Dr. Gen Meredith, a graduate of McGill University’s Faculty of Medicine (Occupational Therapy) and the University of Massachusetts’ School of Public Health (Master of Public Health), has come to Cornell to help design and lead the Master of Public Health program. Prior to this, Dr. Meredith spent eight years leading large international development projects with a focus on national public health systems development in sub-Saharan Africa and the Caribbean, and four years doing the same in the United States. Dr. Meredith’s work has centered primarily on institutional capacity development and growth specifically related to integrated disease surveillance and response systems, the routine collection and use of data, and effective public health leadership and management infrastructure to support population health access and accountability.
Public Health EssentialsCornell Certificate Program
Overview and Courses
The COVID-19 pandemic created an unprecedented health challenge on a global scale. A novel virus jumped from an animal to a person, and within a matter of weeks, people were infected around the world. Public health and healthcare systems were not prepared, and neither they nor our bodies were ready to detect, prevent, and respond. Countless lives were lost, as were jobs and financial security, food access, housing, and access to education. At this moment, we need to build back, and build back better, together.
Public health is a field of work made up of many different types of people working in many different roles at community, state, national, and/or international levels. Its purpose is to develop and implement programs and policies to create the conditions where people can achieve health.
This certificate program is designed for people who work — or want to work — to improve the health and well-being of communities. You will study fundamental public health principles and practices to enable you to be part of a push for health equity for all. You will examine how to review and interpret data so you can focus your efforts, and you will practice critical communication skills so you can support your community in making choices that prevent infection and illness. Using COVID-19 as one of many case studies, you will explore how, in public health, we learn from the past to improve the future. While you may initially use what you learn in this certificate to help play a role in reducing the effects of COVID-19, you will also be positioned to use the knowledge and skills you gain to support the long-term goal of maximizing good health for all.
The courses in this certificate program are required to be completed in the order that they appear.
Understanding the history and role of public health and community health is an essential step to becoming an effective public health leader. In this course, you will explore the role of public health in people's daily lives. You'll examine several lenses or models through which to regard public health and potential interventions. Using those models, you will investigate the values that drive public health interventions and make connections between these values and how interventions are targeted and implemented in order to achieve health equity.
You are required to have completed the following course or have equivalent experience before taking this course:
- Public Health and COVID-19
Data to inform public health practices and interventions are all around us. In this course, you will gain skills to approach public health data thoughtfully, draw reasoned inferences from it, and recommend data-based actions with confidence. Upon completion of this course, you will be able to obtain and interpret public health data in order to assess the assets and health disparities of a specific community. You will identify factors in the community that can contribute to public health, including community resources, and connect those factors to the organizations and services that can help address them. With this knowledge, you will offer recommendations based on a profile you will develop of the community in which you live or work.
You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:
- Public Health and COVID-19
- Public Health Foundations
Public health relies on the engagement and trust of the community being served. Managing public health interventions while building genuine community relationships requires cultural competence as well as the ability to create and sustain dialogue across diverse populations. In this course, you will develop a strategy to engage with your local community to implement a specific health initiative and anticipate and plan to overcome barriers to successful implementation. You will engage in various kinds of literacy that can help you educate your community and respond to the populations in your community disproportionately impacted by public health concerns. Combined with building skills to effectively interact with people from different cultures, your studies will lead you to develop the skills needed to educate and address community public health concerns.
You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:
- Public Health and COVID-19
- Public Health Foundations
- Assessing Community Health
COVID-19 is one of the most serious public health crises the world has ever faced but one for which scientists had been warning us to prepare. Just as past public health crises have informed how we respond to COVID-19, we can look to lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic response to prepare for future public health emergencies. In this course, you will take a tour of public health history. You will then examine a series of case studies from public health history, including COVID-19, and apply the skills gained through those experiences. Finally, you will determine how to prepare yourself, your family, and your community for the next public health emergency.
You are required to have completed the following courses or have equivalent experience before taking this course:
- Public Health and COVID-19
- Public Health Foundations
- Assessing Community Health
- Supporting Public Health Behaviors
How It Works
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Faculty Authors
Dr. Alex Travis’s research explores a diverse set of subjects related to One Health, which is interdisciplinary work that links the functions and well-being of people, animals, and the environment. His interests include animal health and fertility as well as efforts to help alleviate poverty and hunger in developing countries, work that indirectly benefits local wildlife. Dr. Travis serves as Associate Dean of International Programs and Public Health at the College of Veterinary Medicine, and he is founding Director of Cornell’s Master of Public Health program.
Key Course Takeaways
- Apply public health assessment models, data analysis methods, and communications best practices to a variety of circumstances
- Identify factors contributing to public health disparities in your community
- Determine public health and intervention opportunities to improve overall health
- Assess how to influence behavioral changes to support public health and intervention opportunities
- Develop practical strategies for increasing your influence to improve public health behaviors
- Plan for interventions at a community level, including impact assessment as well as vaccination acceptance and uptake
- Use and apply public health laws, policies, and regulations to prevent COVID-19 spread along with other future public health crises
What You'll Earn
- Public Health Essentials Certificate from Cornell University Public Health Program
- 60 Professional Development Hours (6 CEUs)
Watch the Video
Who Should Enroll
- Community health leaders
- Emerging public health leaders
- Public health volunteers
- Volunteers working with high-risk populations
- Outreach coordinators
- Anyone interested in personal and collective health and well-being, community development, preventing disease and injury, or leading change to support health equity
{Anytime, anywhere.}
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Public Health Essentials
| Select Payment Method | Cost |
|---|---|
| $2,999 | |