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Interdisciplinary Major & Minor

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Academic Departments

The Public Health Interdisciplinary Major and Minor promote holistic and interdisciplinary understanding of public health.

It draws from the theoretical and methodological frameworks from diverse academic disciplines, highlighting biological, economic, ethical, psychological, and sociocultural dimensions of public health problems and strategies intended to address them. 

The program advances these learning objectives:

  • Identify and describe major public health problems, important actors and institutions in public health, and the role of public health advocacy, programs, research, and policy in addressing public health problems.
  • Explain how diverse disciplines, theories, and empirical methods are implemented in public health programs, research, and policy.
  • Analyze how structural inequalities and biological, behavioral, cultural, economic, ethical, political, social, and economic factors and perspectives shape public health challenges and evaluate approaches to addressing them.
  • Evaluate how public health challenges disproportionately affect marginalized and vulnerable groups and the potential of public health advocacy, research, programs, and policy to advance social justice and equity.
  • Interpret ethical considerations of public health concepts and evaluate sources of information about public health, identify misinformation, and gain skill in effectively communicating accurate public health information to diverse audiences as part of PBH courses.

Declaring a Public Health Major or Minor

Students considering a public health major through the Center for Interdisciplinary Studies (CIS) must first meeting with the chair of the Department of Public Health (Prof. Kata Chillag) or a Department of Public Health faculty member designated by the chair, to obtain permission to go forward with the application process (for majors) and prior to completing the declaration form (for minors).

This meeting must occur in advance of the CIS application deadline. Students are encouraged to complete this meeting by the end of September of their sophomore year to ensure that they can complete the required steps in advance of the deadline. Students are also encouraged to meet with the CIS director early in the process.

Current Public Health majors and minors are required to meet twice yearly (including in the semester they plan to graduate) with the chair of the Department of Public Health or designate during the Student-Advisor Conference period. After the initial meeting, students who have completed their requirements for a Public Health minor are not required to meet with advisors during the official advising period. However, students are welcome to meet with the advisors for the Public Health minor (Dr. Kata Chillag or Dr. Sally Bullock) at any time about courses, public health careers, graduate school, or other public health related issues.

Courses You Might Take

PBH 251
Health Disparities US & Beyond

This course explores connections between race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, and U.S. social policy with the historical and current trends in health disparities in the United States. The course offers a foundation in both core concepts and theoretical frameworks for understanding health disparities and will introduce theory and strategies for developing health interventions and policies to address the crisis of racial, ethnic and socioeconomic health disparities within the U.S.

PBH 280 | SOC 280
Introduction to Global Health

Global health is an emerging interdisciplinary field that approaches health issues as transnational challenges requiring multi-level, community-based solutions. Topics include global health inequities, strategies for control of communicable diseases, global rise of non-communicable disease, connections between social structures and global distribution of disease, and debates over health as a human right. The course is cross-listed as PBH 280 and SOC 280.

PSY 354
Medical Rehab & Disability

This course addresses the conceptualization, assessment and treatment of chronic health conditions, traumatic injuries and disabilities. The sources include peer-reviewed articles, videos, and memoirs from the vantage point of the patient, caregiver and healthcare provider—including a unique graphic medicine novel. The course has a community-based component that is especially valuable for students who are interested in a health profession.

Interested in Studying Public Health at Davidson?