Portland-State-University 2017-2018 Bulletin

Environmental Systems and Human Health MPH

The MPH in Environmental Systems & Human Health (ESHH) track offers ecosystem-based public health training for students who would like to investigate and remediate environmental impacts on human health. Believing that a healthy environment is a cornerstone of preventative medicine, the goal of the ESHH track is to produce graduates who will be able to analyze relationships between human activities, the environment, and human health. Areas of emphasis include environmental change and its effect on human health, environmental pathogens, environmental transport, fate and remediation of chemical contaminants, food web bioaccumulation, wastewater treatment, environmental risk assessment and toxicity testing, culturally competent risk communication, and social justice issues. Within the ESHH track special attention will be given to mediating and modifying the effects of environmental disruptions on the health of vulnerable populations in a culturally competent, ethical manner.

Core Competencies

Students graduating from this track will be able to:

  • Communicate the relationship between environmental systems and human health

  • Analyze how environmental hazards (chemical, physical and biological) interact with natural and built systems, including the mechanisms of their adverse effects on humans

  • Evaluate the risk of environmental exposures to human populations through the incorporation of exposure, toxicologic, and other relevant data into risk assessment methodology

  • Specify approaches for assessing, preventing and controlling environmental and occupational hazards that pose risks to human health and safety

  • Assess and interpret relevant literature in the area of public health and the environment

  • Explain the general mechanisms of toxicity in eliciting a human health effect in response to various environmental and occupational exposures

  • Describe federal and state regulatory programs, guidelines and authorities that control environmental and occupational health issues

  • Integrate, synthesize and apply theory to practice in the context of a research study, policy development, or environmental exposure

  • Demonstrate cultural competency in community settings

  • Apply ethical principles that govern the practice of environmental risk assessment, management, and communication

For more information and instructions on how to apply visit the MPH in Environmental Systems & Human Health web page.