Courses offered in 2019-2020 Academic Year

Fall

SBS 504 Substance Use and Public Health
Instructor: Dr. Vaughan Rees

Substance abuse is a major public health problem that impacts society on multiple levels. The purpose of this course is to develop an understanding of factors that contribute to substance misuse and its consequences. Students will use this background to critically evaluate scientific evidence relating to local, national and international drug policies.

Spring

SBS 219:  High Risk Behaviors: Epidemiology and Prevention Strategies
Instructor: Dr. Vaughan Rees

This course examines behaviors that place an individual at higher risk of injuries and mortality, including substance abuse, violence, and risky sexual behaviors. With a focus on adolescent risk behavior, the course covers developmental and environmental factors that support these behaviors, as well as the design, implementation, and review of evidence-based preventive interventions. Students are guided in the development of a prevention intervention to reduce a chosen adolescent high risk behavior.

New SBS course under development (Not currently offered)

International Tobacco Control: Interventions and Public Policy to End an Epidemic

Cigarette smoking is still the leading cause of preventable mortality and morbidity in the world, responsible for an estimated 420,000 deaths per year in the U.S. alone.  This course will cover:

  • Core knowledge on issues related to tobacco control – including the epidemiology of tobacco use and tobacco-related disease
  • Anatomy of the transnational tobacco industry
  • Strategies to curb the marketing and sales of cigarettes at local, state, national, and international levels
  • Anti-tobacco mass communications
  • Tobacco prevention and treatment approaches, including community based interventions
  • Overview of large scale tobacco programs and regulatory science needs
  • Evaluation of program and policy impact