MED6099 Representatives of Health, Illness and the Body: Professional texts, popular media, cinema, visual arts and literature are important vehicles for the production and circulation of knowledge about health, illness and the body. This graduate course will explore representations of health, illness and the body in the local, national and international contexts.

MED6102 Critical Theory in Health & Society:  This course provides an in-depth examination of critical social science theory in relation to health. It focuses especially on theoretical questions of how one frames illness, health, healing or medicine as an object of study.

MED6104 Critical Studies of the Body, Weight and Health in Contemporary Western Society: This course will examine the production of the body, weight and health in contemporary Western society, using critical perspectives and will acquaint students to key feminist, postmodernist and cultural studies of the body.

MED6108 Directed Readings I:  This readings-based course is directly related to a student’s program of study. A reading list is based on student’s topic area and will be determined at beginning of semester in consultation between student and instructor.

MED6109 Directed Readings II:  This readings-based course is directly related to a student’s program of study. A reading list is based on student’s topic area and is determined at beginning of semester in consultation between student and instructor. This course is only available to students who have completed MED6108

MED6199 - Health Sciences:  Writing and Grantsmanship 
This elective is ideal for students who want to grow their knowledge and skills with academic writing in a space where they can share and receive regular feedback on a writing product of their choosing. An example of an academic writing product is a research proposal, a grant proposal, a thesis chapter, a journal article or a policy brief. The learning outcomes and evaluation elements are individualized to meet the learning needs of each student. Each seminar addresses one aspect of the paper-writing process and includes time for writing practice and feedback. Students are equipped with strategies for structuring the content and adhering to guidelines for format and style appropriate to their intended audience.
Prerequisite:  Permission of the instructor.

MED6200 Biostatistics I:  The overall aim of this course is to review elementary biostatistics and introduce the concepts underlying univariate and some multivariate inference. Participants will be introduced to the analysis of biomedical and community health data using SPSS software. [available on-campus and online]

MED6220 Introduction to Community Health:  The overall aim of this course is to introduce participants to the basic principles, concepts and practices of contemporary Community Health. [available on-campus and online]

MED6225 Health Inequities and the Social Determinants of Health:  The main purpose of this course is to explore in-depth how social, cultural, economic, and political forces, clustered under the conceptual development of the social determinants, influence people’s health and the differentiated distribution of morbidity and mortality rates among populations. [available online]

MED6250 Basic Clinical Epidemiology:  This course is an introduction to the underlying principles and practices of Clinical Epidemiology. Students will be introduced to epidemiologic concepts that include measures of disease frequency and association, study design, bias, confounding, reliability, validity, and diagnostic testing. During this course, students will start to develop the formal skills necessary to develop a research question and objectively search and critically review scientific literature as it relates to the question.

MED6255 Clinical Research Design:  This course is intended to enhance the understanding of the principles and practices of Clinical Epidemiology. In this course, students will be provided with an overview of clinical research designs, as well as a specific focus on methods and practical aspects of carrying out a research project. At the end of the course, students will have developed a full research proposal, including budget and ethical considerations.

MED6260 Applied Data Analysis for Clinical Epidemiology:  This course is designed to enable students to develop an analysis plan to answer a clinical research question, to carry out the analyses, and to report and interpret the result. 

MED6262 Biostatistics in Clinical Medicine:  The material covered in this course will help students to understand introductory level biostatistics, ranging from frequency tables to simple regression methods applicable in medical research.

MED6263 Conducting and Publishing a Systematic Review and Meta-analysis:  This course on conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis is designed for graduate students in health related disciplines. The student will be taken through the process of conducting a systematic review of the literature and a subsequent meta-analysis of the eligible articles.

MED6265 Genetics and Clinical Epidemiology:  This course is designed to provide students in Clinical Epidemiology with the basics in medical genetics and overlap between medical genetics and epidemiology. Issues of study design, analyses and biases in genetic epidemiological studies, and issues of phenotype related to genotype will be highlighted. Diagnostic utility of genetic testing will be covered. Gene-environment and gene-gene interactions will be a focus.

MED6268 Patient Engagement in Health Research:  This interactive, online graduate course explores how to partner with patients in health research and health systems decision making. In this course, case studies of patient engagement across Canada will be discussed weekly. By the end of the course, students will have developed their own patient engagement plan for a health research project or a health care quality improvement initiative.

MED6270 Epidemiology I:  The overall aim of this course is to introduce students to the uses of epidemiology in clinical medicine and in disease prevention and health promotion at the individual, family and community level. [available on-campus and online]

MED6274 Chronic Disease Epidemiology:  This course is designed for graduate students in community health and those interested in chronic disease epidemiology.  It provides an opportunity for students to broaden their understanding on major chronic diseases in Canada in terms of the determinants, impact and disease control.  It emphasizes the research aspects of chronic diseases epidemiology and how the basic techniques of epidemiology and biostatistics are applied in chronic diseases. Completion of Introduction to Community Health (MED6220) and Biostatistics (MED6200) are helpful, but not required.

MED6275 Epidemiology II: This advanced course in Epidemiology provides an in-depth understanding of the important epidemiology methods with the primary focus on data analysis and results interpretation.  It is designed for MSc and PhD students in epidemiology or biostatistics streams who wish to gain a deeper understanding in quantitative issues that arise in the planning, analysis, and interpretation of epidemiologic research studies.  It explores some key epidemiologic concepts in more depth and introduces a number of commonly used analytical methods that are not found in introductory epidemiology.

Prerequisite:  Epidemiology I (MED6270)

*Note: students who are interested or required to take MED 6275 Epidemiology II should take MED 6260 Applied Data Analysis for

MED6276 Current Topics in Canada’s Health Care System:  This course examines the organization and delivery of health care in Canada and explores current debates about the provision and funding of health services. Students will compare Canada’s health care system to other health systems and gather evidence to explore and understand current issues in health policy.

Prerequisite: Completion of Introduction to Community Health (MED6220) or have professor’s approval

MED6277 Issues in Northern, Rural and Remote Health in Canada:  The goal of this course is to explore health and healthcare in northern rural and remote Canada, with a particular emphasis on northern, rural and remote health issues in Newfoundland and Labrador.  [may be available on-campus or online]

MED6278 Advanced Biostatistics for Health Research:   Students will be introduced to advanced statistical methods required for the analysis of studies in public health and biomedical research.

Prerequisite: Completion of Biostatistics (MED6200)

MED6279 Quantitative Methods for Applied Health Research:  This course examines quantitative methods that are commonly used in applied health services research studies.  Students will develop and critically appraise research proposals and will be introduced to peer review.

Prerequisite: Completion of Community Health Research Methods (MED6280) and Introduction to Community Health (MED6200); completion of MED6270 is highly recommended.  Offered every other year in alternating years.

MED6280 Community Health Research Methods:  The overall aim of this course is to introduce students to some of the theoretical issues underlying different forms of health research. Students will learn how to plan rigorous, ethical studies, write a research proposal, and critically appraise research.

MED6288 Policy and Decision Making:  The overall aim of this course is to explore how Canadian policy, and health policy in particular, is developed, implemented, and evaluated.  Throughout this course, students will gain an understanding of the complex factors and processes at play in the health policy arena in this country and have an opportunity to further develop skills in the areas of critical appraisal and policy synthesis. [available on-campus and online]

MED6293 Knowledge Transfer and Research Update:  The overall aim of this course is to examine peer reviewed and “grey” literature, websites and written and oral assignments to explore the facilitators and barriers to the use of research evidence in decision-making in the health care system.  The course will introduce students to research transfer methods to enhance the dissemination and implementation of research findings in clinical, management, and policy decisions.

Prerequisite: Completion of Introduction to Community Health (MED6220). Offered every other year in alternating years.

MED6294 Advanced Qualitative Methods:  The overall aim of this course is to facilitate an advanced reflection about the theoretical, epistemological, ethical and political issues underlying different forms of qualitative health research, methodologies and methods.

Prerequisite: Completion of Community Health Research Methods (MED6280) is normally required

MED6295 Advanced Quantitative Methods:  This course will expose students to a variety of more advanced quantitative and statistical approaches to research methodology. Students are provided the tools to conduct advanced quantitative empirical research, and to further develop their ability to critically evaluate the work of others.

Prerequisite: Completion of Community Health Research Methods (MED6280) is normally required

MED6297 Theories of Social Justice in Health:  This course provides an in-depth analysis of issues of social justice in health and health care.

MED6400 Seminar Series: Diploma: 6400-01; MSc Candidates: 6400-03; PhD Candidates: 6410-13

MED6700-01 Public Health Seminar Series:  This course is designed to address special topics such as: public health law, public health leadership and emerging public health issues.

MED6710 Workplace Practicum:  The practicum is a semester long project for MPH students who do not have extensive public health experience. The student works with an organization to study or work on the delivery of some aspect of public health and will produce two main deliverables: A term project and a weekly journal.

Prerequisite: Completion of all course work in MPH program

MED6711 Capstone Project:  This is a semester long project for MPH students who have significant public health practice experience.  It is an alternative to MED6710 for eligible students and consists of designing a research question, reviewing published literature and other relevant resources, reviewing a research plan and developing a report and presentation.

Prerequisite: Completion of all course work in MPH program

MED6721 Disease and Injury Prevention:  This course examines the impact of disease and injury on the public’s health and addresses a comprehensive approach to prevention and control [available on-campus and online].

MED6722 Environmental Health:  This course will examine important issues in environmental health and discuss the methods and tools used to assess and manage these issues [available on-campus].

MED6723 Health Promotion:  This course will address the principles and practice of health promotion as a process of enabling individual and communities to increase control over and improve their health [available on-campus and online].

MED6724 Communicable Disease Prevention & Control:  This course will address the principles and practices of the prevention and control of communicable diseases and the associated public health responsibilities [available on-campus].

MED6725 Public Health Leadership and Management:  This course will examine leadership and management skills relevant to public health practice. It will explore and develop skills in the area s of leadership theory, strategic planning, program evaluation, financial management, project management, quality management processes, risk management, team building, decision making, and disaster management [available on-campus and online].

MED6726 Program Development in Public Health: This course will provide students with the basic skills necessary to develop and evaluate a program in the public health field.

MED6730 Professional Practice:  This course introduces students to relevant issues and skills required by today’s health professionals. Concepts are addressed through such methods as presentations, discussions, professional panels and workshops. Topics include the interprofessional approach to healthcare, professional ethics, mentorship/preceptorship, conflict resolution, and written and oral communication.

MED6731 Community Nutrition:  Students will be introduced to the study and application of nutrition concepts as they apply to groups of people and will develop an appreciation for the role played by nutrition and dietetics in the context of population health.

MED6800 Health Ethics Theory:  This course discusses theories and methods used in reasoning about ethical issues in health care.

MED6801 Important Cases in Health Ethics:  Students will learn important concepts and norms in health ethics through the study of cases that have influenced the development of the field.

MED6803 Research Ethics: In this seminar we will examine the historical roots of modern research ethics both in Canada and abroad, and address some of the on-going issues that continue to challenge researchers and ethics oversight bodies. Students will become familiar with major national and international governance documents including the Tri-Council Policy Statement (Canada), the Common Rule (USA) and International documents such as the Declaration of Helsinki and the International Committee on Harmonization-Good Clinical Practice (ICH-GCP). By the end of the seminar students should be conversant with the various phases of Randomized Clinical Trials (RCTs), with the ethical challenges presented by conducting such research and by alternative research methodologies such as adaptive designs. Other topics to be discussed include the use of placeboes in clinical trials, research in indigenous communities, whether it is appropriate to use the results of unethical research, as well as others.

MED6804 Public Health Ethics:  Public health practice is beset with ethical issues. Public health activities are directed at the health of the population as a whole. Sometimes, this focus can conflict with the rights of individuals. This course will be devoted to ethical analysis of issues in public health such as: coercion in public health interventions, resource allocation, the ethics of vaccine programs and vaccine research, and the perennial concern of balancing individual rights versus the common good.

MED6806 Introduction to the Canadian Health System:  This course provides a broad overview of the Canadian healthcare system

MED6807 Special Topics in Health Ethics:  This course will provide a comprehensive and up-to-date analysis of an issue of concern in health ethics. Topics may include: reproductive ethics, neuroethics, end-of-life care, ethics and genetics, mental health ethics, disability theory, technology and ethics, and so on.

MED6815 Health Ethics Practicum:  The goal of this course is to introduce students to practical experiences in clinical ethics, research ethics, and ethical issues in health policy.

MED6820 Health Ethics Research Papers:  This course is one of three options for the final project in the Master of Health Ethics program. Students research and write three high-quality research papers in health ethics.

MED6825 Health Ethics Capstone Project:  This course is one of three options for the final project in the Master of Health Ethics program. Students develop and complete an ethics project that addresses a practical need within a healthcare organization or institution.