Outline

Overview

This unit of study will focus on the role of pharmacy in public health and health promotion, and on developing students' understanding of the Australian Health Care System, health policy and regulation affecting health in Australia and internationally. We will develop students' skills in identifying, accessing and interpreting relevant policy, regulation and research literature. Topics which underpin understanding of public health including epidemiology/pharmacoepidemiology and pharmacoeconomics will also be addressed. Through workshops and assignments, students will be given the opportunity to integrate their learning and apply this knowledge to address population health care problems with a special emphasis on achieving the quality, safety and judicious use of medicines in health care

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	Pharmacy
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	PHAR3100 and PHAR3815 and PHAR3825 and PHAR3816 and PHAR3817 and PHAR3818 and PHAR3819 and PHAR3826 and PHAR3827 and PHAR3820
Corequisites ?	(PHAR4814 or PHAR4815 or WORK3202 or WORK2222) and PHAR4100
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	Barbara Mintzes, barbara.mintzes@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Barbara Mintzes, barbara.mintzes@sydney.edu.au
Tutor(s)	Kellia Chiu, kellia.chiu@sydney.edu.au
	Monika Dzidowska, monika.dzidowska@sydney.edu.au
	Sally McDonald, sally.mcdonald@sydney.edu.au
	Eliza McEwin, eliza.mcewin@sydney.edu.au
	David Le, d.le@sydney.edu.au
	Ashleigh Hooimeyer, ashleigh.hooimeyer@sydney.edu.au
	Judith Mackson, judith.mackson@sydney.edu.au
	Edward Lau, edward.lau@sydney.edu.au

Assessment

The census date for this unit availability is 31 March 2025

Details
Criteria

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Supervised exam ?	Final exam MCQ and SAQ	40%	Formal exam period	1.5 hours
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Workshop participation and pre-work Participation in workshops and in some lectures; pre-work submission	9%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 6 tutorial quiz (workshop 4) On-line CANVAS quiz	3%	Week 06 Due date: 01 Apr 2025 at 11:00 Closing date: 03 Apr 2025	10 minutes; 9 MCQ questions
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Research skills: searching for team project references Assignment	5%	Week 07 Due date: 11 Apr 2025 at 23:00	Four questions; total = 400 - 800 words
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Team project A: first 'pitch' presentation Oral presentation	5%	Week 08 Due date: 15 Apr 2025 at 11:00 Closing date: 17 Apr 2025	5 minutes + 5 min discussion
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 9 tutorial quiz (workshop 6) On-line CANVAS quiz	3%	Week 09 Due date: 29 Apr 2025 at 11:00 Closing date: 01 May 2025	10 minutes; 9 MCQ questions
Outcomes assessed:
Presentation	Team project B: Final presentation Oral presentation	5%	Week 11 Due date: 13 May 2025 at 11:00 Closing date: 15 May 2025	10 minutes presentation +5 min discussio
Outcomes assessed:
Tutorial quiz	Week 12 tutorial quiz On-line CANVAS quiz	3%	Week 12 Due date: 20 May 2025 at 11:00 Closing date: 22 May 2025	10 minutes [9 multiple choice questions]
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Team project C: Final report Report	25%	Week 13 Due date: 30 May 2025 at 23:59	10 pages + title page, refs & appendix
Outcomes assessed:
Online task	Teamwork peer review Own and peer review of contribution to teamwork.	2%	Week 13 Due date: 30 May 2025 at 23:00	100 - 200 word reflection
Outcomes assessed:
= hurdle task ? = group assignment ? = AI allowed ?

Assessment summary

Workshop participation and pre-work: Students are expected to actively participate in workshop activities, to complete and submit pre-work before each workshop, and to have done the relevant readings and either attended or listened to linked lectures.
Tutorial quizzes: There are three in-class quizzes during week 6, 10 and 12 tutorials. The first two quizzes include 10 multiple-choice questions; the third includes 5 multiple-choice questions. These quizzes cover content in lectures and workshops during weeks 3 to 5 (tutorial quiz 1); weeks 6-9 (tutorial quiz 2) and weeks 10-11 (tutorial quiz 3). The quizzes provides examples of the types of questions to be expected on the final exam and allow students to assess their progress throughout the semester.
Reflective research skills assignment: In this individual assignment, which is submitted on-line, each student is asked to find and select three references each that will be useful for their team projects and to explain their literature search, why they selected these references, and why they judge the evidence to be trustworthy.
Team project A: 'pitch presentation': The aim of this first presentation is for teams to “pitch” their project and convince the audience of the need for an intervention. This 'pitch' can be to a community group, funder, or government body. The main focus is on the health risk, why an intervention is needed, and why a specific region or community was selected.
Team project B: final presentation: This presentation describes the team’s planned intervention, including background information on the health risk, why an intervention is needed, previous experience, details of intervention activities, and how success will be evaluated.
Team project C: final report: The final report on the team’s public health intervention should include the public health issue, region and at-risk population addressed, and the planned intervention. It includes background research on epidemiology and on the effectiveness of previous interventions to address the issue.
Final examination: The final examination is framed around the course learning objectives and focuses on the main content in the lectures and workshops. There will be approximately 1-2 exam questions per lecture and 2 exam questions per workshop. The exam will be a mix of multiple choice and short answer questions.
The Final Exam requires a minimum of 50% pass to pass this unit overall.
Reflective peer review of groupwork: Students are asked to reflect on their own and their fellow team members' contributions to the team project. This assignment is submitted on-line.

AI tools permitted (Team project A, Team project B, Team project C, Workshop participation and pre-work, Teamwork peer review, research skills)

You are permitted to use automated writing tools and generative artificial intelligence (AI) to facilitate your learning and completion of this assignment. Please adhere to the following guidelines:

Do not enter confidential, personal, copyrighted or otherwise sensitive information into any AI tool.
Do not rely on the accuracy of outputs. You remain responsible for your work. This means you must independently verify and edit AI-generated content to ensure the integrity, accuracy, and suitability of the output.
If you use these tools, you must be aware of their limitations, biases, and propensity for fabrication.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission, must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to reference and acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

You are advised to keep copies of the prompts you provided and AI outputs as evidence of your research and writing process. This allows you to produce an accurate acknowledgement of AI use when you submit your work. This can be requested by the unit coordinator if there is any uncertainty about the originality of your work.

No use of AI tools (Final exam, All tutorial quizzes)

The use of automated writing tools and generative artificial intelligence is prohibited in this assessment. You are not allowed to use AI or any other software to create information or answers, to alter your own original writing, or to generate or modify text from other sources. This includes translation software, editing/paraphrasing software and other generative artificial intelligence tools.

Unapproved use is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and may result in penalties, which can include a fail for the assessment.

PLEASE NOTE: Supplementary Yr assessments: Students may be offered a re-assessment of one compulsory-to-pass assessment, in the RE1 and RE2 Exam periods at the end of the year, as described in the Final Year Rule. For more information see the announcement on the Canvas Year site.

Repeating students: Exemption from components (tutorials, workshops) for students repeating PHAR4823 will not be granted, except in exceptional circumstances by the Year co-ordinator/ BPharm Program Director.

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a high distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100	At HD level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the unit material. A ‘High Distinction’ reflects exceptional achievement and is awarded to students who demonstrate the ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding to produce original solutions for novel or highly complex problems and/or comprehensive critical discussions of theoretical concepts.
Distinction	75 - 84	At DI level, a student demonstrates an aptitude for the subject and a well-developed understanding of the units material. A ‘Distinction’ reflects excellent achievement and is awarded to a student who demonstrates an ability to apply their subject knowledge and understanding of the subject to produce good solutions for challenging problems and/or a reasonably well-developed critical analysis of theoretical concepts.
Credit	65 - 74	At CR level, a student demonstrates a good command and knowledge of the unit material. A ‘Credit’ reflects solid achievement and is awarded to a student who has a broad general understanding of the units material and can solve routine problems and/ or identify and superficially discuss theoretical concepts.
Pass	50 - 64	At PS level, a student demonstrates proficiency in the material. A ‘Pass’ reflects satisfactory adequately referencing the original source of the work.
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Except for supervised exams or in-semester tests, you may use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessments unless expressly prohibited by your unit coordinator.

For exams and in-semester tests, the use of AI and automated writing tools is not allowed unless expressly permitted in the assessment instructions.

The icons in the assessment table above indicate whether AI is allowed – whether full AI, or only some AI (the latter is referred to as “AI restricted”). If no icon is shown, AI use is not permitted at all for the task. Refer to Canvas for full instructions on assessment tasks for this unit.

Your final submission must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of automated writing tools or generative AI, and any material generated that you include in your final submission must be properly referenced. You may be required to submit generative AI inputs and outputs that you used during your assessment process, or drafts of your original work. Inappropriate use of generative AI is considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

The Current Students website provides information on artificial intelligence in assessments. For help on how to correctly acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the  AI in Education Canvas site.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Support for students

The Support for Students Policy reflects the University’s commitment to supporting students in their academic journey and making the University safe for students. It is important that you read and understand this policy so that you are familiar with the range of support services available to you and understand how to engage with them.

The University uses email as its primary source of communication with students who need support under the Support for Students Policy. Make sure you check your University email regularly and respond to any communications received from the University.

Learning resources and detailed information about weekly assessment and learning activities can be accessed via Canvas. It is essential that you visit your unit of study Canvas site to ensure you are up to date with all of your tasks.

If you are having difficulties completing your studies, or are feeling unsure about your progress, we are here to help. You can access the support services offered by the University at any time:

Support and Services (including health and wellbeing services, financial support and learning support)
Course planning and administration
Meet with an Academic Adviser

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 03	Workshop 1: Introduction to PHAR4823 and team projects. Note: on week 3 for Tuesday and Wednesday workshop sections; on week 4 for Thursday workshop sections	Workshop (2 hr)
	1. Introduction to PHAR4823; 2. Measures of health and illness	Lecture (2 hr)
	3. History of public health 4. The role of the pharmacist in public health	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Workshop 2: Co-design of interventions.	Workshop (3 hr)
	5. Health Promotion Frameworks 6. Evaluation of health interventions	Lecture (2 hr)
	7. Finding evidence 1: literature searches 8. Critical appraisal of health research	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Workshop 3: Public health	Workshop (3 hr)
	9. Introduction to Health Policy 10. Australian Healthcare System	Lecture (2 hr)
	11. Health Promotion Initiatives in Western Sydney - A Case Study 12. Pharmacoepidemiology Part I	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	Workshop 4: Public health interventions and planning your team project	Workshop (3 hr)
	13. Pharmacoepidemiology - Part II 14. Indigenous Health	Lecture (2 hr)
	15. Medication Error and Patient Health 16. Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	17. Case studies in regulation and public health 18. Infectious diseases and antibiotic stewardship	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	19. Pharmacoeconomics 20. Pharmacoeconomics	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Workshop 5: Team Pitch Presentations	Workshop (3 hr)
	21. Health Literacy 22. Tobacco Control	Lecture (2 hr)
	23. Drug and alcohol policies 24. Obesity	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Workshop 6: Pharmacoepidemiology	Tutorial (3 hr)
	25. Opioid policies 26. Screening: judging effectiveness	Lecture (2 hr)
	27. Case studies of pharmacy based screening 28. Overdiagnosis and overtreatment	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 10	Workshop 7: Pharmacoeconomics	Workshop (3 hr)
	29. Vaccination and the Role of the Pharmacist 30. Quality Use of Medicines	Lecture (2 hr)
	31. Corporate Influences on Public Health 32. Public Health Ethics	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Workshop 8: Final team project presentations	Workshop (3 hr)
	33. Mental health and the role of the pharmacist 34. Pharmaceutical advertising and promotion	Lecture (2 hr)
	35. Exam Review	Lecture (1 hr)
Week 12	Workshop 9: Health communication and advertising	Workshop (3 hr)
Week 12	36. Exam Review	Lecture (1 hr)
Weekly	Learning independently including pre-work, reports and assignments	Independent study (57 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Attendance: In accordance with the Course resolutions on Attendance Requirements, students must attend a minimum of 85% tutorials/ workshops (8 of 9 workshops) to satisfy attendance requirements for this unit of study. For more information see Canvas site.

If a tutorial/ workshop is missed due to illness or misadventure, students are to submit a special consideration application along with supporting documentation. Students with approved special consideration must attend an alternative class or complete an additional task.

Students arriving more than 10 minutes after the commencement of the tutorial/workshop will be marked as unprofessional, which is a component of the class participation and professionalism assessment. Students swapping a class without prior approval from the UoS co-ordinator will be marked as unprofessional.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Required readings

Course textbook (available on-line via CANVAS Reading List):

Young TK. Population Health. Concepts and Methods. Oxford University Press. 2nd edition. 2005. Chapters 1 and 2, pp 1-24 and 25-69.

Additional core text for research skills content (also available on-line via CANVAS reading list):

Greenhalgh T. How to read a paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine. Wiley: 2014

All readings for this unit can be accessed through the Library’s reading list system Leganto, available on Canvas.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of public health practice and health promotion
LO2. demonstrate an understanding of the factors and tools used in developing health policy
LO3. demonstrate an understanding of the health care system in Australia
LO4. maximise patient safety through QUM and minimise and manage medicine error
LO5. demonstrate an understanding of key measures used to assess population health and the outcomes of medicine use at a population level
LO6. demonstrate an understanding of the role of the pharmacist in promoting public health.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Changes have been incorporated into the lecture content and team assignments in response to student feedback: - a stronger emphasis on the role of the pharmacist in public health; - team project topics more closely aligned to pharmacy practice; - interactive lecture sessions with breakout discussions; Two additional shifts in assessments were introduced this year: - a shift from 1 to 3 tutorial quizzes, as students found the tutorial quiz helpful last year for studying and to gauge their own progress throughout the semester. The quizzes are worth 3% each of students' grades (9% in total). The quizzes allow students to familiarise themselves with expectations for the final exam, enable tutors to intervene in a timely manner if a student has fallen behind, and allow for targeted review of content. A co-design workshop was introduced (workshop 2) to provide an introduction to co-design skills. A co-design component has also been included in the team project. The aim is to introduce students to skills needed to work towards shared goals in a participatory manner with patients and community members.

Additional information

More information related to this unit can be found on Canvas and will be provided in class.

Additional costs

There are no additional costs for this unit.

Site visit guidelines

There are no site visit guidelines for this unit.

Work, health and safety

There are no specific WHS requirements for this unit.

Disclaimer

Important: the University of Sydney regularly reviews units of study and reserves the right to change the units of study available annually. To stay up to date on available study options, including unit of study details and availability, refer to the relevant handbook.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links

PHAR4823: Pharmacy Services and Public Health

Semester 1, 2025 [Normal day] - Camperdown/Darlington, Sydney

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Support for students

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Required readings

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Additional information

Additional information

Additional costs

Site visit guidelines

Work, health and safety

Disclaimer

On this page

Useful links