SPI 597 Public Policy Approaches to Health and Healthcare

This course explores the professed and unspoken goals nations pursue with their health systems and the alternative economic and administrative structures different nations use to pursue those goals. The emphasis in the course will be on the industrialized world, although some time can be allocated later in the course to approaches used in the developing countries, if students in the course desire it.
Fall Term; Professor Soumitra Bhuyan

(Note: since SPI 597 was not offered in the 2024-25 academic year, students that year may take SPI 566A / POP 566 Topics in Health: Global Health Challenges as a substitute core course.)

SPI 598 Epidemiology

This epidemiology course focuses on: measurement of health status, disease occurrence, survival, and the association between risk factors and health outcomes; design, analysis and interpretation of epidemiologic research studies; and bias and confounding. Other topics include synthesis of epidemiological studies, disease outbreaks, causal inference, social inequalities in health, and research ethics. The course will examine "individual-centered" epidemiology and "macro-epidemiology" to assess population impact and inform health policy. (Prereq: 507b/c or statistics)
Spring Term; Dr. Ramanan Laxminarayan

The list of approved electives that qualify for Certificate Program credit varies from year to year. The current academic year’s list appears below. Two half-term courses count toward one of the two electives that are required for the Certificate.

Fall 2025

• SPI 566A / POP 566 Topics in Health: Global Health Challenges, A. Sharkey*
• SPI 591E Policy Workshop: Implementing the Affordable Care Act, H. Howard & D. Meuse*
• HOS 594 / HIS 594 History of Medicine: The Cultural Politics of Medicine, Disease and Health, K. Wailoo
• MOL 559 Viruses: Strategy and Tactics, I. Cristea & A. Darwish*
• POP 501 / SOC 531 Survey of Population Problems, A. Adsera*
• ANT 403 / AAS 403 / GHP 403 Race and Medicine, C. Rouse
• HIS 472 / EAS 472 Medicine and Society in China: Past and Present, H. Bian
• MOL 460 / STC 460 / GHP 460 Diseases in Children: Causes, Costs, and Choices, D. Notterman*
• NEU 430 Epigenetics in Neuroscience and Behavior, C. Jensen Pena*
• SPI 411 Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation, B. Adibe
• HIS 494 Broken Brains, Shattered Minds , K. Guenther

*Anticipated to be offered in Fall 2026

Spring 2025

• SPI 565 Social Determinants of Health, S. Mojola
• SPI 594D Topics in Policy Analysis (Half Term): Challenges in State and Local Health Policy, H. Howard**
• POP 502 Research Methods in Demography, A. Hendi**
• POP 514 Advanced Demographic Methods, A. Hendi**
• QCB 570 / MOL 570 Biochemistry of Physiology and Disease, Y. Kang, K. Olszewski, and J. Rabinowitz**
• BNG 507 Biotech Innovation, Organization, and Entrepreneurship, C. Brangwynne, Z. Gitai, and A. Williams
• COS 557 / QCB 557 Artificial Intelligence for Precision Health, O. Troyanskaya
• ECE 538 Special Topics in Information Sciences and Systems: Behavioral Imaging, Sensing and Machine Learning, G. Sapiro
• HOS 594A Topics in the History of Medicine: History of Mental Therapeutics, K. Guenther
• HUM 595 Interdisciplinary Studies in the Humanities: Death, E. Davis
• ECE 477 Smart Healthcare, N. Jha**
• SPI 411 Transforming Healthcare Through Innovation, B. Adibe
• MOL 433 / CBE 434 / GHP 433 Biotechnology, S. Flint
• MOL 445 Pathogens, Pandemics, and Technologies, C. Myhrvold and A.J. te Velthuis**
• SPI 594Y Topics in Policy Analysis (Half-Term): Climate and Health: Risks and Opportunities, W. Peng 

**Anticipated to be offered in Spring 2026

In exceptional cases, students may be granted special permission to substitute one of the two required elective courses with either a health-related graduate-level course offered by a department outside of the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, or a Princeton School of Public and International Affairs graduate level course that is not on the list of approved electives.

Those who wish to receive HHP elective credit for a course that is not on the list of approved electives should seek permission from the Certificate Director before taking the course. Students are encouraged to consult with the Certificate Director about potential HHP courses as soon as they are identified. Elective course substitutions will not be approved after the third week of classes.