the work of a faculty member. Directed studies with a non-SPH faculty member or an adjunct faculty member must be approved by and assigned to the department chair. To register, students must submit a paper registration form and signed directed study proposal form. Students are placed in a section by the Registrar’s Office according to the faculty member with whom they are working. Students may take no more than eight credits of directed study, directed research, or practica courses during their MPH education. Approval is needed if credits are sought to replace required Certificate courses.
• SPH EH 962: Directed Research in Environmental Health
  Directed Research in Environmental Health provides the opportunity for students to conduct research on a topic of mutual interest under the direction of a full-time SPH faculty member. Students may register for 1, 2, 3, or 4 credits. To register, students must submit a paper registration form and signed directed research proposal form. Students are placed in a section by the Registrar’s Office according to the faculty member with whom they are working. Students may take no more than eight credits of directed study, directed research, or practica courses during their MPH education.
• SPH EH 980: FT Continuing Study in Environmental Health
  Graduate Prerequisites: For Doctoral Students who have completed coursework. Doctoral students who have completed all academic course requirements, must register for Continuing Study every Summer semester until they have successfully defended their dissertation and graduated from SPH. Students are certified full time.
• SPH EH 985: PT Continuing Study in Environmental Health
  Graduate Prerequisites: For Doctoral Students who have completed coursework. Doctoral students who have completed all academic course requirements, must register for Continuing Study every Fall and Spring semester until they have successfully defended their dissertation and graduated from SPH. Students are certified part-time and charged for the equivalent of two credits of tuition, and all relevant fees.