Under the trend of globalization, various public health issues are faced with both local and international challenges. In order to protect and improve populations health, interdisciplinary local actions with a global view is essential in designing intervention strategies. This module consists of 5 courses with a total of 11 credits. It aims to lay a strong foundation for theories, analytical tools, and hands-on practice in global health. It further cultivates students’ capacities in interdisciplinary reasoning, team work and communication skills under a wide range of global health topics, through the integration of core and technical knowledge, knowledge application, and perspectives on global development.
1. Essentials of Global Health (3 credits):This introductory course is aimed to provide an overview of the field of global health. Through lectures and discussion sessions, students are introduced to the principles and goals of global health, measurement tools for global health research, and the development of global health. Invited speakers will address global health theories and practices on a range of topics, such as health care delivery systems, control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, occupational health, environmental health, humanitarian and disaster relief, experiences from non-governmental organizations and the rising influences of global trade policies on health and health inequalities.
2. Globalization and Social Determinants of Health (2 credits): In this course, students will learn how globalization affects various types of social determinants of health and health inequalities, which in turn influence individual's health and population health. The course emphasizes on the social and policy aspects of health issues. It begins with an introduction to the framework of social determinants of health and the typology of policy level interventions to tackle health inequalities, addressing selected topics such as health care arrangements, climate change, aging, and employment and work conditions.
3. Measuring Burden of Disease: Methods and Applications (2 credits): This course will give an overview on the concepts and methods used to quantify the burden of disease at the national and global level. The GBD will be a main focus of this course, but other alternative approaches will also be reviewed. The course consists of lectures, computer labs, a hands-on group-based project, and a field visit to the Taiwan Centers for Disease Control (CDC).
4. Introduction to Data Processing in Global Health Practice (1 credit): This course will introduce students to a range of practical tools that can be applied in the field of global health. It is structured in three sections covering the process of data capture, basic data cleaning and manipulation, and finally communication of data through visualization and infographics, using the software R. All sessions will involve lectures followed by demonstrations, interspersed with exercises to provide students with hands-on experience.
5. Contemporary Issues in Global Health (3 credits): This course will provide students with knowledge of cross-cutting global health theme and global burden of diseases, and ways of working together to improve global health. In addition to lecture, it will cover global health cases in Asia and Africa.
Upon completing the courses in this module, students are expected to obtain knowledge on public health sciences with a global perspective, as well as practical skills in managing health data and interdisciplinary collaborations. Through linking the course contents to personal experiences at the local, regional and international levels, students will be equipped with the capacities to pursue careers in global health research, or take parts in inter-governmental and international health organizations for practice-oriented career development.
