An Introduction to Global Health (ES99B-15)
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.
Module aims
The module aims to introduce students to key global health issues and enable them to critique and formulate possible solutions.
Outline syllabus
This is an indicative module outline only to give an indication of the sort of topics that may be covered. Actual sessions held may differ.
Online Learning resources (interactive learning materials on the basic principles of Public Health):
- The global burden of disease [Prof Noel McCarthy, WMS]
- The social determinants of health including economic, psychosocial, educational, nutritional, environmental determinants; measures of deprivation; determinants of inequality and the impact of social and political forces [Dr Wolf Markham, WMS]
- What is Evidence-Based Medicine? [Dr Deborah Biggerstaff, WMS]
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.
The core design is that each day the module leader(s) and subject specialists will choose how they wish to deliver a combination of discipline or application grounded material with activities that will allow the students (with the module leader) to develop their learning in an interdisciplinary style that will help them to explore and deepen their knowledge of that day’s theories and set texts/materials.
Teaching will be shared with the MPH 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.
(DRAFT PROGRAMME & PRESENTERS):
Day One: 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
- Group work to prepare for group presentations
Day Two: 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)
- Group work to prepare for group presentations
Day Three: Healthy Cities - Summary of previous day and finding the linkages
- 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 and
-Global Cities - Group work to prepare for group presentations
Day Four: Food Security and the Right-to-food - Summary of previous day and finding the linkages
- Food security seminar including
-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? [IFSTAL Network] - The right to food seminar - 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
- Poster workshop
- Group work to prepare for group presentations
Day Five: Gender Equality and Health Services - Summary of previous day and finding the linkages
- Universal coverage and accessibility to health services
- Gender equality
- The magnitude and economic and health-related consequences of medical tourism
- GROUP PRESENTATIONS + PEER FEEDBACK
Virtual Poster Exhibition - SUBMIT VIRTUALLY AND ENGAGEMENT WITH DISCUSSION FORUM ONLINE TO POSE AND ANSWER QUESTIONS
Learning outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- 1. Demonstrate comprehensive understanding of the global burden of disease and social determinants of health.
- 2. Identify key global health challenges relating to Health protection, Health improvement and Health services.
- 3. Critique existing policy and practice and formulate creative and practical solutions to global health issues.
- 4. Conduct a health impact assessment.
- 5. Develop their communication skills by delivering a presentation and developing a scientific conference style poster.
- 6. Work effectively in teams and across disciplines.
- 7. Develop research skills of evidence synthesis and critical appraisal.
When:
Week 25 (Monday, Wednesday, Friday)
Commencing 20/03/23
Week 26 (Tuesday, Thursday)
Commencing 27/03/23
Where:
GLT3 & IBR0.01 (Medical School)
Dr Olalekan Uthman
Dr Brownyn Harris
World Health Organization Headquarters and Flag - by US Mission Geneva CC BY-ND 2.0