This course places science-based risk assessment into broad societal context, which includes consideration of social, economic, legal, and political factors that affect public health risk-management decisions. In addition, the course provides an overview of risk management tools and the application of risk communication principles. The goal of this course is to provide students with an understanding of how the risk sciences are applied in the formulation and implementation of public health risk policy in “the real world.” This understanding should allow:

• Scientists to provide the type of information that is most likely to be of value in the policy-making process and
• Policy makers to improve the scientific sophistication of their risk decisions as well as appreciate the implications of risk policies for risk management and risk communication.

The course will achieve its goal of providing an understanding of the policy process by:

1. Examining theories of decision making and principles that theoretically underlie health-risk policies, risk management, and risk communication, and
2. Examining the reality of the policy process via case studies

Invited speakers share perspectives from the government, academic, and industry sectors. These experiences highlight the challenges associated with integrating scientific, economic, political, and legal constraints within the context of public values. Students conduct and present their own case study analysis of a health-risk policy, through which they explore the contributions risk assessment as well as legal, economic, political, and other influences on the development and effectiveness of a current policy. The policy’s implications for risk management and risk communication strategies are also assessed.

Students are expected to apply the insight gained through lectures and assigned readings to class discussions and written assignments. The course assignments are all designed to help students develop skills in critical thinking, investigation, and evaluation. By the end of the course, students should be able to demonstrate their understanding of the risk-based policy process through their ability to analyze and identify key determinants of policy initiatives.

Assignment 1: Policy Paper Outline
Assignment 2: Policy Paper Preparation
Assignment 3: Policy Evaluation Paper
Assignment 4: Policy Evaluation and Options Memo
Assignment 5: Policy Evaluation and Options Presentation

The assignments for this course are intended to provide the student with hands-on experience in applying the knowledge on health risk policy development and evaluation gained through the course lectures to a specific health-related risk policy of their choice. While conducting this evaluation, students apply policy assessment techniques that include: identifying the major sources of policy-related literature; assessing the quality of information available; and challenging the interpretation of the information presented. These assignments provide students an opportunity to hone their skills in critical thinking, investigation, and evaluation, as well as in presentation of policy-related information.

Assignment 1 (Policy Paper Outline) and Assignment 2 (Policy Paper Preparation) are intended to assist students in developing a foundation for organizing their approach to researching and assessing the policy to be addressed in Assignment 3 (Policy Evaluation Paper). The results of the in-depth policy assessment completed in Assignment 3 provide the student with the basis for preparation of Assignment 4 (Memo) as well as Assignment 5 (Presentation). Assignments 4 and 5 provide the student with hands-on experience in distilling key policy information and recommendations into a form useful to senior policy decision-makers in the governmental or private sectors.

A more detailed description of the requirements associated with all class assignments is provided separately.

Learning policy, more than many subjects, is a participatory activity. To understand the policy process, it is necessary to practice critical thinking and evaluation skills by reacting to ideas and events, formulate perspectives on why and how events have transpired, and test theories by arguing points of view. Thus, the class format takes a participatory approach within the context of a lecture format. The “class participation” portion of the grade is based on contributions to the following online activities:

• Listening to and viewing the lectures
• Attending LiveTalk sessions or listening to the archive
• Discussing assigned readings and lectures
• Discussing student oral presentations

Grades for the course are based on completion of the following:

• A written, comprehensive policy evaluation: 40%
• A two-page policy evaluation and recommendations memo: 20%
• An in-class presentation of the policy evaluation and recommendations: 20%
• Other written assignments (Assignments 1 and 2): 10%
• Participation in BBS discussions, listening to and viewing lectures, attending LiveTalk sessions or listening to the archives, and discussing student oral presentations: 10%

Instructor:  Mr. Ronald White rwhite@jhsph.edu (443) 287-5324 Teaching Assistant:  Ms. Joanna Zablotsky riskta@jhsph.edu (443) 287-8524 Live, interactive office hours with the instructor and TA are available by appointment and are conducted via AudioChat or TextChat.

Required and additional readings can be found in E-Reserves (password is given on the lecture main pages). A list of these readings can be found in the Online Library. 

All lectures in this course are available in two formats: 1) synchronized audio/slide presentations, and 2) PDF slide files. Some lectures are additionally available in an MP3 audio format, which is easily portable on CD, iPod, a flash drive, etc. We highly encourage you to take advantage of the MP3 format for listening while commuting, running errands, traveling, even at home. Each file is usually under 10 MB.

Please note that lecture materials are copyrighted and are only for your educational use within the course. Copying and/or distributing lecture files, for any other purpose, is a violation of copyright law and is not permitted. Thank you for your consideration.