Diseases of Public Health Importance and Strategies for Their Control

Instructors: Marilyn Parsons and Sheila Lukehart

Telephone: 256 7315 (Parsons) or 897 5362 (Lukehart)

email: marilyn.parsons@sbri.org and lukehart@u.washington.edu

Meeting times and location
Tues/Thurs 8:30-9:50 HSE E216

TA: Jenn Maroa. Phone: 667 4510 email jmaroa@fhcrc.org. Please contact Jenn with questions about reading assignments. *email will garner a faster response*

Course Description:This course provides an introduction to major diseases of national and global importance, and strategies for their control. We use both biological and public health perspectives to understand issues that are important in disease control. We hold discussions on the origins, establishment, progression, and pathogenesis of existing, emerging and re-emerging diseases while considering the host, social, and immunological factors that allow their existence and spread. Further, we introduce and evaluate current strategies for disease prevention and control and emphasize ethical issues relevant in biomedical research and the influence of politics on disease control. This course requires a background in cellular and molecular biology, microbiology and immunology. Prerequisite: permission of instructor.

Welcome to Pathobiology 550/Global Health 565! Watch here for announcements regarding the course. Our TA, Jenn, will be posting lecture notes and reading. For now, just look at the readings for the first lecture (the others will be updated). Lecture notes are password-protected. If you forget the password, please email Jenn.

The website will be updated frequently, so it is your responsibility to check back weekly in case changes have been made.

If you have trouble accessing an article through the link provided in the reading list, please click here. 

October 1 2008, 4:11 PM

Discussion 10/7 on H5N1

Please familiarize yourself with issues regarding your topic for a 15 minute small group discussion on issues regarding a potential H5N1 epidemic.  You may read scholarly works and popular media.  Topics are:
1) H5N1 in developing countries--what health measures or approaches are the best way to prepare?
2) who should get the vaccine in the US if an outbreak starts? 
3) what would the economic effects be and how should institutions prepare?