Course Descriptions

*This course will examine threats to the US homeland, how they might evolve over the next ten years, and the consequent implications for technology and homeland security. The course will examine the motivations of non-state actors to threaten the US homeland, how those actors might use technology and exploit vulnerabilities to attack the US, and the role of technology in countering these threats and securing the homeland.

* This course will examine the use of biological weapons. Terrorism in its modern form will be discussed as well as which biological agents are most likely to be used, their techniques for deployment, and their prevention and control. Specific disease agents to be covered will include anthrax, plague, botulism, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

This course will cover historical and contemporary aspects of intentional introduction of microbial and chemical agents in the food chain with specific emphasis on animal viruses like foot-and-mouth disease, mad cow, Rift Valley fever, hog cholera, highly pathogenic avian influenza West Nile, and New Castle Disease. Plant pathogens, such as soybean rust will be covered. Moreover, animal and plant agent lists will be discussed to include human crossover agents. Discussions relevant to first responders will be detailed.

This course will provide a multidisciplinary introduction to emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases that pose a threat to public, animal and environmental health. The course covers a variety of topics (disease emergence drivers, vector-borne diseases, vaccine preventable diseases, impacts of epidemics/pandemics on health systems, international health frameworks and governance) and will aim to be as current as possible, discussing disease events in real time. We believe it is important to have a foundation in a number of key topics that will be covered across a number of lectures, case studies, group discussion and assignments. By the end of this course, you will be able to: Explain the multidisciplinary dimensions that contribute to the emergence of infectious diseases; Describe synergies between climate change, land use, globalization, migration and other that drive or otherwise impact disease emergence and/or re-emergence; Understand why the global population is at risk of vector-borne diseases and illustrate how control measures are applied to reduce transmission and burden; Define health systems strengthening and outline impacts of epidemics and pandemics one health systems resilience; Explain why vaccine preventable disease continue to pose problems for health systems and why some eradication programs have been unsuccessful; Outline governance and response initiatives to address emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats and their evidence base.

This course will examine threats to the U.S. homeland and how these threats are defeated in the context of “homeland security.” The course focuses on homeland security policy and planning considerations at all levels of government (federal, state, and local) and the U.S. private sector. We place emphases on understanding the concept of risk management as well as the role of science and technology in homeland security. We will begin most classes with a review of current events before covering the material for the week. Many classes will also have guest speakers who are experts in their fields. The major assignments include an issue memo, a class exercise, and a final paper.

This class will provide a basic knowledge of chemical warfare agents and will focus on the intended effects of chemical agents and delivery systems. The class will review historical and recent case studies of chemical warfare (CW) use and international responses, looking at the impact of these events and responses through the lens of the adversary, third parties, and Western governments. This class will feature a midterm paper, class exercises, and a final exam. Please note that this is not a chemistry class. This course is intended to push students to think critically about how chemical attacks have broken norms against weapons of mass destruction and how these developments shape the outlook for counterproliferation of chemical weapons. By the end of this course, students will be able to:

1. The Chemistry and Production: Recognize different types of CW agents; focusing on their physical properties and physiological effects. Conceive general production routes and required materials.
2. The Delivery and Employment: Consider military munitions, to include strategic and tactical systems, as well as improvised and small-scale delivery systems. Assess historical and current uses of these devices by states and non-state actors. 
3. The Threat Assessment and Political Picture: Discuss the strategic and tactical threats and values of CW agents; explore potential future for CW agents. Examine the political landscape of arms control agreements and explore international efforts to re-establish CP norms.

This seminar will present a variety of nationally and globally recognized experts in the broad field of biohazardous threat agents and emerging infectious diseases. Individual topics will vary depending on the expertise of each speaker. Previous lectures have included: D.A. Henderson: “From global smallpox eradication to biodefense” David Kaplan: “Aum Shinrikyo” Jeffrey Taubenberger: “Recovering the 1918 flu virus” Don Burke: “Tracking new retroviruses in Central Africa” Chad Roy: “Threat of aerosolized agents”

This elective course is focused on exploring the various aspects of how the US government, specifically the Department of Defense, works to safeguard America and its allies from weapons of mass destruction (chemical, biological, radiological, nuclear, and high yield explosives) by providing capabilities to reduce, eliminate, and counter the threat, and to mitigate its effects. An initial analysis of the current and potential nuclear/radiological, biological and chemical threat will set the stage; and the medical effects of these weapons will be briefly reviewed. Various threat reduction strategies and their medical consequences including the Chemical Weapons Convention and the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty will be surveyed. Moreover, elimination efforts such as the Chemical Demilitarization Program will be covered. Public health and medical consequences related to the enormous task of mitigating the effects of a WMD will be covered. The course will consist primarily of lecture/discussion format with readings designed to enhance student knowledge and provoke discussion; and subject matter experts from various government agencies will present their respective roles in this realm.

This course is taught with lectures 50% and discussions 50%. The first hour introduces a specific AI technology by an expert, and the second hour discusses how to regulate the specific technology. The course is taught by faculty members with interdisciplinary backgrounds in AI, health care, defense, ethics and biomedical science policy with decades of experience. Both instructors have advised at a US federal agency, teamed with an international expert in biomedical technology and the healthcare economy. In 2023, AI faced a new paradigm shift that brought much concern to AI technologies, mainly due to concerns about using the chat GPT in the educational system. However, AI has revolutionized patient care and scientific research in health care and health science.
We hope students will learn about AI in biomedical fields and defense capabilities in this course. At the same time, we will discuss how to fine-tune policies considering ethical concerns and racial and other discrimination. Due to AI, medical imaging has accelerated the diagnostic processes for discovering hidden cancers. The drug-designing process has become much more rapid and enhanced with AI. As we need to process big data in biomedical sciences, we cannot manage without the help of AI tools. Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy for cancers is a revolutionary approach to targeted, personalized immunotherapy for cancer patients; despite many advances through AI technologies, the accuracy of AI work has still not reached 100%, and there are hidden biases in AI technologies. Especially young generations need to understand the inside of the “black box” before fully taking advantage of the technologies. In this course, while introducing various AI technologies, we will discuss ethics, policy, and concerns about fully regulating these technologies to utilize their capacities.

*Nuclear Weapons, Nuclear Power and Non-proliferation is a graduate course that examines the most prominent weapon of mass destruction, the atomic weapon and explains how nuclear weapons and nuclear technology risk compares to biothreats and emerging infectious diseases. The course provides the context concerning other WMD risks. The course has five content units. The first unit introduces nuclear weapons and material. Unit 2 explains nuclear weapons their construction and delivery. Content Unit 3 presents the components and distribution of nuclear power. Unit 4 discusses the international norms that exist to control nuclear weapons and material. Unit 5 addresses nonproliferation and counterproliferation efforts and the reasons to do so.

*This class will examine the policy landscape important for emergency management; including the lessons learned and new directions in public, animal, and plant health policies resulting from previous nationally significant epidemics and pandemics. Topics will span all levels of Federal, State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (FSLTT) government policies and international frameworks, as possible, to give students a perspective on the ways in which policies at each level rely on coordination to affect the best outcome. Perspectives will be captured from these levels to identify and understand how strengths and shortcomings in past pandemic management can inform future emergencies from a One Health perspective.

This class will explore key elements of biosafety, biosecurity and biodefense. We will discuss how the past has influenced aspects of each discipline while focusing our efforts on their evolution in the current health security landscape. BHTA 6803 will examine current issues in biosafety, biosecurity, and biodefense – the invisible threat that touches our lives every day. What works, what doesn’t work in biosafety, biosecurity and biodefense, and why these issues are important to everyone. The course covers an introduction to the unique safety and security concerns associated with biological science and requisite capabilities, means, and methods to mitigate those concerns. Biosafety, Biosecurity and Biodefense lays a foundation to understand and assess threats and risks to and from biological materials, technology, and information.

1. Articulate current issues in contemporary biodefense and understand its relationship to BW programs.
2. Describe how human threat behavior and advances in biotechnology impact the assessment of biosecurity risk.
3. Analyze national biosecurity, biosafety, biorisk management, and biodefense policy and discuss the degree to which goals and objectives address or fail to address the current biosecurity threat environment.
4. Explain the role of biosafety and biosecurity in achieving biodefense and evaluate governance and operational requirements for safe and secure research.

Emerging technologies are transforming the life sciences. In the past decade, researchers worldwide have embraced a multidisciplinary approach that combines biological techniques, elements, and systems with engineering concepts, empowered by rapidly growing global capacities to manage and analyze complex biological data and disruptive discoveries in gene editing. Current and future technologies in the biosciences – including cellular biotechnologies, synthetic biology, and genomic medicine – have the potential to transform research, medicine, and public health, with implications for the sciences, society, and security. BHTA 6805 is a graduate seminar that will introduce the biological basis, hope, and hype of these emerging technologies through the review of current technical and policy literature. Students will prepare a policy brief with recommendations for policies and/or regulatory frameworks to balance the benefits and risks of these emerging technologies for science and society.

Internships are a critical part of the academic and professional development of students in the Biomedical Policy & Advocacy and the Biohazardous Threat Agents and Emerging Infectious Diseases Masters Programs. This course allows students to enhance their professional, technical, and networking skills through a planned, supervised, and evaluated internship experience. During this 2- credit elective, the student works 60 hours, or a minimum average of 6 hours per week for 10 weeks, on-site at a sponsoring agency or organization under the direct supervision of a Site Preceptor. The internship site, specific learning objectives, and activities are determined by the student and the site preceptor, with the approval of the Course Directors. Students will work with the Course Directors to develop learning objectives for the internship. Students are expected to apply their academic knowledge and demonstrate enhancement of professional and analytical skills during the internship. The internship course is open to full-time students in their second semester of study, or those who have completed at least 12 credit hours of coursework, with at least a 3.0 (B average). Limited to Department of Microbiology and Immunology graduate students; advisor/instructor permission required.

* Microbiomics touches upon a broad range of disciplines, including microbiology, immunology, biochemistry, and bioinformatics. This new discipline can further elucidate our understanding of the complex interactions among hosts, the immune system, and health at every stage of life. This seminar series will bring leading experts in the field of microbiome and introduce students to the broad range of current research such as human immune systems, wellness and aging, environmental health, neurological functions, and population health. The course will consist of lectures by instructors and guest speakers. The course will touch upon the role of next-generation microbial sequencing, including indications for, and how to interpret the results of the taxonomic and metagenomic analyses as an introduction to the advanced course on microbiomics and health.

Students will learn the history and application of international policy from 1917-present, with an emphasis on understanding current events and the changing political climate. The course will focus on primary documents and sources rather than a text. Students will explore policy from the perspective of another country for the semester and will participate in discussions from the perspective of that nation.

This interdisciplinary course will provide introductory lectures in a variety of fields that pertain to biomedical science policy & advocacy. Lectures will cover relevant federal agencies, prominent science advocacy groups and techniques, principles of health economics, funding of research activities, the interaction of science & industry, as well as some controversial issues in science policy such as biodefense, stem cell research, and climate change. Students will be left with a multi-faceted understanding of the environment that shapes biomedical science policy and the scientists’ role in this arena.

See BSPA/BHTA 9706. All capstones aim to bridge theory and practice and are desired to impact the future professional life of students upon graduation. Students are encouraged to apply and expand the knowledge gained throughout the BSPA program as part of this process.

This course will prepare students in both health sciences and public policy to quickly adapt to this emerging paradigm shift, while cultivating and directing their fresh innovative ideas in areas of environmental health policy.

This course is an introduction to how science and technology affect foreign affairs and how international affairs influence science and technology. It is the gateway course required of SFS juniors majoring in science, technology, and international affairs (STIA), and College science majors taking the STIA certificate. It may also be taken by undergraduates and graduate students from anywhere in the university without special permission. It has no prerequisites and is suitable both for the policy generalist and for students with backgrounds in science. The course uses examples drawn from environment, security, nuclear policy, information, communications, energy, homeland defense, health, and manufacturing technology, and explores issues of sustainability, scientific risk and uncertainty, the links of science and technology with economics and geopolitics, scientific advice to governments, and government support to research and innovation. It explores the role of technological innovation in increasing productivity and competitiveness, and in solving critical social problems.

The original brain initiative concept “aims to develop new high-resolution tools and data science approaches to precisely quantify behaviors and synchronize them with brain activity data, build new conceptual and computational frameworks of behavioral systems, and disseminate new tools to the research community.” This seminar series will explore various aspects of brain initiative with cutting-edge emerging technology tools and critical questions to manage multiple health and security issues using these technologies. The class consists of guest speakers investigating various brain research technologies, from advanced gut and brain axis studies to motor neuron manipulation chips and various defense capabilities. The team of instructors has a unique diversity of backgrounds, from biomedical policy to neuro-ethics to engineering. Students will learn cutting-edge brain sciences while critically evaluating these technologies from ethical points of view and creating policy proposals for appropriate regulations.

This course aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of the complex ethical dimensions of global health. It will explore ethical issues concerning three dimensions of global health: practice, policy, and research. It will address chronic and contemporary moral problems in the field by unpacking the power imbalances in worldwide health and examining the history and current practices in the field. Part 1 will provide a historical background of the evolution of global health and clarify the rationale for practicing global health ethics. Part 2 will focus on understanding the ethical issues concerning global health practice. It will present the ethical dilemmas inherent in disease-specific global health programs such as HIV, Malaria, Cancer, and the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, focusing on unequal access to quality technologies and treatment as well as issues concerning the disproportionate burden of the diseases in LMICs. Part 3 will focus on Global health policy and governance and examine the ethical implications of the evolving global health governance landscape. The students will study the role of different global health actors in global health governance, including multilateral organizations, financial institutions like the World Bank, Civil Society Organizations, and commercial actors. They will explore issues such as ‘philanthro-capitalism’ to understand the ethical issues regarding philanthropy in global health. Part 4 will focus on ethical issues concerning global health research, evaluate the ethical dimensions of global health research and engage with concepts like ‘parachute research’ author reflexivity in addition to covering topics related to informed consent, preserving data privacy, and engaging with communities, while also contemplating the ethical obligations of investigators towards the communities they investigate. Finally, students will learn about approaches for ethical global health practice by studying models of global health accountability, such as the Framework for Tobacco Convention and People’s Health Movements. They will also read about new initiatives like the Global Health 50/50 report as an accountability mechanism for improving gender equality in global health. Students will end the course with a speculative design exercise where they will develop a model for an ethical global health system.

*Please note that this course is restricted to students in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology under Biomedical Graduate Education. This includes the Ph.D. and M.S. in Microbiology and Immunology program, the M.S. in Biomedical Science Policy and Advocacy program, and the M.S. in Biohazardous Threat Agents & Emerging Infectious Diseases program. If you are a student outside of these programs who would like to take this course, please contact the program director listed on our department website for permission and for more details. If you are approved to take this course, an Add/Drop form will be required in order to add this course.

This course benefits students who desire to learn the multidisciplinary nature of regulatory science. As regulatory science covers all scientific disciplines used in the regulatory and other policymaking processes, this course provides an overview of the most frequently applied regulatory science disciplines. The course starts by giving an overview of regulatory science. Subsequently, specific fields are described. Examples of lectures include regulatory toxicology, regulatory microbiology, regulatory ecology, and other topics. The course also describes regulatory science tools such as mathematical modeling and cost-benefit analysis. Typically, uniquely qualified guest lecturers from government, academia, and industry will be invited to cover a topic and, to the extent possible, provide critical written information on the presented topic.

Science and health diplomacies use scientific, technological, and medical (STM) knowledge for collaborations, negotiations, and other activities among countries. These types of diplomacy aim to 1) address common international problems on STM and 2) build effective international partnerships and policies for STM. With greater globalization in business and other activities, the rapid spread of infectious diseases has become eminent, as shown in COVID-19 cases over the last three years. Thus, implementing comprehensive public health management globally, cross-border STM collaborations, and understanding cultural and national differences are crucial requirements for the world’s leaders.

This course examines in detail the unique genetics that underlie the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system and the somatic rearrangements responsible for diversity of the T-cell and B-cell receptors. Natural killer cell receptors, transplantation genetics, the microbiome, and the genesis of cancer are surveyed. The role of adaptive immunity in control of cancer, infectious disease and autoimmunity is explored deeply.

This graduate seminar is a unique combination of presentations by experts in microbiology, antimicrobial drug discovery, and outbreaks of Infectious disease. Policy, public health, public opinion, research, ecology, host and vectors, and social science are united by key topics in global infectious diseases. Also, a purpose of this seminar series is for each of you to understand how Outbreaks and Anti-Microbial Resistance (AMR) require multidisciplinary approaches to intervention. The seminar series takes place in the Fall (BSPA/BHTA 7800) and the Spring (BSPA/BHTA 7801) semesters, each with different infectious diseases as a focus. BSPA/BHTA 7801 is open to all Ph.D. and M.S. students in the Department of Microbiology & Immunology and other GU graduate students. For this semester, there are two parts to the course one on Outbreaks and the other one on Anti-microbial drug resistance (AMR).

This graduate seminar combines presentations by experts in microbiology & immunology, advocacy, policy, public health, infectious diseases, and social sciences with an analysis of the primary literature in key topics in global infectious diseases. The purpose of this seminar series is to address factors that influence the emergence and re-emergence of infectious diseases that affect vulnerable populations worldwide, and the drivers that either promote or prevent an effective response to these global disease burdens. Presentations will provide an overview of a Global Health issue supported by regional or national examples.

Capstone course is a term that is synonymous with ‘culmination project’ or ‘thesis.’ Capstone courses have multiple components, including oral presentations and written submissions. Students will work on their projects for the two semesters under this program. The course is hands-on, and the course director will work closely with each student, from selecting topics to research methods and presentations in front of vital policy experts. The Project provides an opportunity for students to engage in high-level inquiry focusing on an area of specialization within their professional goals. Capstone projects will be inquiry and practice-centered and draw upon areas of interest to the student from the program, such as environmental health, national security, and regulatory science. All capstones aim to bridge theory and practice and are desired to impact the future professional life of students upon graduation. Through this course, students will develop a solid foundation of “science policy-making” step by step, including critical tools (literature search, use of congress.gov, interview techniques with STM experts) and methods (standards for creating science policy proposals) that need to create a comprehensive bill proposal. The Capstone Project will demonstrate the depth and extent of knowledge of students. Students who take this course would learn every step of drafting a bill, from identifying its importance for the nations, including national security, public health, and regulations of emerging technologies to toxic substances based on environmental health and more. They will be matched with a mentor who is an expert in a specific topic a student chooses to pursue in their capstone project. They are expected to complete a substantial bill proposal with detailed references and arguments to support their bill proposal. At the end of the project, students are allowed to publish their work in a peer-reviewed journal. The course would prepare students to be policy advisors at government agencies or private thinktank.

This course will cover NIH bioterrorism agents (categories A-C), which can be utilized as biological weapons. The microbiology of these agents will focus on structure, pathology, and virulence factors. The immune response to these agents will be presented. Viral agents will include Variola and hemorrhagic fevers (Ebola and Lassa). Bacterial agents will include B. anthracis, Yersinia pestis (plague), and Francisella tularensis (tularemia). Emerging infectious disease threats such as Nipah, Hantavirus, and SARS will also be covered.

This course will examine the use of biological weapons. Terrorism in its modern form will be discussed as well as which biologicalagents are most likely to be used, their techniques for deployment, and their prevention and control. Specific disease agents to be covered will include anthrax, plague, botulism, smallpox, tularemia, and viral hemorrhagic fevers.

*This course will examine threats to the US homeland, how they might evolve over the next ten years, and the consequent implications for technology and homeland security. The course will examine the motivations of non-state actors to threaten the US homeland, how those actors might use technology and exploit vulnerabilities to attack the US, and the role of technology in countering these threats and securing the homeland.

This course explores on the medical effects and response to a nuclear/radiological, chemical, biological threat attacks. Additionally, the course will include a current analysis of the 2 capacities of the US system to withstand the effects of a major CBRNE attack. It will also evaluate the H1N1 Pandemic Influenza as a case study for preparedness. This course will move from addressing the threats presenting to individuals to threats presenting to communities (local, state, national) based on the potential medical and system outcomes for both. Specifically, it will address both individual medical outcomes and treatment strategies of disease, and larger community, state, and national outcomes and response strategies for an attack.

This course will provide a comprehensive view of animal health as it relates to the concept of “One Health” for the betterment of an increasingly global society. Through lecture, students will be presented with material related to specific zoonotic diseases, such as Avian Influenza, Rabies, MERS-coV, Nipah, and West Nile, and the lessons learned through the emergence and re-emergence of these diseases in animals. Course participants will also be encouraged to follow mass media current events on relevant subject matter as a means to stimulate discussion. Other topics explored will include: the cultural and socioeconomic factors influencing human-animal interaction, the increasing interface with wild and domestic animals, animals as sentinels of human disease, and the impact of urban agriculture. The breadth of knowledge pertaining to animal health gained in this course should allow the students to apply a sharp analytical insight to very complex “Global One Health” issues.

This course is designed to assist graduate students interested in working in the area of public policy, social work, emergency management/business continuity, community development, healthcare/public health and environmental health to understand longstanding and emerging risks and what is required to build the capacity of communities to successfully cope with and rebound from disasters and events in an era of rapid climate, technological, and social change. The course focuses on all threats and hazards—natural and manmade, including major health threats, extreme weather, events due to technological causes and deteriorating and aging infrastructures, and cyber and physical attacks. The course will examine the fundamentals of, and requirements for community resilience and how to engage, mobilize, and enable stakeholders in communities worldwide that have different levels of resources to collaboratively identify needs and policy, planning, and technology solutions; evaluate current resilience capabilities, and devise innovative ways to fill gaps and gauge progress made. Particular attention will be paid to case studies based on recent disasters and significant events and community resilience initiatives and best practices to enable students to think critically about how the many diverse stakeholder constituencies that comprise a community can collectively address adverse health, economic, environmental, and social/human impacts of disasters and events through the interrelated domains of prevention, protection, preparedness, mitigation, response and recovery. Emphasis also will be on examining community resilience programs and activities of national, state, local, private sector and non-governmental organizations and assessing where these can be improved.

This course covers the organs, cells, and molecules of the innate and adaptive immune system and how they contribute to discrimination of self from non-self. The paradigm is the host response to infectious agents. Hypersensitivity and autoimmunity are also considered as variations in the basic protective function of the immune system.

The course is focused on principal human pathogenic bacteria and fungi. The host-pathogen relationship and antimicrobial therapy are grounded in an understanding of the structure and physiology of medically important prokaryotes and lower eukaryotes.

This course covers the general principles of virology, with an emphasis on viruses that cause human disease. The course delves into the varied replication strategies of major virus families and draws connections between virus replication, disease, therapy, and prevention.

Students gain hands-on experience working on cutting-edge research projects in faculty labs.

This course explores the varied ways pathogenic bacteria overcome natural host defense, describes host responses to infection, and discusses the network of interactions between pathogen and man at the molecular and cellular level.

This course explores therapeutic approaches targeting the immune system for infections, cancer, and autoimmune diseases. It covers fundamental immunology concepts, biologics, cell-based therapies, and therapeutic vaccines. Topics include immunotherapy types, licensed and experimental small molecules, challenges, and vaccine development, featuring lectures by invited experts in immune therapy and vaccine fields.

The course examines the evolution of immune systems over millions of years, from ancient innate systems to adaptive immunity. It details the roles played by mutation, selection, and chance in our lineage. Comparative studies cover prokaryotes to humans, including Neanderthals and Denisovans. Also explored are immune system weaknesses in autoimmunity, cancer and infectious disease and biotechnological progress in their control.

This seminar series features research-based lectures on a variety of topics in the field of microbiology and immunology, given by experts from institutions around the world. External lectures are supplemented by presentations from current Ph.D. students in Microbiology & Immunology.

This seminar series features research-based lectures on a variety of topics in the field of microbiology and immunology, given by experts from institutions around the world. External lectures are supplemented by presentations from current Ph.D. students in Microbiology & Immunology.

This course examines in detail the unique genetics that underlie the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system and the somatic rearrangements responsible for diversity of the T-cell and B-cell receptors. Natural killer cell receptors, transplantation genetics, the microbiome, and the genesis of cancer are surveyed. The role of adaptive immunity in control of cancer, infectious disease and autoimmunity is explored deeply.