An Introduction to Global Health (IL9HE2)
Summary
The module aims to give students a comprehensive knowledge and critique of key global health issues. Students with be introduced to the global burden of disease and the social determinants of health. Three main facets of Public Health with the covered Health protection, Health improvements and Health services examining key global health issues. These will include International Health Policy (introducing the UN the World Health Organisation and the Sustainable Development Goals); Outbreak investigation; Health response in an emergency (natural disaster, conflict, terrorism, pandemic); Healthy cities (including urbanisation, ‘slum’ health, active travel, city design to improve mental health and wellbeing): Right-to-food; Gender equality: Sustainability; Universal coverage, accessibility to health services and medical tourism.
Teaching
This is a five-day intensive module; including lectures, seminars, and workshops.
The main topics covered are:
- Introduction to Global Health
- Health Protection
- Healthy Cities
- Food Security and the Right-to-food
- Gender Equality and Health Services
Assessment
- Online Quiz
- Group Oral Presentation
- Poster Presentation
Illustrative syllabus
The module will consist of 5 days sessions for students. The module leader(s) will attend all of each session, to integrate and stimulate the interdisciplinary learning.
Teaching will be shared with the Master's in Public Health course to aid interdisciplinarity. Linkages are identified across the diverse topics covering the three main facets of Public Health: Health protection, Health improvement and Health services in a global context.
Introduction to Global Health
- Introduction to the module, assessments and the Global Health Agenda
- Introducing the United Nations, the World Health Organisation and the Sustainable Development Goals
- An introduction to Ethical principles in global health
Health Protection
- Summary of previous day and finding the linkages
- Outbreak investigation & notifiable disease surveillance seminar including aspects of outbreak/incident detection, identifying causes, risk communication and control strategies
- Resilience and the health responses in an emergency seminar (examining natural disasters, war, terrorism and pandemics in high, middle and low income settings)
Healthy Cities
- Urbanisation and ‘slum’ health seminar including the sociology and health problems and how to improve the health and welfare of these populations
- City design to improve mental health and wellbeing seminar including
- The impact of the built environment on health inequalities and mental health
- The impact of scenic environments on our health and happiness
- Global Cities
Food Security and the Right-to-food
- Challenges of global food security providing an understanding of the elements contributing to the food security agenda to provide affordable, safe and nutritious food within a global perspective
- What is Agri-health and why is it important?
- Identifying the responsibilities of states regarding the right to food and global barriers impacting on those who want to feed themselves as well as the global progress of legislating the right to food
Gender Equality and Health Services
- Universal coverage and accessibility to health services
- Gender equality
- The magnitude and economic and health-related consequences of medical tourism
