Weidensall Hall
Room 105
300 North Washington St.
Gettysburg, PA 17325-1400
Website
Education
PhD Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs, Syracuse, 2022
MA City College of New York, 2017
BA University of Maryland, 2009
Courses Taught
This foundational course for the Public Policy and Public Health Policy majors covers all major areas of public policy studies and provides in-depth analysis of policy making processes and outcome evaluation. The class begins with problem definition, examining how communities and societies define, prioritize, and respond to complex, “wicked” social problems. The course examines the policy process, historical antecedents to the discipline, foundational policy theory, and several models for analyzing policy. The course then proceeds through a series of policy arenas, allowing for topic-specific consideration of key aspects of policy analysis. This course lays the foundation for all subsequent study of public policy and public health policy, and it is a prerequisite to all upper-level Public Policy classes and the required internship. PHP 221 and PP 221 are cross-listed.
This course is an introduction to the research process and is designed to make you both a better consumer and a better producer of research and knowledge. We will begin at its earliest stages and consider fundamental concepts, including how to conceive of – and write – good research questions and ask where data comes from. We will consider intermediate stages, including what available evidence
exists that might answer our question or consider why this question has not been asked yet. We will end our journey by learning about specific tools or methods you can use to answer specific questions and understand when which tool is best. Prerequisite: PP 221 PP 251 and PHP 251 are cross-listed.
Interactive course combining study of fundamental texts with student-led research projects. Students learn how public policy problems are defined and policy responses are developed, evaluated, and implemented. Students work intensively with the professor to apply these principles to an issue that interests them. The final output is a comprehensive white paper on the issue and recommended policy response. Prerequisite: PP 221 PHP 305 and PP 305 are cross-listed.
This course analyzes the social determinants of health – the non-medical and non-health factors that affect health outcomes. Social factors, such as education, race/ethnicity, income, environment, and housing, shape our health in obvious – and not-so-obvious – ways. This course outlines the historical causes of various social factors, illustrates how these social factors harm health, including the particular health outcomes linked with each of them, and examines public policies
designed to mitigate the deleterious effects of these social factors. HS 323, PHP 323, and PP 323 are cross-listed.