Teaching

Current course(s):

  • PUBH 5005: Advanced Policy and Public Health Ethics. University of Lethbridge (January 2021).

This course builds on the undergraduate course PUBH 2100: Policy and Health in which students are introduced to fundamental concepts in policy, politics, and health. In this advanced graduate course, students will learn about key ethical concepts and principles related to public health such as paternalism and autonomy, liberty and the state, the harm principle, individual consent, health equity, value pluralism, and more. They will develop a richer understanding of the policy systems and subsystems that govern, regulate, finance, and deliver public services and have the opportunity to apply ethical principles to discussions of public policy and governance. As a result, students will develop a sophisticated understanding of the intersections of policy and ethics in the field of public health. This course will also aid students in developing the skills to effectively and critically analyze policy. Students will apply these skills to contemporary ethical and political policy issues.

Previously Taught Courses:

  • PUBH 2100: Policy and Health. University of Lethbridge.

This course will introduce students to fundamental concepts in policy, politics, and health. It will explore the influence of policy at all levels of government on population health, highlight the importance of evidenced-based policy solutions, and prepare students to contribute to the development, implementation, enhancement, and evaluation of policies affecting the health of society.

  • HLSC 2700: Health and Society. University of Lethbridge.

Sociological perspectives on health and wellness within Canadian and global contexts. The relationship between social organization and health; social constructions and meanings of health; social epidemiology; health beliefs and behaviour; and the experience of illness.

  • HLSC 3850: Rural Health. University of Lethbridge.

This inter-disciplinary course focuses on rural health issues from a Canadian perspective, but includes some discussion of rural health within an international context. Rural health issues include: 1) the health status of rural residents; 2) the challenges and innovativeness of rural health care delivery systems; 3) rurality as a determinant of health; and 4) the significance of place to health and well-being.

  • HLST 2020: Health Policy: Power and Politics. York University.

We will start by exploring what “health policy” means. Policy is the study of government decision-making and decisions. Health policy, by extension, is the study of decision-making and decisions that have direct and/or indirect effects on health systems, health care provision, and group / individual health status. We will use chapters from several books on public policy and health care in Canada to provide theoretical lenses through which we can analyze, evaluate and understand health policy reform in Canada.

In order to better understand the complexities and contradictions involved in health care system reform, we will read the commissioned studies of the Romanow Commission and critiques of the report made by community groups. We will use this as a case study of Canadian health policy reform. We will analyze the impact of the Commission by reviewing what has happened since its recommendations were tabled.