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Faculty of Health Sciences
11311 Blusson Hall, 778.782.4821 Tel, 778.782.5766 Fax, fhsgrads@sfu.ca
Dean
J. O’Neil BA, MA (Sask), PhD (Calif)
Associate Deans
M.V. Hayes BA, MSc, PhD (McM), CCFP
C. Janes BA (San Diego), MA (Colorado), PhD (Calif)
Director, Graduate Programs
M. Joffres Bac-C (Lycee de Foix), MD (Toulouse), MSPH, PhD (Hawaii)
for a complete list of faculty, and www.fhs.sfu.ca for updated information.
Faculty and areas of research
R. Allen – air pollution exposure assessment in indoor and outdoor exposures; air pollution health effects; the development of methods to reduce exposure misclassification in large epidemiological studies
T. Beischlag – molecular mechanisms of action or halogenated and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons; molecular mechanisms of transcription factor cross-talk; development and application of genomic approaches to monitor global chromatin changes in response to environmental contaminants and exogenous chemicals
N. Berry – reproductive health and globalization, global health, Latin America, maternal mortality, immigrant parenting and family health, health promotion, community-based participatory research
J. Calvert – international trade agreements and health policy, environment and energy, privatization, Canadian health policy, employment and human resources in the health sector
A. Chockalingam – global burden of cardiovascular and respiratory diseases; hypertension prevention and control, control of cardiovascular risk factors, ethnicity, gender and cardiovascular diseases, patient education, clinical trials research, methodology
S. Corber – operational aspects of public health programs and interventions in Canada and globally; principles and practice of population and public health disease prevention and control international health
K.K. Corbett – behavioral and organizational change, health communication and intervention research; participatory research with and service delivery to diverse communities and under-served populations
S. Erikson – global health, women's reproduction, global political economy of health, governmentality, globalization and health, global relations of power, global health in international affairs
B. Fischer – mental health and addiction services and policy, knowledge translation and exchange
E. Goldner – mental health and addiciton services and policy, knowledge translation and exchange
L. Goldsmith – access to health care; medical under service; structure and organization of health care systems; qualitative methods
M.V. Hayes – social geography, population health
R. Hogg – demography, population health, infectious diseases epidemiology, HIV/AIDS, marginalized populations, First Nations health, antiretroviral therapy
C. Janes – anthropological health research in global settings, health disparities in areas undergoing socioeconomic and political reform
M. Joffres – primary prevention, population health, hypertension and cardiovascular disease epidemiology, as well as studying the link between emotions and health
B. Lanphear – children’s environmental health and development of epidemiological studies of environmental exposures and their impact on children’s physical and behavioral health
F. Lee – infectious disease, mental health and addictions
L.H. Malcoe – social epidemiology; population health inequities related to gender, class, racism, and colonialism; intimate partner violence against women; participatory intervention research; indigenous health; theory and methods for studying social determinants of health
L. McCandless – Bayesian statistics, statistical methods for epidemiology, casual inference in observational studies confounding bias, Markow Chain Monte Carlo method
C. Miller – HIV and hepatitis C, addiction, adolescent health, gender theory, health policy, mixed methods
M.H. Morrow – critical health policy with foci on: mental health reform, service provision and access to health services; mental health and social inequity; mental health and citizen engagement; globalization, neoliberal reforms, gender and health
P. Nepomnaschy – ecological perspectives on human reproduction, growth, and development; life history theory, effects of environmental and social factors on human reproduction, human variation in response to social and environmental stressors, physiological effects of stress on female reproduction, fetal adaptations to environmental and maternal challenges, effects of prenatal stress on developmental and reproductive strategies on the adult
M. Niikura – virology, viral pathogenicity, vaccinology
B. O’Connor – population health promotion; health inequities
R. Pantophlet – infectious disease immunology
K. Palmer – comparative health care systems and policy, public health practice, international/global health
G. Prefontaine – epigenetic/molecular genetics
J.K. Scott – immunochemistry, immunology
J. Snyder – applied ethics, public health ethics, bioethics
J. Somers – mental health services and policy, addiction and substance abuse
M. Steinberg – epidemiology and occupational health
T. Takaro – disease susceptibility factors in environmental and occupational health, particularly inflammatory lung conditions including asthma, chronic beryllium disease and asbestosis; linking laboratory biomarker work with public health practice including community-based interventions
R. Tucker – gender, ethnic and socio-economic disparities in adolescent mental health and relationships between mental health and other health issues
S. Venners – molecular environmental epidemiology of human reproduction: endocrine disrupting pollutants, biomarkers of exposure, effect, and susceptibility, gene-environment interactions, intersections of environmental, social, psychological and nutritional epidemiology
C. Waddell – children's health and mental health, health policy, population health
D. Zabkiewicz – mental health and substance abuse epidemiology
L. Zeng – statistical methods for longitudinal data analysis: estimating functions, transition models, missing data
Advisor
Ms. L.J. Kumpula BA (S Fraser), 778.782.6852 Tel, 778.782.5766 Fax, kumpula@sfu.ca
Graduate Diploma
graduate diploma in global health
master of public health
master of science
Introduction
The Faculty of Health Sciences currently offers two graduate degrees, master of science (MSc) and master of public health (MPH), as well as the diploma in global health. It is anticipated that a PhD program will be offered in the future.
Students wishing to pursue research training in one of the many health sciences subject areas, and who may be considering doctoral training, should consider enrolling in the master of science program. Students desiring an applied career in population and public health should consider enrolling in the master of public health program. The MSc program is highly flexible, and can be planned according to specific interests. The program culminates with the defence of a thesis. The MPH program is a course intensive program that meets Canadian and international standards for public health practice. It requires a supervised practice experience (a practicum) and completion and defence of a master’s project.
Master of Public Health Program
Faculty of Health Sciences research and teaching programs share the defining features of integrating social, behavioral, and life sciences approaches to determinants of individual and population health, disease surveillance, health promotion, and risk mitigation. This integration combines a broad spectrum of research approaches, methods of inquiry, levels of analysis, and research perspectives.
A master’s degree program, which focuses on population and public health, is offered with practice-based study which integrates core public health knowledge with the attainment of public health practitioner skills.
In addition to training in the core public health sciences, students complete one of two concentrations: global health, and population health. Both were designed to meet guidelines for public health education and practice as published by the Public Health Agency of Canada, the Canadian Public Health Association, and the US-based Council on Education for Public Health. However, the MPH program is currently undergoing accreditation review of these guidelines.
Admission Requirements
Applicants who are recent graduates will have a baccalaureate degree in a discipline relevant to population and public health including the social and behavioral sciences, life sciences, and/or the quantitative sciences. A 3.3 cumulative grade point average is normally required. Applicants with substantial practitioner experience in health or a related field will be evaluated in part on their academic credentials and career accomplishments.
Applicants may receive conditional admission subject to satisfactory completion of additional specified courses and a statistics university undergraduate course or its equivalent.
Applicants should indicate their preferred MPH concentration (see above), and must demonstrate experience, interest, and commitment to their chosen area of study. Global health concentration applicants should have some international experience.
Factors influencing MPH program admission include the availability of faculty with expertise in the desired area of study, enrolment space, and the applicant’s specific preparation.
Meeting program application requirements does not guarantee program admission.
Students are admitted annually in the fall term only.
All MPH students complete a minimum of 46 units of course work, which includes a 13 week practicum completed over an academic term, and submission of a master's project. With senior supervisor and graduate program director approval, students may submit a thesis in lieu of a master’s project, but all students complete a practicum. Students choosing to write a thesis will complete a minimum of 49 units.
Students who choose to take longer to complete their program should plan a minimum of two courses per term. Note that graduate general regulations govern the permitted time to complete a master’s degree (see “1.12.2 Master’s Degree” on page 225).
The core courses indicated below will meet the core learning objectives and core competencies developed in consultation with faculty, students, community stakeholders, and potential future employers.
Core Course Requirements for all MPH Concentrations (22 units)
Students complete all of
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice I
HSCI 802-4 Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
HSCI 803-3 Qualitative and Survey Research Methods
HSCI 845-3 Environmental and Occupational Health
HSCI 880-3 Practicum
HSCI 897-3 Master's Project
HSCI 900-1 Seminars in Population and Public Health*
HSCI 901-1 Practicum Preparation Seminar**
*offered in the spring term, normally completed in the first program year
**offered in the fall term, normally completed in the same year as the practicum
Master’s Project (HSCI 897)
Normally in the term following practicum completion, students enrol in HSCI 897 to develop the final project with their supervisors. In the following and every subsequent term, students then enrol in the project completion course (HSCI 895) until the project is completed and successfully defended, as described in Graduate General Regulations 1.9 and 1.10.
Thesis Option
Instead of a project, students may choose a thesis. Approval of the supervisor and the graduate program director is required, to ensure that Faculty of Health Sciences thesis guidelines are met, including the development and defence of a thesis proposal.
Students choosing the thesis option will enrol in HSCI 898 and continue to enrol in this course until the thesis is completed and successfully defended, as described in Graduate General Regulations 1.9 and 1.10. Thesis students must complete a practicum. Note that thesis students will complete 49 units.
The Practicum (HSCI 880)
All students will complete a practicum, which may be undertaken during any term. Before going on practicum, students complete, at minimum, the following courses.
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics of Population Health Practice I
HSCI 802-4 Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
HSCI 803-3 Qualitative and Survey Research Methods
HSCI 901-1 Practicum Preparation Seminar
Students will consult with their senior supervisor concerning all courses to be completed before the practicum. Under special circumstances, students may request written permission from the director, public health practice, and the senior supervisor to substitute one of the above courses, or to embark on the practicum prior to completion of these required courses.
Students normally complete their practicum during the summer term of their first year, but it may be completed later provided that prerequisites are met. Either way, these options allow ample time to complete core requirements before undertaking the practicum.
Practicum Preparation Seminar (HSCI 901)
Students register in the practicum preparation seminar (HSCI 901) in their practicum year. Normally, students enrol in this course in the fall term of their first year.
Concentration Requirements
In addition to the requirements stated above, students choose one of the following concentrations.
Environmental and Occupational Health Concentration
This concentration trains practitioners for practice, research, and leadership positions in environmental health. Environmental health sciences is a complex, multifaceted field that is dedicated both to protecting communities and workers from environmental factors that adversely impact human health, and to maintaining the ecological balances essential to long-term human health and environmental quality. Environmental health is one of the largest areas of public health comprising a large percentage of public health practitioners.
In addition to the core courses listed above, students complete all of
HSCI 815-3 concepts and Principles of Public Health Practice
HSCI 847-3 Risk Assessment and Communication for Human Health
HSCI 849-3 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
and one of
HSCI 824-3 Comparative Health Care Systems
HSCI 827-3 Analysis of the Canadian Health Care System
and one of
HSCI 830-3 Health Promotion
HSCI 835-3 Social and Behavioral contexts of Health and Disease
and one of
HSCI 846-3 Environmental and Occupational Epidemiology
HSCI 848-3 Toxicology, Susceptibility and Environmental Health
and two of
HSCI 804-3 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice II
HSCI 850-3 Air Pollution and Human Health
HSCI 855-3 Disease Prevention and Control
With the approval of their senior supervisor and consent of the graduate program director, a student may substitute one course from this list with an HSCI elective, or from another department or faculty.
Global Health Concentration
This concentration prepares professionals and graduates to become agents of change who are prepared to mitigate health inequities in a global context. The concentration teaches the skills and knowledge of population and public health so that students can work in resource challenged contexts. Students learn strategies for promoting health and preventing disease in socially and culturally diverse settings that are characterized by serious health inequities. Students will identify and challenge the power structures that produce poverty, inequality, and disease. They will analyze issues of ethics and human rights as these apply to health disparities worldwide. And they will develop programs and formulate policy to change and enhance the performance of health systems. Putting such knowledge into action is a critical dimension of the program. The program provides skills, experiences, sensitivity, ethical principles, and insights to respond creatively to health challenges in an interconnected and globalized world.
In addition to the core courses shown above, students in this concentration complete all of
HSCI 821-3 Problems in Global Health
HSCI 822-3 Globalization and Health Inequities
HSCI 824-3 Comparative Health Care Systems
HSCI 830-3 Health Promotion
and a minimum of one methods or skills course chosen from
HSCI 804-3 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice II
HSCI 805-3 Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods
HSCI 806-3 Principles of Demographic Analysis
HSCI 825-3 Advocacy and Communication in Global Health
HSCI 826-3 Program Planning and Evaluation in Global Health
or a course providing appropriate methods and skills, chosen from HSCI courses, or from another department or faculty, with the permission of the senior supervisor and the graduate program director
and two additional courses selected from
HSCI 823-3 Health, Gender and Development
HSCI 825-3 Advocacy and Communication in Global Health
HSCI 826-3 Program Planning and Evaluation in Global Health
HSCI 828-3 Health, Human Security, Social Justice
HSCI 829-3 Health Policy-making in a Global Context
HSCI 855-3 Disease Prevention and Control
HSCI 870-3 Global Health and International Affairs
or, with the approval of the senior supervisor, a student may substitute two courses from this list with electives drawn from the list of HSCI graduate courses, from other departments and faculties.
Population Health Concentration
This concentration focuses on health policy and planning for health care delivery, health promotion and disease prevention, and applied methods for assessing population health. The concentration prepares established professionals and recent university graduates for positions of leadership in population and public health.
In addition to the core courses shown above, students in this concentration complete all of
HSCI 815-3 Concepts of Population and Public Health Practice
HSCI 827-3 Analysis of the Canadian Health Care Delivery System
HSCI 835-3 Social and Behavioral Contexts of Health and Disease
HSCI 855-3 Disease Prevention and Control
and a minimum of one methods or skills course chosen from
HSCI 804-3 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice II
HSCI 805-3 Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods
HSCI 806-3 Principles of Demographic Analysis
HSCI 825-3 Advocacy and Communication in Global Health
HSCI 826-3 Program Planning and Evaluation in Global Health
or a course providing appropriate methods or skills, chosen from HSCI courses or from another department or faculty, with permission of the senior supervisor and the graduate program director
plus three additional elective courses chosen from HSCI courses or from relevant courses in other faculties and departments, with permission of the senior supervisor and course instructor.
Social Inequities and Health Concentration
The importance of reducing health inequities has emerged as an imperative for health scholars, policymakers and practitioners both within Canada and globally. Increasingly, health inequities are being understood within a conceptual framework that foregrounds the role of structural factors and accounts for intersecting axes of oppression and privilege. Despite a substantial evidence base documenting social inequities in health, there are major gaps in our understanding of the pathways and mechanisms whereby health inequities are produced. Thus, there is limited information on which to base development of effective prevention and intervention policies that will reduce these inequities.
This concentration’s goal is to prepare MPH students for critical and reflexive research and practice that addresses health inequities related to poverty, racism, colonialism, sexism and other forms of structural violence. Upon completion of the concentration, learners will have a commitment and capacity to advance theory, research, and practice that explains why systemic social inequities persist and how best to reduce their effects on population health.
In addition to core courses, students complete all of
HSCI 807-3 Researching Health Inequities
HSCI 815-3 Concepts of Population and Public Health Practice
HSCI 835-3 Social and Behavioral Contexts of Health and Disease
HSCI 838-3 Theorizing Social Inequities and Health
HSCI 839-3 Strategies for Reducing Health Inequities
and one of
HSCI 824-3 Comparative Health Care Systems
HSCI 827-3 Analysis of the Canadian Health Care System
and one of
HSCI 822-3 Globalization and Health Inequities
HSCI 823-3 Health, Gender and Development
HSCI 829-3 Health Policy Making in a Global Context
HSCI 891-3 Special Topics in Health Sciences*
SA 855-3 Advanced Quantitative Methods
*when offered as Exploring Social Locations: Women’s Health and Policy in Canada
With the approval of their senior supervisor and consent of the graduate program director, a student may substitute one course from this list with an HSCI elective, or from another department or faculty.
plus one additional elective chosen from an HSCI course or from relevant courses in other faculties and departments, with permission of the senior supervisor and the director of graduate programs.
This program offers students the opportunity to develop an area of research expertise in the health sciences. It prepares graduates for research careers in one of the signature areas that either have been developed or are currently under development within the faculty including global health; environmental health and toxicology; epidemiology and prevention of chronic disease, population and public health perspectives on mental health and addictions; the impact of social inequalities on multiple health outcomes; adolescent and children’s health, health policy, and interdisciplinary perspectives on infectious disease. The available courses and directed research experiences available will cover health issues from the level of cells, organisms, systems, communities and populations, encompassing and transcending strictly individual or clinical perspectives.
Formal academic instruction is available in regularly taught courses within the faculty (as described above) as well as in other faculties and departments the University, and other BC and Alberta universities through the Western Deans’ Agreement. In addition, directed studies and directed research courses may be available in areas specific.
Thesis Requirement
The MSc is a research degree in which the main component will be a thesis that addresses a health sciences research problem. The thesis will comprise a focused body of study that would normally require about two to three terms to complete.
Admission Requirements
Applicants who are recent graduates should have completed a baccalaureate degree in a discipline relevant to their health sciences interest. Such disciplines include the social and behavioral sciences, life sciences and/or the quantitative sciences. A minimum cumulative grade point average of at least 3.3 on grading scales that are similar to those used by 91ÅÝܽ is normally required. Applicants with substantial experience as practitioners in health or a related field will be evaluated in part on their academic credentials and in part on their career accomplishments. Applicants may receive conditional admission, subject to satisfactory completion of additional specified courses.
Factors influencing admission include an assessment of whether the student’s educational and career interest are complementary to the research strengths of the faculty, enrolment space, and the student’s specific preparation. Meeting program application requirements does not guarantee program admission. Applicants should demonstrate how their educational, research and/or career experiences have prepared them for their selected areas of concentration.
Course Requirements
The curriculum plan consists of a minimum of six courses, one seminar and a thesis.
Requirements include two courses in methodology and research design that are relevant to the student’s research and career interest. To meet this requirement, most students will find it advantageous, depending on their interests and prior training, to complete at least two of the following courses.
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice I
HSCI 802-4 Principles of epidemiology for Public Health
HSCI 804-3 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice II
HSCI 805-3 Intermediate Epidemiologic Methods.
Methods requirements for those intending to conduct laboratory-based research may be met through directed laboratory research experiences.
In addition to the two methods courses, four additional courses, selected in consultation with their supervisor, are completed from any of the faculty’s graduate courses. With senior supervisor and graduate program director approval, a student may complete up to two courses outside the faculty but within the University, or from other Western Dean’s Agreement universities. This agreement provides easy inclusion of graduate courses from most universities in BC and adjoining provinces.
All students complete
HSCI 900-1 Seminars in Population and Public Health
This course, which is completed during the spring term, provides a context for all master’s students to meet and learn from faculty and each other.
The thesis requirement is completed by enrolling in
HSCI 898-6 Master’s Thesis
It comprises focused study that normally requires two to three terms to complete. Upon embarking on their thesis research, MSc thesis stream students enrol in this course and continue to enrol in the thesis completion course HSCI 896 until the thesis is completed and successfully defended, as described in graduate general regulations 1.9 and 1.10.
Before commencing master’s thesis research, all students prepare and successfully defend a thesis proposal before their supervisory committee, and obtain relevant ethics, biosafety, and experimental animal handling approvals as necessary.
Graduate Diploma in Global Health
This stand-alone diploma provides complementary graduate training in the basics of global health practice to those interested in learning more about global health methods and concepts. In addition to core courses, elective courses help students apply learning experiences to their global health interests and activities. The diploma is a useful adjunct to clinical training (e.g. medicine or nursing), academic training in complementary fields (e.g. development, international relations, public policy) and for those who wish to work internationally, or learn about global health research challenges and practice.
Course Work and Requirements
Students complete a minimum of 22 units including all of the following core courses.
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics for Population Health Practice I
HSCI 802-4 Principles of Epidemiology for Public Health
HSCI 821-3 Problems in Global Health
HSCI 822-3 Globalization and Health Inequities
Elective Courses
In addition to the required core courses listed above, students complete a minimum of three elective courses, two of which should be chosen from global health area requirements, and the third course can be chosen from HSCI graduate courses, or from other 91ÅÝܽ graduate programs. Students should choose electives in consultation with the co-ordinator and/or director, graduate programs.
Course Credit
Students who have completed any or all of the following global health, or population and public health courses, cannot complete corresponding 800 division HSCI courses for further credit: PPH 820, 821, 822, 823, 860, 870, 880, 897, GLOH 510, 520, 530, 610, 615, 620, 630, 635, 640, 650, 680, 690, 810, 815, 820, 830, 835, 840, 850, 880, 890.
Students in the diploma program or in the master of public health program who have completed any or all of the following global health or population and public health courses cannot complete corresponding 800 division HSCI courses for further credit: PPH 820, 821, 822, 823, 860, 870, 880, 897, GLOH 519, 520 530, 610, 615, 620, 630, 635, 640, 650, 680, 690, 810, 815, 820, 830, 835, 840, 850, 880, 890.
Students who have completed the master’s project under the title Seminar in the Workplace Integrated Learning (PPH 897), or under the title Practicum Project in Global Health (GLOH 698), or under the title MSc Project (PPH 897) cannot complete HSCI 897 for further credit.
Institute for Health Research and Education
The Institute for Health Research and Education (IHRE) promotes and facilitates research collaborations that bridge the basic biomedical sciences, clinical interfaces, societies, cultures, and the health of populations, health services and systems, and technology of health. It provides a focus for researchers from all sectors of health, and provides infrastructure to promote and foster cross-disciplinary research collaborations and the creation and promotion of new knowledge. Applications lie in the understanding of health issues from population-based, individual, and biological perspectives, and development and transfer of new technologies and treatments into the community. The IHRE coordinates a range of activities that provide library holdings in the areas of health, provided expert personnel to assist with grant applications, and skilled personnel to maintain health-related instrumentation. It has also served to foster and initiate the Faculty of Health Sciences, a venue for instructional programs open to students in September 2005, starting with a master's degree in population and public health.
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