Global Health - MPH - 2013-2014

The Goals of the Global Health program are to prepare students to:

• Identify determinants of health problems including socio-cultural factors;
• Design, implement, and evaluate global health and development programs and policies; and
• Assume leadership roles in designing and managing programs that focus on modification of life-styles and specific health-related behaviors at both national and global levels.

On completion of the MPH Program in Global Health, students in all concentrations will possess the subject area knowledge and functional competencies required to:

• Apply the theories and principles of epidemiology, economic and social development, policy and political   analysis to the identification, classification and elaboration of global health threats and opportunities at the   community, national and international levels.

Students should be able to demonstrate an understanding of the multiple disciplines and theories that make up global health; identify the various frameworks or perspectives through which global health is viewed and addressed; apply different frameworks to the description, analysis and critique of new global health issues; and draw from various authoritative data sources and basic epidemiological, socio-cultural and economic principles to assess and describe the health situation in a given country or major state. Students will approach their understanding of the global burden of disease, the underlying sectoral determinants of health, and health systems development through multiple frames, including: health economics, infectious and chronic disease, nutrition, unintentional and intentional injury, culture, social and political organization, humanitarian emergencies and international organizations. Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6403 Scientific Basis of Global Health Interventions, and (beyond the GH Foundations) PubH 6442 Comparative Health Systems.

• Understand and assess the functions, capacities, management and governance of governmental, international and non-state organizations in the translation of scientific and program evidence to inform public health policy making and strategy development.

Students should be able to demonstrate their understanding of the responsibilities, structure, focus and modus operandi of the legislative, advocacy and program evaluation actors in the Washington global health policy arena; their knowledge of the major institutions in the global health field; and how those major institutions work together and independently to influence the direction of global health policy and the shape of programs  Students should also be able demonstrate the ability to apply this knowledge to the analysis and design of advocacy for policy and programmatic change.  Further, they should be able to appreciate the institutional basis and bias in the communication of global health issues as presented in various Washington policy and practice settings.  Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6401 Comparative Regional Determinants of Health, PubH 6402 Global Health Policy and Practice: Washington Seminar, and (beyond the GH Foundations) PubH 6441 International Organizations, and PubH 6442 Comparative Health Systems.

• Critically analyze global health trends, differentiating determinants that can be effectively addressed through technical, behavioral, social and economic interventions and prioritizing approaches based on economic affordably and political feasibility.

Students should be able to understand and compare the determinants of health in different regions of the world, including the:  historical, economic, social and cultural, and political. Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6401 Comparative Regional Determinants of Health, and (beyond the GH Foundations) PubH 6442 Comparative Health Systems.

• Successfully apply public health theory and experiential evidence in the development and management of project, program and institutional strategies capable of reducing health risks, addressing underlying vulnerabilities, and mitigating the impact disease.

Students’ should be able to describe the availability and applicability, within and across different regions, of particular health promotion, disease prevention, diagnosis, control, and case management interventions. Students should also be able to describe the mechanism of action of specific interventions that mitigate biological, social, cultural and economic determinants of health.  Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6403 Scientific Basis of Global Health Interventions and PubH 6401 Comparative Regional Determinants of Health.

• Effectively synthesize health research findings with economic and social arguments to formulate communication strategies in global health action in various professional, institutional, political and cultural settings.

Students should be able to draw on global health research information in varied ways to support the development of program and policy advocacy.  Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6401 Comparative Regional Determinants of Health, PubH 6403 Scientific Basis of Global Health Interventions.

• Evaluate the benefits, costs and effectiveness of global health project, program and policy approaches and interventions though the appropriate choice and application of qualitative and quantitative survey and analysis methods. 

Students should be able to assess existing models of global health programs and policies and be able to formulate measurable program objectives – and design assessment strategies and interventions that are consistent with program objectives.  They should also be able to interpret monitoring and evaluation data and translate the findings into recommendations for program and policy improvement. Relevant courses:  PubH 6400 Global Health Frameworks, PubH 6401 Comparative Regional Determinants of Health, and PubH 6410 Global Health Study Design and Ethics

• Understand the ethical issues involved in designing a study and the basic concepts of data collection in global health setting. 

Students will obtain a comprehensive understanding of complementary quantitative and qualitative research approaches. They will be able to articulate the study purpose and the hypothesis understand the ethical issues involved in the design of research projects, be able to effectively choose a research design to achieve their purpose and develop an understanding of effective dissemination techniques of their research findings, depending on their audience. Relevant courses:  PubH 6410 Global Health Study Design and Ethics

Graduate Credit Requirement.  45 graduate credits are required.

*Course Requirements.  Successful completion of the core, department and concentration-specific courses are required.

Grade Point Requirement.  A 3.0 (B average) overall grade point average is required.

Time Limit Requirement.  The degree must be completed within four years.

Transfer Credit Policy. Up to 12 graduate credits that have not been applied to a previous graduate degree may be transferred to the MPH. Up to 18 credits may be transferred to the MPH from the SPHHS Graduate Certificate.   Credits must have been earned from an accredited institution in the last 3 years with a grade point of 3.0 or better.

* Course Requirements by Concentration:

Communication Concentration students should be able to:

• Explain the ways in which behavior change and communication theories can inform the development and evaluation of health communication interventions. Relevant courses: PubH 6430 Theories for Global Health Communication Interventions, and PubH 6432 Global Health Communication Interventions: Social Marketing (or PubH 6571 Social Marketing: Theory and Practice)
• Apply behavior change and communication theories when developing and evaluating health communication interventions. Relevant courses: PubH 6430 Theories for Global Health Communication Interventions, and PubH 6432 Global Health Communication Interventions: Social Marketing (or PubH 6571 Social Marketing: Theory and Practice)
• Identify and describe essential components of health communication interventions and strategies, linking theory with practice. Relevant courses: PubH 6430 Theories for Global Health Communication Interventions, and PubH 6431 Global Health Communication Strategies and Skills (or PubH 6503 Intro to Public Health Communication and Marketing)
• Evaluate health communication interventions. Relevant courses: PubH 6430 Theories for Global Health Communication Interventions, PubH 6432 Global Health Communication Interventions: Social Marketing (or PubH 6571 Social Marketing: Theory and Practice) and PubH 6431 Global Health Communication Strategies and Skills (or PubH 6503 Intro to Public Health Communication and Marketing).
• Identify the appropriate data collection methodology for programmatic research and apply the appropriate quantitative or qualitative analysis to meet the research objectives. Relevant courses: PubH 6431 Global Health Communication Strategies and Skills, PubH 6411 Global Health Qualitative Research Methods and PubH 6412 Global Health Quantitative  Research Methods

Program Design, Monitoring, and Evaluation Concentration students should be able to:

• Analyze a nation for its major health problems, relate a tactical program plan to overall health problem reduction, construct a detailed tactical plan and budget, prepare a detailed program plan, and present and defend. Relevant courses: PubH 6435 Global Health Program Development and Implementation
• Demonstrate their understanding of core program evaluation concepts, interventions, issues, challenges and priorities; demonstrate their expertise in the objective assessment of program outcomes, achievements, impacts, and, shortcomings – and in the reporting of findings and conclusions to senior managers within an international organizational context. Relevant courses: PubH 6435 Global Health Program Development and Implementation and PubH 6437 Global Health Program Evaluation
• Demonstrate their understanding of the use and limitation of decision-making tools; synthesize key concepts in public health and apply that program design and evaluation and be able to synthesize interdisciplinary evaluation approaches to the analysis of domestic and global determinants of health and disease as well as interventions to improve health and other health impairing conditions. Relevant courses: PubH 6435 Global Health Program Development and Implementation and PubH 6437 Global Health Program Evaluation
• Demonstrate their understanding of a "result- oriented" approach to management that encompasses the main aspects of problem solving faced by health program managers. Relevant courses: PubH 6435 Global Health Program Development and Implementation and PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management)
• Describe how health systems performance is affected by various approaches to: Health Care Organization; Health Workforce Development; and to Health Care Financing. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management)
• Identify the appropriate data collection technique for a given research project and apply the necessary sampling and survey design techniques and apply the appropriate quantitative and qualitative analysis to meet the objectives of the study. Relevant courses: PubH 6411 Global Health Qualitative Research Methods and PubH 6412 Global Health Quantitative Research Methods

Global Health DME

Option 1: beginning courses in spring semester

Option 2: beginning courses in summer semester

Policy Concentration students should be able to:

• Develop concise written and oral policy analyses for different audiences; identify the key areas of organizational reform and strengthening required to protect and advance global health; be able to critically analyze major multi-institutional and multi-sectoral initiatives in global health and make specific political, organizational and financial recommendations on how they might be strengthened. Relevant courses:  PubH 6441 International Health Organizations, PubH 6480 Humanitarian Operations and PubH 6482 International Nutrition and Food Policy
• Apply relevant qualitative and quantitative tools and concepts to develop policy analyses for different audiences and topics. PubH 6415 Global Health Policy Method Applications and PubH 6411 Global Health Qualitative Research Methods and PubH 6412 Global Health Quantitative Research Methods
• Describe how health systems performance is affected by various approaches to: Health Care Organization; Health Workforce Development; and to Health Care Financing.  Relevant courses: PubH 6442 Comparative Health Systems
• Describe the fundamental concepts related to the theory of the consumer and production decisions by individuals and institutions; analyze the economic challenges faced by low and middle-income countries regarding health and health care and use economic analysis and statistical tools for evaluating problems faced by  individuals in developing countries in health-related decision making. Relevant courses: PubH 6440 Global Health Economics and Finance
• Apply selected theories and principles of selected topics in regulatory policy, trade law and human rights conventions to the identification, classification and elaboration of current and emerging global health threats and opportunities that can be addressed through the international health governance and legal machinery.  Relevant courses: PubH 6443 Global Health Agreements and Conventions
• Understand and critically assess the historical and ongoing development of the International Health Regulations, including the existing mechanisms and limitations in applying them through governmental, international and non-state organizations to address a major epidemic or other health emergency. Relevant courses: PubH 6443 Global Health Agreements and Conventions
• Critically analyze the near- and long-term consequences of Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) on global health, differentiating determinants that can be effectively addressed through national and international policies. Relevant courses: PubH 6443 Global Health Agreements and Conventions
• Critically assess the relationship between the protection, promotion and progressive realization of human rights and global health outcomes, including how they relate to complex humanitarian emergencies. Relevant courses: PubH 6443 Global Health Agreements and Conventions

Management Concentration students should be able to:

• Apply management theory in health services organizations (HSOs) in limited resource settings, including through: comprehending management activities, their historical and theoretical bases, and current problems and applications; understanding how the economics and the financing of health and medical care affect the behavior of patients, providers, and organizations in international settings; and identifying contemporary administrative and clinical ethics issues present in HSOs that can be resolved through the application of ethical reasoning. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management) and HSML 6203 Introduction to Health Management
• Comprehend the relationship between the budget process and the management of resources within the health care organization, applying that understanding to: the development of a facilities budget; the evaluation of an organization’s financial viability using industry performance measures; and recommendations of the use of different third party reimbursement methods in different circumstances and settings. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management) and HSML 6203 Introduction to Health Management
• Apply in a limited resource health care setting: the basics of quality and performance improvement; a basic parliamentary procedure; and the problem solving method to written and oral case analyses. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management)
• Make oral presentations, interacting effectively in a group setting and to identify management and leadership lessons learned in case studies. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management)
• Understand health resource management and the funds administration process for health services organizations including conducting financial analysis and developing budgets and financial reports. (HSML 6209 and HSML 6210)
• Apply management science theory and techniques to service lines, programs, and projects; apply project management concepts and tools; plan and evaluate program and project effectiveness; apply the Logical Framework to development projects; and develop Gantt Charts that integrate Diffusion Theory into health and development project timelines. Relevant courses: PubH 6436 Global Health Program Management (or HSML 6246 Service Line and Project Management)
• Understand the role information technology performs in managing health care services; identify priority e-health applications that contribute to the quality of health care delivery; be knowledgeable of the current policies and programs leading in the development of the nationwide electronic health information network; and apply decision-making and strategic thinking for planning and developing EHRs for an acute care hospital environment. Relevant courses: HSML 6207 Health Services Information Applications.