Public Health Law and Policy

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. An introductory course in public health law designed for students pursuing a graduate degree and career in public health. The purpose of the course is to introduce non-lawyers to the United States legal system and to the basic principles of law relevant to public health practitioners. Students will be equipped with basic knowledge to assist them in thinking and communicating about potential legal issues that may arise in formulating policy and exercising managerial authority. The overarching theme of the course is the tension between individual rights and population interests. Students will be exposed to a survey of the legal principles governing selected public health problems as derived from court decisions, statutes and regulations. Topics will include constitutional limits, privacy, tort law, immunization, personal control measures, such as isolation and quarantine, and economic regulation. Prerequisites: PHPM 605 or PHPM 606 .