The Disability, Health, & Participation concentration requires 18 credit hours of coursework outside of other program requirements. It is a unique interdisciplinary field of study that advances the understanding of person, activity, and environmental factors contributing to disability, function, participation, and health. We adopt the World Health Organization’s International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health conceptualization of participation, which is defined as meaningful engagement in all areas of life and in society. We recognize that function and disability results from the dynamic interaction between health conditions, environmental factors, and personal factors. Through research addressing these factors, our unified purpose is to optimize the participation and health of all people, including people with disabilities, impairments, and chronic health conditions, within their environments.
Students complete core courses that provide foundational theoretical knowledge to conduct disability, health, and participation research. Students then design an individualized course of study (12 additional credits), with their mentor’s guidance, to acquire the advanced methodological skills necessary to conduct their dissertation research. Students will integrate knowledge and skills from their core and individualized courses to conduct innovative dissertation research to promote the health and participation of individuals, communities, or society.
Core Curriculum
Students are required to complete all core courses (6 credits) that provide foundational theoretical knowledge to conduct disability, health, and participation research.
Core Courses:
- RSD 6920: Disability, Health, and Participation Journal Club (1 credit)
- RSD 6410: Development and Evaluation of Rehabilitation Interventions to Promote Participation (3 credits)
- RSD 7752: Instrument Development for Health and Rehabilitation (2 credits)
Students must complete 12 additional credits to complete their 18 credit DHP concentration, with at least 6 of these 12 credits chosen from the courses listed below. The additional 6 credits may also be selected from the list below or, with approval from the student’s mentor, be other graduate-level courses (6000 and above) aligned with the student’s individual course of study.
- PHC 6724: Qualitative Research Methods for Public Health and Health Sciences (3 credits)
- PHC 6704: Community-Based Participatory Research (3 credits)
- PHC6726: Introduction to Mixed Methods Research (3 credits)
- PHC 6022: Design and Conduct of Clinical Trials (3 credits)
- FYC 6802: Advanced Research Methods (3 credits)
- GMS 6851: Fundamentals of Dissemination and Implementation Research (3 credits)
- GMS 6813: Pragmatic Clinical Trials (3 credits)
- GMS 6885: Translational Health Research Design (3 credits)