Course Syllabus

 

Health Beyond Borders B

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Semester & Location:

Spring 2020 - DIS Copenhagen

Type & Credits:

Elective Course - 3 credits

Major Disciplines:

Pre-Medicine/Health Science, Public Health

Faculty Member:

Lene Svendsen Borra and Rachel Irwin

Program Director:

Susana Dietrich

Time & Place:

Mondays and Thursdays, 11:40 – 13:00, N7-C23 

 

Faculty

Lene

Lene Svendsen Borra

Health professional background, MPH,  Hebrew University, Israel. - 3 decades of work experience with WHO at global and country level on PHC and HRH; with UNAIDS in Myanmar on HIV and Home Based Care; with UNICEF/Myanmar on evaluation of teaching programs; and with Danish Red Cross/Myanmar on HIV prevention. In Sri Lanka with IFRC, as Health Coordinator on Tsunami response operation and lately in Denmark on reception and welfare of asylum seekers. All of the above has provided me with a solid professional, academic and socio-political knowledge in health and human development.  

Public-Health-Rachel-Irwin.jpg

Rachel Irwin
PhD. Social Anthropology (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, University of London, 2014). MSc. International Health Policy (London School of Economics and Political Science, 2008). Researcher in medical humanities at Lund University (2016-present). Researcher in global health at Karolinska Institutet (2014-2016) Researcher in health, development and security at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) (2011-2016). With DIS since 2016.

 

Guest Lecturers

  • Siri Tellier, DIS/University of Copenhagen
  • Jeffrey V. Lazarus, Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal), University of Barcelona, Spain (JL)

 

Course Assistant

Cionna Cionna Rosenthal
2nd Year Master Student at University of Copenhagen School of Global Health, B.S. (Biology and Anthropology, with minor in Arabic Language and Culture, Trinity College, 2017). DIS Public Health Program, Spring 2016. With DIS since 2017.

 

Course Description

Globalization contributes to major shifts in global health challenges, as well as how these are perceived and addressed. Global health has become a discipline in itself, addressing health issues and responses which transcend borders. It emphasizes not only the medical aspects, but also the broader connections to economic and political factors, and the connections between the national and international aspects.

The focus of this course is therefore on perspective: to map and analyze those global shifts in health, identifying progress and challenges. The course adopts a broad approach, covering a wide range of health issues and a global geographic vision, emphasizing disparities and cultural differences. The course encourages students to share their diverse experiences. It also seeks to give students the tools to rapidly find and critically apply information.

 

Expected Learning Outcomes

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

  • Demonstrate an understanding of major global health challenges, frameworks for addressing them, and what has helped and hampered progress over time
  • Place any national or international public health issue in a broad perspective, identifying linkages, and applying a critical perspective
  • Find and apply data sources in further researching these issues, based on evidence and international guidelines

Pre-requisites

While there are no specific pre-requisites for this course, the field of public health prides itself on being ‘evidence based’ and utilizes a good deal of quantitative data to analyze issues. Students are therefore expected to have tolerance for scientific literature and statistics. However, mathematical skills beyond the ability to calculate a percentage will not be required. There is no requirement for a previous public health related course. 

 

Structure

The course is divided into four sections:

  1. Introduction: 5 lectures mapping overall concepts, health trends and globally agreed goals.
  2. Burden of disease: 7 lectures addressing various key components (e.g. communicable diseases and reproductive health, non-communicable diseases, injury, mental health).
  3. National response: 3 lectures addressing the varied response at the national level – health systems, medical anthropology, inter-action between global and national goals.
  4. Fitting it together: 5 lectures addressing how this plays out in global, cross cutting health challenges such as aging, crisis, climate change, as well as in the global response.

An effort has been made to fit this into the travel schedule with respect to topics and tests.

 

Evaluation and Grading

To be eligible for a passing grade in this class all of the assigned work must be completed.

The factors influencing the final grade and the proportional importance of each factor is shown below:

Component Weight
Participation 15%
Mini-test 15%
Midterm test 30%
Final exam 30%
Country Profile Project 10%
Total 100%

As per DIS policy, absence from a test/workshop results in a grade of 0, unless it is due to unforeseen, documented family or health emergencies. Any such issues will be referred to the Office of Academic Support (acadsupp@dis.dk).

Further details below:

  • Participation: is based on timely attendance and active participation, including at field visits.
  • Mini-Test:  15 minutes, multiple choice and fill in the blank
  • Midterm test: 1 hour 20 minutes. A combination of terminology, multiple choice, graph interpretation, short answers (30%)
  • Country Profile Project Throughout the course, prepare for a presentation towards the end of the ocurse (please see specific date in syllabus) (10%)
  • At the end of the course: final exam (2 hours). Terminology, multiple choice, graph interpretation, short analytical essay questions (30%)

 

The country profile project and presentation is a learning tool, which will be used for finding, analyzing, critiquing, and comparing data across six countries. This will give students the opportunity throughout the course to learn about the interlinking factors contributing to the health profile of individual countries, as well as seeing them in perspective. Students should upload their findings to a google document (country profile) throughout the course, and select a specific topic to present in lecture 17.  Models for the country profile and the presentation are available in the general resources for the course.The presentation and overall country profile project will be graded, for 10% of total grade. 

 

Laptop policy

Use of computers in class is allowed (and sometimes necessary) for the purpose of note‐taking and for seeking information related to class content. As per DIS policy, students will lose laptop privileges if they use their computers for other activities besides class related activities. Students should also refrain from any activity/behavior that may be disturbing to other students who are making the effort to be attentive. Cell phones and other electronic devices should be turned off, unless used in class room activities.

 

Academic Regulations  

Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:

 

DIS Contacts

Cionna Rosenthal, Course Assistant, cro@dis.dk

Kathrine Whitman, Program Assistant, kwh@dis.dk
Louise Bagger Iversen , Assistant Program Director, lbi@dis.dk 
Susana Dietrich, Science & Health Program Director
Science & Health Office: Vestergade 7-37

 

Required Readings

All readings are available either in pdf format on Canvas, or, in the case of websites, through the internet. Readings will be a combination of texts reflecting ‘conventional wisdom’ (e.g. WHO guidelines), scientific articles, items adopting a popular or controversial angle (e.g. media) and websites. Readings and assignments are designed to require no more than 2 hours of preparation per lecture. 

Exam questions will be based on assigned readings and  PowerPoints as presented during lectures. 

  1. Bæk, Ole and C. Sørensen (2014): The treatment gap for mental disorders in low income countries. Global Health Minders, Copenhagen (9pp)
  2. Bowman, Brett, et al. 2006. Disease and mortality in Sub-Saharan Africa. The World Bank. Violence and Injuries. (10p – concentrate on the abstract in the beginning)
  3. Cohn S, R. K. Historical Parallels, Ebola Virus Disease and Cholera: Understanding Community Distrust and Social Violence with Epidemics. . PLOS Currents Outbreaks 2016 Jan 26 Edition 1 doi: 101371/currentsoutbreaksaa1f2b60e8d43939b43fbd93e1a63a94. 2016.
  4. Air pollution—crossing borders. The Lancet. 388. 2016
  5. Familiarize yourself with the UN Human Rights website: http://www.ohchr.org/. Come to class ready to discuss. 
  6. Fleck (2011) what is a life worth?
  7. Frenk, Julio, & Moon, Suerie. The New England Journal of Medicine: March 7, 2013 (volume 368). Governance Challenges in Global Health. (7p)
  8. Guardian: Pakistani militants shoot dead two polio workers
  9. Hahn, Robert and Marcia Inhorn. Oxford University Press, 2009. Anthropology and Public Health: Bridging Differences in Culture and Society. “Introduction” section. (31p)
  10. Horga, M. and M. Potts (2013). “The remarkable story of Romanian women’s struggle to manage their fertility.” Journal of Family Planning and Reproductive Health Care 2013; 39:2-4. 39 (3pp).
  11. Lancet editorial (2014) Towards palliative care (1p)
  12. Lazarus, J (2014). Improving health systems, Global Health Minders
  13. Life Begins at 90 (Bloomberg article quoting: Rikkert, M. G. and R. Melis (2013). "Nonagenarians challenge predictions of cognitive decline." Lancet.)
  14. Lyengar, P., K. Kerber, et al. (2015). "Services for Mothers and Newborns During the Ebola Outbreak in Liberia: The Need for Improvement in Emergencies." PLOS Currents Outbreaks.
  15. Morgan J. Agencies struggle with Europe's complex refugee crisis. Lancet. 2015;386:2042-3.
  16. Palmer, Alexis, et al. The Lancet: June 6, 2009 (volume 373). Does ratification of human-rights treaties have effects on population health? (6pp) Concentrate on abstract
  17. Paton (2013): Politics and global health – are we missing the obvious? (3pp)
  18. Puska, Pekka. Public Health Medicine: 2002 (volume 4). Successful prevention of non-communicable diseases: 25 year experiences with North Karelia Project in Finland. (6p)
  19. Reuters article: millions at risk due to North Korea food crisis 
  20. Sidibe, M., P. Piot, et al. (2012). "AIDS is not over." Lancet. (2pp)
  21. Starrs, A. (2014). "Survival convergence: bringing maternal and newborn health together for 2015 and beyond." Lancet 384(July 19) (2pp).
  22. Sutton, B, Canyon D: The tortoise and the hare – guinea worm, polio and the race to eradication) (9pp) Focus question: what helps and hampers the response to health issues?
  23. Tellier (ed) (2014): ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – agreements and disagreements – policy brief’. Read the first 3 pages (3pp)
  24. Tellier (ed) (2014): ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – agreements and disagreements – policy brief’. Read the last 5 pages except the chapter on STIs (4pp)
  25. Tellier (ed) (2014): ‘Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – agreements and disagreements – policy brief’. Read the chapter on STIs (1p)
  26. Tellier, S (2014) Ageing: a global demographic destiny?
  27. UN (2015). The Millennium Development Goal Report 2015. New York, United Nations. This report will be used repeatedly in the course. For this lecture, read pp 3-7 (5pp). Also available at the MDG website: un.org/millenniumgoals/ . Also familiarize yourself with the website of the Sustainable Development Goals https://sustainabledevelopment.un.org/?menu=1300
  28. Video from Global Fund website: http://www.theglobalfund.org/en/mediacenter/videos/
  29. Wang H, Horton R. Tackling climate change: the greatest opportunity for global health. The Lancet. 2015;386(10006,):1798–9.
  30. Wendy Wright - Women Deliver a Ruse, Washington Times (2pp)
  31. International Health Regulations, 2005. (82p) (Focus on the first 5pp and annexes, and be ready to answer the following questions: what is the purpose of the IHR? what role do they play in global health systems? how have they evolved over time? what might help or hamper their utilization? Arrive in class ready to mention recent examples, where you might have questions about their implementation).Identify the institution in your country which is responsible for reporting on possible health emergencies. Watch: http://video.who.int/streaming/IHR.wmv. Also look at: http://www.euro.who.int/en/health-topics/emergencies/international-health-regulations/news/news/2014/02/global-health-security-all-sectors-and-countries-needed
  32. Woodward, A. et al. (2014). "Climate change and health: on the latest IPCC report " Lancet 9924: 1185-1189 (5pp).
  33. World Health Organization, 2013. Flyer on the Action Plan 2013-2020 for the Prevention and Control of Non-communicable Diseases. (2p)
  34. Anon The Lancet: June 20, 2009 (volume373). Who runs global health? (1p)
  35. Jack, Andrew. Financial Times. January 24, 2010. Bill Gates. (4p)
  36. Cholera in Haiti – the UN strain (Economist, July 2013) – come to class ready to discuss your position on the article.

 

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Course Summary:

Date Details Due