SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY ?
S.05-124
Senate Committee on University Priorities
?
Memorandum
TO: Senate ?
FROM: ?
John Wate
'
Chair, ?
P
Vice PreeftA
ca
demic
RE: Proposal for a Masters of Science in
?
DATE: ?
Nover'er,l6, 2005
Population and Public Health in the
Faculty of Health Sciences (SCUP 05-061)
At its October 19, 2005 meeting SCUP reviewed and approved the proposal from the
Faculty of Health Sciences for a Masters of Science in Population and Public Health.
Motion
That Senate approve and recommend to the Board of Governors, the proposal for a
Masters of Science in Population and Public Health in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
end.
c: D. MacLean
A. Davison
C. Dean
.
U^
SOUP 05-061
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
DEAN OF GRADUATE STUDIES
• ? MEMORANDUM
TO:
?
Senate Committee on University Priorities
FROM: ?
Jonathan Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies
Chair, Senate Graduate Studies Committee
SUBJECT: Faculty of Health Sciences: New program proposal (CS 2005.35)
M.Sc. in Population & Public Health
DATE: ?
October 3, 2005
cc:
?
Charmaine Dean, Health Sciences
At its meeting of 12th September 2005 Senate Graduate Studies Committee approved a
new program proposal - M.Sc. program in Population & Public Health in the Faculty of
Health Sciences. I request SCUP recommend approval of the new program to Senate.
This proposal is substantially the same as the cohort special arrangements program which
was approved by SGSC and submitted to SCUP in November 2004. A set of new
graduate courses was approved in March 2005, as part of the cohort program.
L
.
SGSC-SCUP-MSCPPH-GS2005.35
tF
?
FACULTY OF HEALTH SCIENCES
ra;
?
PHONE (604) 291-4821
FAX (604) 291-5927
MEMORANDUM
DATE: ?
September 13, 2005
tT;L:
fl,V1!
SEr
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DEAN OF GRADUATE
OFFICE
TO: ?
Jon Driver, Dean of Graduate Studies
FROM: ?
Charmaine Dean, Associate Dean, Health Sciences C/_--
RE: ?
Editorial Corrections from Senate Graduate Studies Committee,
September 12, 2005
Enclosed is the revised Proposal for an MSc in Population and Public Health. The
elective courses have been removed from the calendar entry; and we have corrected from
the calendar entry the duplicate listing of Patton's name and the job titles of Dr. Andrew
Wister and Dr. Dan Weeks.
az
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.
ROOM 2812, WEST MALL CENTRE (WMC)
?
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY, BURNABY BC
?
CANADA, VSA 1S6
GS200535
PROPOSAL FOR MSC PROGRAM IN
•
?
POPULATION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
21 July
?
2004 "Notice of Intent" and supplementary information
approved "in-principle" by Senate Committee on
University Priorities
24 September 2004 Received by Dean of Graduate Studies,
14 October ?
2004 Reviewed by Assessment Committee for New
?
Graduate Programs
12 November 2004 Received revised program proposal from Faculty of
Health Sciences
22 November 2004 Sent proposal to four external reviewers by Dean of
Graduate Studies
2 February ?
2005 Sent proposal to two external reviewers by Dean of
Graduate Studies
17 March
2005
?
Received four external reviewers' reports by Dean
of Graduate Studies
30 March
2005
?
Sent four external reviewers' reports to Faculty of
Health Sciences by Dean of Graduate Studies
9 May
2005
?
Received response to external reviewers' reports
from Faculty of Health Sciences
11 May
2005
?
Reviewed and approved by Assessment Committee
for New Graduate Programs, pending minor
revision
17 August
2005
?
Received revised proposal by Dean of Graduate
Studies
30 August
2005
?
Submitted to Senate Graduate Studies Committee
•
ASSESSMENT
SIMON FRASER
COMMITTEE
UNIVERSITY
FOR NEW GRADUATE PROGRAMMES
3
COV-MPPH 08131/05
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
DEAN OF
GRADUATE STUDIES
MEMORANDUM
To:
?
Jon Driver, SGSC
?
FROM: ?
Trude Heift, ACNGP
SUBJECT:
Program Proposal in ?
DATE: ?
August 30, 2005
Population and Public Health
At the ACNGP meeting of
511
May 2005 the committee unanimously recommended that
the proposed Master's Program in Population and Public Health be forwarded to SGSC,
with the recommendation that they be approved, pending the following revisions:
1)
Implementation of the changes from the faculty's response letter to the external
reviews;
2)
Description of the research areas of new faculty hires;
3)
Two minor changes to the examination procedures of the practicum stream.
These changes have now been made and the concerns raised by ACNGP have been
addressed.
ThJ1.
J -& , --
I1))
fl
SIMON FRASER UNIVERSITY
DEAN OF
GRADUATE STUDIES
MEMORANDUM
To: ?
Dr. Charmajne Dean
?
FROM: ?
Trude Heift, ACNGP
SUBJECT: Program Proposal in
?
DATE:
?
May 11, 2005
Population and Public Health
Dear Dr. Dean:
Thank you for your presentation at the ACNGP meeting on May 11. The committee was
very pleased with the explanations you provided at the meeting and recommends the
following modifications of the graduate program proposal in Population and Public
Health to go forward to SGSC.
1)
Implement the changes from your response letter to the external reviews;
2)
Add a brief description of the research areas of the new faculty hires and the
courses they will most likely be teaching;
3) On
p.
27 of the proposal, delete "(including an expert in the area of the project, or
- an adjunct faculty member from the intended practicum workplace)";
4)
Clarify the examination procedures of the practicum stream by adding a sentence
that they will follow university regulations.
Please send us a copy of the revised proposal and I will forward the recommendation to
SGSC. Thank you for your hard work on the proposal.
Best regards,
5
S
Proposal for an MSc Program in
Population and Public Health
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In 2003, Senate approved a motion to establish a Faculty of Health Sciences and mandated, as the first
programming priority, a Master of Science degree in Population and Public Health. A preliminary
proposal for this degree was approved by the Senate Graduate Studies Committee, and the Senate
Committee on University Priorities. The full proposal is presented here for your consideration.
The proposed MSc will prepare established professionals and recent graduates for positions of
leadership in health research and in the health professions. Graduates will be skilled in health research
and health program evaluation methodologies, health data analysis, the generation and dissemination
of new knowledge, and the application of this knowledge in formulating new health policies. As such,
this program will meet a rapidly growing need in the healthcare system across Canada, and will
provide graduates in an area of rapidly increasing demand.
5 ?
The syllabus will cover health sciences from the level of systems, communities, populations, and
individual and clinical perspectives. There will be two streams - a thesis stream based on research, and
a stream based on course work and a practicum or project. Those taking the practicum
I
project stream
will be equipped to investigate and to apply evolving knowledge in their roles as practitioners in health
care and delivery and in health promotion and disease prevention. Those taking the thesis stream will
have had fewer courses, but through their theses they will have experience in generating new
knowledge through original research. Both streams will build on a foundation of courses in the
scientific methodology for population health research, epidemiology, determinants of health, health
education, and disease control and prevention. Case studies will frame policy costs and benefits as
trade-offs in different strategies for societal investment in health.
SFU's commitment to the Faculty of Health Sciences and the MSc in Population and Public Health is
embedded in the university's resolutions, strategic planning, and priorities. The University has
committed funds for the initial faculty and staff hiring and the necessary infrastructure, including
space. Ten new faculty members have been recruited and a search for Canada Research Chairs is under
way. This proposal is the next critical step in the implementation of the Master of Science in
Population and Public Health degree. The first Master of Science in Population and Public Health
students were admitted into a cohort based special arrangement in September 2005.
.
1/44
TABLE OF CONTENTS
ExecutiveSummary
...................................................................................................................... 1
Tableof contents
...........................................................................................................................2
?
W
I
Curriculum
................................................................................................................................3
1.
Curricular requirements...............................................................................................................3
2.
Requirements for the degree........................................................................................................4
3.
Course descriptions.....................................................................................................................5
4.
Expected class sizes and student/faculty ratios.............................................................................
5
5.
Research expectations or implications for this program...............................................................
5
Table 1.
How the curriculum contributes to the goals of the program..............................................6
IILearning methodologies
............................................................................................................7
1.
How learning methodologies achieve intended outcomes............................................................7
2.
Features.......................................................................................................................................7
III Faculty and other resources....................................................................................................9
1.
Personnel ....................................................................................................................................9
2.
Library........................................................................................................................................10
3.
Databases for population health research.....................................................................................10
4.
Support for graduate students......................................................................................................11
5.
Space ..........................................................................................................................................11
6.
Timelines for implementation......................................................................................................12
IV
Program consultations and evaluation
....................................................................................13
1.
Preliminary consultation - External needs assessment..................................................................13
2.
Ongoing consultation - Policies and procedures for review..........................................................14
3.
Membership of advisory committees...........................................................................................14
VI
Educational merits and timeliness
..........................................................................................15
1.
Relationship to SFU's research priorities and strategic goals........................................................16
2.
Relationship to existing Canadian programs................................................................................16
3.
Demand for the Program from Prospective Students....................................................................19
4.
Demand for graduates from prospective employers .....................................................................20
5.
Timelines for students - course scheduling..................................................................................20
Table 2 Guidelines for degree completion.......................................................................................21
Table 3 Course scheduling feasibility..............................................................................................21
VII Additional material required by SFU
..................................................................................... 22
1.
Reviewers ...................................................................................................................................22
2.
Budgetary....................................................................................................................................22
Appendix 1 - Proposed Calendar Description
..............................................................................25
Faculty............................................................................................................................................25
MSc in Population and Public Health..............................................................................................26
Degree offered: MSc in Population and Public Health.....................................................................26
Degreerequirements.......................................................................................................................28
Core courses for the MSc in Population and Public Health..............................................................29
Appendix 1A - Elective courses for the MSc in Population and Public Health
..........................30
Appendix2 - Course descriptions
.................... . ............................................................................ 32
Appendix 3 - Faculty job descriptions
..........................................................................................36
Appendix 4- Governance - program administration ..................................................................38
Appendix 5 - Summary description of expertise of faculty appointments..................................39
Appendix 6 - Preliminary proposal (1,01
&
Supplement)
...........................................................41
Appendix
7 -
The evolution of Health Sciences at SFU
...............................................................41
Appendix 8 - Should the degree be an MSc?
................................................................................ 43
2/44
I CURRICULUM
The program will prepare professionals and graduates for positions of leadership and positions in
research in (1) population and public health, (2) policy and planning for health care and delivery, and
(3) health promotion and disease prevention. The syllabus will cover health issues from the level of
systems, communities, and populations, encompassing and transcending individual or clinical
perspectives. The courses will emphasize community health research, health education, disease
control, and disease prevention. Case studies will frame policy costs and benefits as trade-offs in
different strategies for societal investment in health.
1. Curricular requirements
The MSc in Population and Public Health will have two streams:
• a thesis stream with a minimum of 24 credits and
• a practicum / project stream with a minimum of 36 credits
Students in either stream will take a core of five 4-credit courses, and the remainder of their courses as
electives. Persons intending to develop in-depth research capability, including those planning to pursue
a PhD, will be directed toward the thesis stream. Those with a professional or practitioner interest in a
position of leadership that includes implementation and application of health research, health policy
development and administration, would normally take the practicum / project stream.
Learning objectives represented in the curriculum
Population and Public Health leadership requires an array of professional skills and scientific literacy,
ranging from statistical and epidemiological aspects of risk assessment, through managerial
competence, to evidence-based understanding of all the determinants of health. Probably no program
of study can systematically provide the entire range, but we can teach the appropriate fundamental
knowledge to provide a solid foundation in the area. The program provides these through instruction in
the theoretical underpinnings of population and public health concepts. Skills gained will be
consolidated in workplace-integrated learning, independent study or research, and problem-solving
case studies in an interdisciplinary team. The relationships between the instructional components
I
course work and the learning goals are outlined in Table 1 at the end of this section.
The scientific and methodological skill-set for Population and Public Health includes:
• Biometrics, biostatistics and epidemiology at the level of contemporary usage
• Determinants and
.
measures of health: mortality, morbidity, well-being and quality-of-life
• Health economics, individual and population behavior and principles of public health
• Analysis and interpretation of data on secular, environmental, occupational, and global trends
for population health
• Ethical issues, and sensitivity to belief systems in local, multicultural, and trans-national
populations
• Community and population-based methods for program evaluation and intervention-evaluation
Areas of application include:
.
?
• Implementing population-based health needs assessment, risk assessment, and health
promotion programs
• Establishing determinants of health using multivariate and meta-analysis and applying the data
in policy development
3/44
• Applying epidemiological evidence along with biomarkers and molecular evidence in strategic
health decisions
• Using program and intervention evaluation to assess the effectiveness of programs and projects
• Implementing health promotion, disease prevention, and capacity-building strategies
• Undertaking health, epidemiological, environmental, or occupational monitoring and disease
surveillance ?
-
2. Requirements for the degree
[This section is abstracted from Appendix 1 - Calendar entry, which also provides details of the course
structure and degree requirements.]
The MSc in Population and Public Health will have a thesis stream and a practicum / project stream.
Theses, practica, and projects will be supervised by a senior supervisor and supervisory committee.
Thesis stream - requirements:
1.
A master's thesis
2.
A minimum of 24 credits:
• Five Population and Public Health program core courses
• At least one Population and Public Health elective course'
3.
A one credit orientation course, Seminar in the Health Sciences, taken (satisfactory/unsatisfactory)
in the first semester of study.
Practicum /project stream requirements:
1.
A practicum,
consisting of one-semester full-time as an intern in a workplace appropriate to the
degree, or a
project
based on a problem or analysis in population and public health that involves a
research component. The purpose of the practicum / project is to develop skills related to the health
sciences, population health or workplace health policy, and its assessment, enhancement, and
innovation. A supervisory committee (including an expert in the area of the project, or an adjunct
faculty member from the intended practicum workplace) must be approved by the Graduate
Program Committee prior to the start of each practicum. The supervisory committee will assist the
student in developing a proposal which must be approved before the start of the practicum semester.
It is anticipated that each elective courses will be offered at least once every two years, depending on student demand and
faculty availability.
S
4/44
2.
A minimum of thirty six credits:
S ?
.
Five Population and Public Health program core courses and a course in research
conceptualization
0 A least one Population and Public Health or Global Health elective course.
• Two practicumlproject related courses. (1) The Practicurnlproject report. The supervisory
committee will monitor the student's performance and ongoing development of the report during
the practicum. (2) Seminar in Workplace-Integrated Learning. Following the practicum,
students will collectively critique their practicum or project report in this course.
• The remaining courses can be selected from Population and Public Health program electives or
from approved graduate courses available from other academic units across the university.
Students are encouraged to include one elective from another Faculty.
3.
A one credit orientation course, Seminar in the Health Sciences, to be taken (satisfactory
unsatisfactory) in the first semester of study
3. Course descriptions
Core courses and most of the designated electives have been specifically tailored to the long term
educational objectives of the Faculty. Courses are identified as HSCI when they are expected to be
widely used across this and future graduate programs. Courses specifically relevant to Population and
Public Health are labeled PPH, and courses specifically relevant to Global Health are labeled GLOH.
For a detailed course list and course descriptions see Appendices 1 and 2.
Note: Full course proposals will be developed in cooperation with faculty members to be hired in
2004-2006. As courses are developed, they will be submitted for approval in the normal manner.
4.
Expected class sizes and student/faculty ratios
From our survey of SFU students, we estimate initial applicant numbers at
30-50
from SFU graduates.
Depending on advertising, there could be 10-20 from persons in the health profession seeking to
upgrade their qualifications, and 10-20 from graduates at other universities. Interest on this magnitude
would allow us to be selective. From about 70 applicants, we plan to accept 20 into the initial
admission cohort, and allow this to grow by about 10 per year to plateau at about 40 MSc students.
These numbers predict an initial MSc student to faculty ratio of about 3. This may fluctuate over the
initial years with variability in student enrollment or faculty recruitment. With 14 faculty and 40
students taking an average of 3 courses per semester, and about 10 courses offered per semester, we
anticipate about 12 students per course in the steady state - perhaps half that number in the first start-up
year of the program.
5.
Research expectations or implications for this program
An optimal ratio between enrollment in the thesis versus practicum / project streams will be explored
during the admission process. In the initial cohort, five to seven thesis students will be admitted,
depending on availability of supervision. In subsequent years, we expect this number to double.
L
5/44
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il LEARNING METHODOLOGIES
1.
How learning methodologies achieve intended outcomes
As indicated above, courses from both inside and outside the Faculty of Health Science will provide a
common foundation of core methodological skills and a range of electives to accommodate the
specialized needs of students. Supervised research in the thesis stream will provide specialized
research training, while in the practicum
I
project stream the student will take an investigative
approach to methodologies and decision-making tools currently used by health practitioners.
2.
Features
Distance education and independent study
Our survey indicated that a significant number of prospective students want a web component to their
courses, including the possibility of taking some courses solely by web delivery. We have agreed in
principle with eLINC SFU to progressively incorporate these components into the courses. The Faculty
of Health Sciences will take responsibility for providing content, and eLINC will provide web design
and course delivery resources. Web
I
classroom integration will complement the integration of
classroom exposition with workplace implementation.
Employability skills
S
Cooperative Education SFU has agreed to make their instructional modules on employability and job-
search skills available to our students. The skills most desired by the employers they surveyed are:
team-problem solving, good oral and written communication, and mathematical and computational
skills [Zumbo et al. http:/Iwww.ecps.educ.ubc.ca!grad programs/merm/plan.html Appendix B:] Most,
if not all, courses will incorporate a mix of all three of these.
Workplace-integrated learning
Theoretical skills are best conceptualized in the context of applications in which they will be used. For
this reason, we will use practica, case studies, workshops, and seminars to stress applications. Students
from academic and professional backgrounds will learn from each other in an interdisciplinary,
participatory learning community of scholars. The involvement of health professionals as associates in
the teaching program and as guest lecturers will enrich the classroom experience. In their final
semester, practicum students will take a mandatory course in which those coming from or moving to
professional careers will draw from each other's experience. Here they will reinforce the skills and
applications they encountered in the investigative aspects of their practica, by explaining and
discussing specific examples of workplace problem solving.
Case studies
Wherever possible, courses will incorporate case studies to ensure grounding in current real-world
problems. Learning will be active, rather than a passive memorization of facts. Diverse viewpoints will
5 ?
be explored in an inclusive way, while inferences will be strictly evidence-based.
p7'44
Exchange and transfer of courses and research from other universities
We encourage the incorporation of relevant postgraduate courses from other universities into the
students' degree programs. The "Western Dean's Agreement" facilitates the process of transferring
credit. Participating universities include: University of Alberta, Athabasca University, Brandon
University, University of British Columbia, University of Calgary, University of Lethbridge,
University of Manitoba, University of Northern British Columbia, University of Regina, University of
Saskatchewan, Simon Fraser University, and University of Victoria. Such courses include distance
learning and web-based courses, which would not require the student to travel. Thesis students may do
part of their thesis research at another university provided that arrangements satisfactory to the
supervisory committee can be made.
Degree completion time
If a student takes 12 credit hours of course work per semester, normal completion time is 4 semesters.
Alternatively the courses can be completed over
5
semesters: four semesters at eight credits per
semester and a practicum semester. At least one course will be offered outside regular office hours to
allow completion by persons working part time.
For students who want to complete the MSc in 3 semesters a sequence of course offerings will be
made available to allow this.
S
.
p8/44
III FACULTY AND OTHER RESOURCES
The University has already made a substantial commitment to the establishment of the new Faculty. -
The following demonstrates that the necessary infrastructure has been provided.
1.
Personnel
The University has committed funding for the eventual hiring of fourteen faculty and has allocated two
Canada Research Chairs to the faculty in addition to a recently appointed CRC in Infectious Diseases.
For the initial cohort, ten faculty have been hired and two CRCs will be hired. See Appendix 3 for the
faculty job descriptions.
The initial hiring in progress will build key research, technical, and methodological strengths in the
following areas: Health Economics, Epidemiology (three positions), Qualitative Research Methods in
Health, Biostatistics, Public Health/Community Medicine. In addition, faculty from existing academic
units are anticipated to contribute to the elective courses through course offerings in their home units
or through cross-listed courses. Some of these faculty will be formally recognized as Associate
Members of the new faculty.
Adjunct Professors will be appointed from the outside community, bringing their professional
experience and expertise to the graduate student thesis and practicum supervisory committees and
. ?
helping guide the development of the new faculty.
Staffing, faculty workload, and supervisory responsibilities
Faculty will teach the equivalent of four courses annually, with appropriate relief for supervising
practica and graduate students, and extraordinary administrative responsibilities.
There will be two Associate Deans in the Faculty of Health Sciences. The Associate Dean (Academic
Programs) will oversee academic administrative responsibilities with regard to faculty, students,
graduate and undergraduate programs. The Associate Dean (Research) will oversee research activities
of the faculty, including those of the Institute for Health Research and Education, and the Data
Warehouse. Appendix 4 provides information on program governance.
The initial faculty complement, will together teach 14 to 21 courses including the core, electives, and
practica. Their areas of expertise will be appropriate to the core courses and will condition the
availability of elective courses. The currently committed complement of faculty will therefore cover
annual offering of the core courses plus biannual offering of the elective courses plus practica. A fuller
complement of electives will be offered to the extent that faculty from other departments are available
to contribute to graduate courses through buy-out, secondment, or course cross-listing.
The core and other course allocations may be mapped out as follows:
1
x Health Economist:
Health economics, health project evaluation and management', plus other electives
'Please refer to Appendices I and 2 for more information about the following courses
p9'44
3
x Epidemiologists:
Advanced topics in epidemiology for the health sciences (core),
Topics in research design and methods for the health sciences (core),
Case studies in health systems and the determinants of health (core), plus electives
1
x Biostatistician:
Case studies in applied biostatistics for the health sciences (core) plus electives
1
x Public Health
/
community health physician:
Electives
1 x Qualitative Research Methods in Health:
Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences, plus other electives
In practicum or project development, the practicum workplace supervisor (an adjunct faculty member)
will work directly with the student in project planning, and project supervision. The senior supervisor
(a faculty member) will be responsible for oversight, supervision, and quality control.
Competence offaculty members to supervise MSc students
We anticipate that hirings will be across assistant, associate, and full professor levels. Unless we
decide to hire some ABD candidates, all will have demonstrated ability to supervise graduate students
at the Masters and potentially at the PhD level.
[Editor's Note: Appendix
5
provides summary descriptions of expertise of the new faculty
appointments.]
2. Library
The Library has recently upgraded resources in the area of Population and Public Health to be
comparable with other universities offering cognate programs. A detailed report from Megan Crouch,
the Health Librarian, is provided in Section VII.
3.
Data Warehouse: Databases for population health research
The Faculty of Health Sciences is negotiating with the BC Department of Vital Statistics for transfer of
their entire Vital Statistics Database to SFU, on the understanding that it would also be used for the
support of health research and education. A Memorandum of Understanding is expected imminently.
The Data Warehouse is central to the vision of FHS. Various data sources are envisioned for the
warehouse: vital statistics, arthritis, health authority, cardiac registry - to increase capacity for health
research broadly at Simon Fraser University and in the province. This will link with developing
expertise in spatial statistics and GIS, Health communications, Computing science: security, interfaces,
data mining, Public health/social epidemiology and virology/immunology. In addition, we are
negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding with the Provincial Health Services Authority to provide
the opportunity for health research and practica within the major health facilities of the Greater
Vancouver Area.
p 10/44
4. Support for graduate students
It is anticipated that all graduate students accepted for admission will have financial support for a
reasonable duration for completion of their degrees. We expect the financial resources offered to
students in this program will be significantly more than the median at SFU. Financial support for
graduate students will come from a variety of sources including:
•
Research Assistantships
funded from faculty research grants will be available to most, if not
all, thesis students
•
National Scholarships:
exceptional students will bring their own national scholarships earned
in superior undergraduate studies. Moreover, many students in the practicum stream will be on
time-limited scholarships, or paid or unpaid study-leave from careers in health.
•
SFU Entrance Scholarships
and special entrance scholarships
•
Faculty Fellowships:
The Faculty of Health Sciences intends to emulate other faculties that
offer full fellowships and also half-fellowships to match other sources of funding. During
practicum
I
project semesters various summer fellowships may be available for work-study
semesters. These could be supplemented by the foregoing.
•
SFU University Fellowships:
and research fellowships will be available through the Dean of
Graduate Studies office.
•
Traineeships:
External traineeships are available from national and provincial agencies, for
example MSHRF, BC Cancer Agency etc. The faculty has been asked to help find recipients
for Traineeship grants specific to Population and Public Health from Health Canada via the
CHIR - details at http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.ca/e/services/20151.shtml
. The faculty has also been
contacted by health foundations such as AIDS Vancouver with regard to eligibility for
. ?
fellowships specifically available for students in health programs. These could include Heart
Health agencies, CARS, and the BC Cancer Foundation.
•
Teaching Assistantships
in seven lower division undergraduate courses that will be available
when these courses are offered, starting in 2006. Students who prefer not to take a full course
load while doing a TAship have this option.
5.
Space
Space was allocated in 2004, and a 300% expansion in Fall 2005 has provided the additional space
required to house the new faculty and graduate students and their research programs along with
expansion of the Institute for Health Research and Education, for example through the acquisition of
the BC Vital Statistics Data Base.
In Fall 2006, the School of Criminology will move from its present location in the West Mall Complex
to the new Arts Complex, whose construction will start in 2004. The Faculty of Health Sciences will
then expand into the West Mall space vacated by Criminology.
By 2007-2008 it is anticipated that a new building will have been constructed for the Faculty of Health
Sciences.
S
p11/44
6. Timelines for implementation
Partnership arrangements with other academic units of SFU are under way and will be completed after
this program is running. Also note that we are discussing an agreement with the Department of
Statistics and Actuarial Science to provide STAT 302 or an equivalent each Fall for students who lack
this pre-requisite. Framework agreements with participating health authorities should be in place by
late 2005. Fulfilling our mandate for a full MSc in Population and Public Health is contingent upon
timely implementation of this proposal.
.
I
p 12/44
IV PROGRAM CONSULTATIONS AND EVALUATION
0
1. Preliminary consultation - External needs assessment
An external needs assessment was undertaken prior to submitting a proposal to Senate for the new
Faculty of Health Sciences. SFU commissioned Zena Simces & Associates to report on:
• the status of population health recognition on a national basis
• the community view of research and graduate education in population health
• the need for Population and Public Health programs at SFU
The following is an excerpt from a UBC comprehensive 2004 survey of Public Health Education in
Canada undertaken by the Canadian CDC and the BCCDC. To view a full version of the UBC report,
go to http://ww.bccdc.orIdown1oads/
and click on Statistics and reports.
The Simces report was conducted through Internet searches of Canadian graduate public
health education programs, funding organizations and research programs as well as through
interviews with 80 key stakeholders in the public health community and an email survey of nine
professional health organizations.
The study looks at three areas of recognition within public health: Canadian research
programs and funding organizations; the health care system; and university graduate programs.
Within research and funding organizations, population and public health is now considered a
separate research stream which provides evidence that initiatives within this area are significant.
Health Canada has shown its support to public health through the publishing of 6 reports on
health care delivery over the last several years.
It was also noted in the report that most graduate programs in public health are found within
Medical Schools in Canada. UBC and the University of Victoria (UVic) are involved in an
interdisciplinary graduate program that offers courses in public health. There are two new
innovative models of training in population health: the Western Regional Training Centre for
Health Services Research (UBC & U of Manitoba) and Health Canada's Skills Enhancement for
Health Surveillance program. The latter program's primary focus is to provide on-line
epidemiological training to public health professionals to be used in local decision making and
planning; it is part of the Centre for Surveillance Coordination.
The research findings of the Simces report support the importance placed on public health by
Canadian research programs and funding agencies, universities and the health care field. Key
stakeholders involved in the report identified the critical need for increased studies and
understanding of population and public health, and specifically in the area of practical, applied
and policy relevant research. They also identified population and public health as an important
area for future education, research and collaborative effort. Programs supporting funding for
public health research have increased and continue to grow, albeit at a much slower rate than
funding contributed to clinical and basic science. Although there are several Canadian public
health programs, there is still a shortage of trained professionals to teach public health skills.
L
p13/44
The study found gaps in education and practice related to three significant areas:
Policy-relevant research
Transfer of research knowledge
Measurement of outcomes and effective interventions
According to the research done by Zena Simces & Associates, future significant
developments in education in population and public health in BC include:
Expanding UBC's medical school to UVic and UNBC
UBC's Institute of Health Promotion Research graduate program
Establishing a Collaborative Community Health Research Centre at UVic.
The needs assessment concludes:
Lessons learned from experience of others emphasize how important it is to build on
strengths and enhance the capacity of current researchers and educators to work with each other
and to collaborate with colleagues from other universities, agencies, communities and countries.
This, along with a flexible program that meets student needs and rewards faculty appropriately,
will create the synergy to establish SFU as a key contributor to the population and public health
The full Simces report is at http://ihre. sfu.ca'publications.php External Consultant's Report.
Appendix 6 provides information on the submission of the Letter of Intent, while appendix 7 describes
the evolution of health sciences at SFU.
2.
Ongoing consultation - Policies and procedures for review
A comprehensive external review of the MSc program will occur in the fourth year of the new
program. The review will be consistent with University policy and include an assessment of the
educational programs, faculty complement, and their scholarly activities.
3. Membership of advisory committees
A Faculty of Health Sciences Oversight Committee has been established. Dr. John Waterhouse chairs a
monthly meeting to provide consultation on the Faculty of Health Sciences. Recent discussions have
centred on the planning for the Faculty's initial MSc program. Committee members are John
Waterhouse, John Pierce, Jon Driver, Brian Lewis, Mike Plischke, Bill Krane, David MacLean, Cohn
Jones, and Irene Rodway. Once faculty members are on site, the Faculty of Health Sciences Graduate
Program Committee will report to the Dean of Graduate Studies in the usual manner.
.
L
p 14/44
VI EDUCATIONAL MERITS AND TIMELINESS
Population health - reframing public health in a 21st century context
When practices of public health were formalized in the mid- 19th century, unidentified infectious
agents and occupational exposures posed acute threats to health. Thus, public health became associated
with large-scale acute health hazards like poor sanitation, bad water quality, food contamination or
adulteration. Hazard-mitigation was accomplished through immunization, environmental monitoring,
building codes, licensing of restaurants, and school programs to monitor child health. Health budget
planners, constrained by the cost of contemporary medical care, are recognizing a need to broaden
public health into a much wider range of preventive and intervention measures, including health
promotion strategies. The broader new vision is "population health."
Distinguishing population health from individual health and health care delivery
Population health analyses the determinants of health at a level broader than that of the individual or
clinical model. It extrapolates data regarding individual health and disease to implications for the
health of a population. Population health considers the determinants of health (nutritional, genetic,
lifestyle, sociocultural, geographical, etc.) and effectiveness of health services, insofar as they
determine the health and well-being of a cultural group, community, or population. A workable health
system requires a detailed and specific understanding of the determinants of population health, not
least for planning individual health care delivery strategies. Of particular concern is the paralysis in
implementing changes needed in health policy and in convincing decision makers regarding needs and
viability.
Physical and biological approaches must be integrated with social and behavioural sciences
• ?
Advances in the sciences such as molecular genetics and the biochemistry of disease have allowed a
more reductionistic approach to population determinants of health and disease, and yet science alone is
demonstrably unable to mitigate health risks in a population. In shaping health outcomes, scientific
information has done little to change human behaviour, the social contexts of human interactions, or
periods of sensitivity and vulnerability. Risk communication is needed, but also effective strategies for
behavioural change to mitigate lifestyle habits and other risks associated with everyday living
conditions (housing, work, neighbourhoods). The added focus on social environments and conditions
associated with chronic degenerative diseases demands the involvement of social and behavioural
scientists, criminologists, and quality-of-life scientists, not least psycho-neuro-immunologists.
Analyzing population risks has become more important than individual risk mitigation. Beyond this,
health risk mitigation requires reframing risk perception. Small, almost unnoticed risks affecting large
numbers of people have a greater overall impact than the more dramatic risks that affect only a few.
For all these reasons, an interdisciplinary approach to health promotion strategies and disease
prevention across populations has moved to centre stage. Public and population health encompasses
acquisition, interpretation., and dissemination of research data and its application in motivating and
implementing policy change. Success will be contingent upon more effective interdisciplinary
collaboration among behavioural, social, statistical, and biomedical scientists.
.
p15/44
Key questions for research and knowledge dissemination in population health:
• What are the determinants of health at the individual level and at the societal level?
• In what ways do the macro- and micro- "social environments" determine societal health?
• How do socio-economic characteristics (above the level of the individual) determine societal
health?
• How do determinants of health act incrementally through the stages of the life cycle?
• What are the mechanisms by which sociocultural factors impact our health?
• What is the significance of "global health" to the health of Canadians?
[Canadian Institute for Health Research, where these concepts have become part of the official health
policy goals of Canada http://www.cihr-irsc.gc.calelinstituteslipphl
]2274.shtml].
Evidence-based answers to these questions require the most rigorous application of scientific
methodology, including the knowledge and methodology of biology, human physiology,
epidemiology, statistics, and the social sciences.
1.
Relationship to SFU's research priorities and strategic goals
The Senate motion that established the Faculty of Health Sciences states: "The new MSc program in
Population and Public Health will be developed as a priority ... the full program proposal will be
developed, submitted, and approved by January, 2005." As scheduled, the first cohort of students was
admitted to the cohort MSc program in September, 2005.
The high priority for increased capacity in health mirrors societal needs and an increasing demand for
personnel with training specific to the area of Population and Public Health - not so much to provide
personal health care to patients, but to diminish the need for patient care by addressing the key
determinants of the population's health. Health Canada and other agencies are earmarking funding for
the training and deployment of persons with advanced skills in this area, as well as for retraining
faculty members and other professionals. These changes have created a niche into which SFU intends
to expand at this time, as reflected in its current Strategic Plan.
2.
Relationship to existing Canadian programs
Distinctive characteristics and competitive advantage
Overall, the program examines health issues in health systems, community development, and health
promotion contexts, as distinct from a clinical or individual perspective. The perspective ranges across
populations in contrast to focusing solely at the perspective of individual health. The issues of concern
in "Population Health" and the contemporary approach to "Public Health" outlined above illustrate the
major distinction from most existing health programs in Canada.
.
p 16/44
Cognate programs at the other BC universities reflect the Faculty in which they are mounted. In
general, nursing and medical schools at UBC and imminent new medical schools at the University of
S ?
Victoria and the University of Northern BC carry a mandate to focus their public health programs on
health care and delivery at the level of the individual patient, clinical epidemiology, nursing, and health
management. The University of Victoria has a major initiative in Medical Informatics, and the
University of Northern BC has a major initiative in Nursing, as well as a mandate to focus on Northern
issues and particularly First Nations Health. The absence of an established medical model at SFU
allows us to position the degree at the population and systems level, in which the interdisciplinary
diversity of the faculty gives SFU an opportunity to enjoy a competitive advantage. The integration of
both natural and social scientists into the IHRE and its Steering Committee, into the drafting and
planning of this degree proposal, and into the job descriptions of the faculty members to be hired, all
point to a truly interdisciplinary Faculty of Health Sciences.
While there is some overlap with the titles of the degrees at other BC Universities, the program course
requirements and descriptions are very different, and there is almost no overlap in the courses offered
or required. The emphasis in the current program will complement the research strengths of SFU in
physiological systems and individual health (Kinesiology), in molecular and cellular determinants of
health (Molecular biology and biochemistry), and in social and cultural aspects of health (Psychology,
Gerontology, Sociology and Anthropology, and other departments). We have chosen a degree structure
that will give Simon Fraser University a competitive advantage in the area of Population and Public
Health, vis-à-vis degrees constrained by a medical school context. Appendix 8 provides further
discussion on the degree title.
Similar programs at other institutions in Western Canada
Worldwide our degree will not be unique. Excellent examples of similar programs exist at the London
School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, the University of Maastricht, Portland State University, and
the impressive and comprehensive array of degrees in Health Sciences at the University of Toronto,.
The existence of similar programs elsewhere assists with "product recognition" and we have sought to
borrow from the best available in Canada, the US, UK, and Australia.
In Western Canada, University of Manitoba offers a thesis degree, and the University of Calgary offer
a course and thesis MSc in Community Health Sciences, as well as a Master of Community Medicine
Program. They have a broad spectrum of courses overlapping substantially with our own under the
categories: Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Research Methods, and Health Care.
http ://meddevs 1 .med.ucalgarv.callnfoHub/chs/getCurrent.i sp?pagecourses
The Department of Public Health Sciences at the University of Alberta offers an MSc in Population
Health, which requires a thesis plus six courses: Introduction to Health Systems and Health Policy,
Fundamentals of Public Health, Population Health Research Methods, Demographic or Data Analysis,
Determinants of Health, Introduction to Epidemiology. This program has significant overlap with our
thesis stream, but little with our practicum
project stream. http:I/www.phs.ualberta.caf
In contrast, the most closely related programs in BC, where they exist, differ substantially in goals and
methodology.
p 17/44
University of
British Columbia
MSc Healthcare and Epidemiology
The focus of this program on clinical epidemiology reflects its academic location in the Faculty of
Medicine. Its focus is epidemiology and biostatistics, with a thesis degree related primarily to clinical
issues. "A research-oriented Master of Science ... with eight months of course work primarily in
epidemiology and biostatistics followed by a thesis which applies this to topics related to the health of
populations and the delivery of health services." On the face of it, it appears similar to the current
proposal. However, it is a thesis degree only, and the courses required have little overlap with the
current proposal, being primarily in epidemiology and biostatistics. In addition this program proposal
is distinctive because of its extensive use of case studies, its integration of workplace experience and
through distance learning. The population health focus and project-management skills that Simon
Fraser University's program will emphasize will compliment the clinical educational opportunities at
the University of British Columbia.
University of Northern British Columbia
MSc in Community Health
UNBC offers "a research-oriented Master of Science ... with 36 credits of course work followed by a
thesis which applies research to topics related to the health of populations and the delivery of health
services." However, the focus of this program is "Health issues in northern, remote, and First Nations
communities." The course structure has very little overlap with the current proposal. The number of
courses specific to the degree is much smaller than the current proposal, and most of the courses are
nursing related.
The
University
closest related
of
Victoria
degree
?
at UVic is a
School of Health Information Science,
which has no significant
9
overlap with the current proposal. Plans for a satellite Medical School at UVic are currently being
implemented, but projections regarding a MSc in Community Health have not yet come to fruition.
Simon Fraser University
SFU has many departments, programs, and courses that provide a context for the current proposal, and
add to the range of useful elective courses (see "Courses" in Appendix 1). There is, however, little
overlap in the goals of any specific program with the current proposal. For completion, we mention the
following.
Masters of Public Policy degree (Harbour Centre Campus)
The degree in public policy requires nine core courses in economics, political analysis, quantitative
methods, and policy analysis plus six electives for a total of 45 credit hours. While the areas of
specialization do not overlap, there are opportunities for synergy. Some of their courses may be
electives in the currently proposed degree, or double-listed in both faculties.
.
p18/44
3. Demand for the Program from Prospective Students
0
1.
Survey
of
potential students
To date we have carried out two surveys: (1) upper level students at SFU and (2) health professionals
currently in health-related workplaces.
Survey of SFU upper level students
In a survey of third and fourth year SFU students, well over 150 expressions of interest in the newly
proposed program were received. Respondents were from the major departments contributing to IHRE.
Over 80% completed a detailed survey of their career goals and educational intentions.
Survey of health professionals
We intend the program to appeal to persons currently working in the field of health as professionals. A
survey of Canadian health professionals regarding their interest in taking the MSc degree confirms
this. By September 1st, we had received over 70 expressions of interest, and over 40 completed our
questionnaire. From a preliminary analysis, 60% of those who responded are currently employed in the
health field. Somewhat to our surprise, there was almost as much interest in the thesis stream as in the
practicum / project stream. Respondents' primary areas of interest in the program are: Determinants of
health (82%), Development of leadership skills (74%), and Health of vulnerable populations (62%),
their career goals are spread over a wide range, with Health education and health promotion being
favoured by a significant margin. As to the possibility of co-operative education, 79% are very
. ?
interested or somewhat interested. Almost 80% are very interested in web delivery, and almost 60%
are very interested in part time studies. As to educational background
5%
had degrees in Business,
10% in Nutrition, 10% in Health Promotion,
5%
in Psychology, 5% in Sociology, with
50%
"Other".
The data confirm that the program appeals to health professionals and practitioners who wish to (1)
enhance their knowledge of population health-related issues, (2) acquire additional skills to meet a
demand for health research and evaluation in their workplace, and (3) equip themselves for a career
change. They come from a wide range of backgrounds. The first choice for location as a place to do the
degree, for most people was SFU, but working at home via Web delivery
(54%)
as opposed to 35%
whose first choice was SFU Burnaby Campus. Over half were interested in beginning studies in Fall
2005.
2.
Predicted student population - new graduates and health professionals
Taken together, our surveys confirm that applications will come from graduates seeking additional
expertise and certification necessary for a career in an area related to population and public health,
health policy, epidemiology, community health, health literacy, health promotion, and outcomes or
determinants of health. Some will already be employed in the health field and will be seeking career
advancement. Others will be newly graduated and in search of a graduate degree that would qualify
them for a position allowing more responsibility than a Bachelor's degree.
.
p19'44
3.
Relation to long-term societal needs
The Simces report on the needs to be served by this degree program confirm that population and public
health are strategically important areas for Canada and will remain so in the foreseeable future. An
executive summary of the report is given in an appendix to this document. The full report is available
to interested persons upon request. The Simces report shows a most satisfactory integration of this
proposed SFU degree with current and future Public Health Education activities in BC and Canada.
4. Demand for graduates from prospective employers
1. Governmental sector
Potential employees include a range of governmental health agencies extending well beyond Health
Canada. These include the Population and Public Health Branch of Health Canada, Regional health
boards, BC Cancer Control Agency, Provincial and Federal authorities, including CIDA, Centres for
Disease Control, International agencies, UN agencies (i.e. World Health Organization, UNICEF, UN
-
AIDS, UNFPA, and FAO, and Pan American and Africa-focused governmental agencies.)
2.
Private and non-governmental organizations
Opportunities for graduates will include research agencies such as BC Cancer Research Centre, BC
Cancer Foundation, Heart and Stroke Canada, Canadian Cancer Society, Canadian Public Health
Association, Canadian Multicultural Health Promotion Society, and private health research foundations
such as the McCreary Centre. Environmental health assessment organizations, advocacy groups for
human health, and other private foundations are also potential employers.
5.
Timelines for students - course scheduling
Completion of the thesis degree at normal pace would take 16 months, but note that thesis completion
is inevitably variable. The practicum-based degree would take in a cohort of students each fall
semester who could proceed in lockstep. We are reluctant to force students to adhere to this, but we
strongly recommend it. This has many advantages, not least that at a normal pace, the cohort would
finish in 16 months. At an accelerated pace, the practicum-based degree could be completed in twelve
months. Students must apply for this option and will be approved only if they have demonstrated
resourcefulness and independence, and obtained an excellent grade point average.
.
p20/44
S
Table 2 Guidelines for degree completion
The possibilities for degree completion include the accelerated completion
Semester
Thesis
Practicum
I
project stream
Practicum /project stream
normal
accelerated
Fall
3 courses + 1 credit seminar
3 courses minimum + 1
4 courses minimum+ 1
credit seminar
credit seminar
Spring
3 courses + pilot research +
3 courses minimum
3 courses minimum
thesis proposal
including HSCI 895
including HSCI
895
Research Conceptualization
Research
course
Conceptualization course
Summer
Thesis research (possible
Practicum + Practicum
Practicum + Practicum
completion)
Report, HSCI 896
Report HSCI 896 +
Practicum Seminar in
workplace integrated
learning HSCI 897.
Fall
Thesis write-up and defence 1 course + Practicum
Seminar in workplace
integrated learning, HSCI
897.
Table 3 Course scheduling feasibility
Courses
Fall ?
Spring
2005 ?
2006
Summer
?
Fall
2006 ?
2006
HSCI 691 Graduate seminar in the health sciences
X
X -
HSCI 801 Biostatistics I
X
HSCI 802 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
X
x
HSCI 803 Research methodology for the health sciences
X
X
HSCI 804 Systems analysis of health care and delivery
I ?
X
HSCI890Specialtopicsinhealthsciences
HSCji!jecial_
top
ics
j healthsciences
X
HSCI892Special topics in health sciences
HSCI895Researchconceptualizationanddesigninthehealthsciences
X
HSCI896Practicum/projectreport
x
IHSCI 897Seminarin workplaceintegrated learning
X
PPH 801 Concepts and mechanismsinthedeterminantsof health
X
p21/44
VII ADDITIONAL MATERIAL REQUIRED BY SFU
1.Reviewers
?
0
The external reviewers are: Tom Hassard, Professor and Graduate Program Director, University of
Manitoba, Department of Community Health Sciences; Leslie McBride, Associate Professor and
interim Director, Portland State University, School of Community Health; Bruce Reeder, Department
Chair and Professor, University of Saskatchewan, Royal University Hospital; and Irving Rootman,
Professor, University of Victoria, Faculty of Human & Social Development.
2. Budgetary
Commitment by SFU
SFU has provided for the hiring of the faculty members needed to teach the courses, CRC chairs to
allow a solid foundation of funded research, technical and support staff, and operating costs for the
initial three years of operation. An initial budget of $1.8M has been established, and this should prove
adequate. Provision has also been made to allocate space in parallel with the growing needs of the
program as faculty complement increases over the initial years.
Recommendation regarding fees
An enhanced fee structure for the degree may be recommended to recover the costs of external
lecturers and practicum administration. A flat per-semester fee of $2000 per semester, dropping to
$1000 after the first six semesters, is currently favoured.
Library report on library resources required
Introduction
During the development of SFU's Institute for Health and Research Education and the evolution of the
Faculty of Health Sciences, the Library has been working to assess our collections and other needs to
support the growth of health-related research and programs at SFU. The Library has funded a Health
Sciences Librarian, and has sought funding from a variety of sources to support the growth of our
health-related collections. However, current funding is not adequate to cover the requirements of the
proposed graduate program. The library costs associated with the program are detailed below, with an
explanation of funding already secured, and an enumeration of outstanding costs.
Monographs
The library purchases most books through approval and notification programs from major book
wholesalers. In preparing this assessment, the Library analyzed gaps in the current collection and
developed book approval profiles for Canadian, US, UK and other foreign imprints relating to the
subjects covered by the program. A list of these headings is available. In addition to acquisitions under
these headings, selective purchases from clinical and biomedical subjects relating to the courses will be
made. An allocation is also required to fulfill direct requests from new faculty members for the
program as they are hired.
?
0
p22/44
The additional annual cost of purchasing books to support the program will be $55,000. This
represents
425
books per year at an average book cost of $105 for titles from Social Science disciplines
and 65 books per year at an average cost of $155 for Biomedical titles.
In addition to the ongoing purchase of new publications, there is a need to do some retrospective
collection building to fill gaps in the collection. This will include recently published material as well as
a limited number of classic and reference works in these areas. For example, the Library has not been
collecting at all to date in the areas of some of the proposed courses and has very limited holdings:
HSCI 8xx Health problems of vulnerable populations
[not for immediate delivery - ed.]
HSCI 8xx Science and evidence-based inference in the health sciences
GLOH8xx Women's, children's and reproductive health
[not for immediate delivery - ed.]
In the areas of many other proposed courses, the Library has been collecting only selectively, but not at
a level suitable to sustain a graduate program, for example:
HSCI 803 Research methodology for the health sciences
HSCJ 802 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
HSCI 806 Case studies in epidemiology of chronic, infectious and acute health problems
HSCJ 8xx Research frontiers in health promotion and disease prevention
HSCI 807 Topics in health risk assessment and risk management
Considerable progress was made building the population, public health and epidemiology collection
during 2003/04 with funding from the Library and the VP Research. Retrospective collection
development will continue during 2004/05 with funding from an Indirect Costs of Research grant
($110,000 allocated).
Ongoing cost: $55, 0001year
Serials
The Library provides access to many journals that will support the proposed program. Rather than
listing them all here, links are provided to existing lists:
Selected electronic journals in Health Care and Epidemiology at SFU Library
httu:i/www.lib.sfu.ca'researachtools/electroniciournals/eidb.htm?Disnlav=Discin!ineID83
• Selected electronic journals in Medicine at SFU Library
http://www.lib.sfu.calresearchtools/electornicj
oumals/ejdb.htm?Display=DisciplinelD74
In consultation with IHRE faculty, the Library started a number of new journal subscriptions in 2004.
However, there are still significant gaps in the collection that will need to be addressed to adequately
support a graduate program in this area
New journals to be acquired:
Academic medicine
?
Health services research. HSR
AIDS care
?
Human nature -- An interdisciplinary biosocial
Canadian journal of nursing research
?
perspective
Cancer epidemiology biomarkers & prevention
?
International journal for quality in health care
Evaluation and the health professions
?
Journal of evaluation in clinical practice
Health education and behavior: the official publication Journal of family planning and reproductive
of the Society for Public Health Education
?
health care
Health education research
?
Journal of health communication
Health law review
?
Journal of health law
Health policy and planning
?
Medical care research and review
Health promotion international
p23/44
Medical decision making
Medical informatics & the internet: an
international journal of informatics in health
care
Methods of information in medicine
Milbank quarterly
Nutrition research reviews
Proceedings of the nutrition society
Social history of medicine
Sociology of health and illness
Statistical methods in medical research
Teaching and learning in medicine
Tobacco control
WHO Technical report series
The 2005 cost of these journals is $19,908. This will be covered by a one-time budget transfer from
IHRE in
2004/05.
In order to cover commitments into the future, this will need to be ongoing funding.
Journal backliles to be purchased
(one-time cost): $90,000 covered by Indirect Costs of Research
funding 2004/05
The Faculty of Health Sciences has plans to hire up to seven additional faculty members to deliver the
program in Population and Public Health: These new faculty members will come to SFU with the
expectation that key journals not presently in our collection can be added. With no faculty reporting in
the FHS (Faculty of Health Sciences) and no programs in place to date, the Library has received
requests, and prioritized for ordering, over $40,000 of new journals in the past two years. In order to
have an allocation to accommodate some journal requests from new faculty, the Library requires an
additional $20,000.
Ongoing cost: $40,000/year
Bibliographic Tools
The Library provides access to the following databases that will support students in the program:
Medline
Alt-Health Watch
Cochrane Library
Health Source: Consumer Edition
Health Source: Academic/Nursing Edition
Popline
PsycINFO
Web of Science
The Library has adequate bibliographic tools to support the proposed program.
Additionalfunding required from the Faculty of Health Sciences
Monographs: $55,000/year; Serials: $40,000/year
TOTAL: $95,000/year
Note: The materials required for this program are located in the WAC Bennett Library on the Burnaby
campus. This assessment is based on the assumption that the program will be offered at SFU's Burnaby
campus. If the program were to be offered at SFU Surrey or Harbour Center, or as an off-campus
location, additional Library costs would be incurred.
by: Gwen Bird [gbirdsfu.ca
]: 29.July.2004
.
p24/44
APPENDIX 1- PROPOSED CALENDAR DESCRIPTION
• Faculty of Health Sciences
2812 West Mall Centre, 604.291.4821 Tel,
604.291.5927 Fax, www.fhs.sfu.ca, fhs@sfu.ca
Dean
D.R. MacLean MD (Dal), MA, MRS (Tor)
Associate Deans
C.B. Dean BSc (Sask), -MMath, PhD (Wat)
M. Hayes BA, MSc, PhD (McM)
Director, Administration and Operations
I. Rodway, inrodway@sfu.ca
, 604-268-6778
Education Program Consultant
A. Davison BSc (Cape Town), MS, PhD (Rutgers)
adavison@sfu.ca
Faculty Members
Faculty hiring is under way. See Faculty of Health
Sciences website http://www.fhs.sfu.ca for updated
information.
Associate Members
B. Brandhorst, Chair, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
F. Brinkman, Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
D. Cohn, Political Science
R. Corrado, Criminology
D. Cuihane, Sociology and Anthropology
A. Davison, Kinesiology
M. Ester, Computing Science
D. Finegood, Kinesiology
J. Graham, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences
G. Gutman, Gerontology
N. Haunerland, Biological Sciences
M. Howlett, Political Science
J. Hu, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences
G. larocci, Psychology
D. Kaufman, Education
S. Lear, Kinesiology
L. Lemare, Education
R. Lockhart, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences
C. Lowenberger, Biological Sciences
C. MacKenzie, Kinesiology
S. MacLean, Political Science
B. McNeney, Statistics and Actuarial Sciences
N. Olewiler, Economics
A. Parameswaram, Engineering Science
• ?
W. Parkhouse, Kinesiology
C. Patton, Sociology and Anthropology! Women's Studies
S. Pigg, Sociology and Anthropology
M. Pinto, Vice President Research
p25/44
A. Rawicz, Engineering Science
S. Robinovitch, Kinesiology
N. Schuurman, Geography
G. Tibbits, Kinesiology
D. Weeks, Psychology
A. Wister, Gerontology
Introduction
The Faculty of Health Sciences accepted its first students in September 2005, with the admission of a
cohort of students to the MSc Population and Public Health. New faculty members have been appointed
with experience in multidisciplinary approaches to health using multidisciplinary approaches and a wide
range of methodologies. Their expertise provides links to current research and teaching programs by
complementing existing faculty with health interests, in other departments Research and teaching
programs at the graduate and undergraduate levels share the defining features of the Faculty of Health
Sciences, integrating social and natural sciences approaches to determinants of individual and
population health, health promotion and risk mitigation, and health informatics and technologies. This
integration combines a broad spectrum of research approaches, methods of inquiry, levels of analysis,
and research perspectives. Interdepartmental graduate degrees are available by special arrangements.
See "1.3.5 Admission Under Special Arrangements" on page 240.
Graduate Degree Offered
Master of Science
Graduate Program
Graduate Contact, 604-268-7036
Graduate Chair
R. A, Lockhart BSc (BrCol), MA, PhD (Calif)
MSc in Population and Public Health
Learning Objectives
Currently accepted students will have applied for admission under the University's provisions for a MSc
by Cohort Special arrangement. This may be superseded by a simpler degree structure with more
options by the time of registration for the fall semester.
Those completing the program will have well-developed skills in health promotion, disease prevention,
determinants of health, and understanding of the complex interplay among types and levels of societal
investment in health, along with the resulting trade-offs and implications for development of public
policy. The program emphasizes strong research, methodological, communication, and computational
skills, including the use of large health databases.
Applicants seeking a research career, or those seeking a PhD degree, or new graduates without prior
work experience will be advised to take the thesis stream. Graduates from this stream will have
demonstrated competence at research, having completed a thesis and having gained relevant research
skills in their course work.
Applicants with significant relevant work experience, and seeking professional or practitioner positions
of leadership in health, will normally be advised to take the practicumlproject stream. Graduates from
this stream will have theoretical and practical concepts of population health, determinants of health,
epidemiology, health promotion, health economics, global health, individual and population health
-
relevant behavior, and principles of public health. Skills will be learned in the context in which they are
p26I44
applicable, through emphasis on workplace-integrated study, problem-based learning, team-approaches
to case studies, and seminars. The practica provide workplace experience in population and public
health. Applications are in advancement of health, social policy-making and health problem solving.
General Aspects
It is anticipated that the applicants to this program will have a variety of educational backgrounds, and
in recognition of this, the degree structure is flexible. It provides an opportunity for students with
strengths in one area to remedy deficiencies in another, through required qualifying and make-up
courses at both the graduate and undergraduate levels. The program will be delivered intensively for
cohort completion in four semesters, including a practicum in the penultimate semester. The intended
full-time course load is the equivalent of four courses per semester, plus other required activities. All
day and evening courses include web-integrated components that provide flexibility.
Residency
Students will normally be required to spend at least two semesters at SFU.
Admission
Applicants who are recent graduates should have completed a baccalaureate degree in a discipline
related to health, policy analysis, epidemiology, or systems of information technology. A cumulative
grade point average of at least 3.3 is normally required. Applicants with substantial experience as
practitioners in health or a related field will be evaluated in part on their academic credentials and in
part on their career accomplishments. Applicants may receive conditional admission to the program,
subject to the satisfactory completion of additional specified courses.
Application
Applicants should have successfully completed a university-level undergraduate course in statistics
equivalent to SFU's STAT 302-3 (Analysis of experimental and observational data). Applicants may
receive conditional admission to the program, subject to the satisfactory completion of additional
specified courses. See "Graduate General Regulations" on page 239 for further information.
Applications should be received by January 31st of each year. The earliest applicants may receive
priority consideration for financial support. Students will normally be admitted for the September (Fall)
semester.
All applicants must submit the following:
• A graduate application form and the application fee.
• All official transcripts showing all grades (mailed directly from the granting institution).
• Three confidential letters of reference mailed directly from referees, at least two of whom are
university faculty members. This requirement may be waived for mid-career applicants with
professional experience, where one or more letters from employers may be used to confirm the
applicant's readiness for advanced studies.
• A one-page essay that explains why the applicant wishes to pursue this MSc degree, and identifies a
problem of special interest to the student within the program.
• A student whose first language is not English and whose undergraduate degree was from an
institution
where English is not the language of instruction is required to submit TOEFL
(570
minimum) and
Test of Written English (five or above) scores.
• Students must indicate whether they are applying for the thesis or practicumlproject stream. Normally
it will not be possible to switch between streams after the first week of the second semester in the
program.
p27/44
An application package is available from the Faculty of Health Sciences or can be downloaded from the
web page http://www. fhs. sfu.ca .
?
is
Not all students who meet standards can be admitted. Availability of a faculty supervisor, availability of
expertise in the desired area of study, enrollment space in the program, and specific preparation of the
student for the proposed studies are factors.
A student may be awarded conditional admission. This means the student is admitted contingent upon
completing additional courses to a specified standard, normally during the first semester.
Upon admission, each student will be assigned a temporary faculty advisor. See "1.6 Supervision" on
page 242 for information governing appointments of senior supervisors and supervisory committees,
including timelines.
Degree Requirements
The first students will be admitted to the thesis stream in January 2006.
Thesis Stream
Students must:
• Complete and successfully defend a thesis.
• Complete a minimum of 24 credits including the core courses HSCI 801, 802, 803, 804 PPH 801, and
elective courses. With approval from the graduate program committee, electives may be chosen from
graduate courses in other academic units across the university. At least one must be a Population and
Public Health elective, and students are encouraged to include one elective from another faculty.
• Complete a one-credit seminar, HSCI 691 (graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory), preferably in the
initial semester of study in the program.
PracticumIProj ect Stream
Students must:
• Complete a practicum, consisting of one-semester full-time as an intern in a workplace appropriate to
the degree, or a project based on a problem or analysis in population and public heath that involves a
research component. The purpose of the practicuni/project is to develop skills related to the health
sciences, population health, or workplace health policy, and its assessment, enhancement, and
innovation. A supervisory committee must be approved by the graduate program committee prior to
the start of each practicum. The supervisory committee will assist the student in developing a
proposal which must be approved before the start of the practicum semester. The senior supervisors
will include a FHS faculty member or associate, and one other committee member. The
practicumlproject work term is normally completed in the summer semester. A grade is assigned for
the practicum/project report, based on an evaluation of a work term report and assessment of the
student's work by both the supervisor and the practicum co-ordinator. Examination of the practicum
or project shall be at a defence according to university regulations.
• Complete a minimum of 36 credits selected in consultation with the supervisory committee, normally
including the core courses HSCI 801, 802, 803, 804 PPH 801, the research conceptualization course
HSCI 895, and the practicum/project report HSCI 896. Students who have completed a practicum
will be expected to take HSCI 897, while students who have completed a project may take it if they
have workplace experience. In addition, at least one Population and Public Health elective course is
required. The remaining courses can be selected from the electives listed in the Calendar entry for
Population and Public Health or from graduate courses available from other academic units across
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the University. Students are encouraged to include one elective from another faculty.
• ?
• The one-credit seminar, HSCI 691 (graded satisfactory/unsatisfactory), should be taken in the initial
semester of study in the program. See "Graduate General Regulations" on page 239 for additional
requirements.
Core Courses for the MSc in Population and Public Health
Core Courses in Health Science
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics I
HSCI 802-4 Research Topics in Epidemiology for the Health Sciences
HSCI 803-4 Research Methodology for the Health Sciences
HSCI 804-4 Systems Analysis of Health Care and Delivery
PPH 801-4 Concepts and Mechanisms the Determinants of Health
Thesis, PracticumlProject, and Seminar Courses
HSCI 691-1 Graduate Seminar in the Health Sciences
HSCI 890-4 Special Topics in Health Sciences
HSCI 891-4 Special Topics in Health Sciences
HSCI 892-4 Special Topics in Health Sciences
HSCI 895-4 Research Conceptualization and Design in the Health Sciences
HSCI 896-4 PracticumlProject Report
HSCI 897-4 Seminar in Workplace Integrated Learning
HSCI 898-6 MSc Thesis
Elective courses will also be offered; a schedule of offering of core and elective courses may be
obtained from the Faculty of Health Sciences.
Professional Associates and Workplace Supervisors for Practica
The practicum coordinator will organize practica placements. Oversight of the practicum program will
be by a Community Partnership Advisory Board, consisting of members of the graduate faculty,
recognized adjunct faculty who function as workplace mentors, and one or more graduate student
representatives. Workplace mentors will be recognized by the Faculty of Health Sciences as leaders in
the field of health, willing to provide workplace-integrated learning experience. They will be found
primarily in the public sector or non-governmental organizations.
Time to completion in the practicum /project stream
The practicum degree can normally be completed in four semesters including a one-semester practicum.
Courses will be available for accelerated completion by students who wish to complete the degree in
three semesters. Alternatively the courses can be completed over
5
semesters total: 4 semesters at eight
credits per semester and a practicum semester.
Tuition fees
A fixed, enhanced, all-inclusive per semester tuition fee will apply irrespective of the course load, even
for part-time students. See the Graduate Fees section of the graduate calendar for details.
.
p29/44
APPENDIX 1A - ELECTIVE COURSES
Proposed Health Sciences' Population and Public Health Elective Courses
PPH 802-4 Health economics, project evaluation and management
PPH 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public health
HSCI
805-4
Topics in bioinformatics and health information systems
HSCI 806-4 Case studies in epidemiology of chronic and infectious diseases, and acute health problems
HSCI 807-4 Topics in health risk assessment and risk management
HSCI 808-4 Conceptualization and mechanisms in the sociocultural determinants of health
HSCI 809-4 Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences:
GLOH 801-4 Case studies in health problems of vulnerable populations
GLOH 802-4 Case studies in global health
Current Recommended Electives from other Programs
BISC 883 Special Topics in Environmental Toxicology
CMNS 845 Communications Knowledge Systems and Development
GERO 801 Health Policy and Applied Issues in Gerontology
GERO 802 Development and Evaluation of Health Promotion Programs for the Elderly
GERO 820 Principles and Practices of Health Promotion
GERO 822 Families, Communities and Health
STAT 802 Multivariate Analysis
STAT 805 Non-Parametric Statistics and Discrete Data Analysis
STAT 806 Survival Analysis
STAT 890 Biometrics
MBB 841 Bioinformatics
MBB 826 Immunology
MBB 835 Genomic Analysis
MBB 838 Human Molecular Genetics
MBB 842 Proteomics
MBB 871 Directed Readings in Molecular Biology and Biochemistry
BISC
605
Management of Animal Disease Vectors
BISC 650 Environmental Risk Assessment
BISC 654 Food and Drug Toxicology
BISC 838 Population Biology
BISC 852 Biology of Animal Disease Vectors
BISC 854 Ecotoxicology
BISC
855
Biochemical Toxicology
BISC 883 Special Topics in Environmental Toxicology
BISC 888 Directed Readings in Biology
MPP 801 Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis I
MPP 803 Political Foundations of Policy Analysis I
MPP 805 Research Techniques and Quantitative
Methods
I
MPP 810 Selected Topics in Public Policy I
MPP 802 Economic Foundations of Policy Analysis II
MPP 804 Political Foundations of Policy Analysis II
MPP 806 Research Techniques and Quantitative Methods II
MPP 807 Introduction to Policy Analysis
KIN 812 Molecular and Cellular Cardiology
p30'44
KIN 821 Advanced Cardio-respiratory Physiology
. ?
KIN 851 Recent Advances in Experimental Carcinogenesis
In addition to the courses listed above, MBB, Gerontology, Kinesiology, Statistics and Actuarial
Science, and other programs offer special topics courses of interest to graduate students in this program.
S
p31/44
APPENDIX
2-
COURSE DESCRIPTIONS
We are requesting approval in principle for the following courses. At this stage, course descriptions are
provisional. We would prefer to delay the usual detailed course proposal forms, including the textbook,
grading scheme, and the detailed course outline, until most of the faculty members teaching these
courses are on campus and therefore can provide input in course development (Fall
05).
Note that HSCI
691, 801, 802, 803, 804, 890, 891, 892,
895,
896, 897, 898, and PPH 801 are existing Health Sciences
courses, having been approved for the Special Arrangements MSc program in Population and Public
Health.
HSCI 691-1 Graduate seminar in the health sciences
A seminar course required of all graduate students in Health Sciences. Students will gain perspective on
the Faculty's overall array of research. Presentations will be given by faculty and students, to be
followed by seminar discussions. Strategies for effective oral, poster, and web-based presentations will
be considered, as well as methods for facilitating discussions.
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics 1
Introduction to statistical techniques required in epidemiologic and health care research. Review of
descriptive and graphical methods, probability distributions, estimation and inference. A discussion of
rates and standardization. Introduction to lifetables. Diagnostic tests and ROC curves. Design of
experiments. General concepts in hypothesis testing; power and sample size estimation. Inference for
proportions, contingency tables, odds ratios. Prerequisite: STAT 302 or equivalent.
HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
This course considers epidemiologic inference in individual and population health. Principles, theories,
and methods for epidemiologic research are discussed from scientific, managerial, behavioral and
sociocultural perspectives. Morbidity, mortality, and, relative risk are examined. Designs for
longitudinal, cross-sectional and intervention studies are developed. Students will acquire skills in
critical interpretation of the epidemiologic literature; methodology for estimating disease frequency, and
measures of effect; evaluation of study designs; analysis of confounding errors, and identification of
misclassification, selection, and information bias.
HSCI 803-4 Research Methodology for the Health Sciences
This course discusses current methodology and strategic research design for advances in knowledge and
understanding in the health sciences. Problem defmition, data collection sampling and analysis using
qualitative and quantitative methodology are considered. Contemporary case studies will illustrate the
advantages and disadvantages of alternative approaches to a range of real-life problems.
HSCI 804-4 Systems Analysis of Health Care and Delivery
This course discusses components of health care systems, issues, and interactions between components.
System outputs, medical services and the delivery of primary health care are reviewed. The course
considers the Canadian health system and alternatives that impact it or provide better models for
delivery. Effecting change, policy development, health system design are considered, and criteria for
evaluating alternatives are developed. Different measures of health status are compared, and trend
analysis is conducted for predicting future health care and funding. Components of expenditure are
reviewed.
p32/44
• ?
HSCI 805-4 Topics in bioinformatics and health information systems
An overview of health information systems, trends and issues, with a particular focus on e-health and
the use of internet-based technologies. The rational design, development, and operation of biomedical
information and systems technology crucial to health care organizations ranging over hospitals, walk-in
clinics, health departments, and provision of pharmaceuticals.
HSCI 806-4 Case studies in epidemiology of chronic and infectious diseases, and
acute health problems
A case-studies approach to advanced epidemiological strategies for elucidating the mechanisms in
morbidity and mortality, specifically emphasizing infectious diseases and vulnerable populations.
Successes and failures in the application of scientific analysis to the control of epidemics.
HSCI 807-4 Topics in health risk assessment and risk management
Statistical methodology for risk assessment and risk management in health-related decision-making.
Evidence-based scientific assessment of risks prerequisite to effective delivery of health care. Balance
and precision in risk perception, and balancing risks against costs. Decision making under uncertainty.
Bayesian analysis of risk. Programs for regulatory compliance; liability issues; insurance and
indemnification; auditing self-regulation, and protection of those at risk. Misconceptions, paradoxes,
and confounders in statistical assessment of risk. Numerical tools for investigating the minimization of
health risks to the population at large and to participants in the health care system.
HSCI 808-4 Conceptualization and mechanisms in the sociocultural determinants
.
of health
Assessment and measurement of the impact of sociocultural factors, including ethnicity, language,
gender, and socio-economic status on health and disease, and quality of life. The impact of a
community's cultural practices, traditions, and beliefs on community health. Development, conduct, and
evaluation of culturally-based population and public health research and intervention. Sociocultural
dimensions of illness, health maintenance and health care delivery. Applications in health policy
decisions, professional practice, health care provision, analysis and research.
HSCI 809-4 Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences
Exploration of the range of qualitative approaches to research questions in the health sciences and
population and public health. Emphasis will be given to the focus group approach and key-informants
interview techniques, and scientifically sound strategies for qualitative data collection and analysis. A
case-studies approach to interdisciplinary theoretical and methodological debate.
HSCI 890-4 Special topics in the health sciences
Special topics in areas not currently covered within the graduate program offerings.
HSCI 891-4 Special topics in the health sciences
Special topics in areas not currently covered within the graduate program offerings.
HSCI 892-4 Special topics in the health sciences
Special topics in areas not currently covered within the graduate program offerings.
p33'44
HSCI 895-4
Research conceptualization and design in the health sciences
The conceptualization, planning and management of a research project, including project management
skills, problem objectives, definition of deliverables. Strategies for effective implementation, data
collection, exploratory data analysis, report preparation, and dissemination of results. A case studies
approach will focus on individual projects selected by each of the students for a practicum. Note that the
practicum proposal must be approved by the Graduate Studies Committee before commencing the
practicum. Prerequisites: HSCI 801-4
HSCI 896-4
Practicum / Project report
This course is only open to students in the practicumlproject stream who must take it in the semester of
their practicum. A study, detailing work experiences, conceptualizing goals, strategies for implementing
them in the workplace, and evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of the approach taken. The study
will result in the preparation of a scholarly report on the work experience in the structure of a formal
paper. The report will include an analysis of the strategic objectives, confounding variables,
recommendations, and discussion of practical strategies for implementation. This course must be taken
concurrently with the practicum semester. Prerequisite: HSCI
895.
HSCI 897-4
Seminar in workplace integrated learning
This course is intended for practicum students in the semester following completion of the practicum
report. In exceptional circumstances, students who have worked as health professionals may be
approved to take this course without completing the PracticunVProject report course. In this course,
students will circulate their Practicum/Project report. The student presents the written report to the class
for peer-critique in a seminar. Discussion and constructive critique by the class follow, along with an
analysis of the methodology and tools used, their strengths, weaknesses, and confounders, and an
examination of what is novel and what represents the cutting edge of technology in the specific working
environment considered. The student weaves all opinions and insights into a final practicum overview,
which integrates what was learned into a common conceptualization of the relevant health theory and
methodology. Prerequisite: HSCI 896.
HSCI 898-6 MSc
Thesis
PPH
801-4
Concepts and Mechanisms in the Determinants of Health
How interactions between biology, behaviour, and the socio-cultural environment determine health. A
study of human biology, psychosocial factors, environmental factors, physical activity, work, social,
political, and economic factors, and the health care system as health determinants. Strategies to promote
and protect health and prevent disease in the Canadian perspective.
PPH
802-4
Health economics, project evaluation and management
Planning, conduct and management in the evaluation of population and public health programs.
Collaborative development of evidence-based evaluation plans, techniques and strategies of evaluation,
utilization of findings, and standards for evaluators. Case studies, culminating in student preparation of
a proposal for project evaluation in a specific public health setting
.
p34/44
PPH 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public
S
health
An integrated view of qualitative and quantitative methods for the measurement of health in developed
and developing countries, and the determinants of individual, population and public health across
privileged and vulnerable populations. Methodology and practice in the science of population and
public health, including theoretical and practical approaches to disease prevention, prolongation of life
and community health promotion through regulatory, technical, cognitive, structural, and participative
interventions. This transdisciplinary basis of population and public health draws on the biomedical,
behavioral and sociocultural sciences, and the principles and methods of epidemiology.
GLOH 801-4 Case studies in health problems of vulnerable populations
Variability of health risk, outcomes, and quality of life and appropriate health promotion strategies
among populations, and among cultural groups within a population - emphasizing the contrast between
rich and poor, privileged and marginalized population groups. Nutritional security, pregnancy outcomes
and perinatal risk, child hunger. Toward a.single-level health care system, nationally and worldwide
problems and solutions.
GLOH 802-4 Case studies in global health
Population health measures in an international setting, factors determining population growth globally,
as measured by and a variety of health indices including socio-economic status and more recently used
measures such as QUALY5, DALYs and YPLL. Mechanisms by which socioeconomic factors impact
health. Positive and negative health consequences from globalization and military conflict. Maternal and
child health, infectious disease epidemics, nutrition and malnutrition. Primary care and health
promotion in under-developed countries; water quality and sanitation.
L
p35'44
APPENDIX 3- FACULTY
JOB
DESCRIPTIONS
Job descriptions, in the form of the advertisements for the positions are appended here. The actual
resumes will be added as faculty members are appointed.
Job descriptions in the advertisement for the initial tenure-track positions
Simon Fraser University is internationally recognized for research and teaching excellence in the liberal
arts and sciences, and for innovative interdisciplinary and professional programs. The new Faculty of
Health Sciences will extend and enhance this reputation. In conjunction with a new innovative Masters
program in Population and Public Health, beginning in September 2005, we are seeking seven new
faculty positions. A major emphasis of the program is to enhance skills in collaborative community
health research, advance the ability to prevent disease, and increase understanding of the complex inter-
play among types and levels of societal investment in health and social systems, the resulting trade-offs
and implications for public policy-making.
The new Faculty will have a core complement of faculty chosen for their multi-disciplinary approach to
health-related research and their ability to examine questions from varying methodological perspectives.
In addition to the positions listed below, the faculty complement will be augmented by the appointment
of several other new positions to be filled within the next few years, as well as at least three Canada
Research Chairs. The expertise of all new hires will bridge to existing research and teaching programs at
SFU and will complement the specialized expertise of faculty working within existing departments.
These new faculty members will have primary appointments and teaching responsibilities in the new
Faculty. Graduate programming within the Faculty will commence with a Masters program in
Population and Public Health in September 2005. The successful candidates will be scholars with
demonstrated interests in interdisciplinary research and teaching.
Health Economics
This appointment will focus on the economic dimensions of health, including the socio-economic
determinants and the application of economic tools and analysis to an understanding of health and
health outcomes in society. Given the multi-dimensional character of the new health faculty, the
individual's research background and teaching interests may be in population health, social policy,
poverty and income distribution, family economics, public policy, or health economics as traditionally
defined. Further, the appointment is expected to fill a leadership function in mobilizing and augmenting
existing university resources so as to build SFU's skills and reputation in this field. Demonstrated
involvement in public policy development and experience in working with community groups outside
academic settings would be an asset.
Epidemiology
We seek three epidemiologists having research and teaching interests within the broad areas of social,
clinical or basic biomedical epidemiology, as well as the application of epidemiological analysis to
public policy. SFU has research strength in a variety of areas including biostatistics, social and cultural
population studies, social, clinical and developmental psychology, bioinformatics, population and
behavioural genetics, infectious disease and vaccine development, congenital and chronic heart disease,
diabetes/obesity, gerontology and kinesiology. There is great interest in adding epidemiological strength
in any of these areas. We seek candidates whose research interest may include, but is not limited to,
chronic disease, infectious disease, molecular, genetic, bioinformatics and spatial epidemiology,
intergenerational analysis of health outcomes, ageing, health disparities, and national and international
health policy. Candidates should possess strong quantitative skills and demonstrate a clear
p36/44
understanding of theoretical/conceptual issues in their area of epidemiology. Proficiency with various
software analysis packages and the management of large datasets is required.
SQualitative Research Methods in Health
The ideal candidate will have demonstrated research and teaching expertise with a range
of
qualitative
and interpretive research techniques in one or more areas of innovation, such as: theoretical basis of
qualitative/interpretive research; collaborative and participatory research; integration of methods;
institutional ethnography; ethnography of everyday life; life history or narrative analysis. We seek a
scholar with a Ph.D. in social science or humanities discipline, whose active program of research
contributes broadly to the understanding of social determinants of health and health disparities,
including, but not confined to, environment and political ecology of health; intersections of gender,
race, class, sexuality; disability studies; comparative or historical analysis of policy environments.
Demonstrated involvement in public policy development and experience in working with community
groups outside academic settings would be an asset.
Biostatistics
We seek candidates who are committed to the development of statistical methodology and to
collaborative scientific research, as well as to teaching in an interdisciplinary program. Candidates are
required to hold a Ph.D. in Statistics at the time of appointment. Simon Fraser University has an active
group of statisticians working in the areas of biostatistics, environmental statistics, disease mapping,
statistical inference, survival and longitudinal analysis, clinical trials, statistical genetics and genetic
epidemiology, Bayesian methods, sampling theory and biomedical modeling. Experience with the
analysis of large datasets would be an asset.
Public Health/Community Medicine
5
?
This appointment will focus on the broad area of public health policy and practice principally related to
primary and community based care with emphasis on health promotion and disease prevention. Given
the multi-dimensional character of the new health faculty, the individual's research background may be
in population health, infectious or chronic disease prevention and control, health outcomes, occupational
or environmental health. Experience in program evaluation and\or international health would be an
asset. Qualification requirements include a Baccalaureate in Medicine with eligibility for licensure in
Canada and post-graduate education with a Masters degree in a relevant discipline. A Fellowship in the
Royal College Physicians of Canada (FRCP) in Community Medicine, several years of practicing
clinical medicine and\or experience with public health program delivery would be an asset. Nursing
PhD's with work and research experience in community health or public policy may also be considered.
p37'44
APPENDIX 4- GOVERNANCE - PROGRAM ADMINISTRATION
The MSc in Population and Public Health will initially be managed by the Associate Dean, Academic,
the Faculty Graduate Program Committee (GPC) and its Chair. With enrolment of the first cohort, the
students will be invited to name a representative to the GPC.
The faculty members of the GPC will serve as the admissions committee for the program, deal with -
annual reviews of graduate student performance, approve thesis supervisory and examining committees
and practica supervisory committees, and take the initiative in further development of graduate
programs in the faculty. In addition to ensuring that the GPC fulfills its academic mandates, the
Associate Dean, Academic will take responsibility for the rights and academic well-being of graduate
students in the program and will take the initiative in development of other graduate programs in the
Faculty.
In the long term with the addition of several other graduate programs and offerings, individual programs
will have their own GPCs and will elect their own chairs. The Faculty Graduate Studies Committee will
then consist of the chairs of the GPCs, and a student member. The Faculty Graduate Studies Committee
will approve the membership of the GPCs. The FHS Faculty Graduate Studies Committee will perform
the same role as Faculty Graduate Studies Committees in other Faculties.
A practicum coordinator will be identified. Among the responsibilities of the practicum coordinator will
be to assure consistency of standards in the work experience and the grading of proposals and reports
across the Faculty.
.
p38/44
APPENDIX 5- SUMMARY OF EXPERTISE OF INITIAL APPOINTEES
Kitty
Corbett:
Interventions to improve practice (organisational and professional), to change behaviour
(lay persons) and promote health (policy change). Examples of these activities include: healthcare
provider and community worker training for STD and HIV prevention; community-based intervention
for tobacco control; professional-lay communication; social marketing and media advocacy to promote
public health objectives and social justice.
Core Course Teaching.
HSCI 803 Topics in research design and methods for the health sciences.
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
• HSCI 808-4 Conceptualization and mechanisms in the sociocultural determinants of health
• HSCI 809-4 Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences
• GLOH 801-4 Case studies in health problems of vulnerable populations
• GLOH 802-4 Case studies in global health
Michael Forlenza:
Biobehavioural and Psychosocial Oncology; the Molecular Epidemiology of
Cancer; Psychoneuroimmunology; Behavioural Medicine and Cancer Presentation.
Core Course Teaching:
• HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
• HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
• PPH 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public health
• HSCI 806-4 Case studies in epidemiology of chronic and infectious diseases, and acute health
Craig Janes:
Anthropology and Public Health; Social Determinants of Health; Healthcare Reform
Policy; and Global Health Studies and Ethics.
Core Course Teaching:
• HSCI 803-4 Topics in research design and methods for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
• HSCI 808-4 Conceptualization and mechanisms in the sociocultural determinants of health
• HSCI 809-4 Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences
• GLOH 801-4 Case studies in health problems of vulnerable populations
• GLOH 802-4 Case studies in global health
Michel Joffres:
Chronic and infectious diseases, hypertension, diabetes, and record linkage studies.
Community based prevention programs, large-scale clinical trials, policy development and has recently
developed a focus in mental health.
Core Course Teaching:
HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
• HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics.
• PPM 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public health
• HSCI 806-4 Case studies in epidemiology of chronic and infectious diseases, and acute health
• ?
Rochelle Tucker:
Largely community-based studies on weight-focused behaviours and depressive
symptoms across gender and ethnic subgroups of adolescents and the predictors of depressive
symptoms in these populations; and tobacco-dependency amongst adolescents with eating disorders.
Core Course Teaching:
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• HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
• HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
• PPH 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public health
Marina Morrow:
Focus on women and mental health with respect to health policy and social change.
Core Course Teaching:
• HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics.
• HSCI 808-4 Conceptualization and mechanisms in the sociocultural determinants of health
• HSCI 809-4 Case studies in qualitative research methods for the health sciences
Leilei Zeng:
Analysis of Longitudinal Data, including model mis-specification and missing data. Also,
research relevant to the area of Optometry. Joint appointment with Statistics and Actuarial Science,
Faculty of Science.
Core Course Teaching.
HSCI 801-4 Biostatistics I
HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
Tim Takaro:
Environmental and occupational health, particularly asthma and asbestos studies.
Core Course Teaching:
• HSCI 802-4 Research topics in epidemiology for the health sciences
• HSCI 803-4 Research methodology for the health sciences
Elective Course Teaching other than Special Topics:
• PPH 803-4 Scientific and methodological foundations of population and public health
• HSCI 807-4 Topics in health risk assessment and risk management
Note that nominees for the CRC Chairs are not described here. The first nomination will be forwarded
for consideration July
15,
2005, and the second in Fall 2005. Two searches were not completed this
year: for a biostatistician and a health economist. These will be re-advertised in the next academic year.
Finally, three limited term appointments have also been made: Arun Chockalingam, Stephen Corber and
Christine Joffres.
.
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APPENDIX 6- PRELIMINARY PROPOSAL (LOl & SUPPLEMENT)
S ?
The Preliminary Proposal and letter of intent that were approved by Senate Graduate Studies
Committee, and Senate Committee on University Priorities are available at http://fhs.sfu.ca
APPENDIX 7- THE EVOLUTION OF HEALTH SCIENCES AT SFU
Simon Fraser University has a long history of health research and education. Four of the more visible
health-related programs are the School of Kinesiology, the Gerontology Program, the Department of
Molecular Biology and Biochemistry, and the Department of Psychology. Moreover, health research
activity has expanded in recent years, leading to a significant presence in departments across the
University ranging from Engineering Science through the Social, Economic, and Mathematical
Sciences.
In June 1991, a Task Force on Applied Health Programs was established to advise the University on
program directions and strategies for developing health programs. However, this initiative foundered in
1995
because there was neither an obvious champion to lead this initiative nor a stable funding source
to ensure implementation and continuation of new health programs.
A report of the Presidential Committee on University Planning (PCUP) in 1996 again noted
considerable interdisciplinary interest in health at both the undergraduate and graduate levels and
recommended that such opportunities should be actively pursued. In the summer of 1999, a consultant
was engaged to assist the University in evaluating its prospects for launching a comprehensive Health
S ?
Initiative and an internal Steering Committee was convened to manage and direct the project.
This activity was encouraged by the emergence of both internal and external factors:
• increased interest, expertise and advocacy within Simon Fraser University for developing a
coherent, visible, and innovative presence in health research in Canada
• restructuring of federal funding in which health is more broadly conceptualized in, e.g. creation
of the Canadian Institutes for Health Research
• increased priority for management of health systems and health care in the public policy agenda
• increasing awareness and concern for health-related issues, the social, economic and cultural
determinants of health, and health care financing.
These events provided an opportunity for Simon Fraser University to distinguish itself from traditional
University health programming and Medical Schools within Canada.
The Institute for Health Research and Education (IHRE) was formally established in 2000, founded
upon a broad conception of the term "health" that spanned the entire spectrum of research approaches,
methods of inquiry, levels of analysis and research perspectives employed by researchers investigating
physical, psychological, and community health and disease. The specific goals developed for the
Institute for Health Research and Education (IHRE) were: (1) To foster health-related research at Simon
Fraser University through the development of research collaborations and partnerships which bridge the
biomedical, clinical and social science sectors incorporating multiple research perspectives and (2) To
develop and offer innovative education programs in the broad area of health (www.ihre.sfu.ca ).
L
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In relation to the first goal, the IHRE brings together over 130 researchers from all sectors of SFU who
identify health as their primary area of research. The Institute has been successful in attracting research
funding to SFU from Provincial Sources such as the MSHRF, and has encouraged and fostered support
for grant applications federally to the CIHR. A major proposal is under development for possible
submission to the next round of the CFI Innovation Fund competition. A Canada Research Chair has
been established in Infectious Diseases and this program is anticipated to grow. Finally, the IHRE is in
intensive negotiation with the BC Government over the location of and access to the Provincial Vital
Statistics data base.
Following up on the second goal, INRE was charged with the development of a Faculty of Health
Sciences (FHS) and a postgraduate degree that would provide an initial focus for its first programming
initiative, namely an MSc in Population and Public Health.
The Faculty of Health Sciences
The Faculty of Health Sciences was approved by Senate in Sept 2003. The proposal establishing the
new faculty states: "The new Faculty... will have a core complement of faculty chosen for their
transdisciplinary approach to health-related research and their ability to examine questions from varying
methodological perspectives. Their expertise will provide a bridging function to existing research and
teaching programs and will complement the specialized expertise of faculty working within existing
departments. ... Implementation of a proposed graduate program in Population and Public Health is
viewed as the first step in implementing a series of teaching and research programs related to health.
This initiative will require hiring new faculty with expertise in epidemiology, biostatistics, health
economics, and health policy analysis. ... the proposed Faculty will act as an incubator for new health
programs and a home for researchers and programs that fit the integrated vision. ... The new MSc
program in Population and Public Health will be developed as a priority ... the full program proposal
will be developed, submitted, and approved by January, 2005. The first cohort of students will be
admitted to the MSc program in September, 2005."
The new Faculty of Health Sciences will support research and develop teaching programs that bridge
science, policy, and practice across the five sectors at the foundation of IHRE. These areas fit well with
the vision of the new Faculty and are consistent with existing capacity at SFU. Each new program area
will be defined by a set of shared features:
(1)
the integration of science outcomes, analysis, and policy,
(2)
the cross-sectoral nature of the research questions and programs, and,
(3)
the adoption of multiple perspectives, modes of inquiry and levels of analysis.
Attendant with establishment of the new Faculty, a strategic plan was drawn up regarding the major
transition elements that would be anticipated. These included:
• Appointment of a Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences
• The launch of faculty hiring for the new Faculty
• The development of a proposal for a degree in Population and Public Health and other degree
programs, both undergraduate and graduate.
• A space and infrastructure plan
• The development of an administrative structure for the new faculty
The steering committee of the Institute for Health Research and Education was reconstituted and a
committee with executive powers was struck comprising senior administrators, and chaired by the
Academic Vice President.
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APPENDIX 8- SHOULD THE DEGREE BE AN MSc?
There was initially some debate overt the naming of the program, which was put to rest when the
external reviewers supported the current designation. During this time we considered this issue
carefully. For largely historical reasons an account of the rationale is retained here. The MPH degree is
commonplace, but inappropriate for what we propose. We could find no example of a "Masters of
Population and Public Health." Persons with an MPPH qualification have a "Master's of Philosophy in
Public Health" degree. We would contend that it is appropriate for a Faculty of Health Sciences, like the
Faculty of Applied Sciences, to design and offer a Master's degree that contains sufficient scientific
content to warrant the appellation MSc. Referees have expressed an opinion overwhelmingly supporting
the title be MScPPH
An overwhelming majority ofprograms worldwide are MSc
While there are many Master of Public Health degrees, they address areas of study quite different from
those addressed in the current proposal. There are almost no examples of Master of Population and
Public Health (MPPH) or Masters of Population Health (MP0pH). More typically the degree is a MSc,
and Faculties of Health Sciences across North America offer MSc programs in Community or in Public
Health, and most of these include a contribution from the social sciences at least equal to what we are
proposing. Canadian examples include: Memorial U Newfoundland MSc Community Health, U
Saskatchewan MSc Community Health and Epidemiology, U of Manitoba MSc Community Health
Sciences, U of Albert MSc Population Health, University of Northern British Columbia MSc
Community Health, Laval U. MSc Community Health, University of Toronto MSc Community Health.
We could cite many dozens of precedents, including most of the leading institutions in this field in the
. USA and Europe.
The approaches proposed will be strictly scientific
Study of the determinants of health of populations can be no less scientific than study of the health of
individuals. The approach extends the scientific principles that underlie molecular, genetic, cellular, and
physiological determinants of health. The level of scientific analysis at least equals similar approaches
in statistics, epidemiology, physiology and pathology. Moreover the mathematical, epidemiological, and
statistical extension of investigation of populations requires scientific methodology way beyond the
level of a single individual.
Faculty members being hired are almost all considered to be scientists
Six of the seven faculty positions currently with the search committees are for people who would
normally be considered scientists. Certainly, the approaches in all the proposed courses will be
scientific, using the methodologies firmly rooted in the natural and mathematical sciences. Without such
an approach, evidence-based decision making in population health would be impossible.
It is now quite usual for the word "sciences" to follow "health" or" social"
Scientific methodology extends far beyond biology, chemistry, and physics, into geography, geology,
epidemiology, and indeed throughout the social sciences. The most important and most reliable
conclusions in the social sciences use the scientific methods and scientific inference rigorously. The
social scientists on the IHRE Steering Committee in fact requested that the Faculty be called Health
Sciences rather than Health Studies, on the basis that the greater part of the social sciences are rooted in
the scientific approach.
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There is precedent at SFUfor MSc programs with a similar scientific approach
There are also SFU precedents for a science degree that includes social sciences. Both Geography, and
Statistics and Actuarial Science, offer an MA and an MSc with identical cores. The School of
Kinesiology for many years offered (Kines) where the program included significant components from
the social sciences - Dance in the past and currently Psychology.
We propose to
distinguish
our degree from MPH degrees
Modern Public Health has been radically reframed over the past decade from a focus on localized
clinical problems and prevention mitigation of infections and other acute hazards. The current emphasis
is less situational, and focused more on safeguarding the health of populations through policy
development. Concerns relate less to emergencies or time-limited events, and more to chronic and non-
infectious diseases, to long term measures affecting populations and communities as a whole, and to
health promotion. SFU's MSc degree in Population and Public Health will allow health practitioners to
qualify themselves for professional positions in community or population health in an evolving system
of health care and health authorities. It is more research oriented than the MPH degree. The MPH
degree is primarily a professional degree and typically not the first graduate degree. It provides general
knowledge of public health as well as workplace experience and is a terminal degree. The workplace
experience in an MSc in Population and Public Health has a research component with a scientific focus
and may lead to further study. The practicum courses emphasize research skills, evaluation of projects
and their dissemination.
.
.
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