ACADEMIC MISSION AND PROGRAM

Currently, there are three programs within the College of Health Sciences:

• Master of Public Health (MPH)
• Center For Health Services Research and Development (CHSR)
  • Garo Meghrikian Eye Institute for Preventive Ophthalmology/GMEIPO (AUA Center)
  • AUA Health Clinic (6th Floor, room 69)
    
• School For Health Care Management and Administration.
  

The College of Health Sciences (CHS) is a member of the Association of Schools of Public Health of the European Region (ASPHER). ASPHER is an association of institutions and individuals primarily concerned with strengthening the role of public health by improving the training of public health professionals for both practice and research within the European Region, as defined by the World Health Organization. Membership is a testament to the quality of the program, graduates, and increasing international recognition. In conjunction with OSI, APSHER in 2001 awarded the CHS a three-year grant, which includes support for educational opportunities including peer review from other schools of public health, reference materials, development and implementation of medical extension courses, and program expansion.

PROGRAMS

CENTER FOR HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT (CHSR): CHSR is an applied research center established in 1995 to respond to research and development needs in the public health in Armenia. CHSR is a resource to support and facilitate the existing public health infrastructure. Among its objectives are the following: 1) Provide supervised field training for students enrolled in the MPH program; 2) serve as a venue for linkages among the Ministry of Health, donor agencies, and the MPH faculty; 3) respond to requests for technical assistance from local Armenian ministries and research institutes; 4) support programmatic development of health services in conjunction with the Ministries of Health within the Regions; and 5) respond to the requests for technical assistance from international organizations working on health projects in Armenia. The CHSR collaborates on projects with many local organizations and employs an outstanding professional research staff. Alsolocated within the CHSR are the GMEIPO and the AUA Health Clinic. Students may find opportunities for clinical experiences in either of these facilities.

SCHOOL OF HEALTH CARE MANAGEMENT AND ADMINISTRATION (SHCMA): This is the newest program under the CHS, and its focus in on continuing medical education throughout the Regions. The mission is to improve the health of the population by providing competency level of professional and academic training in the field of health care management and administration. The objective of the school is to train a number of health care specialists in order to create a critical mass of professionals with necessary level of skills and abilities to implement plans and strategies of the Ministry of Health in the health care sector. Doctor Mihran Nazaretyan, Program Director, leads a capable cadre of professional staff in their challenge to assess, maintain, and update the medical skills and practices of the country's health care providers.

MASTER OF PUBLIC HEALTH PROGRAM: The MPH provides experienced health professionals a thorough grounding in population-based approaches to health sector problem identification, investigation, analysis, and managed response. The overall objective of the MPH Program is to prepare health professionals to draw on the knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines to define, critically assess, and resolve problems affecting the public's health. Thus, the intensive, modular curriculum emphasizes basic public health sciences and essential managerial and analytic skills including project planning and evaluation, epidemiologic investigation, understanding complex determinants of health, effective communication to professional and lay audiences, and leadership.

The two-year curriculum is organized around a guiding framework, which first provides students a conceptual overview of the diverse profession of public health and the team-oriented approach to professional practice. The courses are taught in intensive, sequential blocks, which build upon and integrate with each other. The first year curriculum provides exposure to the breadth of public health disciplines. The second year curriculum provides advanced training in key methodological disciplines and concludes with a student-directed thesis-like project which integrates essential public health knowledge, skills, and methods in a professionally and personally relevant practice context. Students proceed through the program as part of a defined cohort, fostering group spirit and gaining experience in multi-disciplinary group problem solving, project leadership, and management.

While the program consists almost entirely of requirements, students infuse elective content through the multitude of individual and group projects associated with each module and through special studies activities. Students are encouraged to become involved with the Center for Health Services Research and Development, which provides an opportunity for supervised, mentored practical experiences while addressing the health needs of Armenia and the region.

HAROUTUNE ARMENIAN

Haroutune Armenian, M.D., Dr. P.H. is the President of the American University of Armenia, and the Dean of the College of Health Sciences, and the Director of the Center for Health Services Research and Development. He is a Professor of Epidemiology at the Johns Hopkins School of Hygiene and Public Health. He has served as the Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at the American University of Beirut and has been the manager of a number of health manpower and health services development projects in numerous countries. His research has a focus on chronic disease epidemiology, disaster and historical epidemiology using Armenian parish records.

COLLEGE ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS

Applicants to the MPH Program are subject to the same admissions requirements as students admitted to the University's other masters programs. In addition to the general requirements, applicants to the MPH Program should be graduates of health professions programs (such as medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine) or hold a baccalaureate degree in a relevant engineering, natural sciences or social sciences discipline, and have two years of practical work experience in the health sector.

COLLEGE GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

*Students unable to fulfill the commitment to a two-year program may be permitted to opt for a 1 year certificate in public health with the consent of the program director.

FACULTY, COLLEGE OF HEALTH SCIENCES

*HAROUTUNE ARMENIAN, M.D., American University of Beirut, Dr. P.H., Johns Hopkins University
Dean and Professor
Professor of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University

*KIM HEKIMIAN ARZOUMANIAN, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Assistant Professor

SUSAN BAKER, MPH, Johns Hopkins University
Professor of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins University

TIMOTHY BAKER, M.D., University of Maryland, MPH, Johns Hopkins University
Professor of International Health, Johns Hopkins University

BERNARD BAUM, Ph.D., University of Chicago
Professor of Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois, Chicago

FELICITY BOYD, MPH, Johns Hopkins University
Visiting Lecturer
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University

BYRON CRAPE, MSPH, Loma Linda University
Visiting Lecturer
Doctoral Candidate, Department of Epidemiology, Johns Hopkins University

ANAHIT DEMIRCHYAN, M.D., Yerevan State Medical Institute; MPH, American University of Armenia
Senior Project Manager

MARIE DIENER-WEST, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University
Professor of Biostatistics, Johns Hopkins University

TSOVINAR HARUTYUNYAN, MPH, American University of Armenia
Senior Project Manager

GEORGE JAKAB, Ph.D., University of Wisconsin
Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, Johns Hopkins University

SUSAN MCMARLIN, MSN, University of Texas; Ed.D., University of Hawaii
Assistant Professor
Associate Director (Operations) MPH Program; Assistant Director (Clinical Services), CHSR

ROBERT MCLEAN, Ph.D., Cornell University
Professor of Health Services Administration, Creighton University

SOSIG SALVADOR, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago
Visiting Lecturer
Doctoral Candidate, University of Illinois at Chicago

*KRIKOR SOGHIKIAN, M.D., Fouad First University of Cairo, Egypt, MPH, University of California, Berkeley
Professor, University of California, San Francisco

MATTHEW TAYBACK, Sc.D., Johns Hopkins University
Adjunct Professor of Biostatistics and International Health, Johns Hopkins University

*ARA TEKIAN, Ph.D. American University of Beirut, M.H.P.E. University of Illinois, Chicago
Associate Professor and Head of International Programs, Department of Medical Education, College of Medicine, The University of Illinois at Chicago

*MICHAEL THOMPSON, MS, DrPH
Assistant Professor of Public Health
Associate Director, MPH Program (Program Planning and Evaluation)
Director, Center for Health Services Research and Development

GAYANE YENOKYAN, M.D., Yerevan State Medical Institute; MPH, American University of Armenia
Teaching Associate

*Indicates membership in departmental executive committee

COURSE DESCRIPTIONS

Module 1 Public Health Problem Solving (Spring)

PH201. General Principles of Public Health Problem Solving (5).
An introduction to the diverse profession of public health and a guiding paradigm for public health problems solving, this course emphasizes the development of essential skills in critical thinking and group process. Student groups will complete an analysis of a current public health problem, including recommended courses of action. Evaluation components consist of individual and group participation, an individual written critique and other written assignments, a group paper, and a group presentation.

PH233. Data Management Systems (1).
Students will apply their knowledge of database, spreadsheet and statistical packages to the development of appropriate database and management information systems to process and analyze raw data. Issues of database design, coding schemes, data cleaning, and handling missing data will be addressed. Evaluation will be based upon graded problem sets.

PH202. Inferential Biostatistics (7).
This course introduces the major concepts of modern statistics as applied to problems in public health and medicine. The topics begin with an understanding of life tables and survival curves, progress to concepts of probability and distributions, and conclude with inferential reasoning and simple regression. Evaluation is based on problem sets, quizzes, and examinations.

PH203. Social and Behavioral Sciences in Public Health (5).
This course utilizes the PRECEDE-PROCEED framework for analyzing the behavioral and socio-cultural determinants of public health problems and the role of the individual, family, and community in addressing public health problems. Evaluation is based upon class participation, an examination, and a project.

EM295. Environmental Management (2)
The health of Armenia's environment is critical to the sustainable development of the Republic. Environmental Management introduces the fundamental concepts of environmental science and conservation in an Armenian context. Topics covered include human population growth, ecosystem theory, water resources, water pollution, air pollution, ozone depletion, global warming and local climate change, soil degradation, energy resources, solid waste management, and biodiversity. One field trip outside of class will be required.

MODULE II: TECHNIQUES OF PROBLEM INVESTIGATION (SUMMER)
PH211. Epidemiology (5).
This course introduces the principles and methods of epidemiologic investigation of infectious and non-infectious diseases. Epidemiologic reasoning and assessment is demonstrated through faculty lectures and problem solving exercises. Evaluation is based upon a mid-term and final examination.

PH213. Health Economics & Finance (6).
This course complements PH221 and consists of two components. The first component addresses the basics of health sector financial management, including simple budgeting, variance analysis, and benefit/cost analysis as tools for assessing the financial health of an organization. The second component of the course explores the application of basic micro and macro economic principles to the health sector. Evaluation is based upon homework assignments, quizzes, and a project.

PH 212. Comparative Health Systems (3).
This course provides a critical comparison of the organization, philosophy, financing, and benefits packages of the predominant health care system models. The strengths and weaknesses of these programs will be used as bases for discussing relevance to Armenia. Evaluation is based upon examination and a project.

PH214. Problem Investigation in Environmental Health (5).
This course presents the broad concepts and principles used in organizing and assessing the major environmental health problems in developing and in industrialized countries. Field trips are organized in conjunction with EM295. Student evaluation is based on quizzes, examinations, and a project.

MODULE III: PROGRAM PLANNING & IMPLEMENTATION (FALL)
PH221. Program Planning (5).
This course addresses the analytic and practical considerations in designing and implementing a field program. Topics addressed include manpower and facilities planning, design, and implementation considerations, and planning for evaluation. Evaluation is based upon a student project.

PH222. Health Services Management (5).
This course provides the practical and theoretical underpinnings of the organization and management of health organizations. Specific emphasis is placed on individual leadership and management skill development. Evaluation is based upon examinations and student projects.

PH223. Project Development and Evaluation (6).
This course provides a thorough grounding in the basic methods of health services evaluation, focusing on research designs, threats to reliability and validity, and instrumentation. Emphasis is on critical analysis and assessment of study designs. Evaluation is based upon student-prepared evaluation protocols and critiques of published papers.

PH224. MPH Project Planning (2).
This course allows students continuing into the MPH Program to formulate a preliminary project proposal for their MPH Thesis. Students will apply the knowledge and skills acquired during the first year curriculum to shape and focus a tentative project proposal and implementation plan. Evaluation is based upon successful completion of a draft proposal. (Pass/Fail only)

SECOND YEAR COURSES

MODULE IV: ADVANCED METHODOLOGY A (SPRING)

PH231. Qualitative Research Methods (4).
This course provides hands-on experience in qualitative research methods useful in formative and community-based research. Topics include formal and informal ethnographic methods including key informant interviews, focus groups, direct observations, and free lists. Evaluation is based upon participation in practical exercises and a written report and presentation. Note: The formative research projects will form the basis for development of a formalized survey instrument during PH232.

PH232. Survey Research Methods (4).
This course demonstrates the application of health survey research methods in the field. Topics include the design, implementation, and evaluation of a health survey instrument, including probability sampling, questionnaire design, interview techniques, coding procedures, and planning for the analysis and presentation of the findings. Evaluation will be based upon participation in field projects and a written report and presentation. Note: The data generated during this exercise will be analyzed as part of PH234.

PH234. Biostatistics: Modeling and Sampling (4).
This course advances the concepts of linear regression to a unified perspective of generalized linear models, including multivariate regression, logistics regression, and log-linear models. A recently collected data set will be analyzed using these methods. The course will also address issues of sampling, sample size, and power calculations with respect to a number of study designs. Evaluation will be based on problem sets, quizzes, and examinations.

MODULE V: ADVANCED METHODOLOGY B (SUMMER)

PH241. Intermediate Epidemiology (4).
This course builds upon the introductory course in epidemiology as well as courses in survey design and sampling. Students learn to assess the impact of bias and confounding and techniques for mitigating those effects. Special consideration will be given to the role of case-control studies in addressing a variety of health and organizational problems. Evaluation is based upon examinations and practical exercises.

PH243. Graduate Research seminar - I (2).
This course begins a structured emphasis on application of core knowledge and critical thinking skills. Students will critically review and discuss a number of relevant journal articles with an orientation toward the application of these insights to the health context of Armenia and the region. (Pass/Fail only)
PH 244. Master's Project Implementation - I (10).
Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, students will concentrate on implementing and completing the Masters Project defined during course PH 224. (Pass/Fail only)

MODULE VI: SYNTHESIS (FALL)

PH251. Graduate Research Seminar - II (2).
This course provides a structured emphasis on application of core knowledge and critical thinking skills. Students will critically review and discuss journal articles relevant to core concepts and to on-going student projects. (Pass/Fail only)

PH242. Training of Trainers (4).
This course prepares MPH graduates to effectively respond to the enhanced job responsibility of providing formal and informal in-service training to professional colleagues and co-workers. The course will prepare students to develop objective-based learning modules and to develop and refine effective presentation and teaching skills. Evaluation will be based upon the development and delivery of a brief instructional module relevant to the student's professional objectives.

PH252. Master's Project Implementation- II (10).
Under the guidance of a faculty mentor, students complete a master's project, concluding with a paper of publishable quality and oral presentation to faculty and relevant members of the public health practice community. (Pass/Fail only)