About
The Environmental and Occupational Health concentration provides an opportunity for students to examine how the health of a population is affected by biological, chemical, and physical factors in the environment. Public health practitioners in environmental and occupational health evaluate workplaces, homes, and other environments for potential hazardous materials and human risk factors. They conduct studies to assess the role of the environment in the development of diseases such as asthma, lung disease, cancer, and mental health. Topics studied in this emphasis include air/water quality, climate change, food safety, natural disasters, toxicology, and the environmental component of emerging issues such as the presence of PFAS in the environment, health impacts from extreme heat and climate change, or non-tail pipe air pollution emissions. The Environmental and Occupational Health concentration is STEM designated.
In addition to meeting the 22 MPH Foundational Competencies, graduates from the Environmental and Occupational Health concentration will meet the following concentration specific competencies.
Concentration Competencies
- Explain the biological basis for an environmental or occupational disease
- Critically analyze environmental/occupational health study designs
- Explain the strengths and limitations of observational studies in environ./occupational health
- Analyze the scientific literature for an environmental/occupational health topic
- Explain the literature analysis in a formal presentation
Concentration Director
