Fall Institute Courses

PH.305.684.98 Health Impact Assessment (3 credits)
November 10-12, 2025 
Campus Location: TBD 
8:30 am -6:00 pm each day
Instructors: Katherine Hirono and Laura Cabedo Botella
Enrollment Maximum: 40

This course introduces students to health impact assessments (HIA), a systematic approach that informs decision-makers about the potential health impacts of proposed projects, programs, and policies that do not traditionally focus on health outcomes (e.g. education or housing), but are likely to affect the public’s health. This approach is rapidly growing as one way to assess potential health impacts and promote health equity. The course will focus on the application of HIA for policymaking. Students will study the rationale for conducting HIAs, how HIAs fit within the broader concept of Health in All Policies, review a range of analytic methods used to conduct HIAs, analyze cases from international and domestic settings, and walk through the steps of how to conduct a HIA.

All participants enrolled in this course must complete the required readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on class participation and a reflection. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a HIA scoping assignment and critique, due no later than December 19, 2025.

550.608.98 Problem Solving in Public Health (4 credits) 
November 10-14, 2025
Course Location:  TBD 
2:00 pm -6:00 pm November 10;
8:30 am -5:00 pm November 11-14
Instructors: Cyrus Engineer and Brian Wahl
Enrollment Maximum: 45

This course serves as an integrated introduction to the field of public health, offering definitions of health and public health, a comparison of the fields of public health and medicine, and an introduction to a broad array of current public health issues. The main focus of the course is to help students develop an effective, coherent approach to solving public health problems. Public health work is rarely conducted in isolation: Students will work in teams to develop their skills in the use of a public health framework for addressing public health challenges—and opportunities.

The Problem Solving framework used in the course contains a series of sequential steps: defining the problem; measuring its magnitude; understanding the key determinants; identifying and developing intervention and prevention strategies; setting priorities and recommending policies; implementing intervention strategies; and evaluating the interventions. Effective communication strategies are critical at all stages of the Problem-Solving framework, and the human rights impact of each step is actively considered.

All participants enrolled in this course are expected to complete required readings prior to the start of the course. Participants will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on class participation, small group work and group presentation.  Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated based on a final paper due no later than December 19, 2025.

PH.330.650.98 Methods in Implementation Science (3 credits) 
November 13-15, 2025
Campus Location: TBD 
8:30 am -6:00 pm each day
Instructor(s): Emily Haroz and Maribel Pasarin Rua
Enrollment Maximum: 40

Implementation science is the study of methods that influence the integration of evidence-based interventions into practice settings. It is now a major priority for many healthcare organizations and funders. 

This course will introduce methods, research designs and evaluation approaches that can be used to study implementation science questions. The course will Include an introduction of methods such as mixed-methods, measurement validity and reliability, randomized and non-randomized designs, and simulation studies using examples from mental and behavioral health settings.

All participants enrolled in this course are encouraged to complete the recommended readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on class participation. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a final project, due no later than December 19, 2025. 

Note: The last day for this course is Saturday November  15, 2025.

PH.308.604.98 Effective Writing for Public Health Change (3 credits)
November 17-19, 2025
Campus Location: TBD 
8:30 am -6:00 pm each day
Instructor: Lymari Morales
Enrollment Maximum: 30

Public health researchers and practitioners have life-saving knowledge to share but are often not trained on how best to share that knowledge so that it is easily understood and put to use at scale. Public health leaders and advocates learn how to translate their knowledge for individuals at all levels of health literacy, to achieve greater understanding and adoption of public health knowledge and solutions. Students leave this course able to distill what they know into a variety of communications that audiences can understand and act on in the pursuit of public health policy goals.

This course will sharpen writing skills for clear, effective public health communication. It will introduce the key elements of successful writing, and how to successfully apply those fundamentals to different communication formats and goals, both traditional and modern. Participants will practice writing and organization skills through writing assignments focused on practical real-world examples participants will face in their careers, including one-pagers, policy memos, and data summaries, including learning to edit, improve, and pressure test the work of others. Professional standards for accuracy, readability, structure, and style that help communicate more effectively and persuasively in the pursuit of public health goals will be presented.

All participants enrolled in this course must complete the required readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on the pre-course assignment, class participation and in-course assignments. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a final paper, due no later than December 19, 2025

308.701.98 Media Interviews and Applied Public Health Communications (3 credits)
November 19-21, 2025
Course Location: TBD
8:30 am – 6:00 pm each day 
Instructor: Meghan McGinty
Enrollment Maximum: 20

Public health professionals are often tasked with communicating with the news media and giving presentations to many stakeholders. This may be during an emergency, or to explain research and advocate for policies. Whether you are giving a presentation to a small group of colleagues or appearing on CNN, skills for effectively presenting information will inevitably come in handy during your career. This course offers practical exercises to help you be more confident, poised and prepared for public speaking. In this course, you will learn from real-life examples—both good and bad—and develop your own presentation skills during exercises.

Enhances skills to construct and deliver oral presentations with clarity and impact. Provides techniques and guidelines to increase your effectiveness in translating public health information to various audiences and communicating through the news media during crisis and non-crisis situations. Topics include basics of effective presentations, non-verbal communications, case studies, giving an interview, preparing talking points, advocacy, and the news media, and communicating in a public health emergency. Students review videotapes of news coverage and participate as spokespersons in on-camera simulation exercises.

All participants enrolled in this course must complete the required readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on the pre-course assignment, class participation and in-course exercises. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a case study analysis due no later than December 19, 2025.

317.864.98 Advanced Topics in Climate Change Policy: Extreme Weather Early Warning  (2 credits)
November 20-21, 2025
Campus location: TBD 
8:30 am -6:00 pm each day
Instructor: Mary Sheehan
Enrollment Maximum: 40

More frequent and severe extreme weather associated with climate change poses major challenges for public health policymakers and practitioners. A growing body of research suggests extreme weather early warning systems are an effective way to prepare and protect at-risk populations. Public health agencies have key roles to play in these systems, from monitoring and surveillance to risk assessment, hazard mapping, communication, and coordination with emergency services. Through collaborative case studies, discussion and practice-based exercises, public health students will gain practical tools for engaging with extreme weather early warning systems.

This course will focus on advanced issues at the forefront of climate change and public health policy and practice. It will look in-depth at extreme weather early warning systems -- one of the most important and promising climate adaptation strategies -- and the role of public health in supporting these systems. The United Nations' Early Warnings for All initiative and case-studies of promising practice in multiple countries and cities will be covered. The course will also address the international negotiations at the COP30 meeting in Brazil, which will be underway during the course. The course takes a complex-systems view that traverses the boundaries between sectors, spans government levels, and integrates perspectives across public and private actors and uses case studies, policy analysis readings, and discussions to foster student learning.

All participants enrolled in this course must complete the required readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on class participation and a paper outline. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a final presentation due no later than December 19, 2025.

PH.308.860.98 Introduction to Misinformation and Disinformation (3 credits)
November 24-26, 2025 
Campus Location: TBD
8:30 am -6:00 pm each day
Instructor: Prativa Baral 
Enrollment Maximum: 40

The next pandemic isn’t just viral, it’s informational. Misinformation now shapes everything from public health to politics to climate action. This course gives students the frameworks and critical thinking tools they need to understand the infodemic as well strategies to push back. Learn to decode why misinformation spreads, who it harms, and what we can do about it in an era where facts alone aren't enough.

This course explores the scope, sources, and systems that allows misinformation to flourish, with particular attention to its psychological, technological, and political foundations. The course will examine cross-cutting case studies including vaccine hesitancy, climate denialism, and political disinformation, to understand how misinformation operates across domains, how it is measured (often poorly), and what makes certain communities more vulnerable to its harms. The class will take a systems-level view: how misinformation moves through algorithms, narratives, and power structures, and how public health professionals can respond, rather than focusing solely on communication tactics..

 All participants enrolled in this course must complete the required readings before the course starts. Participants enrolled in this course will be evaluated for receipt of the certificate of participation based on class participation. Participants taking this course for Johns Hopkins or UPF academic credit will be further evaluated by a group presentation and final paper due no later than December 19, 2025.