Health Sciences

This course examines health and illness from a cultural perspective. Specifically, It analyzes the social meanings associated with health and illness, medical knowledge production, medical decision-making, and global health in cross-cultural contexts. Students will have a chance to delve into issues related to the social processes of framing illness, the medicalization of life in China and elsewhere, the complexity and uncertainty surrounding medical decisions, and the cultural aspects of health practices across the globe.

Evolutionary thinking provides useful new insights into the origins of diseases and contemporary health problems. This course explores the applications of the tools and concepts of evolutionary biology to human health and health-related behavior. Incorporating examples from the lecturer’s ongoing research on BaYakahunter-gatherers living in the Northern rainforests of Congo and current health problems, students cover a range of topics including: Evolution and human-microbe interactions; Hunter-gatherers as models in public health; Diet, exercise, evolutionary mismatches and non-communicable diseases; Life-history theory and reproductive health; Evolutionary perspectives on mental health and wellbeing; Cultural evolution and health-related behavior; and Applied evolutionary medicine: future of medicine and how evolutionary thinking can be applied to current health problems.

This course uses an integrated, multidisciplinary approach to explore current Community and Public Health challenges, focusing on both global and local issues in the Dominican Republic. The curriculum is structured around a critical examination of Environmental and Social Determinants of Health (ESDOH), emphasizing the ways in which culture, governance, climate change, human mobility, equity, justice, and inclusion influence health outcomes across diverse communities. Students develop non-clinical research skills to identify community health gaps and develop evidence-based, culturally sensitive, and sustainable interventions. 

This is an introductory course on scientific research methods for social welfare research. The course covers the process of formulating appropriate research questions and hypotheses; issues on conceptualization and measurement; components of research designs; basic techniques for testing hypotheses and relationships among variables; and ethical issues associated with conducting social welfare research. Topics include Human inquiry and science, the research process, problem formation, searching and reviewing literature, conceptualization and measurement and scales, assessing quality of measurement instruments, sampling, research designs, evaluation research.

Students will be required to prepare research plans according to a social research framework. 

This course offers a global perspective while contextualizing health issues within China's unique national circumstances. The course systematically introduces essential concepts, policy practices, and cutting-edge developments across key global health domains, including health governance, health financing, infectious disease prevention and control, and maternal and child health

Food choices have a large impact on peoples’ health, the welfare of animals, stakeholders in the food system, and ultimately the planet. This course focuses on food environments and the consumer, to understand the factors that lead to unhealthy and unsustainable choices and how these can be shifted.
The course explores a wide range of disciplines and topics, from brain processes and gut bacteria (biology and nutrition science) to decision making processes (psychology), to cultural processes (sociology), to the food environment (marketing and human geography) and finally behavior change interventions (Communication and psychology). The course includes an excursion to get some hands-on experience and guest lecturers who contribute to resolving the issues in the food system. The course discusses societal issues such as obesity, malnutrition, food waste, microplastics, the protein transition and diet hypes. The research methods with which food science is conducted in order to take part in meaningful discussions about sustainable and healthy food consumption are introduced.

This three-week intensive course introduces the fundamentals of cancer biology, diagnosis, treatment, prevention and survivorship. It is taught through expert-led lectures, interactive workshops, lab sessions and site visits. Core topics include molecular mechanisms of cancer, diagnosis (pathology and radiology), radiotherapy, chemotherapy, immunotherapy and nanomedicine. Students take part in a structured problem-based learning (PBL) project. Working in groups, they investigate real-world cancer prevention challenges, propose solutions and assess their potential impact.

This course provides a continuation of the study of medical statistics, with emphasis on more advanced topics in epidemiological methods and the design and analysis of clinical trials. Students learn how to model survival data using parametric regression models; to develop and validate a risk prediction model; to analyze clustered data using a regression model; to design and analyze a cross-over trial, cluster randomized trial, equivalence trial, and early phase trial; to understand the issues concerning interim analyses and missing data; and to carry out a meta-analysis.

This course explores how environmental factors such as pollution, waste management, climate change, and urban planning affect and shape the health of individuals in our societies. It touches on the environment-health nexus within the sustainable development goals and global agendas, and it explores the theoretical approaches to understanding the environmental determinants of health. It also explores case studies and empirical research conducted in both developed and developing countries and dives into the social inequalities in environmental exposures and health. Methodologically, this course provides analytical skills such as collection, analysis, and interpretation of quantitative (statistical literacy) and qualitative (e.g., Photovoice) data and generic research skills including reading and critically summarizing and presenting research papers.

This course prepares students to engage ethically and effectively with underserved communities in the Dominican Republic, bridging theoretical understanding of the local health system with applied community engagement through collaborative health-focused community partnerships. Working alongside local organizations in different socioeconomic settings, students will apply public health theories and frameworks to collaboratively address community-identified health challenges. Students will co-design and implement interventions that foster health literacy, evaluate their impact through community-based assessments, and engage in critical reflection. Emphasis is placed on ethical and reciprocal engagement, cross-cultural communication, and problem-solving skills to advance health equity and community empowerment. Students will have 30 classroom hours + 45 hours of community engagement.