Welcome to Introduction to the Risk Sciences and Public Policy.

This course provides an introduction and overview of the basic paradigm for quantitative risk assessment and the application of risk assessment in the public policy process. Students will be introduced to the concept of risk and its central role in decision-making at the individual and societal levels. The course will place risk assessment in a broad societal context, including consideration of social, economic and political factors that affect risk decision-making. The use of risk assessment in regulatory processes and standard setting will be introduced. It begins by covering the evolution of risk assessment and its application. Concepts will be illustrated using contemporary case studies. Students will do one case study to gain practice addressing the issues they might face in conducting each of the four steps of the health risk assessment paradigm.

The course is appropriate for students seeking an introduction to risk assessment. It would be appropriate for M.P.H. students who are considering careers in public health agencies, whether local, state, or federal. It would also be appropriate for students envisioning careers in the general areas of environmental health, epidemiology, and health policy. For students who anticipate a need to gain direct skills in risk assessment, this course should be the first in the four-course sequence on risk assessment offered by the Risk Sciences and Public Policy Institute.

The course is offered in a mixed lecture and problem-based format. Students will work throughout the term on a specific case example and also read and evaluate selected risk assessments. Competencies to be anticipated on completion of the course include:

• Achieve a general understanding of the concept of quantitative risk assessment and its application to public health problems
• Identify the elements of a quantitative risk assessment, utilizing the general framework developed by the National Research Council
• Evaluate a report of a quantitative risk assessment and interpret the policy relevance of the findings
• Understand current uses of quantitative risk assessment in policy-making

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us an email. We hope you will join us, and we look forward to teaching this class online because of the incredibly diverse and experienced group of students in the program.

Enjoy the course!

Thomas A. Burke, Ph.D., M.P.H.