Courses

Urban Health (286.4178) 

A graduate elective course, School of Public Health (all programs), Faculty of Health and Welfare Sciences, University of Haifa   

This course exposes students to basic concepts and ideas in urban health and health promoting environments. Students learn about the historical development of urban health policy and practices while identifying paradigm shifts in urban planning and public health from the miasma era to date. Different urban health models are introduced and analyzed ranging from early modern ideas, such as the sanitary reform and the neighborhood unit, to more recent ideas, such as healthy-active cities, transit-oriented design and crime-prevention through environmental design.  

 Link to Syllabus (Hebrew)

Selected Topics in Urban Health (286.4175)

A graduate elective course, School of Public Health (all programs), Faculty of Health and Welfare Sciences, University of Haifa   

This course provides an overview of theoretical, methodological and practical issues related to urban health and healthy cities. Different theoretical frameworks linking environments with human behavior and health are discussed, including environmental determinism, social-cognitive and social-ecological theories. The environment-health nexus is discussed within different contexts as defined by environmental features (e.g., walkability, greenspace), health outcomes (e.g., physical activity, mental health) and populations (e.g., children, elderly, ethnic minorities). Urban health is analyzed from a critical perspective with an emphasis on the potential of living environments to not only improve public health but also to reduce health inequalities.  

Link to Syllabus (Hebrew)

Health Promotion Foundations and Methodologies (286.4301)

A graduate required course in the Health Promotion Program, School of Public Health, Faculty of Health and Welfare Sciences, University of Haifa   

This course provides a conceptual framework to understand and discuss health promotion theories and practices. The course explores the development of health promotion as a field of knowledge and a profession, while reviewing a wide range of health promotion strategies from biomedical to social change approaches. Health promotion strategies are illustrated through selected topics of the UN sustainable development goals, such as good health and well-being, zero hunger, reduced inequalities and sustainable cities and communities. Students engage in critical analysis of a health promotion intervention (of their choice) from an ethical and social justice perspective. 

Link to Syllabus (Hebrew)

Students supervision

(as of January 2025)

• Saja Odeh, MPH student in Public Health (Health system management track), Thesis title: Outdoor gyms in Arab towns in Northern Israel: Perceptions and attitudes among decision makers and resident. (submitted Dec 2024).

• Anastasia Ginzburg, MPH student in Public Health (Epidemiology track), Thesis title: The Associations Between Residential Greenspace Exposure and the Mental Health Outcomes Among Young Adults with Mental Illness: a Cross-sectional Study. (in progress). 

• Serah Bibas, MPH student in Public Health (Health Promotion track), Thesis title: Characterizing health promotion as a profession in Israel. (in progress). 

• Ofek Kara, MPH student in Public Health (Health Promotion track), Thesis title: The associations between natural window views with well-being among clinical staff and patients in a pediatric hospital department. (in progress). 

• Moran Shomrat, MPH student in Public Health (Health Promotion track), Thesis title: Age friendly cities: Using aging simulation suits as a tool to increase awareness to environmental needs of older adults. (in progress).