Students walking in a hallway in the STEPS building

Academics & Programs

The College of Health occupies a unique space within the Lehigh University ecosystem, and it enables us to tap into the expertise from faculty in Lehigh’s four existing colleges. Our alumni enter the world prepared to make an impact in the private sector, nonprofit organizations and government institutions.

Undergraduate


Bachelor of Science in Population Health

Lehigh University's Bachelor of Science in Population Health degree prepares students to investigate the determinants of health using data science, and to identify novel and effective avenues for disease prevention, health promotion, diagnosis, and intervention. The program combines courses in population health with foundational courses in mathematics, natural sciences, social sciences, and computer science. Students gain knowledge and skills through coursework, experiential learning opportunities, research projects and engagement with traditional and nontraditional partners in pursuit of a healthier world. 

The BS degree requires a minimum of 124 credits and provides students with a strong conceptual background in Population Health as well as extensive methodological expertise in data science and epidemiology. 

Note: Several major courses have prerequisites. Students considering this major should check prerequisites and plan accordingly. A preliminary meeting with an advisor may be useful.

BS Degree Program Requirements

Learn more about the BS in Population Health >
 

Bachelor of Arts in Community and Global Health

The overall objective of the College of Health’s proposed BA degree in community and global health is to provide undergraduate students with a multi-disciplinary approach to studying human health and well-being focused on implementing change to improve health in communities locally and globally. Our goal is to educate students who are interested in multi-level aspects of health and healthcare; students who are committed to working with communities in the United States and abroad; and students who are passionate about learning how to best implement healthcare initiatives in response to ongoing individual and community needs. Our overarching goal is to translate theory into actionable knowledge and practice.

The BA emphasizes conceptual, methodological, and analytical approaches to implementing health services, interventions, and programs in communities. While the BS degree in population health teaches students the methods to study determinants of health, the BA in community and global health teaches students to intervene to improve health based on these determinants.  With respect to methodology, the BA degree is also distinct because it emphasizes the importance of qualitative research methods, as well as mixed method approaches that combine qualitative with quantitative methods. The BA degree also underscores the importance of cultural understandings in health within the United States and other nations. Finally, grounded in interdisciplinarity, the BA degree will prepare students to improve global and domestic health outcomes.

BA Degree Program Requirements

Minor Programs

  • Population Health
  • Global Health
  • Indigenous Peoples Health (Fall 2021)
  • Maternal and Child Health (Fall 2022)

Graduate

Certificates 

Applications are being accepted now for the Certificate in Population Health. For additional information, contact Dr. Fathima Wakeel, Director of Graduate Programs.  

  • Population Health
  • Global Population Health

4+1 accelerated programs

  • BS students who earn a 3.5 GPA by their Junior year can select to be automatically admitted into the MPH or the MS in Population Health 

Masters Programs  (Fall 2022)

  • MS Population Health  
  • Masters in Public Health (MPH) 
  • 2 year MPH/MBA 

Doctor of Philosophy in Population Health (TBD)

Fall 2021 - Semester Classes

BSTA 001 | Population Health Data Science I | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN: 44534
This course teaches students the fundamentals of probability theory, univariate statistics, statistical computing/programming/visualization, and machine learning. A mix of traditional and experiential learning will focus on how to build an analysis pipeline to answer pressing questions in population health. In-class examples and projects will use real data sets. Students will propose a small data-driven project focused in population health, and use their newly-acquired data science skills to collect, analyze, and present their work.
Instructor: Staff
 

BSTA 002 | Population Health Data Science I Algorithms Lab | 1 cr.
Section 010 | F 10:45 - 13:25 | CRN: 45367
Students will apply statistical concepts learned in BSTA 001 Population Health Data Science I to describe, visualize, and draw inferences on a variety of health datasets using Python3. Datasets that students will study include: influenza-like illness and confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and a repository of potentially hazardous chemicals found in commercial products. Lab is to be taken concurrently with lecture (BSTA 001 Population Health Data Science I).
Instructor: Staff
 

BSTA 101 | Population Health Data Science II | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 07:55 - 09:10 | CRN: 45350
In this course students expand their statistics and machine learning toolkit by learning how to compare univariate distributions, build traditional regression models for continuous and binary data, explore supervised learning methods such as: Tree-based learning, KNN/Collaborative filtering, and Feed forward Neural networks, and understand how to manipulate, ask, and answer questions from big datasets. Students will be expected to propose a population health project mid-semester, and apply and present techniques they learned in class.
Instructor: Professor Tom McAndrew

BSTA 103 | Population Health Data Science II Algorithms Lab | 1 cr.
Section 010 | R 19:15 - 21:55 | CRN: 45368 (to be taken with BSTA 101-010)
Section 011 | F 10:45 - 13:25 | CRN: 45369 (to be taken with BSTA 101-010)
Students will apply regression and machine learning models learned in BSTA101 Population Health Data Science II to health datasets using Python3. Datasets that students will study include: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, influenza-like illness and confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Health Interview Survey. Lab is to be taken concurrently with lecture (BSTA 101 Population Health Data Science II).
Instructor(s): Thomas McAndrew

BSTA 101 | Population Health Data Science II | 3 cr.
Section 011 | MW 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN:45351 
In this course students expand their statistics and machine learning toolkit by learning how to compare univariate distributions, build traditional regression models for continuous and binary data, explore supervised learning methods such as: Tree-based learning, KNN/Collaborative filtering, and Feed forward Neural networks, and understand how to manipulate, ask, and answer questions from big datasets. Students will be expected to propose a population health project mid-semester, and apply and present techniques they learned in class.
Instructor: Staff

BSTA 103 | Population Health Data Science II Algorithms Lab | 1 cr.
Section 012 | F 13:35 - 16:15 | CRN: 45370 (to be taken with BSTA 101-011)
Students will apply regression and machine learning models learned in BSTA101 Population Health Data Science II to health datasets using Python3. Datasets that students will study include: the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, influenza-like illness and confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 tracked by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Health Interview Survey. Lab is to be taken concurrently with lecture (BSTA 101 Population Health Data Science II).
Instructor(s): Staff

CGH 001 | Community Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | MW 10:45 - 12:00 | CRN: 45346
The interdisciplinary field of community health focuses on improving the health of communities through health promotion and disease prevention, education, policy development, and community empowerment. This course provides students with an overview of theoretical, methodological, and practical aspects of community health with a focus on working in diverse communities. Students will gain an understanding of how community-level health issues relate to broader contextual issues within the community and externally.
Instructor: Professor Chris Daley
 

CGH 004 | Introduction to Global Population Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | MW 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN: 45353
In this course, students will receive an introduction to global population health. We begin with an analysis of the rise of the international community in addressing population health needs, and the international norms guiding healthcare delivery systems. We will also focus on healthcare delivery systems, innovations, and policy reforms in response to healthcare needs in several developing nations. Finally, students will understand the political, social, and more recent commercial determinants of population health in these countries.
Instructor: Professor Ed Gomez
 

CGH 021 | Culture and Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | R 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN: 45347
This course will introduce students to the complex and dynamic relationship between culture and health in Western and non-Western populations, communities, and societies. Cross-cultural institutions such as economics, politics, kinship, religion, and language, and their roles in sickness and illness will be discussed. The relationship between traditional and modern healing systems will also be analyzed.
Instructor: Professor Sean Daley
 

EPI 196 | Introduction to Why | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 15:00 - 16:15 | CRN: 45363
An axiom of statistics is that correlation (or association) is not causation. However, to answer important questions about what factors influence health we must move towards understanding causation from association. This course will introduce causal thinking with applications focused on epidemiology, population health, and decision theory. Topics covered will include background in history and evolution of causal thinking, major models of causation, potential outcomes and counterfactuals, directed acyclic graphs, and other tools to assist with causal reasoning. POPH 001, POPH 002, and BSTA 001 recommended, but not required.
Instructor: Professor Hal Skinner
 

HIT 010 | Seminar: Design Thinking for Innovation in Health | 1 cr.
Section 011 | R 10:45 - 12:00 | CRN: 45359
Design Thinking is a human centered design process used to identify problems and create actionable solutions. Students will be exposed to the process, and attitudes needed, to frame and reframe problems, challenge assumptions, access their creativity, and tell compelling stories to communicate their ideas. The emphasis is on learning by doing and focuses on practicing the 5 steps in Design Thinking: Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, Test that can be applied to virtually any area where new solutions are needed.
Instructor: Professor Chris Kauzmann
 

POPH 001 | Introduction to Population Health | 4 cr.
Section 110 | TR 12:10 - 13:25 & R 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN: 44400
Section 111 | TR 12:10 - 13:25 & F 09:20 - 10:35 | CRN: 44537
Despite significant advances in medicine and public health, inequities in health persist. Understanding health on a population level is an approach that seeks to improve the health of the whole population, unravel variations in health outcomes, and to identify effective strategies for reducing or eliminating inequities. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of: 1) how population health defined and measured; and 2) the determinants of population health (from cell to society).
Instructor: Professor Fatima Wakeel
 

POPH 003 | Justice, Equity, and Ethics in Population Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | MW 09:20 - 10:35 | CRN: 45354
The goal is to examine the historical and emerging issues in population health ethics. The course will introduce both the historical contexts and contemporary issues in population health dilemmas. Topics of interest include: 1) resource distribution and social justice; 2) self-sufficiency and paternalism; 3) health promotion & disease prevention; 4) patients’ right to privacy; 5) research integrity; and 6) newly emerging issues. Students will debate, research, and propose solutions and intervention strategies through group discussions, role play, and presentations.
Instructor: Professor Hyunok Choi
 

POPH 101 | History of Population Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | MW 07:55 - 09:10 | CRN:44398
This course introduces students to the development of population health as a convergent science. Students will learn about the evolution of population health interests, normative beliefs in service delivery, and policy at the international and domestic level. The principles, ethical values and services enforced by law will be learned. Students will explore the initiatives, collectively achieved among various sectors, addressing the determinants of health. We conclude by addressing future population health challenges, such as the environment, non-communicable diseases, and inequalities.
Instructor: Professor Ed Gomez
 

POPH 105 | Intro to Maternal and Child Population Health | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 09:20 - 10:35 | CRN: 45203 
The course introduces the student to the Maternal and Child Health field. Students will examine the multi-dimensional determinants of maternal and child health issues using a Life Course approach. Students will also explore the roles of research, programs, policy, and advocacy in the reduction of maternal and child health disparities.
Instructor: Professor Fathima Wakeel
 

POPH 106 | Global Environment and Human Welfare | 3 cr.
Section 010 | MW 12:10 - 13:25 | CRN: 44392
This course investigates the present understanding of multiple pollution agents and their effects on human health and well-being. The students will examine the history, the emergence, the known risks from exposure to specific pollutants through multiple media (e.g. air, water, food) with a particular focus on air pollution. Through readings, discussions, and a project, students are expected to cultivate a critical understanding of the risks posed by environmental pollutants on human health and identify knowledge gaps.
Instructor: Professor Hyunok Choi
 

POPH 126 | Population Health and the Media | 3 cr.
Section 110 | M 15:00 - 16:15 & W 13:35 - 14:50 | CRN: 45348
Section 111 | M 15:00 - 16:15 & W 15:00 - 16:15 | CRN: 45349
This course explores the importance of the relationship that health organizations have with the media and the powerful role it can play in what a population deems important in public health. We will examine how mass media campaigns have been used to change behaviors: tobacco, alcohol and drug use; lowering risk factors for heart disease and diabetes; and even road safety to produce life-saving changes in large populations as well as to manage national and worldwide health crises.
Instructors: Joan Lunden
 

POPH 198 | Cancer in the Population | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 10:45 - 12:00 | CRN: 44558
This introductory course will give a broad overview of how cancer affects the health of the population. Concepts covered will include the basics of cancer biology, measures of the burden of cancer in the population, fundamental methods in cancer epidemiology, and the roles that prevention and control play in cancer-related health outcomes.
Instructor: Professor Hal Skinner

BIOE 396 | Bioengineering Applications in Machine Learning | 3 cr.
Section 010 | TR 09:20 - 10:35a | CRN: 45055
Introduction to machine learning and AI techniques as well as their applications in biomedical data quantification, prediction, and visualization. Topics include principles of bioengineering data modalities and systems, fundamentals of machine learning approaches for biomedical data analysis (such as denoising, standardization, statistical analysis, dimensionality reduction, predictive modeling, etc.), and computational tools for implementing AI methods. Prerequisites: MATH 205 and PHY 21.
Instructor: Prof. Yu Zhang
 

Summer 2021 - Summer Sessions

SUMMER SESSION I 
May 25 - July 1
 

CANCELED
POPH 001 | Introduction to Population Health 
4 Credits | R 11:00a-12:00p | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21444 
Despite significant advances in medicine and public health, inequities in health persist. Understanding health on a population level is an approach that seeks to improve the health of the whole population, unravel variations in health outcomes, and to identify effective strategies for reducing or eliminating inequities. The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of: 1) how population health defined and measured; and 2) the determinants of population health (from cell to society).
Instructor: Professor Fathima Wakeel


CANCELED 
POPH 195-010 | Environmental Health Disparities in Global Context   
3 Credits | MW 4:00p-6:50p | ON CAMPUS ONLY
CRN: 21716
Within this course, students will explore and investigate the role of environmental exposures on the health of the populations, particularly in low- to middle-income countries.  We will also examine how social, demographic, economic and political attributes modify the association between environmental exposures and health outcomes.  Such investigative framework will foster students understanding of why certain global environmental pressures frequently pose the greatest burden on the most vulnerable populations. The course will also explore how the principles of environmental justice could help to improve the health status of the vulnerable populations.
Instructor: Professor Hyunok Choi


CANCELED
POPH 195-011 | Global Environmental Pressures and Population Sustainability 
3 Credits | TR 4:00p-6:50p | ON CAMPUS ONLY
CRN: 21717 
Human behaviors are driving global environmental changes, including climate change, ozone depletion, biodiversity loss, nitrogen fertilization, and ocean acidification. Within this course, students will examine how the above global environmental pressures, either alone or collectively, influence human health and well-being.  The above global environmental pressures are particularly associated with graver burden on populations in low- and middle-income countries. Students will explore global policies and strategies to fight such global environmental pressures for the improvement of human health and well being.
Instructor: Professor Hyunok Choi


HMS 375 | Community Based Participatory Research Methodology
4 Credits | TR 4:00p-6:50p | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21728 
The course provides an introduction to the core concepts of community based participatory research (CBPR) methodology applied to social science research to address public health issues. The course will equip students with strategies for developing community academic partnerships as well as to strengthen skills in research methods.
Instructor: Professor Charley Lewis


SUMMER SESSION II
July 6 - August 12 


POPH 103 | Biological Basis of Population Health
4 Credits | MTWR 2:00p-3:45p | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21720
How do social, economic, environmental determinants bring about diseases in groups of human beings? This course will survey the methods of investigating the biological mechanisms underlying human health outcomes. Students will explore investigation of human diseases using emerging and traditional tools in genomic, molecular, immunological, and environmental fields. Students will also be expected to deepen their awareness of individual/group susceptibility, and propose societal approaches to intervention and prevention of human diseases.
Instructor: Professor Joseph Pacheco
 

POPH 106 | Global Environment and Human Welfare 
3 Credits | MTWR 12:00p-1:35p | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21443
This course investigates the present understanding of multiple pollution agents and their effects on human health and well-being. The students will examine the history, the emergence, the known risks from exposure to specific pollutants through multiple media (e.g. air, water, food) with a particular focus on air pollution. Through readings, discussions, and a project, students are expected to cultivate a critical understanding of the risks posed by environmental pollutants on human health and identify knowledge gaps.
Instructor: Professor Jordyn Gunville


POPH/HMS 198-010 | Cancer in the Population
3 Credits | MTWR 10:00a-11:35a | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21700
This introductory course will give a broad overview of how cancer affects the health of the population. Concepts covered will include the basics of cancer biology, measures of the burden of cancer in the population, fundamental methods in cancer epidemiology, and the roles that prevention and control play in cancer-related health outcomes.
Instructor: Professor Halcyon Skinner
 

POPH 198-011 | Culture and Health
3 Credits | TR 7:00p-9:50p | REMOTE ONLY
CRN: 21721
This course will introduce students to the complex and dynamic relationship between culture and health in Western and non-Western populations, communities, and societies. Cross-cultural institutions such as economics, politics, kinship, religion, and language, and their roles in sickness and illness will be discussed. The relationship between traditional and modern healing systems will also be analyzed.
Instructor(s): Professor Ryan Goeckner

 

Studying at Lehigh

Lehigh blends entrepreneurial thinking, creative inquiry and rigorous academic programs with a vibrant life in and outside the classroom, offering distinctive programs that support, guide, challenge and inspire our students. Lehigh also values the rich impact that service learning opportunities have on students and their development as professionals and global citizens and partners across the university to bring those offerings to College of Health students. From your first steps on campus until you earn your diploma, Lehigh will help you chart your unique path for success, all within an environment that fosters personal growth and development.

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