We acknowledge that the UBC Vancouver campus is situated on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam).
Space is still available in these term 2 SPPH courses
SPPH 510-002 Survey Methods in Health Measurement
Who should take this course?
Every student who will use questionnaire data at one point in time in their career should take this class.
Why should I take this class?
Questionnaire data are used by researchers and decision makers to make important statements or decisions but many people lack the basic understanding to assess whether the data collected from questionnaires are valid and reliable. If you lack this knowledge this class is for you.
What will I learn in this class?
In the first part of the course students learn the principles of designing and developing surveys and students will learn: 1) the steps to develop scales and 2) practice the steps of developing scales to address current research questions. In the second part of the course students will become familiar with the process to assess the psychometric properties of scales such as determining the reliability and validity of the scales.
“I used the skills I learned in this course all the time. I am often asked to support people in this area but I think these skills should be a pre-requisite to all of students since questionnaire data are used all the time.” – student
Mondays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Register here
SPPH 523-002 Global Health and Human Security
The COVID-19 pandemic has thoroughly disrupted settled ideas about what security means for a country and its population! Human security, a framework put forward in the 1990s as an alternative to traditional framings of national security argues that security should more appropriately focus on the status of people and not borders – and sees health equity as being both essential and instrumental. Human security in fact holds that a people-centered view of security is necessary for national, regional and global stability. This course accordingly positions the pursuit of global health equity in an era of globalization within a comprehensive policy context. In 2023, we will especially draw on critical discussion of the recently released Global Health Watch 6.
Mondays 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
SPPH 511-002 Cancer Control and Epidemiology
Mondays 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Register here
SPPH 510-002 Survey Methods in Health Measurement
Who should take this course?
Every student who will use questionnaire data at one point in time in their career should take this class.
Why should I take this class?
Questionnaire data are used by researchers and decision makers to make important statements or decisions but many people lack the basic understanding to assess whether the data collected from questionnaires are valid and reliable. If you lack this knowledge this class is for you.
What will I learn in this class?
In the first part of the course students learn the principles of designing and developing surveys and students will learn: 1) the steps to develop scales and 2) practice the steps of developing scales to address current research questions. In the second part of the course students will become familiar with the process to assess the psychometric properties of scales such as determining the reliability and validity of the scales.
“I used the skills I learned in this course all the time. I am often asked to support people in this area but I think these skills should be a pre-requisite to all of students since questionnaire data are used all the time.” – student
Mondays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
Register here
SPPH 543-002 Health Technology Assessment for Health Policy
An advanced course in health technology assessment (HTA) methods and issues for those who have either completed an introductory epidemiology course (SPPH 502) or an equivalent mix of training and planning, management or policymaking experience (and permission from the instructor). The purpose of this course is to understand the various policy applications of HTA, from assessment to establishing market viability for new technologies, to assessment conducted with an objective to regulate expensive technologies, and to become familiar with the methods used for conducting HTA.
Wednesdays 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm
Register here
SPPH 531-002: Health Care Systems Analysis: Issues and Opportunities for data
This course provides an introduction to theoretical and practical issues in relation to collection, storage, use, and sharing of data. The theory will cover how we think about the performance of health systems, what population data science and learning health systems are, the data and other infrastructure we need to support learning and improvement, and the equity, ethical legal and social considerations that underlie all of this work. The practical part of the course is focused on real-world application of these theories, introduction to the basics of data management using SAS, and optional access to linked data (a training data set derived from real data) that would enable students to apply that training.
Mondays 2:00 to 5:00 pm
SPPH 514-002 Decision Analysis in Health Care
In health care, as in other aspects of life, individuals have to make choices: health professionals must decide which treatment is most appropriate for their patients; policy-makers must decide which services should be used; and patients who must decide whether to follow advice from health professionals and policy makers. This course will teach principles and practical tools that can assist in these types of decisions.
Students will learn and practice real-world application of decision analysis strategies to improve individual and population health from the perspectives of health professionals, policy makers and patients. Develop skills to make decisions in climates of uncertainty, complexity, bias and competing values.
“I really enjoyed this class and felt like I learned a lot about decision–making that isn’t common knowledge but should be!” – student
“The content of this course is exceptional, there are no other courses like this offered at UBC.” – student
Wednesdays 9:00 am to 12:00 pm
SPPH 381E-002
Work and Health
Are you looking for an undergraduate elective and are interested in public health? If so, SPPH 381E is for you! You will be able to summarize approaches used to improve worker health, conduct a risk assessment of common occupational hazards/processes, and explain and debate relevant government occupational health and safety policies. This course is perfect for anyone who wants to learn more about the topic of occupational health and safety.
Tuesdays and Thursdays 2:00 pm to 3:30 pm
SPPH 581X
Non-communicable Diseases (NCDs):
Identifying approaches to prevent, manage and reduce their impact
In the midst of a lingering pandemic where public health’s primary focus has been on addressing infectious diseases, it is easy to overlook the incredible toll that chronic diseases take in our own families, our communities, province, country and globally. NCDs such as cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes and cancer account for the highest causes of preventable death in Canada and the world; they also constitute the largest avoidable burden on our publicly funded medical care system.
This course will focus on understanding the range of NCDs and their impacts in terms of morbidity and mortality. It will also provide opportunities to become familiar with ways to access data and resources to delve into deeper understanding of these issues. However, while previous versions of the course have focused primarily on epidemiologic concepts and tools, this updated course will build on this foundation to focus on: Which population and public health approaches work to prevent, manage and even reverse the tsunami of chronic diseases that we face? The course will explore some general principles of responding to NCDs, as well as a range of approaches that can be deployed to curtail this ‘other’ epidemic. It will consider issues such as: How preventable are these conditions? Which strategies are most effective for different levels of intervention (e.g., individual, clinical, community, provincial, national and global)? The course will be of interest to students in both thesis-based and applied (MPH) programs, as well as to those with clinical backgrounds, and appeal to those who want to make a difference.
Wednesdays 10:00 am to 12:00 pm
Register here