EPAH 5000

Why are some populations healthier than others? The course will examine this question from the population health perspective. Understanding health at the population level is an approach that seeks to improve the health of the whole population, understands health inequalities (i.e., differences in health), and identifies effective strategies for reducing and ultimately eliminating health inequities (i.e., unfair differences in health) both within and between population groups. Canada has played a leading role in the evolution of the population health perspective over the past decades. The course covers the following topics: an overview of the history of health in human populations; the evolution of the population health perspective; the measurement of population health; and theoretical and empirical investigations of multiple determinants of health. Each class composes of a lecture by the instructor and a class discussion and debate. Class participation is a critical component of this course.