CBH/PUBHLTH-472/473-eburduli-2025-10-30-11-17-45
Below is a syllabus template that includes WSU's required syllabus elements. Please complete all items highlighted in yellow.
Title of Course [Foundations of Maternal and Infant Health in The Context of Substance Use]
Prefix and Number CBH/PUBHLTH 472
Semester and Year Fall 2026
Number of Credit Hours 3
Prerequisites None
Course Details
Day and Time: [tbd]
Meeting Location: [tbd]
Instructor Contact Information
Instructor Name: Ekaterina Burduli
Instructor Contact Information: HERB 454; eburduli@wsu.edu 509-358-7885
Instructor Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
TA Name: [tbd]
TA Contact Information: [office location, phone, email]: [tbd]
TA Office Hours: [click here for best practices] [tbd]
Course Description
This is a three-credit hour course that offers students a foundational overview of maternal and infant health through a public health lens, with a specialized focus on the impacts of substance use during the perinatal period. Students will examine how biological, behavioral, and structural factors influence the health and well-being of birthing people and their infants, from pregnancy through the postpartum period and early infancy. Using interdisciplinary frameworks—such as the life course perspective, reproductive justice, and social determinants of health, the course explores the intersection of substance use, stigma, policy, and care systems.
Course Materials
Books: Kotch’s Maternal & Child Health: Problems, Programs, and Policy in Public Health (4th ed.), Russell S. Kirby & Sarah Verbiest, Jones & Bartlett Learning, 2021
Other Materials: Supplemental articles provided by instructor
Fees: None
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Course Learning Outcomes (students will be able to:) |
Activities Supporting the Learning Outcomes | Assessment of the Learning Outcomes |
|---|---|---|
| Describe trends in substance use during pregnancy and postpartum and their associated maternal and infant health outcomes. | [Weeks 1-3] | Weekly reflections, Midterm Exam |
| Critically assess the evidence on Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome/Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NAS/NOWS), including clinical presentation, developmental impacts, and public health implications. | [Weeks 4-6] | Weekly reflections, Case study analysis, Midterm Exam |
| Apply interdisciplinary frameworks (e.g., life course, reproductive justice, social determinants of health) to analyze the intersection of substance use, stigma, and maternal mental health. |
[Weeks 7-10] |
Reflections, Midterm Exam, Final paper |
| Propose community- or population-level strategies (e.g., harm reduction, trauma-informed care, early intervention programs, policy changes) to reduce inequities and improve outcomes for families affected by perinatal substance use. |
Weeks 11-16 |
Final paper |
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Date |
Topic Title and Details |
Reading |
Activities and Assignments |
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Week 1 |
Course Introduction & Foundational Frameworks |
Kotch Ch. 1 and 4; |
Activity: Case discussion on how public health frames perinatal substance use.
Assignment: Reflection #1 – Describe a current public health issue affecting perinatal populations. |
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Week 2 |
Interdisciplinary Frameworks in Practice · Topics: Life course theory, reproductive justice, and social determinants of health applied to MCH and substance use. |
Kotch Ch. 2; Instructor-provided article
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Week 3 |
Substance Use in the Perinatal Period – Epidemiology · Trends in perinatal substance use (opioids, alcohol, tobacco, polysubstance) · Surveillance systems (PRAMS, vital records). |
NSDUH; supplemental article on perinatal substance trends. |
Assignment: Reflection #2 – Summarize and compare key findings from NSDUH/PRAMS/vital records data. |
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Week 4
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Maternal Health Impacts of Substance Use · Pregnancy complications, maternal morbidity/mortality, intersection with mental health.
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Kotch Ch. 5-7; supplemental review articles on maternal outcomes. |
Assignment: Reflection #3 – Choose one maternal outcome (e.g., maternal mortality, preterm birth). How does substance use contribute, and what other social determinants of health interact with this risk? |
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Week 5 |
Maternal Mental Health & Substance Use Postpartum depression, anxiety, trauma, and co-occurring substance use. |
Kotch Ch. 7; supplemental article on maternal trauma and SUD. |
Assignment: Reflection #4 – How stigma impacts maternal mental health care. |
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Week 6
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Infant Health Impacts – Prenatal Exposure · Birth outcomes, low birthweight, prematurity, developmental risks. · Perinatal nutrition and food insecurity |
Kotch Ch. 7-8, 13; supplemental article on prenatal opioid exposure. |
Activity: Small group discussion of landmark cohort studies.
Guest lecture on perinatal nutrition and food insecurity
Activity: Debate extension — Does framing food insecurity as a medical vs. structural issue change how we respond?
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Week 7
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Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome (NAS) / Neonatal Opioid Withdrawal Syndrome (NOWS) · Clinical presentation; short- and long-term outcomes; treatment models. |
Supplemental clinical guideline on NAS/NOWS. |
Assignment: Reflection #5 – Critique one study on prenatal exposure.
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Week 8
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Public Health Implications of NAS/NOWS · Systems of care; hospital vs. community management; long-term developmental monitoring. |
Kotch Ch. 9; supplemental policy report on NAS. |
Assignment: Reflection#6: Mini case study analysis of NAS/NOWS. |
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Week 9
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Midterm Written Exam |
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Week 10
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Stigma and Structural Inequities · Criminalization of substance use in pregnancy; rural barriers; racial/ethnic disparities. |
Kotch Ch. 3; Parts of Kotch Ch. 5-7; Supplemental piece on punitive policies. |
Case study analyses Activity: Debate – Should substance use in pregnancy be treated as a criminal or public health issue? |
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Week 10
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Ethical and Equity Considerations · Topics: Informed consent, family preservation vs. child welfare, ethical dilemmas in screening. |
Kotch Ch. 3 and parts of Ch. 17; Instructor-provided ethics guidelines. |
Group Activity: Consider a screening practice (e.g., universal drug testing at delivery). What are the ethical and equity implications of this approach?
Assignment: Reflection #7 – Apply a framework to a perinatal case example. |
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Week 11
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Family-Centered and Trauma-Informed Models · Topics: Trauma-informed care; family-centered recovery programs; dyadic approaches. |
Kotch Ch. 11 and part of Ch. 7;
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Assignment: Reflection #8 – Propose elements of a trauma-informed perinatal program.
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Week 12
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Harm Reduction in Perinatal Populations · Topics: Harm reduction approaches during pregnancy and postpartum; breastfeeding and substance use. |
Kotch Ch. 7; Instructor-provided article
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Activity: Case workshop – Designing harm reduction strategies for mothers. What argument would you make for (or against) applying harm reduction principles here?
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Week 13
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Early Intervention and Developmental Support Programs · Topics: Early Head Start, ESIT, home visiting programs; role of public health systems. |
Kotch Ch. 11 and Instructor-provided reading |
Assignment: Reflection #9 – Pick one early childhood or family support program (e.g., Early Head Start, home visiting). How could it better serve families impacted by substance use? |
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Thanksgiving Break
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Week 15
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Policy and Systems-Level Approaches · Topics: Medicaid expansion, maternal mortality initiatives, child welfare reform. |
Kotch Ch. 20; supplemental policy article.
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Assignment: Reflection #10 – Draft program evaluation or policy analysis brief. What current policy (federal or state) do you think has the greatest effect on perinatal substance use? How would you change it to improve equity? |
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Week 16
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Final Week |
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Final Paper Due |
Expectations for Student Effort
For every hour of in-class instruction, or equivalent online instruction, students should expect at least 2-3 hours of outside class course preparation in the form of reading, course assignments, and review of previous materials.
Grading [add more lines if necessary]
| Type of Assignment (tests, papers, etc) | Points | Percent of Overall Grade |
|---|---|---|
| Reflections (8 x 10 points each) | 80 | 27 |
| [Midterm Exam (100 points)] | 100 | 33 |
| [Final Paper] | 100 | 33 |
| Attendance and Participation | 20 | 7 |
| Grade | Percent | Grade | Percent |
|---|---|---|---|
| A |
[95-100] |
C | [73-75] |
| A- | [90-94] | C- | [70-72] |
| B+ | [86-89] | D+ | [66-69] |
| B | [83-85] | D | [60-65] |
| B- | [80-82] | F | [0-59] |
| C+ | [76-79] |
Standard rounding procedures will be applied to the percentages in order to calculate grades
Attendance and Make-Up Policy
Active participation in class discussions and small group activities is essential, as these sessions provide hands-on opportunities to practice applying concepts to real-world public health scenarios. Attendance and engaged participation will be considered in the final grade.
Attendance Policy: Class periods will be highly interactive. Students will be expected to be prepared with a positive, respectful attitude and willingness to cooperate and communicate with all members of the class. They will be expected to come prepared having read and completed any assignments. I encourage you to make a transformation in the way you use this information to make you a better practitioner. Don’t stay stagnant in your practice; don’t be afraid to try new things. Learning is best facilitated through challenges and practice. Therefore, participation in discussions and group work will make up a portion of the final evaluation score. Students are expected to be present and on time to all class sessions. If students will not be able to attend class, they must contact me prior to that session, or the absence will be entered as unexcused. A deduction of points for each unexcused absence will be taken from the total points at the end of the semester.
Make-Up Exam Policies: Don’t miss the scheduled exam. Make-up exams will be given for reasonable absences which include participation in school sponsored events (e.g., conferences, clinical experience), illness, family emergencies, etc. To notify me of absence please contact me prior to the scheduled exam.
***Deadlines for reflections and the midterm exam are typically set at 11:59 p.m. on Friday evenings, However, I know life happens and sometimes you need a bit of extra time, so I will leave the submission links open until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday nights. Anything that is submitted after the official deadline but before the link closes will be a late submission and will be accepted but have 20% deducted from the grade. You don’t have to request permission or provide an excuse to use this late submission option while the Canvas link is still open. If you need more time after the Canvas link has closed on Sunday night, please reach out and let me know so we can figure something out. Remember, you have the option to skip/miss 2 reflections out of the 10, since only 8 will be counted.***
Academic Integrity Statement
You are responsible for reading WSU's Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat in your work in this class you will:
Academic integrity is a serious matter, and any deviations from appropriate behavior will be dealt with strongly. At the discretion of the professor, situations may be dealt with as a scholastic or disciplinary matter.
As a scholastic matter, the professor has the discretion to determine appropriate penalties for the student’s workload or grade, but the situation may be resolved without involving many individuals. An alternative is to treat the situation as a disciplinary matter, which can result in suspension from the University, or have lesser penalties. Be aware that I view this as a very serious matter and will have little tolerance of or sympathy for questionable practices. A student who attempts to obtain credit for work that is not their own (whether that be on a paper, quiz, homework assignment, exam, etc.) will likely receive a failing grade for that item of work, and at the professor’s discretion, may also receive a failing grade in the course.
Plagiarism includes (a) copying and pasting information from a web site or another source, and then revising it so it sounds like your original idea, (b) doing an assignment/essay/take home test with a friend and then handing in separate assignments that contain the same ideas, language, phrases, etc., (c) Quoting a passage without quotation marks or citations, so it looks like your own, (d) paraphrasing a passage without citing it, so it looks like your own, and (e) hiring another person to do your work for you, or purchasing a paper through any of the on- or off-line sources. Plagiarism also includes self-plagiarism, which means the repeated submission of all or part of work that you have previously submitted elsewhere.
You are responsible for reading WSU’s Academic Integrity Policy, which is based on Washington State law. If you cheat, in your work in this class, you will:
- Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
- Have the right to appeal my decision
- Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 days of the decision.
-Be reported to the Center for Community Standards
-Have the right to appeal my decision
-Not be able to drop the course of withdraw from the course until the appeals process is finished
If you have any questions about what you can and cannot do in this course, ask me.
If you want to ask for a change in my decision about academic integrity, use the form at the Center for Community Standards website. You must submit this request within 21 calendar days of the decision.