Online Master of Public Health Subjects

The Academic Integrity Module will introduce you to academic integrity standards, so you’re informed about how to avoid plagiarism and academic misconduct.  You’ll complete four parts that cover academic misconduct and academic integrity decisions, such as cheating, plagiarism and collusion.  You’ll learn about the text-matching tool, Turnitin, that is used at La Trobe, how to get help and where to go to develop referencing skills.

In this subject you will gain insight into major transition points in the health and equity of populations globally, determinants of health, the principles of public health, and current and future challenges for public health. You are introduced to the diverse disciplines contributing to the organised effort in public health and the vital role of citizens in analysis, advocacy, action, and leadership. Public health successes and approaches to contemporary health issues are explored as well as the intervention methods we can bring together to protect and improve health, prevent and control disease and injury, and reduce health inequalities. These include governance, policy, law and regulation; surveillance and screening; public health education; public health advocacy; environmental change; and social mobilisation. Selected public health frameworks will be used to demonstrate how insights and evidence from multiple disciplines and fields can be combined to detect, describe, analyse and prioritise public health problems, and to design, implement, monitor and evaluate, and adapt responses and solutions.

This subject will provides you with an understanding of the role of epidemiology and biostatistics in public health. You will be introduced to the main concepts and methods of epidemiology and biostatistics, sources of population data, and how these are applied to identify and address public health problems. You will be introduced to statistical software packages and learn how to use these to perform statistical analyses. You will learn how to interpret the results of key epidemiological and biostatistical tests.

Whether dealing with public health issues or trying to improve the performance of a hospital, many of the issues are complex, seemingly embedded within a web of interconnected and often contested causes. Push on one part of the system and something changes to counter the good work. Complexity is often used as shorthand for intractability. In this subject we consider if systems thinking provides the insights needed to grapple with complexity. Systems thinking is interested in the parts of a system and the connections among those parts, the structures established as a result of those connections and the behaviours those structures allow or discourage. You will examine the notion of systems, as an object of study and a way of thinking that changes the way we might look at health problems and work towards their solution, the language of systems, and its concepts, and some of the methods used to define issues, build consensus for action, and evaluate strategies to address problems.

In this subject you will explore the multi-disciplinary partnerships between public health and social science disciplines, especially sociology and anthropology. Particular attention will be paid to the ways in which cultural beliefs and practices shape population risks for both infectious and non-infectious diseases, and how social factors such as social status, ethnicity and gender impact on health inequalities. This subject will provide you with a solid grounding in understanding different ways in which the social sciences contribute to public health theory and practice.

This subject focuses on understanding the complexity of health care systems around the world through comparing and contrasting their aims and visions, how they are designed, underlying rationales, policies in the context of societal needs and resource demands. The interface between health and politics, economics and social structure will be considered. Students will analyse the comparative advantages and disadvantages of approaches to health care provision in different healthcare contexts. Topics to be covered include principles of health care system design, public and private systems, decentralised health care, centralised control, healthcare financing and national health insurance schemes, and how performance of healthcare systems is evaluated. Themes, issues and trends in health sector reform worldwide are explored.

The public health workforce requires sound knowledge and skills for anticipating and responding to public health risks, disasters and emergencies. This subject introduces you to: the intersection between the environment and health including the physical environment, climate change, environmental sustainability, natural disasters, and pandemics taking account of the politics; the role of public health professionals and managers in anticipating and responding to public health emergencies, surveillance, and risk management; and the four phases of management (mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery). Public health emergencies disproportionately impact some population groups and as such this subject is necessarily underpinned by the concepts of equity and human rights. Furthermore, key to mitigation, response and recovery is effective communication.

The focus of this introductory subject is on the theory and practice of health policy, including health system policy, healthcare policy and public health policy. Students will develop skills to participate competently in the design and critical analysis of policy at a level appropriate to a health policy advisor. The process of policy will be conceptualised in terms of development, advocacy, implementation and evaluation. Key themes are: What is policy? How and when is policy formulated? Who is involved in policy and why? How is policy implemented and monitored? How is policy reviewed, evaluated and improved? Various theories and frameworks that seek to explain the policy making process will be introduced and critiqued. Institutional systems and structures that influence health policy making will be examined. Particular attention will be given to explore the contemporary policy environment and political landscape that influence policy making, and the use of advocacy, evidence and policy instruments for implementing policy. The roles of interest groups in policy process will be explored. Case studies will be used to illustrate key policy issues.

Health promotion is a key field of practice in public health, drawing on a range of scientific disciplines and demanding an understanding of systems thinking. This subject will introduce you to concepts, frameworks and approaches commonly used in health promotion. You will gain skills in how to conceptualise, design and evaluate evidence-informed health promotion programs and strategies.