Multilevel studies and multilevel analysis have been increasingly used in the public health field. This course will discuss the rationale for multilevel studies and multilevel analysis in public health as well as differences with other study designs and other analytical approaches. Although the course will not be heavily mathematical, the basics of fitting multilevel models for different types of outcomes as well as the interpretation of estimates obtained from multilevel models will be reviewed and practiced. Emphasis will be on conceptual understanding, application and interpretation of multilevel analysis in the context of urban health research. The course will also review and critique empirical applications in urban health research and discuss conceptual and methodological challenges in using multilevel analysis.

The course is an introduction to the basic concepts and techniques of Geographic Information Systems (GIS). This course contains lectures and hand-on exercises in ArcGIS. The lectures introduce the basic concepts of GIS, data sources, data structure, data management, map projections and coordinate system, making maps, and spatial analysis. Students will also learn how to use the fundamental knowledge of GIS to solve real world problems. Through the hand-on exercises, students will get familiar with the interfaces and analysis tools in the ESRI software package ArcGIS. Students will also practice applying GIS as a tool and a methodological approach to spatially analyze environment and public health data.

Raynard Washington, PhD, MPH, is the Chief Epidemiologist at the Philadelphia Department of Public Health. In this role, Washington is responsible for collecting, analyzing, and interpreting data that provides actionable information on the health status of Philadelphia residents. He coordinates and provides guidance across the department and works internally and externally to enhance existing and establish new health surveillance systems. He also leads strategic initiatives, such as the Community Health Assessment and Community Health Improvement Plan.  Washington earned his undergraduate and graduate degrees at the University of Pittsburgh.

David M. Rubin, MD, MSCU, is the director of PolicyLab at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and a professor of pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania. Rubin, is responsible for a center of emphasis that includes 33 faculty members and more than 60 staff conducting research in the areas of population health, implementation science, and community-partnered research. He is also a senior fellow at the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics and a former associate program director of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at the University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Rubin is an emerging leader in developing health system and public program innovation to meet the needs of high-risk populations of children. At the Children’s Hospital, which serves 500,000 children and adolescents annually, he serves as the Director of Population Health Innovations, where he is working across the health system to build capabilities for population health management and aligning delivery system reforms to improve the value and quality of care patients receive.

Please note this course takes place over three days (Friday 1:30-5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 9:00am-4:30pm). The goal of this course is to familiarize students with the applications of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to assess or evaluate urban health challenges, and potential solutions, with a focus on the Philadelphia context. Students are expected to have some prior experience with GIS and be familiar with acquiring spatial data, data management, symbolizing features and making maps, and data coordinate and projection systems.

Please note this course takes place over 3 days. (Friday 1:30-5:00pm, Saturday and Sunday 9:00am-4:30pm) The way information is communicated can make the difference between a successful or failed response in a public health disaster. Combining theory and practice, this course places an emphasis on the core principles of crisis and risk communication, examines how various audiences perceive and react to risk, and emphasizes the important role of effective communication before, during, and following a disaster. Through a series of readings, interactive lectures, case studies, and activities, students will learn how to better understand and communicate with communities affected by a crisis.