HSG 601Lifespan Approaches to Disease Prevention and Health Promotion0.50 units
This course examines issues in health and disability from a multidisciplinary lifespan perspective. An integrated approach is taken that considers biological, behavioral, and social factors relevant to health and disability at different ages, and locates issues of prevention, treatment, management, and policy within a broadly-based public health orientation.
A critical analysis of health policy formulation, implementation and evluation related to population health initiatives and health care delivery. The course will include discussion of the role of various regional, provincial, and national agencies in health care policy formation. It will examine various health care systems, their funding and how the Canadian healthcare system compares with systems in other countries. Prerequisite: Consent of instructor.
HSG 604Evaluation of Health and Human Service Programs0.50 units
Program evaluation is the systematic, utilization focused collection of information for both internal planning purposes and external accountability, accreditation requirements. This comprehensive course will cover needs assessment, marketing and implementation, process/delivery and outcome evaluation. Case examples will be used to illustrate methodological, political and ethical challenges. Course assignments involve working with community or institutional programs of the student's choice.
The use of multiple regression models in the anlysis of multi-variable data sets. Strategies for model builidng, fitting of models, assessing model assumptions and testing hypotheses. Application of these models to problems in the health sciences.
HSG 605CLogistic Regression and Its Application0.25 units
The use of logistic regression for the analysis of multi-variable data sets with binary response. Strategies for model building, fitting of models, assessing model assumptions and testing hypotheses. Use of these models to anlayze prospective studies, case-control studies and cross-sectional studies.
Review of Hypothesis tests and Confidence intervals for paired and unpaired observations. The concept of a designed experiment and its associated model. Analysis of variance for one and two factor experiments including interaction. Contrasts for comparing various treatment means. Use of Residual analysis to check the statistical assumtpions of a design . SAS may be used to obtain listings used in the analysis.
Methods for determining Expected Mean Squares. Design and Analysis of Factorial, Fractional Factorial and Repeated Measures Experiments. Design and Anlysis and other designs as time permits. SAS may be used to obtain listings used in the anlysis .
An investigation of the epidemiology of selected non-infectious diseases with emphasis on the identification of risk factors and on the methodology of epidemiological investigations.
The focus of the course is on basic physiological and immunological mechanisms involved in major contemporary health problems, including those which are contributed to by behavioural factors.
HSG 609Population Intervention Research for Chronic Disease Prevention0.50 units
This course introduces concepts, theories and methods pertinent to the conduct of research for population intervention, especially as it relates to chronic disease prevention. Modules introduce ecological, utilitarian and social justice frameworks, ethical challenges, the importance of integrated knowledge translation and new methodologies for informing the development of population interventions. Students gain experience writing and critically reviewing grant proposals.
HSG 610Program Development and Service Delivery for the Elderly0.50 units
The various programs and services, particularly in the non-medical areas, will be discussed. Emphasis will be placed on various programs which are available to the elderly residing in the community, such as home care and homemaking services, various outreach programs, including day hospitals, placement and coordination services, geriatric assessment services, vacation relief beds and foster home programs. The reasons for the changes which have taken place over time will also be investigated. In addition, the cost-effectiveness and methods how such cost-effectiveness can be evaluated will be outlined. As with HSG 703, students in this course will be expected to undertake some field work.
This course examines the environment in which health care systems operate, with a focus on policy formulation legislative frameworks, governance structures, and funding models. Special attention is given to issues related to electronic health records and health information systems. A focus on international settings with strong track records in health informatics is central to this course.
HSG 612Data Structures and Standards in Health Informatics0.50 units
This course focuses on health data as a key component of all health informatics systems. Topics include ontologies and other classification taxonomies found in health systems, data standards (with a focus on Canadian implementations of international standards), privacy and security of health data, client/patient assessment tools, and ethical considerations.
Fall/Winter/Spring Specific topics may include health behaviour change, decision making in health delivery systems, stress coping strategies, risk assessment and management, psychopharmacology and addiction, nutrition and chronic disease, psychosocial factors in disease, accident and injury control, health assessment, health and the aging person, etc.
Fall/Winter/Spring The supervised practicum is intended to enhance basic or applied research skills. The placement may involve a combination of research design or program development, data collection (using quantitative or qualitative methods), analyses, interpretation, and presentation. A contract stipulating practicum objectives, and work to be completed to meet these objectives must be jointly approved by the student, the practicum supervisor, the academic supervisor, and the practicum coordinator. A written report by the student, together with a letter from the field supervisor, are used by the co-ordinator to evaluate student performance. This course is intended for Masters level students. Graded on a Cr/NCr basis. Prerequisite: consent of instructor.
HSG 651Analysis and Management of Health Information in Aging Populations0.50 units
The course combines an overview of health policy issues and service delivery with methodological considerations in the analysis of health information from a variety of sources. The topics to be addressed may include the role of health information in evidence-based practice and policy development; basic concepts of demography and health information management; secondary data analysis; case-mix based funding systems; performance indicators, quality, and accountability in health care; clinical applications of health data; need analysis; cost analysis; international comparisons.
HSG 652Decision Making and Decision Support in Health0.50 units
One of the major aims of health informatics is to help health professionals make better decisions. To this end, diverse models and methods of decision making and decision support have been developed and implements in health care settings. This course reviews theories, methods, and technologies for aiding the process of making decisions in health care.
HSG 654Knowledge Mobilzation to Serve Society0.50 units
The goal of knowledge transfer is to make publicly-funded research more useful to policy, practice, and the public. In this interdisciplinary course students learn how to gather, evaluate, synthesize and summarize scholarly knowledge in ways that meet the needs, timeframes, culture, and realities of stakeholders. Students will examine strategies and techniques used in a variety of fields to make research findings more useful and usable beyond the academy. Experts from the areas of policy, media, and practice will offer their perspectives on knowledge transfer and the need for increased research impact.
HSG 655Building Community-University Research Alliances0.50 units
This interdisciplinary course examines the impediments to, as well as those developments that facilitate, community-university partnerships from historic, cross-cultural, and empirical perspectives. Community is defined broadly to include local social service organizations, health practitioners, policy makers, and commercial enterprises. Students develop research alliances relevant to their areas of study, skills, and interests. Through the development of research alliances students learn how to facilitate the uptake of existing research to increase organizational capacity for sustainability and innovation.
The primary objective of the course will be to provide a basic understanding of how drugs can alter the function of neural cells, and how these changes can affect mood, cognition, and behaviour. Key topics to be discussed include: a) biological principles of pharmacology, b) general structure and function of the nervous system, c) major neurotransmitter systems of the brain, d) mechanisms of drug action on neurotransmission, and e) pharmaotherapy.
HSG 672Epidemiologic Methods in Aging Research0.50 units
This course introduces the application of epidemiologic methods to the study of older persons. This lecture/discussion will present core epidemiologic concepts and methodologic issues in epidemiologic students of older persons. We will then study predictors of health and three major health outcomes: longevity/mortality, functional status/disability, and disease. Students will critically evaluate epidemiologic studies in aging research and will investigate a specific topic in this field in depth.
HSG 677Fundamentals of Behavioural Neuroscience0.50 units
This survey course will be team-taught by members of the collaborative program, and will serve to introduce students to major subareas of ongoing behavioural neuroscience research at Waterloo. Topics will include cognitive psychopathology, apraxia, topics in visual neuroscience, early experience and brain development, cognitive electrophysiology, human locomotion, neuropathology of schizophrenia, object recognition, hemispheric specialization, motor control and psychoneuroimmunology.
An in-depth analysis of specific topics of interest. Representative topics may include advanced epidemiological and statistical methods for health research, cancer prevention and control, advanced health program evluation, psychoneuroimmunology, addictions, caregiver issues, etc. The form of the study may include a literature review or the planning and execution of and execution of an independent study leading to a mamor paper for possible publication.
This course will provide an overview of current thinking on work and health by introducing students to major substantive topics in the area from a multi-disciplinary perspective. The course will critically examine a variety of topics that may be investigated from different disciplinary perspectives. Classes will include presentations by faculty members representing different disciplines in the collaborative program. Examples of topics discussed in a given term may include work-stress relationships, healthy workplaces, and vulnerable populations.
HSG 731Approaches to Research in Work and Health0.50 units
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to different ways of designing and implementing research within the topic area of work and health as well as some of the practical, political and ethical challenges. The course content will include an examination of the epistemological positions associated with different types of research questions, analysis of case studies of research in work and health, and discussions of proposed research questions and proposals that examine problems from a variety of disciplinary perspectives. The course will also include presentations by researchers and practitioners from the work and health domain, who will facilitate discussions on the challenges and opportunities of conducting and applying research in this area.
HSG 732AWork and Health Research Seminar (I)0.00 units
This seminar is a forum for student presentations about results of or proposals for research. Invited speakers will also present results of research from time to time. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., during the candidates' first two years in the program). Attendance beyond that is encouraged. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of investigation in the collaborative program. Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis.
HSG 732BWork and Health Research Seminar (II)0.00 units
This seminar is a forum for student presentations about results of or proposals for research. Invited speakers will also present results of research from time to time. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., during the candidates' first two years in the program). Attendance beyond that is encouraged. The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of investigation in the collaborative program. Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis.
The supervised research practicum is intended to enhance basic or applied research skills as demonstrated through previous practica, research assistantships or other research experiences.The placement may involve a combination of research design or program development, data collection (using quantitative or qualitative methods), analyses, interpretation and presentationa. A contract stipulating practicum objectives, and work to be completed to meet these objectives must be approved jointly by the student, the practicum supervisor, the academic supervisor, and the practicum co-ordinator. A written report by the student, together with a letter from the field supervisor, are used by the co-ordinator to evaluate student performance.
HSG 750Fundamentals of Aging, Health and Well-being0.50 units
This survey course will be team-taught by members of the collaborative program and will serve to introduce students to major sub-areas of aging, health and well-being research. Topics will be covered from each Department within the Faculty of Applied Health Sciences.
HSG 751Aging, Health and Well-being Research Seminar0.00 units
This seminar is a forum for student presentations about results of, or proposals for research. Invited speakers will also present results of research from time to time. Attendance at the seminar is required for two terms (i.e., during the candidates' first two years in the program). The range of topics that will be addressed in the seminar crosses all areas of investigation in the collaborative program. Grading will be on a credit/no credit basis. Must be registered in the PhD program in Aging, Health and Well-being.