Areas of Study in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences
Students in Social and Behavioral Health Sciences must satisfy the general program requirements, however, these requirements allow broad latitude for specialization. The program faculty have defined three areas of training for emphasis:
Behavior change and community health
Students in this area of study will study the role of behavioral factors as major determinants of quality of life, morbidity, and mortality at the population level. They will be trained in the application of health behavior theories and models to (1) the understanding of the individual, interpersonal, community, and broader societal factors that influence behaviors linked to health outcomes; and (2) the design and evaluation of interventions to modify these factors and promote the health of individuals and populations through behavioral changes. Conceptualized as a multidisciplinary area, training in behavior change and community health will include exposure to concepts and methods derived from areas such as behavioral epidemiology, prevention research, health promotion, and community health education.
Bio-psychosocial determinants of population health
In this area of study, students will learn about how the biological, psychological, and social determinants of health are interrelated and essential components to understanding health outcomes and disparities. These determinants may influence health, but may also be influenced by health in a bi-directional pattern. Drawing from the biomedical, life, and social sciences, students will learn about the theoretical underpinnings and methodological approaches to better understand determinants of health and health disparities and discover promising opportunities for improving population health.
Health-related decision behavior
This area of study gives students an understanding of how individuals and clinicians make health and healthcare related decisions in the context of health delivery systems. They will learn the fundamentals behind effective strategies to change decision making behaviors and to encourage shared decision making. Students will also become familiar with the complex interplay between the design of health delivery systems and health and healthcare decision making. Coursework provides students with exposure to a wide variety of concepts and methods derived from individual and systems-level behavioral change theories, clinical decision making, systems engineering, information science, organizational and management theory, anthropology, learning theory, and marketing.
Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor to define a selection of electives to meet their particular needs and interests. There are nearly limitless choices of relevant courses within the graduate offerings of departments in the University at large and these serve to enrich the interdisciplinary training for students. Students may be particularly interested in the highly subscribed electives listed below in Courses.
