Health Sciences

The Vocal Healing Course is designed to teach active healing methods. Vocal healing greatly benefits human body both physically and spiritually through vocal training methods, which focus on breathing techniques, resonance adjustments, and vocal frequency vibrations, and through auditory guidance in music. This nonverbal form of communication can reach deep into people's emotional core. Some healing techniques can even “massage” the body’s internal organs in ways that are difficult to replicate with other healing approaches.

This survey course covers an extensive review of the human body's structural framework and describes how it functions. The course introduces terms in anatomy and physiology; students get to know the body's anatomical structures and gain insight into how the structures and systems function in sickness and health.  

Topics include The human body: reading the map, Cells, Tissues and systems, Skeletal system, Muscular system, Integumentary system, Nervous system, Endocrine system, Cardiovascular system, Respiratory system, Lymphatic system, Immune system, Urinary system, Reproductive system.  

This is a research project carried out under the guidance of a supervisor at the Simons Initiative for the Developing Brain (SIDB) at the University of Edinburgh.

This is an independent research course with research arranged between the student and faculty member. The specific research topics vary each term and are described on a special project form for each student. A substantial paper is required. The number of units varies with the student’s project, contact hours, and method of assessment, as defined on the student’s special study project form.

This course provides students with a general overview of social inequalities in health at the individual and population level and how they differ across time and place. It spans topics from sociology, public health, epidemiology, and demography to explore the various factors that produce and exacerbate health inequalities. Emphasis is placed on first building foundational knowledge about health inequalities and its determinants, including understanding how health is defined and measured, and what are the factors that influence health at the individual (e.g., socioeconomic status, family structure) and population (e.g., cultural norms, welfare systems) levels. The course then discusses how health changes over the life course and over time. A central focus throughout this course is on contextual differences, so readings cover a range of countries and populations. Students are expected to critically engage with scientific articles selected by the instructor and are encouraged to contribute relevant articles for discussion in class. A solid understanding of quantitative research methods is essential for the successful completion of this course.

This course focuses on the psychology of emotional well-being as well as strategies on how the study of emotion can be applied to different domains of life. It discusses various concepts related to emotional well-being from different psychological perspectives, developing a deeper understanding of the positive and negative emotions experienced by human beings and analyze their causes and effects on well-being. It explores the various models of emotion and critically analyzes their merits and limitations, as well as their practical application. It explores various classic theories such as Basic Emotion Theory, Social Constructivist Theory, Cognitive Appraisal Theory, and the RULER Model of Emotion Intelligence.

This course addresses gender and sexuality in healthcare contexts. The course provides a basis for understanding health from interdisciplinary social science perspectives, drawing in the ways gender and sexuality play important roles for understanding and shaping healthcare experiences. Issues around gender, sexualities and health are intimately shaped by social, cultural, political and economic forces; they are contemporary issues with ongoing debates around the globe concerning rights, justice, activism, and access to services, all of which can be examined using the lens of sex and gender. The course is delivered by a multi-disciplinary team of experts within the School of Health in Social Science, and introduces students to social scientific approaches to exploring issues around gender, sexualities and health. The course draws on the sociology of health and illness, as well as gender studies, anthropology, policy and politics, law, and history.

This course covers the rich history and development of traditional Thai medicine, theoretical concepts, types of treatment with herb, massage, herbal sauna, and other curative applications. It covers traditional Thai medicine and health care, and its integration into the country's health care system. It provides a basic knowledge in human anatomy and physiology necessary for Thai massage, its history, benefits and limitations, and steps, postures and the etiquette of Thai massage. The course includes demonstrations. 

This course covers concepts in community health, primary health care, and the health system. It discusses the development of health manpower and identification and visualization of health disparities that exist in the community. Practical sessions in local hospitals and field trips as well as independent research and a group project are included.

This course provides an in-depth understanding of nutritional needs from infancy through older adulthood. Students explore how nutritional requirements evolve across various life stages including pregnancy, lactation, infancy, childhood, adolescence, adulthood and aging. Topics include physiological changes impacting nutrient metabolism, dietary guidelines for optimal health at each stage, and the role of nutrition in preventing and managing diseases. Students learn to identify practical nutritional challenges and to critically evaluate information and resources to provide evidence-supported suggestions.   

This course introduces the conceptual framework of social determinants of health (SDH) and examines how globalization affects various types of SDH and consequentially influences the health of individuals and populations. Societal and policy-level SDHs are highlighted, focusing on analyses of interventions and solutions to tackle health inequalities. 

A basic understanding of public health and health policy is helpful but not a prerequisite.