What factors determine how healthy we are?  How does population health differ from health at the individual level?  Why is it that health depends on so many factors outside of the health care sector?  These questions form the core of this 8 credit program.  We will learn about the definition and scope of public health.  Students will work individually and in groups to understand milestones in the history of public health, the basic tools of public health research, and the challenges to successful health promotion projects. The learning community will work in small groups to identify a significant public health problem, develop a health promotion/intervention, and consider methodology for evaluation of impact.  We will also work on line with available public databases to  understand more about the reasons behind systematic health inequities.  The program will focus on public health issues in the United States but will also draw on international examples of successful interventions.