Course Syllabus
Health Beyond Borders B |
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| Semester & Location: |
Spring 2024 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Elective Course - 3 credits |
| Major Disciplines: |
Global Health, Pre-Medicine / Health Science, Public Health |
| Prerequisite: |
None |
| Faculty Members: |
Lene Svendsen Borra and Rachel Irwin (current students please use the Canvas Inbox to contact) |
| Program contact: |
Science and Health Department: shsupport@dis.dk |
| Program Director: |
Susana Dietrich |
| Time & Place: |
Mondays and Thursdays, 11:40-13:00 in S26-100 (Skindergade 26)Regarding Access to the Room: See home tab for more info |
Faculty
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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. |
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Rachel Irwin |
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Guest lecturers |
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Signe Lau MSc African studies (Copenhagen University) and MSc in Public Health (Lund University). Great interest in the interlink between health and development this in relation to health prevention/ promotion and in relation to the perspectives of global health governance. Intensive experiences with Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) this in relation to clinical work, community health and development of health education at Red Cross and at Steno Diabetes Center. Moreover, conducted research on sustainable prevention on child obesity, in social marginalized families in Europe. |
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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:
- Introduction: 7 sessions mapping overall concepts, health trends and globally agreed goals.
- Specific health issues: 6 sessions addressing various health issues (e.g. communicable diseases and reproductive health, non-communicable diseases, injury, mental health).
- National response: 5 sessions addressing the varied response at the national level – health systems, health economics, and inter-action between global and national goals.
- Fitting it together: 6 sessions addressing how national issues play out in the global context, cross cutting health challenges such as migration, aging, climate crisis, as well as 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 | 10% |
| Midterm test | 30% |
| Final exam | 30% |
| Country Profile Project | 30% |
| 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 (10%)
- Midterm test: 1 hour 20 minutes. A combination of terminology, multiple choice, graph interpretation, short answers, short essay (30%)
- Country Profile Project Throughout the course, prepare for a 1) country profile document and a 2) presentation towards the (late) middle of the course (please see specific date in syllabus) (30%)
- At the end of the course: final take-home exam. Essay format (30%)
The country profile project, incl. the presentation is a learning tool, which will be used for finding, analyzing, critiquing, and comparing data across four 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. The presentation and overall country profile project will be graded, for 30% 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.
AI policy
To maintain academic integrity, all of your work must be written by you and only by you (or your group in the case of group work). The misuse of AI tools, including but not limited to ChatGPT, undermines your learning journey but will also be regarded as a severe breach of academic integrity. You may, however, use AI tools to check your work or to help you understand concepts.
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
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 including scientific articles and news articles, as well as podcasts and videos. 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.
Reading list Spring 2024:
Allen IV Amber L Pearson, Gershim Asiki, Geoffrey DeVerteuil, Adriana. Global Urban Health: Inequalities, Vulnerabilities, and Challenges in the 21st Century. In: Handbook of Global Urban Health. Routledge; 2019.
Briggs A, Vassall A. Count the cost of disability caused by COVID-19. Nature. 2021 May;593(7860):502–5.
Bygbjerg I. C. "Double burden of non-communicable and infectious diseases in developing countries." Science 337(6101): p1499-1501. 2012
Enhanced Harm Reduction Drug Centers. “H17 Drug Consumption Rooms; The Copenhagen Experience” August 28, 2017. Available from: https://robbwsite.wordpress.com/tag/h17-drug-consumption-rooms/
Fleck Leonard M. “What is a life worth?” Virtual Mentor, American Medical Association Journal of Ethics, Vol.13, no 4, 251-255, April 2011
Gilby L, Koivusalo M, Atkins S. Global health without sexual and reproductive health and rights? Analysis of United Nations documents and country statements, 2014-2019. BMJ Glob Health. 2021 Mar;6(3):e004659.
Gold Deborah, “Vaccine nationalism' echoes the disastrous mistakes made with HIV”. The Guardian, Feb. 2021.
Gostin Lawrence O et al. “70 years of human rights in global health: drawing on a contentious past to secure a hopeful future”. The Lancet. 392: 2731–35. 2018
Horton Richard, Lancet, "Liberty vs equity". 2018
Horton Richard, Lancet, May 11 2019; Offline: Time to radically rethink non-communicable diseases
Inhorn MC, Patrizio P. Infertility around the globe: new thinking on gender, reproductive technologies and global movements in the 21st century. Human Reproduction Update. 2015 Jul 1;21(4):411–26.
International Rescue Committee, “The Top 10 crisis in the world” 2022, website
Johnson Sarah, 29 Sep. 2023, The Guardian, “Global survey finds diabetes goes undiagnosed in 40% of cases”
Kapilashrami A, Hankivsky O. Intersectionality and why it matters to global health. Lancet. 2018 Jun 30;391(10140):2589–91.
Karkee Rajendra et al. “Providing maternal health services during the COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal”. Lancet Glob Health. August 10, 2020;
Koplan JP, Bond TC, Merson MH, Reddy KS, Rodriguez MH, Sewankambo NK, et al. Towards a common definition of global health. The Lancet. 2009 Jun 6;373(9679):1993–5.
Kwete X, Tang K, Chen L, Ren R, Chen Q, Wu Z, et al. Decolonizing global health: what should be the target of this movement and where does it lead us? Global Health Research and Policy. 2022 Jan 24;7(1):3. 60–9.
Lee, Kelley. Global Health Governance and Diplomacy. In: Global Health: Disease, Programs, Systems and Policies. 4th ed. Jones and Bartlett Learning;
Lennhard Johannes, “Fighting for injection in Paris”. February 25, 2022
Livingston Gill et al. “Dementia Prevention, Intervention, and care: 2020 report of the Lancet Commission”. The Lancet, vol.396, issue 10248, p413-446, August 08, 2020,
Marmot Michael. Institute of Health Equity and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London WC1E 7HB, UK, “Closing the health gap”. Scandinavian Journal of Public Health, (2017); 45: p723–731. 2017
Marmot M. “Universal_health_coverage_and social determinants of health” Institute of Health Equity and Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, University College London, London, Comment in The Lancet, vol. 382 p1227-1228. October 12, 2013
Martin Greg, YouTube video; Social Determinants of Health. A Public Health Framework, March 2019
Martin Greg, 2017. YouTube video: Health Systems
NCWC Bhutan, YouTube video, 2020, Gender and Climate Change 2020, Bhutan
Niessen Louis W, et al. The Lancet Taskforce on NCDs and economics 2, 2018.
Palmer Alexis et al. “Does ratification of human-rights treaties have effects on population health ?” Health Policy, vol. 373, p 56-62. 2009
PBS News hour, YouTube video: “Age Friendly New York City Helps Seniors Stay Active”. 2013,
Pisani Elizabeth, “sex drugs and HIV – let’s get rational” TED – talk
Pokala Janardhan, YouTube, "COWSPIRACY - The Sustainability Secret in 15 minutes"
Puska Pekka, Public Health Medicine: 2002 (volume 4). Successful prevention of non-communicable diseases: 25 year experiences with North Karelia Project in Finland.
Rathnayake Zinara, “Sri Lanka`s malnourished children”. The Guardian, 15 Aug.-2023
Reddy Srinath K, Public Health Foundation of India, YouTube Public Health Lectures “Trends in Public Health - Demographic and Epidemiology transitions”, 2022
Renfrew Mary J, 2020, Lancet Global Health; “Scaling up care by midwives must now be a global priority”
Room R. Alcohol. In: Detels R, Karim QA, Baum F, Li L, Leyland AH, Detels R, et al., editors. Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health [Internet]. Oxford University Press; 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 8]. p. 0. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198816805.003.0080
Rosenberg T. Busting the myth that depression doesn’t affect people in poor countries. The Guardian [Internet]. 2019 Apr 30 [cited 2024 Jan 8]; Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/apr/30/busting-the-myth-that-depression-doesnt-affect-people-in-poor-countries
Rosling Hans, Religion and Babies, TED – talk
Sekalala Sharifah, et al. BMJ Global Health 2021, Decolonizing human rights: how intellectual property laws result in unequal access to COVID-19 vaccine,
Hancock, Trevor "Ottawa Charter at 25", Canadian Journal of Public Health Nov/Dec 2011
Shannon G, Jansen M, Williams K, Cáceres C, Motta A, Odhiambo A, et al. Gender equality in science, medicine, and global health: where are we at and why does it matter? Lancet. 2019 Feb 9;393(10171):5
Spinney L. Has Covid changed the price of a life? The Observer [Internet]. 2021 Feb 14 [cited 2024 Jan 8]; Available from: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/feb/14/coronavirus-covid-19-cost-price-life
Starrs Ann M, “Survival convergence: bringing maternal and newborn health together for 2015 and beyond”. The Lancet, vol 384, P211-113, July 19, 2014,
Tellier S, “Ageing: a global demographic destiny?” Global Health Minders, Emerging Issues Brief, Sep. 2014.
UNAIDS. Press release. “UNAIDS urges all countries to decriminalize homosexuality as a vital step in ensuring health for all” 17 May, 2023
UNAIDS global report 2023, The executive summery
UN Dept. of Economics and Social Affairs. “Global Top 10 Developments”. 2019, available from: World Mortality 2019-10KeyMessages.pdf (un.org).
UN Human Rights Council, Cycles of the Universal Periodic Review, 2024 web site
UN SDG report 2022; available on: https://unstats.un.org/sdgs/report/2022/
University of Manchester, the School of Social Sciences YouTube video, 'Researching Age-Friendly Cities'. 2015.
“World Mortality; Ten key messages”. Dec 2019 website
WHO, “Inequities driving the health gap in Europe”, WHO 2019 (2 pages) Health divide in Europe
WHO, 2023, Key facts on HIV/AIDS(1pp)
WHO: Healthy Ageing - "World Health +Social Good“ YouTube video; Interview with Dr. John Beard, WHO's Director of the Department of Ageing and Life Course, WHO, 2015,
WHO, Health System Governance, 2019; available from: https://www.who.int/health-topics/health-systems-governance#tab=tab_1,Links to an external site.
WHO fact sheet, 2020, What is Universal Health Coverage?;available on https://www.who.int/news-room/q-a-detail/what-is-universal-health-coverage
WHO, “Global strategy on Ageing and Health (2016-2020)”, May 26, 2016, summery report
WHO, “Major NCDs and their risk factors”, WHO fact sheet, NCDs. 2021. website
WHO, Age Friendly Cities and Communities; available from: https://www.who.int/activities/creating-age-friendly-cities-and-communitiesLinks to an external site.
Woodward A, Macmillan A. Climate change and human health. In: Detels R, Karim QA, Baum F, Li L, Leyland AH, Detels R, et al., editors. Oxford Textbook of Global Public Health [Internet]. Oxford University Press; 2021 [cited 2024 Jan 8]. p. 0. Available from: https://doi.org/10.1093/med/9780198816805.003.0014
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Course Summary:
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