Public Health

Welcome to Public Health class! My name is Ms. Thompson, and here is a little slideshow to introduce myself!

We have a really unique opportunity together this year -- studying public health in the midst of a global pandemic, one that has affected every single one of us in profound and different ways.

Some of us have gotten sick.

Some of us have had friends or family members die.

ALL of us are sick of masks, distance, and worrying about Covid.

The Covid-19 pandemic is THE biggest public health crisis in the past 100 years -- and unfortunately it is far from over.

This semester, we will take an in-depth look at Covid and stay current with new developments as they unfold. But even more important is exploring the underlying reasons why some communities and groups of people are getting hit harder by it than others.

The conditions in which we are born, live, work, and age partly influence how long we live and how healthy we are (even when there is no Rona!) These so-called social determinants of health include:

• The availability of economic opportunities

• The quality of education

• The safety of workplaces, streets and public spaces

• The cleanliness of our water, food, and air

• The resources and supports available in our community

• The quality and nature of our social interactions and relationships

We will be using this framework of social determinants of health to understand the underlying inequalities that are shaping the Covid-19 pandemic. But we will also use this framework to explore other public health topics.

In this class you can also expect to learn about:

• Racial, social, economic, and environmental justice as public health issues

• Careers in healthcare and public health

• Mental health, personal wellness and healthy habits

• Nutrition

• Sexual Health and Reproduction

• Medical ethics

• How to identify credible source material and properly cite it in your own writing.