Public Health Modeling Concentration

Students must complete at least two of the following foundational courses:

Students must complete the following two course requirements:

Students must complete two additional elective courses chosen from the list of pre-approved elective courses.

• EMD 538 Quantitative Methods in Infectious Disease Epidemiology*
• EMD 553 Transmission Dynamic Models for Understanding Infectious Diseases*
• EMD 531 Genomic Epidemiology
• ENV 740 Dynamics: Ecological Systems
• CDE 597 Genetic Concepts in Public Health
• CDE 619 Advanced Epidemiologic Research Methods
• E&EB 678 Mathematical Models & Quantitative Methods in Evolution & Ecology

• BIS 567 Bayesian Statistics*
• S&DS 238/538 Probability and Statistics*
• S&DS 563 Multivariate Statistical Methods for the Social Sciences
• ENV 781 / S&DS 674 Applied Spatial Statistics
• ENV 758 Multivariate Data Analysis in the Environmental Sciences
• S&DS 530/ENV 757/PLSC 530: Data Exploration and Analysis
• S&DS 251/551 Stochastic Processes
• S&DS 565 Applied Data Mining and Machine Learning
• BIS 557 Computational Statistics
• BIS 568 Applied Machine Learning in Healthcare
• EHS 566 / CDE 566, Causal Inference Methods in Public Health Research

• HPM 570 Cost-Effectiveness Analysis and Decision Making*
• HPM 573 Advanced Topics in Modeling Health Care Decisions*
• PLSC 503 Quantitative Methods II: Foundations of Statistical Inference
• PLSC 504 Advanced Quantitative Methods
• MGT 879 Healthcare Operations
• ECON 675 Models of Operations Research and Management
• CDE 650 Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine and Health Care
• EMD/HPM 580 Reforming Health Systems
• EMD 582b/GLBL 716/EP&E 314 Political Epidemiology

• SOCY 625a Analysis of Social Structure
• SOCY 647b Social Processes

• EMD 539b Introduction to the Analysis and Interpretation of Public Health Surveillance Data*

* This course may be used to satisfy the elective requirement by students who do not use it to satisfy the mandatory course requirement.

**Other courses with a substantial modeling component may be substituted as an elective with the approval of the modeling concentration director(s).

In addition to mastering the core competencies of the Yale MPH program, students in the Public Health Modeling Concentration will demonstrate proficiency in the following areas:

• Identifying questions in public health policy and practice that may be amenable to model-based approaches.

• Explaining why modeling is particularly pertinent to describing the processes that drive transmission and control of infectious diseases.

• Demonstrating a working knowledge of the sub-disciplines and methods that pertain to modeling, including: probability theory; decision analysis; cost-effectiveness analysis; simulation methods (e.g., Markov models, individual-based models, compartmental models, Monte Carlo methods).

• Applying public health modeling concepts, principles, and methodologies obtained through formal course work to specific problems. This includes:

• defining research questions and elaborating testable hypotheses;
• developing and explaining model-based approaches to address those questions and to test those hypotheses;
• identifying, assembling, and managing the data needed to inform model structure and parameterization;
• designing efficient computer programs to manage data, simulate models, and present model output using appropriate modeling software (e.g. Microsoft Excel, R, MATLAB); and
• interpreting and communicating findings to a variety of academic, government, advocacy, and general audiences.

• Reviewing, critiquing, and interpreting the findings of model-based public health reports and research articles, with a mature appreciation of the practical problems of applying these methods in the evaluation of medical technologies and public health policies.

• Demonstrating sensitivity to the social, cultural, human rights, and ethical context within which public health modeling may be employed. Appreciating the challenges of adapting and implementing model-based approaches in limited-resource communities, vulnerable populations, and other special settings.

The Seminar in Modeling for Public Health is a year-long, monthly elective course, targeted most specifically to students in the Public Health Modeling Concentration but open to other interested members of the Yale community. The seminar features talks by faculty from across Yale University doing modeling-related research, as well as invited speakers from other universities and public health agencies. The objectives of the course are to offer students the opportunity to:

• Witness the scope and range of questions in public health policy and practice that may be addressed, understood, and informed using model-based approaches.

• Appreciate the breadth of public health modeling research being conducted around the University and beyond.

• Explore possible collaborations/relationships with other scholars and professionals.

• Review, critique, and evaluate model-based public health research in a structured environment.

• Form their own opinions regarding the applicability, relevance, and responsible use of modeling methods.

The Seminar in Public Health Modeling is a no-credit requirement for students in the Public Health Modeling Concentration. Students in the Concentration must register for the Seminar during at least two semesters of enrollment. For each class, 1-2 readings will be circulated/posted on the course website prior to the talk. Students are encouraged to read the articles and articulate questions for the speaker.