Students who complete this certificate program will analyze historical and current cases of infectious diseases, included relevant biology, social factors influencing pathogenic spread, treatment and research approaches, and evidence-based health communication strategies. Courses will focus on past and current health injustices related to infectious diseases and help students develop skills to analyze and enact change to promote health justice through community organizing, policy advocacy, equitable grant writing and research design, inclusive science communication, and more. Students of diverse backgrounds in biomedical sciences, public health, health professions, and more can customize their certificate experience through electives in areas such as microbiology, epidemiology, and public policy.
Graduates of the certificate will be equipped to better address socioscientific issues like climate change, war, poverty, and medical and research harm in order to promote a more justice approach to health free from infectious disease burden.
Students interested in graduate work should refer to the Graduate and Professional Bulletin.
Learning Objectives
Upon successful completion, students will be able to:
- Apply historical and ongoing systemic social issues that impact infectious disease burden to different populations throughout the world.
- Examine how community engagement, policy changes, research activity, and other strategies can be used to improve health justice.
- Analyze how biomedical research has both contributed to health injustices and can be used to promote health justice, with a focus on emerging infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases, and other pathogen burdens.
- Investigate social science research fields such as communication and psychology for insights on improving health justice for infectious diseases.
- Differentiate the basic microbiology, transmission, and clinical presentation and treatment of various bacterial, viral, fungal, and protozoal infectious diseases.
- Demonstrate skills in science communication, community engagement, policy advocacy, grant writing, and more in order to enact change.
- Develop a plan for how to promote health justice related to infectious diseases in their current and/or future careers.
Effective Fall 2025
Additional coursework may be required due to prerequisites.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses: | ||
| MIP 551 | Infectious Diseases and Social Equity | 3 |
| MIP 552 | Social Impacts of Biomedical Research | 3 |
| MIP 553 | Health Communication for Infectious Diseases | 3 |
| Select one course from the following: | 3 | |
| Climate Justice and Policy | ||
| Advanced Health Equity | ||
| Medical Microbiology | ||
| Climate Impacts and Risk Assessments | ||
| Exploring Social Epidemiology | ||
| Civic Engagement | ||
| Evidence-Based Decision Making | ||
| Social Equity in Public Service | ||
| Program Total Credits: | 12 | |
*This certificate may have courses in common with other graduate certificates. A student may earn more than one certificate, but a given course may be counted only in one certificate program.