Injury and violence related courses are taught widely across the University. In addition, CCISP faculty raise awareness of injury and violence across Columbia and at other universities by offering guest lectures on injury and violence topics in courses whose content is not injury focused—such as Public Health Surveillance, Child Health, Global Health, Chronic Disease, Aging and others. CCISP guided support is available to any department for the development, implementation, and evaluation of injury and violence related courses. Courses based in the Department of Epidemiology are reviewed to ensure that innovative methods are being taught and applied each semester and that injury prevention students in the courses receive full support and mentorship. 

EPID P8448 - Methods in Injury Prevention Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This course introduces students to contemporary concepts and research methods in injury epidemiology and the science of prevention. Topics will include both unintentional and intentional injuries, such as road safety, falls, drug overdose, child abuse, violence, self-harm, and assault. Students apply research skills to injury cohorts and datasets to outline a first draft manuscript which faculty will mentor to completion as a possible journal submission.

EPID P8445 - Current and Emerging Issues in Injury and Violence Columbia Mailman School of Public Health Instructor - Joyce Pressley, PhD, MPH

The multifaceted, cross-disciplinary nature of injury and violence prevention is illustrated to students in this course by applying epidemiology, health policy, behavioral science, law, medicine, and engineering principles. The class examines current approaches to translating injury science into effective population-level prevention using issues in surveillance, measurement, and evaluation as topics for experiential learning and in-class application.

EPID P8428 - Current Work in Injury Control and Prevention - Fall Seminar Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Students will learn from CCISP faculty about the Center and a wide range of advanced topics in the field of injury prevention research through interaction, role playing and modeling. As an example, for our Injury Seminar Course this fall students will roleplay blogging for a hypothetical journal of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section of APHA as one example. Students will conduct interviews with a selected session’s speaker and then write a point-counterpoint blog post.

EPID P8429 - Current Work in Injury Control and Prevention - Spring Seminar Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Students will learn from a series of experts on four focused topics in the field of injury prevention and control. By the end of the semester, students will have improved their ability to interpret and critically appraise peer-reviewed research on current injury and violence research topics and will be prepared to go forward in asking important future scientific questions in the injury and violence research field.

EPID P8425 - Gun Violence and Public Health: Evidence and Action Columbia Mailman School of Public Health Instructors - Ted Alcorn and Charles Branas, PhD

This three-credit course will focus on the epidemiologic study of gun violence by reviewing both new and canonical research throughout the course, students will learn to apprise how diverse study designs—including surveys, case control studies, time-series, randomized control trials, social network analyses, quasi-experimental, and experimental approaches—are well-suited to shed light on different aspects of the subject of gun violence prevention and policy.

EPID P8416 - Spatial Epidemiology Columbia Mailman School of Public Health Instructor- Christopher Morrison, PhD

Spatial epidemiology is the study of geographic distributions and determinants of health in populations. The course emphasizes spatial epidemiology as a sub-discipline of epidemiology while acknowledging the many scientific disciplines that shape it, including biostatistics, cartography, criminology, demography, economics, geography, psychology, and sociology. It begins by defining spatial epidemiology and exploring these multi-disciplinary roots, with particular regard to the theoretical causal mechanisms that provide a bridge between social and physical environmental conditions and population health.

EPID P8470 - Epidemiology of Drug and Alcohol Problems Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This course addresses issues in alcohol and drug epidemiology. The course begins with historical background and concepts. Then, current studies, their findings, and controversies are covered. These include the prevalence of and risk factors for alcohol and drug use, abuse and dependence, and associated morbidity and mortality. Genetic and environmental risk factors for alcohol and drug disorders will be covered. Other topics include methodological issues in the measurement of alcohol and drug outcomes, alcohol and drugs as causes of accidents, psychiatric comorbidity, evidence-based treatments for alcohol and drug disorders, and rates of treatment for alcohol and drug disorders.

HPMN P8594 - Addressing the Opioid Crisis Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This course will explore the scope of the opioid crisis, its historical context, contributing factors, and lines of evidence indicating the role of addiction in exacerbating morbidity and mortality. We will examine 1) past opioid addiction epidemics, 2) the campaign launched by opioid manufacturers to increase opioid prescribing, 3) the regulatory role of the Food and Drug Administration and state medical boards, 4) opioid prescribing practices 5) treatment of opioid addiction and 6) lessons from the opioid crisis that can be applied to other complex public health challenges.

POPF P8639 - Gender-Based Violence in Complex Emergencies Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This seven-week course explores the socio-cultural and political factors that contribute to the existence of gender-based violence and which lead to an increased occurrence of acts of gender-based violence in complex emergencies, with an emphasis on conflict zones. Students will develop a practical understanding of effective interventions for preventing and responding to violence against women and girls in different phases of complex emergencies. Specifically, students learn the conceptual framework for preventing and responding to gender-based violence and the practical framework for developing gender-based violence programming. Furthermore, students review strategies for incorporating critical elements of gender-based violence programming: coordination among humanitarian agencies; evidence-based programming; and engaging communities in programming.

POPF P8679 - Investigative Methods in Complex Emergencies Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

The design, implementation and evaluation of health interventions in complex emergencies requires a particular professional orientation and skill set. Students gain a greater understanding of the use of qualitative and quantitative methods tailored for this purpose. The course particularly emphasizes the complementary roles of qualitative and quantitative approaches to investigation.

POPF P8676 - Epidemiological Methods for Measuring Human Rights Abuses Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

The occurrence of murder, disappearances, and rape are common during complex emergencies and yet the rate of these events is rarely measured while the conflict is ongoing. In some cases, groups are denied life-sustaining services because of race, politics, or HIV status. Public health practitioners are uniquely situated and qualified to advocate for populations whose human rights and survival are threatened by the intentional actions of organized groups. This class will teach students techniques for detecting and estimating the rates of these major abuses of human rights in order to better advocate for the abused, and to permit the evaluation of programs designed to prevent such events.

POPF P8620 - Protecting Children in Humanitarian Settings Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This course explores operational ways of addressing child protection concerns in natural disaster and war. It examines child protection from both a reduction of physical risk and a promotion of developmental well-being perspectives. Students will develop a practical understanding of effective interventions for preventing and responding to specific child protection concerns, including child-family separations; child recruitment and use as armed combatants; and sexual violence, abuse and psychosocial survival. Students will explore systemic approaches to promoting a "protective environment" for children in emergencies and post conflict-reintegration transitions. Students will review strategies for incorporating critical elements of child protection into broader humanitarian response operations; coordination among humanitarian agencies; evidence-based programming; community participation in child protection; and advocacy and policy change.

SOSC P6758 - Introduction to Theory and Research on Interpersonal Violence Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

Throughout modern history, concerns about violence have often mirrored the emergence and decline of social problems. In the United States, explanations of violence have implicated culture, political economy, social inequality, social class, race, gender, genes, mental illness, drugs, and technology. This course surveys the literatures on etiology, the epidemiology of violence, and research methods as well as intervention and prevention strategies to address interpersonal violence in various settings. It will explore the topic utilizing concepts of ecology as the conceptual framework to understand the individual nested in family, nested in neighborhood, nested in the city.

SOSC P8793 - Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Columbia Mailman School of Public Health

This course is designed to provide training and education on the public health response to large scale emergencies and disasters. The course will provide an in-depth introduction to surveillance, mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery from natural and man-made emergency events. Students will learn how to develop, implement and evaluate public health emergency preparedness and response plans. Course topics will include local, state and federal emergency preparedness policies and coordination, public health counter-measures, the conduct of drills and table top exercises, crisis communication strategies, legal/ethical considerations, psychological impacts of disasters on communities and populations, community resiliency, and planning for the needs of particularly vulnerable populations.

HBSS 4112 - Social Policy and Prevention Teachers College, Columbia University Instructor - John Allegrante, PhD

This course is intended to acquaint students with the scientific, social, economic, historical, and political influences that have shaped the development of selected aspects of U.S. health policy, with special attention to health promotion and disease prevention. It is organized around three topic modules: a) scope of and issues in U.S. health policy, b) advocacy for health policy change, with a focus on gun violence, and c) economic and behavioral science perspectives on policy.

POLS BC3026 - Gun Politics in the US Barnard College, Columbia Instructor - Matthew Lacombe, PhD

This course examines the politics of guns from a number of different angles. A critical assessment is conducted of the multitude of direct and indirect explanations of gun control politics that have been offered by scholars and informed observers, including those related to interest groups, political parties, and mass political behavior.

L8797 - Seminar in Social and Legal Regulation of Firearms Columbia Law School Instructor - Jeffrey Fagan, JD

Firearms are an enduring part of American history and culture. In recent years, firearms also have become a contentious domain of law, legal and social regulation, and public health and criminal justice policy. Litigation on both access to firearms and liability of the industry and private citizens for deaths caused by firearms has occupied a highly contentious space in legal culture and case law. The regulatory design for firearms is a complex set of rules that span concerns span criminal justice, mental health, interstate commerce, privacy, product liability, and financial regulation. This course examines current designs for firearm regulation and control.

Constitutional Governance Practicum Columbia Law School Instructor- Jessica Bulman-Pozen, JD

This practicum provides opportunities to work on specific projects related to contemporary issues in American constitutional governance. The projects, some generated by outside groups and some relating to the work of the Center for Constitutional Governance, are in areas such as immigration, civil rights, and firearms regulation and focus on questions of federalism, preemption, and state and local power.