Law and Public Health Boston University

Overview

Graduates of the Law and Public Health program at Boston University enter careers in federal and state government agencies and legislative offices, private law practices, universities, hospitals, insurers, biotechnology companies, and nonprofit organizations.

Learning Outcomes

• Possess knowledge and understanding of substantive and procedural law;
• Possess the ability to perform:
• Legal analysis and reasoning
• Legal research
• Problem-solving
• Written communication in the legal context
• Oral communication in the legal context;
• Understand the exercise of proper professional and ethical responsibilities to clients and the legal system; and
• Demonstrate the professional skills of collaboration, counseling, and negotiation needed for competent and ethical participation as a member of the legal profession. All students will also demonstrate a basic understanding of business fundamentals and be able to read and understand basic financial documents.

• Evidence-based Approaches to Public Health
• Apply epidemiological methods to the breadth of settings and situations in public health practice.
• Select quantitative and qualitative data collection methods appropriate for a given public health context.
• Analyze quantitative and qualitative data using biostatistics, informatics, computer-based programming, and software, as appropriate.
• Interpret results of data analysis for public health research, policy, or practice.
• Public Health & Healthcare Systems
• Compare the organization, structure, and function of healthcare, public health, and regulatory systems across national and international settings.
• Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities, and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and societal levels.
• Planning & Management to Promote Health
• Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health.
• Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design or implementation of public health policies or programs.
• Design a population-based policy, program, project, or intervention.
• Explain basic principles and tools of budget and resource management.
• Select methods to evaluate public health programs.
• Policy in Public Health
• Discuss multiple dimensions of the policymaking process, including the roles of ethics and evidence.
• Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes.
• Advocate for political, social, or economic policies and programs that will improve health in diverse populations.
• Evaluate policies for their impact on public health and health equity.
• Leadership
• Apply principles of leadership, governance, and management, which include creating a vision, empowering others, fostering collaboration, and guiding decisionmaking.
• Apply negotiation and mediation skills to address organizational or community challenges.
• Communication
• Select communication strategies for different audiences and sectors.
• Communicate audience-appropriate public health content, both in writing and through oral presentation.
• Describe the importance of cultural competence in communicating public health content.
• Interprofessional Practice
• Perform effectively on interprofessional teams.
• Systems Thinking
• Apply systems thinking tools to a public health issue.