Following the Money in Health Care (Second Semester, Spring)
Why does the health system of the richest country in the world rank number 37 in overall quality? What do we get for the $2 trillion we spend each year on medical care? Where does the money go? Course will examine who pays for care: the health insurance industry, including Medicare and Medicaid, profit and non-profit managed care companies, and employers—and who benefits: the pharmaceutical industry, hospitals, nursing homes, doctors, and patients. It will also look at the alphabet soup of federal and state agencies that oversee health care. View Syllabus (PDF)
Separating Hype from Reality (Third Semester, Fall)
Each year more than 600,000 medical studies are published around the world. How do journalists decide what findings to report? Where do you find experts you can trust? How do you decipher statistics?
How do you detect spin and conflicts of interest among medical professionals and researchers and provide context for your stories? In this course, you will get hands-on experience searching databases such as Medline and the Dartmouth Atlas and learn how to translate data into understandable stories. View Syllabus (PDF)
How the World Affects Our Health (Third Semester, Fall)
Many factors determine our health: where we live, what we eat, our income, our families, our choices, our jobs. This course will explore in depth those determinants of health and well-being. It will examine the impact of the environment on public health and the ethics of care, especially at the end of life.
It will also look at health in an international context. How do we cover the urban immigrant health experience? Is health a human right? What does the global economy mean for the spread of infectious diseases and worker health and safety? View Syllabus (PDF)
