MPH5203 - Environmental influences on health - 2019

6 points, SCA Band 2, 0.125 EFTSL

Postgraduate - Unit

Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.

Faculty

Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences

Organisational Unit

Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Ewan MacFarlane

Coordinator(s)

Dr Ewan MacFarlane

Unit guides

Offered

Alfred Hospital

  • Second semester 2019 (Off-campus)
  • Second semester 2019 (On-campus)

Co-requisites

Must be enrolled in a Postgraduate degree

Synopsis

Environmental influences on health including physical, chemical and biological hazards as well as principles of assessment, management and control of environmental health risks.

Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this unit, students should be able to:

  1. identify important chemical, physical and biological hazards in the environment and analyse related risks to health from environmental factors in Australia;
  2. communicate fluently using appropriate terminology to describe chemical, physical and biological hazards encountered in a variety of contexts;
  3. critically appraise the epidemiological literature which informs the evidence base for environmental health risk control strategies;
  4. identify common hazards, appropriate techniques for exposure measurement and risk assessment methodologies in environmental media such as water air and food;
  5. apply theoretical models of risk communication to appropriately communicate the principles of effective management of environmental health risks; and
  6. develop evidence based interventions to control simple environmental risks and prevent harm, including strategies for standard setting and systematic management of key personal, social and economic factors, to inhibit, control or reduce potential for harm.

Assessment

  • Written assignments (1 x 2,000 words; 1 x 2,500 words) (80%) (Hurdle)
  • Online tasks (20%)

Hurdle: Full attendance at unit block days.

Workload requirements

6 hours off campus, self-directed learning per week, 4 hours teacher directed learning per week, plus 20 contact hours over 3 block days.

See also Unit timetable information

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Additional information on this unit is available from the faculty at: