TM5514 - Environmental Health

Credit points:	03
Year:	2009
Student Contribution Band:	Band 2
Administered by:	Sch Public Health,Trop Medicine&Rehabilitation Sc

Public health is strongly influenced by the environment and many illnesses can be initiated, promoted, sustained or stimulated by environmental factors. Environmental health is thus concerned with assessing, understanding and controlling the impacts of an ever-increasing and resource-hungry human population on the environment and conversely, the impacts of the environment on populations. As public health professionals, we face the health outcomes of acute and chronic environmental problems that include the effects of toxic chemicals and radioactive wastes, acidic deposition, ozone layer depletion, global warming, climate change, resource depletion, and loss of forests, topsoil and biodiversity. The extent of human activity leading to changes in the environment has increased dramatically over the past decades and we are now witnessing impacts on our atmospheric, terrestrial and marine ecosystems on a global scale. Evidence now supports the view that many of these changes are persistent and global in nature with serious consequences for human health. This has resulted in increased reliance on public health for assistance in formulating environmental policies and explaining the human implications of these policies to the public. This multidisciplinary subject thus meets the needs for a more thorough understanding of the relationship between human health and the environmental for public health professionals including scientists, health practitioners, physicians and policy-makers.

Learning Outcomes

• to develop critical thinking and the ability to analyse and evaluate environmental issues related to public health;
• to develop the ability to investigate environmental changes and solve human health problems related to these changes;
• to develop an awareness of the extent of health problems that relate to environmental issues;
• to become familiar with a selection of current environmental health issues and to learn what steps are being taken and what resources are available for their management;
• to acquire a coherent and disciplined body of skills, knowledge, values and professional ethids and to be able to adapt these skills to recognise new problematic situations that require improvement;
• to engender excitement for the subject to encourage life-long learning and intellectual attainment.

Graduate Qualities

• The ability to appraise information critically;
• The ability to use independent judgment to synthesise information to make intellectual and/or creative advances;
• The ability to think laterally and be original.

Availabilities
External, Study Period 2
Census Date 28-Aug-2009
Coord/Lect:	Dr Deon Canyon.
Method of Delivery:	and WWW - LearnJCUPrinted materials
Assessment:	assignments.

Note: Minor variations might occur due to the continuous Subject quality improvement process, and in case of minor variation(s) in assessment details, the Subject Outline represents the latest official information.