Syllabus

Graduate Programs in Public Health

GPH 740: Global Health (Fall B 2024)

Credits - 3

Description

 

This course focuses on the health of populations and public health responses from a global perspective. Students will be introduced to global health goals, principles, and concepts. Students will explore global health challenges and opportunities with an emphasis on understanding the burden of disease, advancing health equity, and implementing strength-based approaches. Selected critical global topics in such areas as maternal and child health, environmental health, chronic disease, infectious disease, and humanitarian response will be covered.

Pre-requisite:

GPH 722 Introduction to Environmental Health

GPH 738 Program Planning & Evaluation

Materials

Learning Objectives and Outcomes

Course Outcomes

  • Apply the goals and principles of global health to provide a systematic public health approach to global health challenges and solutions.
  • Incorporate public health measurement and data to describe the status of health and the major burdens of disease across the globe.
  • Evaluate the drivers of health inequities across the globe to understand the root causes of poor health outcomes and health disparities.
  • Examine the roles of culture, community participation, and systems in responding ethically to global health issues.
  • Assess the health-related impacts of climate change on global populations.
  • Propose opportunities to address global health issues through collaboration, innovation, and strengths-based approaches.
  • Develop a poster presentation and associated abstract that summarizes a global health issue and offers a possible solution that advances health equity.

Program Competencies

PC 11: Demonstrate the global interconnectedness of public health

PC 12: Perform public health practice through a culturally appropriate understanding of the root causes of health disparities and protective factors among diverse populations

PC 13: Utilize interdisciplinary approaches to explore realistic ways to mitigate adverse health outcomes while leveraging existing population strengths

PC 14: Apply principles found in emerging disciplines to investigate the interrelationship between humans, animals, and the changing environment

PC 15: Propose opportunities to address global health issues through collaboration, innovation, and strength-based approaches

PC 18: Source credible public health information to inform practice

PC 19: Execute public health research, evaluation, policy, and/or practice using informed data analysis and interpretation

PC 20: Demonstrate comprehensive public health approaches to health equity

CEPH Foundational Competencies

FC 6: Discuss the means by which structural bias, social inequities and racism undermine health and create challenges to achieving health equity at organizational, community, and systemic levels

FC 7: Assess population needs, assets, and capacities that affect communities’ health

FC 8: Apply awareness of cultural values and practices to the design, implementation, or critique of public health policies or programs

FC 9: Design a population-based policy, program, project or intervention

FC 13: Propose strategies to identify stakeholders and build coalitions and partnerships for influencing public health outcomes

Assignments

Discussions

Your original contribution (initial post) to a discussion must be submitted by Sunday at 11:59 PM ET of the week it is assigned. A response to a colleague must be completed by Wednesday at 11:59 PM ET of the week it is assigned. If the initial post and response are not submitted within the discussion week, you will be given a zero.

  • Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8 (4 points each)
 20

Assignments

  • Final Project Section Assignments: weeks 2, 3, and 5 (5 points each, 15 points total)
  • Final Project: Poster Presentation with Abstract: week 7 (20 points)
  • Case Study Assignments: weeks 4 and 8 (10 points each, 20 points total)
  • Global Health eLearning Course: week 6 (9 points)
 64

Quizzes

  • Week 1 Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement Quiz – 1 point
  • Quiz 1 – 5 points
  • Quiz 2 – 5 points
  • Quiz 3 – 5 points
16
   100

Grading Policy

Your grade in this course will be determined by the following criteria:

Grade Breakdown

AssignmentPoints
Acknowledgment of Academic Engagement1
Week 1 Discussion: Introduction and Global Health Data Source4
Week 1 Quiz5
Week 2 Discussion: Healthcare System4
Week 2 Assignment: Final Project Section 15
Week 3 Assignment: Final Project Section 25
Week 3 Quiz5
Week 4 Discussion: Sustainable Development Goals4
Week 4 Assignment: Case Study - Women and Nutrition10
Week 5 Assignment: Final Project Section 35
Week 5 Quiz5
Week 6 Assignment: Case Study - Guinea Worm Disease 4
Week 6 Assignment: Global Health eLearning Course and Self-Reflection9
Week 7 Assignment: Final Project - Poster Presentation and Abstract20
Week 8 Discussion: Final Project Poster Presentation Feedback4
Week 8 Assignment: Case Study - Disasters and Humanitarian Response10

Grade Scale

Grade Points Grade Point Average (GPA)
A 94 – 100% 4.00
A- 90 – 93% 3.75
B+ 87 – 89% 3.50
B 84 – 86% 3.00
B- 80 – 83% 2.75
C+ 77 – 79% 2.50
C 74 – 76% 2.00
C- 70 – 73% 1.75
D 64 – 69% 1.00
F 00 – 63% 0.00

Schedule

Course Dates

Each week opens on Wednesday at 12:01 AM Eastern Time. Each week closes on Wednesday at 11:59 PM ET, with the exception of Week 8, which ends on Sunday.

Week 1: Oct 30 – Nov 6
Week 2: Nov 6 – Nov 13
Week 3: Nov 13 – Nov 20
Week 4: Nov 20 – Nov 27
Week 5: Nov 27 – Dec 4
Week 6: Dec 4 – Dec 11
Week 7: Dec 11 – Dec 18
Week 8: Dec 18 – Dec 22

The assignment and discussion descriptions mentioned below are summaries. Please make sure to review the full prompts in Brightspace.

Weekly Schedule


Week 1: Global Health Overview

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the fundamental principles, goals, and themes of global health.
  • Identify key global health measurements and data.
  • Summarize the global burden of disease and associated risk factors.
  • Explain the determinants of health and drivers of health inequities across the globe.

Lecture

  • Week 1 Lecture

Learning Activities

  • Week 1 Discussion: Introduction and Global Health Data Source

    Initial Post
    Part 1
    Introduce yourself: Provide your preferred name, where you live, and what you hope to get from the course.

    Part 2
    Share a global health data resource. Provide the link to the resource. Describe the data provided by the resource and the organization that provides it.

    Response Post:
    Choose one of your peers’ initial posts. Explain how the data provided in the global health data resource they selected could be used for identifying health disparities and drivers of health inequity.

    Each post should be a total of 250 – 300 words. Statements should be supported by references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Quiz 1

  • Week 1 Acknowledgement of Academic Engagement Quiz

Week 2: Systems, Ethics, and Culture

Learning Outcomes

  • Summarize ethical considerations for addressing global health issues.
  • Describe the relationship between culture and health.
  • Compare key components of global healthcare systems.

Lecture

  • Week 2 Lecture

Learning Activities

  • Week 2 Discussion: Healthcare Systems

Initial Post:
Select a healthcare system from a different country that you find appealing.
Provide a rationale for your choice and compare it to the healthcare system you currently use.
What are the similarities and differences between them?

Response Post:
Pick one of your peers’ initial posts, different from your own, and offer four recommendations to ensure that the chosen country’s healthcare system maintains robust ethical standards and cultural sensitivity.

Each post should be a total of 250 – 300 words. Statements should be supported by references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Week 2 Assignment: Final Project Section Assignment – Section 1

Review the final project instructions and section assignments.
You are tasked with completing the following sections:

Introduction: Utilizing global health and public health data, provide an overview of the issue’s impact on global health. Additionally, identify any health disparities associated with the issue.

The Problem: Craft a concise problem statement in a single sentence. This statement should encompass the issue’s ‘what, who, where, and why,’ focusing on health equity. For instance, avoid “High rates of malaria in children living in Ghana” and opt for more comprehensive problem statements like “Barriers to mosquito net accessibility and usage among children in Ghana are driving elevated malaria rates.”

Contributing/Driving Factors: Enumerate and briefly describe 2-3 root causes and determinants that underlie the problem.

Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and formatted in AMA style.


Week 3: Environment Across the Globe

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the relationship between environment and health.
  • Define environmental threats to human health.
  • Discuss why a Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) aligns with a health inequity and a proposed intervention

Lecture

  • Week 3 Lecture

Learning Activities

  • Week 3 Assignment: Final Project Section Assignment – Section 2

Review the final project instructions and section assignments.

For this assignment, students are required to complete the following sections:

Proposed Intervention: Provide a detailed description of one evidence-informed intervention to address health inequity. Considering existing efforts to tackle the problem is vital since building upon current interventions may be more effective than introducing a new one.

Sustainable Development Goal: Identify one Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) that aligns with the issue and the proposed intervention.

Cultural Considerations/Adaptations: Discuss two to three aspects that must be considered for the intervention’s implementation to align with cultural influences and traditions.

Each section should have responses comprising 150-200 words.

These responses will serve as content for completing the poster template, with the poster itself featuring concise, bulleted points. Furthermore, students are encouraged to utilize the information gathered from these three assignments when recording audio for the final assignment.

Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and formatted in AMA style.

  • Quiz 3 

Week 4: Nutrition and Women’s Health

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply global health principles, measurement, and health equity approach to the importance of nutrition.
  • Apply global health principles, measurement, and health equity approach to women’s health.

Lecture

  • Week 4 Lecture

Learning Activities

  • Week 4 Discussion: Sustainable Development Goals

Initial Post:

Select a sustainable development goal for nutrition and/or women’s health from the United Nations’ 17 sustainable development goals list.

    1. Explain the goal.
    2. Describe how the goal is measured, 
    3. Identify and describe at least one current global health intervention contributing to the achievement of the goal.

Response Post:

Select and respond to one of your peer’s initial posts.

    1. What is a threat to achieving this goal?
    2. What is an opportunity for achieving this goal?
    3. How do you involve the community in achieving the goal?

Each post should be a total of 250 – 300 words. Statements should be supported by references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Week 4 Assignment: Case Study – Women and Nutrition

This week’s case study on the topic of women and nutrition is comprised of two parts.

Part 1
Review these resources to learn about the issue of women and nutrition in the Philippines:
Read: Undernourished and Overlooked Executive Summary: A Global Nutrition Crisis in Adolescent Girls and Women
Watch: One Billion Reasons For Better Nutrition

Part 2
Review and complete the Women and Nutrition Case Study.
Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

What to Submit:
Submit a Microsoft Word document or PDF containing your responses.


Week 5: Children’s Health and Injury

Learning Outcomes

  • Apply global health principles, measurement, and health equity approach to the health of young children.
  • Apply global health principles, measurement, and health equity approach to the health of adolescents and young adults.
  • Explain the burden of disease related to injuries and related prevention measures.

Interview

  • Week 5 Interview: Ousmane Nayaya Aboubakar

Learning Activities

  • Week 5 Assignment : Final Project Section Assignment – Section 3

Review the final project instructions and section assignments.

For this assignment, you are tasked with completing the following sections:

Interprofessional Team: List 2-3 team members from public health and healthcare sectors and describe their roles in implementing the proposed intervention.

Global Health Partners: List 2 global health partners and provide descriptions of their roles in implementing the proposed intervention. Additionally, acknowledge the third crucial partner – the community – and describe its role.

Evaluation: List 2 outcome measures (excluding process measures) that will be employed to assess the success of the proposed intervention.

Each section or bullet point should have responses comprising 150-200 words.

These responses will serve as content for completing the poster template, with the poster itself featuring concise, bulleted points. Furthermore, students are encouraged to utilize the information gathered from these three assignments when recording audio for the final assignment.

Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Quiz 3

Week 6: Burden of Diseases

Learning Outcomes

  • Explain the burden of disease related to communicable diseases and considerations for a global health response.
  • Explain the burden of disease related to non-communicable diseases and considerations for a global health response.

Interview

  • Week 6 Interview: Gert Mulvad

Learning Activities

  • Week 6 Discussion: Guinea Worm Disease

Initial Post:

Based on the video, Guinea Worm Disease Eradication: Countdown to Zero (Carter Center), why do you think the Guinea Worm Disease Eradication Program has been so successful?

Response Post:

Select a peer’s post. Building off their post, what disease do you think will be the third disease to be eradicated (after smallpox and guinea worm)? It could be a communicable or non-communicable disease. Justify your response by explaining:

    • The current burden of disease
    • Current strategies to address the disease
    • What makes it possible to eradicate?

Each post should be a total of 250 – 300 words. Statements should be supported by references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Week 6 Assignment: Global Health eLearning Course and Self-Reflection

Complete a Global Health eLearning Course from the Global Health eLearning Center. You can select any of the courses listed on the webpage.

Submit a copy of your certificate of completion and a reflection that includes the following:

    • How did this training further your understanding of global health response to a health issue?
    • How does the training align with what you are learning in this course?

Your submission should be between 300 and 500 words.


Week 7: Collaboration and Innovation

Learning Outcomes

  • Propose opportunities to address global health issues through collaboration, innovation, and intersectoral approaches.
  • Create a poster presentation and associated abstract summarizing a global health issue and offering a possible solution advancing health equity.
  •  

Lecture

  • Week 7 Lecture

Learning Activities

  • Week 7 Assignment: Final Project – Poster Presentation and Abstract

There are two components to the Final Project Assignment:

    1. Create a poster presentation on a proposed intervention to address a global health project.
    2. Create an abstract to submit to a conference for presenting the poster.

Refer to the Final Project Instructions for detailed information. You can use the Global Health Equity Proposal Poster template to help get you started on your poster.

Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

Submit your poster (in PowerPoint or PDF format), a YouTube link to your presentation, and your abstract (as a Word doc or PDF).

 


Week 8: Global Disasters and Humanitarian Response

Learning Outcomes

  • Describe the health impacts of natural disasters and the global health response to prevent health disparities.

Interview

  • Week 8 Interview: Rosemary (Maria) Rouza

Learning Activities

  • Week 8 Discussion: Poster Presentations Review

Initial Post:

Select two peers’ poster presentations to review. 

Provide an evaluation:

    1. What were the strengths of the poster presentation? What are recommendations for improvement?
    2. What did you learn from their poster presentation? What questions would you ask them if you were viewing it at a conference?

Think critically when providing an evaluation.

    1. Have core concepts explored in the course been incorporated into the poster?
    2. Are appropriate global health measures and data used to describe the issue?
    3. Does the problem statement clearly reference a health equity issue?
    4. Does the poster offer a strength-based approach? Is the community involved in the proposed intervention?

Response Post:

Response post is not required.

Your post should be no less than 400 words. Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials, and should be formatted in AMA style.

  • Week 8 Assignment: Case Study – Disasters and Humanitarian Response

In this assignment, you will explore the complex 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti through a series of multimedia resources and independent research. After watching documentaries and conducting additional investigations, you will review the Disasters and Humanitarian Response Case Study, then answer several critical questions to deepen your understanding of the outbreak’s intricacies and broader impact on global health humanitarian efforts.

Part 1

View the following documentaries to gain insight into the 2010 cholera outbreak in Haiti:

    1. “Haiti Cholera Outbreak”
    2. “Investigating a Mysterious Cholera Outbreak in Haiti: Correspondent Confidential”
    3. “Haiti Cholera Outbreak: UN apologizes for spreading deadly disease”

Part 2

Complete and the Disasters and Humanitarian Response Case Study.

Statements should be supported with references from outside sources and course materials and should be formatted in AMA style.

What to Submit:

Submit a Microsoft Word document or PDF containing your responses.

Student Resources

Online Student Support

Your Student Support Specialist is a resource for you. Please don't hesitate to contact them for assistance, including, but not limited to course planning, current problems or issues in a course, technology concerns, or personal emergencies.

Questions? Visit the Student Support Public Health page

UNE Libraries:

UNE Student Academic Success Center

UNE's Student Academic Success Center (SASC) offers a range of free online services to support your academic achievement. Writing support, ESOL support, study strategy and learning style consultations, as well as downloadable resources, are available to all matriculating students. The SASC also offers tutoring for GPH 712 Epidemiology, GPH 716 Biostatistics, GPH 717 Applied Epidemiology, GPH 718 Biostatistics II, and GPH 719 Research Methods. To make an appointment for any of these services, go to une.tutortrac.com. For more information and to view and download writing and studying resources, please visit:

Information Technology Services (ITS)

  • ITS Contact: Toll Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673

Accommodations

Any student who would like to request, or ask any questions regarding, academic adjustments or accommodations must contact the Student Access Center at (207) 221-4438 or pcstudentaccess@une.edu. Student Access Center staff will evaluate the student's documentation and determine eligibility of accommodation(s) through the Student Access Center registration procedure.

Online Peer Support

Togetherall is a 24/7 communication and emotional support platform monitored by trained clinicians. It’s a safe place online to get things off your chest, have conversations, express yourself creatively, and learn how to manage your mental health. If sharing isn’t your thing, Togetherall has other tools and courses to help you look after yourself with plenty of resources to explore. Whether you’re struggling to cope, feeling low, or just need a place to talk, Togetherall can help you explore your feelings in a safe supportive environment. You can join Togetherall using your UNE email address.

Information Technology Services (ITS)

Students should notify their Student Support Specialist and instructor in the event of a problem relating to a course. This notification should occur promptly and proactively to support timely resolution.

ITS Contact: Toll-Free Help Desk 24 hours/7 days per week at 1-877-518-4673.

Career Ready Program

The College of Professional Studies supports its online students and alumni in their career journey!

The Career Ready Program provides tools and resources to help students explore and hone in on their career goals, search for jobs, create and improve professional documents, build professional network, learn interview skills, grow as a professional, and more. Come back often, at any time, as you move through your journey from career readiness as a student to career growth, satisfaction, and success as alumni.

Policies

AMA Writing Style Statement

The American Medical Association Manual (AMA) of Style, 11th edition is the required writing format for this course. Additional support for academic writing and AMA format is provided throughout the coursework as well as at the UNE Portal for Online Students.

Online resources: AMA Style Guide

Turnitin Originality Check and Plagiarism Detection Tool

The College of Professional Studies uses Turnitin to help deter plagiarism and to foster the proper attribution of sources. Turnitin provides comparative reports for submitted assignments that reflect similarities in other written works. This can include, but is not limited to, previously submitted assignments, internet articles, research journals, and academic databases.

Make sure to cite your sources appropriately as well as use your own words in synthesizing information from published literature. Webinars and workshops, included early in your coursework, will help guide best practices in APA citation and academic writing.

You can learn more about Turnitin in the guide on how to navigate your Similarity Report.

Technology Requirements

Please review the technical requirements for UNE Online Graduate Programs: Technical Requirements

Course Evaluation Policy

Course surveys are one of the most important tools that University of New England uses for evaluating the quality of your education, and for providing meaningful feedback to instructors on their teaching. In order to assure that the feedback is both comprehensive and precise, we need to receive it from each student for each course. Evaluation access is distributed via UNE email at the beginning of the last week of the course.

Late Policy

Students are responsible for submitting work by the date indicated in Brightspace.

Quizzes and Tests: Quizzes and tests must be completed by the due date. They will not be accepted after the due date.

Assignments: Unless otherwise specified, assignments will be accepted up to 3 days late; however, there is a 10% grade reduction (from the total points) for the late submission. After three days the assignment will not be accepted.

Discussion posts: If the initial post is submitted late, but still within the discussion board week, there will be a 10% grade reduction from the total discussion grade (e.g., a 3 point discussion will be reduced by 0.3 points). Any posts submitted after the end of the Discussion Board week will not be graded.

Please make every effort ahead of time to contact your instructor and your student support specialist if you are not able to meet an assignment deadline. Arrangements for extenuating circumstances may be considered by faculty.

Student Handbook Online - Policies and Procedures

The policies contained within this document apply to all students in the College of Graduate and Professional Studies. It is each student's responsibility to know the contents of this handbook.

Student Handbook

UNE Course Withdrawal

Please contact your student support specialist if you are considering dropping or withdrawing from a course. The last day to drop for 100% tuition refund is the 2nd day of the course. Financial Aid charges may still apply. Students using Financial Aid should contact the Financial Aid Office prior to withdrawing from a course.

Academic Integrity

The University of New England values academic integrity in all aspects of the educational experience. Academic dishonesty in any form undermines this standard and devalues the original contributions of others. It is the responsibility of all members of the University community to actively uphold the integrity of the academy; failure to act, for any reason, is not acceptable. For information about plagiarism and academic misconduct, please visit https://www.une.edu/studentlife/plagiarism.

Academic dishonesty includes, but is not limited to the following:

  1. Cheating, copying, or the offering or receiving of unauthorized assistance or information.
  2. Fabrication or falsification of data, results, or sources for papers or reports.
  3. Action which destroys or alters the work of another student.
  4. Multiple submissions of the same paper or report for assignments in more than one course without permission of each instructor.
  5. Plagiarism, the appropriation of records, research, materials, ideas, or the language of other persons or writers and the submission of them as one's own.

Charges of academic dishonesty will be reviewed by the Program Director. Penalties for students found responsible for violations may depend upon the seriousness and circumstances of the violation, the degree of premeditation involved, and/or the student’s previous record of violations.  Appeal of a decision may be made to the Dean whose decision will be final.  Student appeals will take place through the grievance process outlined in the student handbook.