HPR 179 A-Z - Special Topics in Health

Semester Hours: 1-3

Periodically

Specific courses designed to explore emerging topics in health.

Current Special Topics

HPR 179AB - Special Topic Health Equity Faith Communities

A rigorous academic overview of disparities in the US healthcare systems with a focus on Minority and Faith-based communities. The course will address critical topics in public health, a multitude of variables associated with health inequity and systematic racism adversely affecting faith-based and minority communities, and the vital role of cultural humility in healthcare delivery to these communities. Students will explore, analyze, and advocate policies to improve health outcomes in faith-based arenas.

HPR 179AD - Special Topic Health Peer Adv

This experiential learning opportunity is designed to aid in the undergraduate advising experience. Under the guidance of professional advising administrators, the Pre-Health Peer Advisors will play a crucial role in supporting students’ academic success and personal development within the college community. They will work closely with the Center for University Advising team to provide peer-to-peer guidance, resources, and information to help students navigate their academic journey effectively. Students selected to participate in the program will enroll for an associated 1-credit spring 2024 course HPR 179AD (Special Topics: Health Peer Advising) and complete a minimum of 25 hours of service during the spring 2025 semester. Students who successfully complete the Peer Advisor Program and associated course will receive a $250 honorarium.

HPR 179AF - Critical Decisions in Public Health Emergencies

This course is designed to provide an overview of the key principles of critical decision making during public health emergencies, emergency management, and disaster planning. The focus of this course will be public health with special emphasis on health care administration and management during ongoing and developing crises, unexpected events, emergencies, and disasters. Experts from the field will address special topics such as: Problem Solving at the Federal, State, and Local Level; Emergency Preparedness; Vulnerability Analyses, and Complex Decision Making. Course participants will engage in seminar style discussions and group interactive projects emphasizing real-time, inter-disciplinary professional decision-making.

This course will take the learner through various decision-making processes involved with complex public health emergencies. The course will enable the learner to better identify critical issues and make decisions with limited information. The learning matrix is a mixture of lecture, small group work, problem-based learning, and interactive study design.

HPR 179AG - Geriatric and Palliative Medicine: A Compassionate and Patient-Centered Approach to Health Care

Students will be introduced to the challenges and rewards clinicians face in treating patients with serious illness and those with multiple chronic conditions; the course will focus on how to help patients transition from curative care to supportive care, the benefits, limits and distinctions between hospice and palliative care, shared decision making and informed consent. The distinctive needs of older adult patients and those with multiple chronic conditions will also be explored. Cultural and psychosocial influences that impact both patient and clinician will be explored. Evaluating individual and family caregiver goals for quality of life versus quantity of life, as well as ethical issues surrounding care, and clinician communication will be examined. This one-credit class will take place the first half of spring semester over six classes. A seventh session will be held for the optional certification assessment. Those who select this option and successfully complete the assessment will be issued a Compassion-Driving Health Care Foundational Knowledge Certification by the Geriatric and Palliative Medicine Division of Northwell Health and there will be a fee of $125 for the administration of this certification.

This will not be a review or duplication for students who may have taken the classes HPR 100 (Palliative Care & Hospice) or HPR 067 (Aging & Long-Term Care).

HPR 179M - Opioids, Marijuana & Vaping; Current Trends and Local Government’s Role

This course will examine the current trends in opioid, marijuana, and vaping use, abuse, programs, policies, and politics, with a focus on local government’s role. The course will look specifically at how a local Department of Human Services works in conjunction with the Departments of Health and Social Services, as well as with health care and community-based organizations, to facilitate the sharing and exchange of information and to collaborate in comprehensive, integrated, and effective ways.

HPR 179Q - Public Health Emergencies: Current Trends in Community Response and Government’s Role

This course will examine the current trends in Public Health Emergencies. Several public health emergencies of the 21st century have demonstrated the need for enormous coordination among multiple entities for good outcomes. Historically, these preparedness and response activities have mostly been within the domain of local, state, and national government agencies. However, the private sector and nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) are also playing larger roles in recent public health emergencies for multiple reasons. Often, the government may be limited in the immediate resources available to respond to an emergency, or these agencies may not be able to help speedily, and the private sector and NGOs may be able to deliver aid quickly through well-established formal and informal networks. The course will look specifically at how local Departments of Health and Human Services (HHS) work in conjunction with health care, community-based organizations, and the private sector to facilitate the sharing and exchange of information and resources in comprehensive, integrated, and effective ways.

HPR 179U - School of Health Sciences

Introduction to SOH and Health Professions for incoming first-time students to Hofstra University. This course is designed to introduce students to multiple resources within the School of Health Sciences and at Hofstra University who will support your academic and extra-curricular success. Course topics will focus on introducing students to practices helping with the transition to college. Class assignments will include readings and interactive assignments such as, but not limited to, round-table discussions, reflections, community service, and conducting interviews. Simultaneously, students in this course will be introduced to the multiple pathways that exist to enter the varied fields of healthcare. By hearing from HPHS alumni, who will serve as guest speakers, students in this course will learn from active clinicians and practitioners across the health industry about how their Hofstra experience helped shape their career path.

Class Participation: Students are expected to contribute their own ideas and to ask questions during class. Students are expected to attend all of the class sessions from HPR 179U and regularly check their pride e-mail account and Canvas for information and correspondence with the instructors.

HPR 179V - Trauma: Brain/Body Connection

Designed to familiarize prospective health professionals with the lifelong impacts that Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) may have on one’s physical, emotional, and mental health. Emphasis will be placed on the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study. Students will explore how to incorporate a “trauma lens” into their field of choice. Students will develop a range of communication and helping skills to work with diverse populations.

HPR 179W - Current Trends in Physical Therapy

This course is an introduction to the physical therapy profession within the health care system for undergraduate students interested in the field of physical therapy. This course provides an introduction and orientation to the field of physical therapy. This course provides students with the opportunity to clearly define the role of physical therapy and learn about physical therapy settings and specialties. This course provides students with the knowledge of how to prepare for graduate school, and how to prepare for applying to a physical therapy program. This course offers a variety of subjects/topics related to the practice of physical therapy.

HPR 179BB: Art, Memory, and Healing: An Exploration Through Art Therapy, Studio Art, and Art History

Morgan Gaydos, Counseling and Mental Health Professions and Anna Novakov, Fine Arts, Design, Art History 

This 15-week course brings together the disciplines of Creative Art Therapy, Studio Art, and Art History to explore the therapeutic potential of art in the context of memory and healing. Through team-taught sessions, students will examine how art can facilitate emotional expression, personal reflection, and the processing of memories, particularly in the framework of reminiscence therapy. The course will begin with an introduction to the fundamentals of art therapy and the historical context of how art has been used for healing across cultures. Studio-based projects will guide students in creating artworks that engage with personal and collective memory, while weekly lectures in art history will examine how artists from different periods have grappled with themes of memory, trauma, and identity. Special emphasis will be placed on reminiscence therapy, where students will study its principles and practice, followed by hands-on sessions where they will learn how to use creative techniques to support individuals in recalling and reflecting on their past experiences. The course will be structured around reading assignments, case studies, collaborative art-making, and discussions. Students will emerge with a deeper understanding of the intersection between therapeutic practices, creative expression, and historical context, gaining skills that are applicable to both artistic and therapeutic settings. By the end of the course, students will have developed an understanding of how fine arts can be used as a tool for expression, healing, and social impact, while also refining their artistic skills in a meaningful, interdisciplinary context.

Crosslisted as: FA 181B

This course is a featured interdisciplinary course for Fall 2025. For more information, visit our Interdisciplinary Courses Webpage.

Prerequisite(s)/Course Notes:
As individual subjects are selected, each is assigned a letter (A-Z) and added to the course number. Any course may be taken a number of times so long as there is a different letter designation each time it is taken. Specific titles and course descriptions for special topics courses are available in the online class schedule.

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