5 Awesome Free Online Public Health Courses

For those currently working or aspiring to work in government in the area of public health, you know it is important to stay educated on the latest public health challenges. The good news is that with the spread of online education, staying up to date is easier than ever before. For the sake of educating the group at govloop.com, I was able to locate five great online education courses for you that are free of charge. Ihope you enjoy them.

1. Population Change and Public Health: Developed by Johns Hopkins University faculty, this free course will introduce the basics of population studies. Some of the topics covered include population size, distribution, composition, and the consequences and causes of changing any of these. Also, the program includes a strong overview of demographic processes and measures that are utilized to assess them. You also will learn about reproductive health problems.
2. Public Health Biology: This course by Johns Hopkins University will give you an introductory perspective on integrative molecular and biological problems in public health. The course will discuss population biology, as well as principles of ecology that have an effect on public health. Some of the modules in the course will focus on the specific diseases which have viral, bacterial and environmental origins.
3. Chemicals in the Environment: Toxicology and Public Health: Offered by MIT, this class will educate you on how exposure to dangerous chemicals can have an effect on human diseases and public health. Topics include approaches of epidemiology to understand the causes of disease; biostatistical methods; evaluating chemical exposure to human populations, and how these chemicals react in the human body. Also covered is health risk assessment strategies that are used in the US to make regulatory decisions.
4. Oral Public Health and Community Service: Tufts University offers this course that teaches you about how public health, civic engagement and community service are directly related to public health and well being. Also, learn about the basics of biostatistics and epidemiology, as well as their most practical applications in public health. Next, you will find out why oral health problems are so critical to public health concerns around the world. Some of the oral public health issues discussed include fluoridation, disposal of mercury and use of tobacco.
5. Health Information Systems to Improve Quality of Care in Resource-Poor Settings: This free online class by MIT will show you how to develop information systems for third world countries that will improve public health, boost the strength of the infrastructure of the country, and create an ecosystem of collaboration that will enhance the value of these structures. This course is taught by experts in the field of public health.

By taking these free classes online, you should be able to significantly enhance your public health knowledge.

References:

• 130+ Super Cool Free Online Public Health Courses & Certificates MOOCS
• http://ocw.jhsph.edu/index.cfm/go/viewCourse/course/PublicHealthBiology/coursePage/index/
• http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/biological-engineering/20-104j-chemicals-in-the-environment-toxicology-and-public-health-be-104j-spring-2005/
• http://ocw.tufts.edu/Course/11
• http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/health-sciences-and-technology/hst-184-health-information-systems-to-improve-quality-of-care-in-resource-poor-settings-spring-2011/