Course Syllabus

Student Responsibilities

ENROLLED FOR 1 CREDIT: Students are expected to complete any required reading and to participate in discussion each session (35% of final grade). Presenters will provide recommendations for 1-3 readings to supplement their class lectures. These will be uploaded into the corresponding Module as we receive them. After each class session, students will participate in an online discussion board addressing the presented topic, outlining the key opportunities for intervention and how emerging technologies may improve health (65% of final grade). If a student is unable to respond to the discussion board on a certain week, they may submit additional responses to another week’s prompt. 

 

ENROLLED FOR 2 CREDITS: Students are expected to complete any required reading and to participate in the discussion portion of each session (15% of final grade). Presenters will provide recommendations for 1-3 readings to supplement their class lectures. These will be uploaded into the corresponding Module as we receive them. After each class session, students will participate in an online discussion board addressing the presented topic, outlining the key opportunities for intervention and how emerging technologies may improve health (30% of final grade). If a student is unable to respond to the discussion board on a certain week, they may submit additional responses to another week’s prompt. Students will attend an additional hour discussion section after each presentation, during which the students and instructors will discuss what was learned during the previous week’s topic, and brainstorm ideas for potential bioengineering solutions. Each student will be responsible for leading one of the discussion sections during the quarter (15% of final grade). Students will also form multidisciplinary groups among themselves and formulate a proposal with bioengineering solutions for the COVID-19 pandemic. Each group will write their proposal as a Specific Aims page, modelled from an NIH R21. At the end of the quarter, each group will present their proposal during class (20% of final grade). After incorporating feedback from the audience, groups will finalize their specific aims page and submit to Canvas (20% of final grade). See “2-Credit Assignments Description” file on Canvas for more details. 

Schedule

SESSION	DATE	TOPIC	PRESENTERS
1	September 29	Challenges and Opportunities to Improve Health of Families Worldwide	Alexis Kaushansky  Kim Woodrow
2	October 6	The Challenge of Distributing Vaccines, Drugs and Diagnostics	Jean-Luc Bodmer
3	October 13	The Challenge of Manufacturing, and what can be done about it: A Case Study and Panel Discussion	Alexis Kaushansky  Samantha Brown  Tess Seltzer  Zephyr Pitre
4	October 20	Bioengineering for Modeling Disease in the Field: Panel Discussion	Joe Smith  Ying Zheng
5	October 27	Diagnosing Complex Infectious Disease Problems: Panel Discussion	John Aitchison  David Sherman
6	November 3	Implementation Science	Kenneth Sherr
7	November 10	Diagnostics for Worldwide Distribution	Paul Yager
8	November 17	Health Equity	Alicia Adiele  Ashley Durkin
9	December 1	Presentation of Student Proposals: What should we do about COVID-19?
10	December 8	Presentation of Student Proposals: What should we do about COVID-19?

COVID-Related Requirements

Per UW policy, this class will be conducted in person. Therefore, unless you meet the criteria for an accommodation from Disability Resources for Students (DRS) or a special arrangement approved by the SPH Office of the Dean that allows you to take the course remotely [see student communications here] you should only register for this class if you can attend in-person.  

• Please contact UW Disability Resources for Students (DRS) directly if you feel you may be eligible for an accommodation based on your status as an immunocompromised individual or based on other diagnosed physical or mental health conditions that might prevent you from being able to take classes in-person.  

• If you are a student enrolled in a program in SPH, and you are either living with an individual who is immunocompromised, OR you are unable to obtain a visa to travel to the US, you may be eligible for a “special arrangement” that will allow you to take this course remotely. Requests for special arrangements to take the class remotely should have been submitted to and approved by the Students and Academic Services team in the Office of the Dean before the beginning of the quarter. If you have questions about this type of arrangement, please reach out to Student and Academic Services by email at sphsas@uw.edu.  

All UW students are expected to complete their vaccine attestation before arriving on campus and to follow the campus-wide face-covering policy at all times. You are expected to follow state, local, and UW COVID-19 policies and recommendations. If you feel ill or exhibit possible COVID symptoms, you should not come to class. If you need to temporarily quarantine or isolate per CDC guidance and/or campus policy, you are responsible for notifying your instructors as soon as possible by email. If you receive a positive COVID-19 test result, you must report to campus Environmental Health & Safety (EH&S) by emailing covidehc@uw.edu or calling 206-626-3344.  

Please check your email daily BEFORE coming to class. If we need to conduct class remotely because the instructor or a guest speaker is complying with UW policies and unable to attend in person, we will send all registered students an email with a Zoom link for remote instruction.  Thank you for your patience and support as we all transition together back to in-person learning!   

 

COVID-19 SAFETY PRACTICES WHILE EATING AND DRINKING IN-CLASS: No food or drink is allowed in class. Although, individuals should eat and drink in appropriate or designated spaces, hydration is important and intermittently consuming water or other beverages in a shared workspace, public/common area, or classroom is allowed if you can: Wash/sanitize your hands before and after touching your mask; Lift or remove your face covering for a brief moment while taking a drink, immediately put your mask back after drinking. 

Access and Accommodations 

Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me at your earliest convenience so we can discuss your needs in this course.

If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but are not limited to mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or disability.uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.

Academic Integrity Statement

Students at the University of Washington (UW) are expected to maintain the highest standards of academic conduct, professional honesty, and personal integrity.

The UW School of Public Health (SPH) is committed to upholding standards of academic integrity consistent with the academic and professional communities of which it is a part. Plagiarism, cheating, and other misconduct are serious violations of the University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-120). We expect you to know and follow the university's policies on cheating and plagiarism, and the SPH Academic Integrity Policy. Any suspected cases of academic misconduct will be handled according to University of Washington regulations. For more information, see the University of Washington Community Standards and Student Conduct website.

Writing Skills Resources

Writing is an important transferable skill for all career pathways. Establishing a strong foundation in writing skills will help you be successful throughout your future course work and career. Therefore, this course includes written assignments with the goal to help you identify areas of strength and improvement in your writing. However, if you feel that you could benefit from additional opportunities to improve your writing skills, a list of resources at the UW and others accessible online can be found on the SPH website.

Land Acknowledgement 

Washington State is home to 29 federally recognized and five unrecognized tribes. We  demonstrate our collective humility and respect for the original caretakers of the land that the School of Public Health sits on.  The University of Washington acknowledges the Coast Salish people of this land, the land which touches the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Suquamish, Tulalip and Muckleshoot nations. 

Religious Accommodations

“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (Links to an external site.). Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (Links to an external site.).”

Classroom Climate

We are co-creators of our learning environment.  It is our collective responsibility to develop a supportive learning environment for everyone.  Listening with respect and an open mind, striving to understand others’ views, and articulating your own point of view will help foster the creation of this environment.  We engage our differences with the intent to build community, not to put down the other and distance our self from the other.  Being mindful to not monopolize discussion and/or interrupt others will also help foster a dialogic environment.

The following guidelines can add to the richness of our discussion:

• We assume that persons are always doing the best that they can, including the persons in this learning environment.
• We acknowledge that systematic oppression exists based on privileged positions and specific to race, gender, class, religion, sexual orientation, and other social variables and identities.
• We posit that assigning blame to persons in socially marginal positions is counter-productive to our practice. We can learn much about the dominant culture by looking at how it constructs the lives of those on its social margins.
• While we may question or take issue with another class member’s ideology, we will not demean, devalue, or attempt to humiliate another person based on her/his experiences, value system, or construction of meaning.
• We have a professional obligation to actively challenge myths and stereotypes about our own groups and other groups so we can break down the walls that prohibit group cooperation and growth.
  [Adapted from Lynn Weber Cannon (1990). Fostering positive race, class and gender dynamics in the classroom. Women Studies Quarterly, 1 & 2, 126-134.]

We are a learning community.  As such, we are expected to engage with difference.  Part of functioning as a learning community is to engage in dialogue in respectful ways that supports learning for all of us and that holds us accountable to each other.  Our learning community asks us to trust and take risks in being vulnerable.

Statement on Diversity and Inclusion

Diverse backgrounds, embodiments and experiences are essential to the critical thinking endeavor at the heart of University education. In SPH, students are expected:

1. To respect individual differences, which may include, but are not limited to, age, cultural background, disability, ethnicity, family status, gender, immigration status, national origin, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and veteran status.
2. To engage respectfully in the discussion of diverse worldviews and ideologies embedded in course readings, presentations and artifacts, including those course materials that are at odds with personal beliefs and values.

On our first day of class we will create ground rules together to follow in promoting a productive learning environment for all members of the class. I am committed to making this class an equitable learning environment. Please talk with me right away if you experience disrespect in this class from other students and/or from me, and I will work to address it in an educational manner.

Pronouns

We share our pronouns because we strive to cultivate an inclusive environment where people of all genders feel safe and respected. We cannot assume we know someone’s gender just by looking at them. So we invite everyone to share their pronouns.

Reporting Learning Center Environment Concerns

The Office of the Dean has a student concern policy, a faculty concern policy and standard HR procedures for staff concerns. Students are encouraged to report any incidents of bias in any of the following ways: 

• Report the incident to someone they feel comfortable with (including teaching staff,  advisor or department staff) or directly inform the SPH Assistant Dean for Equity, Diversity & Inclusion Dr. Victoria Gardner at vg@uw.edu.
• Email dcinfo@uw.edu to file a non-anonymous, confidential report (tracked by Director of Student and Academic Services and Assistance Dean of Equity, Diversity & Inclusion or
• Send an anonymous and confidential report using the bias concern form here. Report is received by the Assistant Dean for EDI and the Director of Program Operations for Student and Academic Services and tracked for investigation and/or resolution. Reporter can remain completely anonymous but will not receive a response. 

Safety Statement

Campus Unit: Safe Campus

Call SafeCampus at 206-685-7233 anytime – no matter where you work or study – to anonymously discuss safety and well-being concerns for yourself or others. SafeCampus’s team of caring professionals will provide individualized support, while discussing short- and long-term solutions and connecting you with additional resources when requested.

Statement on SimCheck

The University has a license agreement with SimCheck, an educational tool that helps prevent or identify plagiarism from Internet resources. Your instructor may use the service in this class by requiring that assignments are submitted electronically to be checked by SimCheck. The SimCheck Report will indicate the amount of original text in your work and whether all material that you quoted, paraphrased, summarized, or used from another source is appropriately referenced.

Copyright Statement

All content associated with this course is copyrighted. This includes the syllabus, assignments, reading lists, and lectures, as well as any material generated by your fellow students. Within the constraints of "fair use", you may copy these materials for your personal use in support of your education. For example, you may download materials to your computer for study, but you may not copy the materials and distribute or upload to a website. Such “fair use” by you does not include further distribution by any means of copying, performance or presentation beyond the circle of your close acquaintances, student colleagues in this class and your family.