HSCI 442 Food-borne Illness Prevention for Health Science Professionals

This course examines the foundation of food contaminants throughout the farm to fork continuum with emphasis on the prevention of food-borne illnesses. The role of government initiatives and developments in current research regarding U.S. and global food-borne illnesses will be explored.

According to the Center for Disease Control, one in six Americans will contract a food-borne illness resulting in more than 128,000 hospitalizations and 3,000 deaths each year. The production, preparation, and delivery of food is a common source of food-borne illnesses around the world. Health professionals need an understanding of the etiology and prevention of these illnesses so they can intercede through consumer education. Knowledge of food safety is critical to public health, food defense, and food security.

Textbook readings and lecture presentations/notes

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Course Requirements Checklist

After reading the Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.

Discussions (4)

Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student will complete four Discussions. Each discussion will consist of a thread of 400-500 words and at least two replies of 200-250 words each reply. The instructor is looking for substantial, thoughtful, and critical discussions. For each thread, students must support their assertions with at least 2 scholarly citations in AMA format. Each reply must incorporate at least 1 scholarly citation(s) in AMA format.

Short Paper Assignments (2)

The student will complete two Short Paper Assignments, each at least 600 words. The instructor is looking for substantial, thoughtful, and critical analysis of an assigned topic. Each paper should include at least two citations.

Research Article Critique: Bacterial Outbreak Assignment

Students will select a research article on the topic of food safety and then critique the article based on the questions posed in the instructions. This assignment will familiarize students with scholarly literature, contribute to their knowledge of food safety issues, and teach them to critique research publications as they answer open-ended questions about the research paper. The content summary should be at least 200 words and at least 15 vocabulary words should be defined.

Scavenger Hunt Assignment

Students will become familiar with a resource published by the Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (CFSAN) of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, that is a valuable reference for health professionals. This resource is available online at no charge. Questions regarding common foodborne pathogens are posed in the assignment that students will answer after searching and reading appropriate sections of the resource.

Research Paper Assignments (2)

The student will select one country (other than the U.S.) to investigate. They will search the literature for credible sources and write a research paper about foodborne illnesses in this country. The student will also explain and analyze the public health policies and regulations in that country in comparison to the U.S.

Research Paper: Bibliography Assignment

The student will submit a bibliography with at least 6 credible sources in current AMA formatting.

Research Paper: Global View of Foodborne Illnesses Assignment

The student will write a 6-10 page paper addressing the prompts provided. 

Quizzes (8)

There will be eight quizzes during the course. These quizzes will cover the Learn material for the assigned Module: Week. These quizzes will be open-book/open-notes, contain 20 multiple-choice and true/false questions, and will have a 1-hour time limit.