Foundations of Global Health

Catalog description

This course provides an introductory overview of global health, with the primary aim to engage and inspire students about the opportunities and challenges of global health. Using an interdisciplinary approach to global health with an emphasis on addressing both global and local health disparities, learning formats include case-based analysis, small group discussion, faculty presentations, panels, and debates. Using the lens of health equity, this course provides an overview of many current issues in global public health and frameworks to address them, including: measures of disease burden; frameworks for health equity and rights; determinants of health; environmental health and safe water; control of infectious diseases; non-communicable disease programs, nutritional challenges; harm reduction and behavioral modifications; women’s reproductive rights; health economics and cost-effective interventions; health manpower and capacity development; globalization challenges and potentials. At the completion of this course, the student will be able to: (1) understand that global health involves multiple academic disciplines, and identify many of these; (2) understand that global health theory involves many, sometimes conflicting, belief systems, and identify some of these; (3) understand that global health can be conceived as a complex ecosystem, which involves issues that are much broader than the traditional health disciplines; (4) cite examples of specific issues and case studies in global health; (5) understand some of the potential interventions that can be used to ameliorate problems in global health, particularly in low-income countries.