Title:	Core Course in Public Health and Health Equity (CCPH-HE)
Country:	Netherlands
Institution:	The Netherlands - Royal Tropical Institute (KIT), Amsterdam
Course coordinator:	Lisanne Gerstel
Date start:	2024-09-09
Date end:	2024-12-13
About duration and dates:	14 weeks full time study (including 1 week for examination and graduation). Applications are due two months before the start of the course (unless students need a visa, then it is due three months before start of the course).
Classification:	core course
Mode of delivery:	Face to face
Course location: KIT Institute Mauritskade 64 1092 AD Amsterdam The Netherlands tropEd representative: Lisanne Gerstel Master Core Course
ECTS credit points:	20 ECTS credits
SIT: The core course requires 560 hours of Student Investment Time. The SIT is divided across different blocks in the following way: Learning and Communication Skills and Professional Development (tropEd - Introduction and learning skills) -> 42 SIT Equity and Global Health Concerns (tropEd - Global health concerns) -> 182 SIT Research Methods (tropEd - Concepts, theory, and methods for global health research) -> 182 SIT Health Systems and Policy Making (tropEd - Global health policies, health systems, their management, financing and strengthening) -> 154 SIT See Table 1 for details about contact hours (face-to-face and e-learning), and self-study time.
Language:	English
Description: By the end of the core course students should be able to: 1. Critically reflect on the collection, analysis, and appraisal of qualitative and quantitative data relevant for the improvement of health and health care equity. 2. Identify and analyse interrelated determinants of health and major health concerns of populations in a trans-disciplinary perspective in low- and middle-income settings and on global level. 3. Propose sustainable improvements of health systems addressing inequities and considering diverse intercultural settings as well as social, legal, and ethical responsibilities. 4. Describe the role, decision-making process, and impact of global health policy actors. 5. Collaborate and clearly communicate in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural setting.
Focus or specific features: The core course in Public Health and Health Equity in the KIT Royal Tropical institute has a specific focus on health equity and reflection on the position of health workers in the field of global health. When considering health systems, people centred approaches and the role of communities is emphasized. KIT’s approach puts emphasis on the practical application of knowledge and skills using expertise from students and facilitators. Facilitators are active in the field and have up to date knowledge of situations encountered. Therefore, we can offer an up-to-date approach to complex global health issues. Both the facilitators and the students are from various disciplines and countries. This results in a vivid exchange of experiences/ viewpoints/ knowledge. The classroom sessions are highly interactive to facilitate this exchange.
Assessment Procedures: The core course has 4 summative assessments. The first three assessments need a pass mark to pass the course. The last one can have a fail mark, provided that the other assessments have a passing mark. 1. One written assignment (weighting 35% of the final mark). This is a 2500-word essay analysing the social determinants of a given health problem in a country of choice. Deadline for submission oft he written assignment is in week 10 of the course. As preparation, a formative writing assignment is offered, and individual feedback is provided. Students receive group tutoring sessions. The essay is marked and detailed feedback is provided. Students are allowed to use generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) provided that they explain in the methods section how this resource was used. 2. One three-hour, open-book exam on research methods (weighting 35% of the final mark). The open-book exam covers a representation of the subjects taught during the course. Students can have their laptops with all course materials during the online exam. On top of proctoring, a system (Safe Exam Browser) prevents students to leave the Virtual Platform (KIT Virtual Grounds) and go on the web and/or use the laptop for communication. Questions for the exam come from a database. The open-book exam on research methods will take place around week 9. Students take a formative exam to test their knowledge, and to familiarize with the system and examination style. Exam feedback is provided with the model answers. The exam consists of open questions, some of which require calculations. 3. One oral examination on health systems and policy making (30%). The exam covers a representation of the subjects taught during the course. Sample questions are provided beforehand. The oral examination on health systems and policy making will take place in week 13 of the core-course. 4. Students keep a portfolio showing reflection on their learning process. The final reflective commentary is a wrap-up exercise focusing on the learning process that took place during the core course. This short essay is reviewed by the course coordinators following an assessment guide. Students receive specific feedback, and the portfolio is graded with a pass/fail mark. Students are required to prepare and submit the reflective essay, but they can still pass the course even if they fail this assignment. There is no option to re-sit the reflective essay. The handing-in of the portfolio should be done in week 14 of the core-course. If a student fails one or more of the first three examinations, they can re-sit these exams on a date specified in the Study Guides. See Annex 1 for an example of the assessment task, including evaluation criteria and/or standards.
Content: The course consists of four blocks (see also Table 2): ● Learning and Communication Skills and Professional Development (1.5 ECTS; 1.6 weeks; 0.9 ECTS/week) ● Equity and Global Health Concerns (6.5 ECTS; 4.4 weeks; 1.5 ECTS/week) ● Research Methods (6.5 ECTS; 4 weeks; 1.6 ECTS/week) ● Health Systems and Policy Making (5.5 ECTS; 3.4 weeks; 1.6 ECTS/week) 1. Learning and Communication Skills and Professional Development (tropEd - Introduction and learning skills) For a public health professional, it is essential to communicate confidently in intercultural, interdisciplinary, and international settings. Public health work is mostly teamwork. It requires leadership and giving and receiving feedback, to improve the quality and effectiveness of the work. In this block, participants reflect upon personal and professional views and values regarding the ongoing developments in global health and their role in addressing global health issues in their future career. 2. Equity and Global Health Concerns (tropEd - Global health concerns) The factors that have an important influence on health are known as determinants of health. Most of these determinants lie outside the direct influence of the health system, such as gender, education, culture, employment, and environment. Understanding these factors is important to effectively design and manage interventions in the public health sector, and to collaborate with other sectors. It is also essential in mitigating the effects of global threats, like pandemics and climate change. This block provides participants with an overview of the most relevant health concerns occurring in low-resource settings and/or with marginalised groups in different parts of the world. These concerns include but are not limited to, communicable and non-communicable diseases, child health, and sexual and reproductive health and rights. In this block participants will identify the key actors, at local and global level, in addressing these concerns, as well as (interdisciplinary and intersectoral) response strategies to address health issues and inequities. 3. Research Methods (tropEd - Concepts, theory, and methods for global health research) This block introduces quantitative and qualitative research methods and provides the skills to critically appraise information and evidence available in a wide range of sources. Basic principles of statistics, epidemiology, and study design in the field of public health are discussed. A socio-cultural perspective on health, illness, health care, medical anthropology, and sociology are used to study issues such as which population groups have the highest health needs and why. 4. Health Systems and Policy Making (tropEd - Global health policies, health systems, their management, financing and strengthening) In this block participants look into the health needs of people, the demand and utilisation of services, and the organisation of health service delivery. What are the factors that influence utilisation of health services and peoples’ health (care) seeking behaviour, especially by the poor and other disadvantaged groups? This block discusses health systems: their boundaries, actors, functions, and goals. Effective health systems are essential to achieve universal health coverage (UHC), one of the key targets of the Sustainable Development Goals. Strong and resilient health systems enable countries to respond to shocks, such as Ebola and COVID-19, while continuing to deliver essential health services. Understanding and incorporating the voices of the people and communities that rely on a well-functioning health system is central to adapting the system to a changing context, including the demographic transition and a change in disease burden concerning infectious and non-communicable diseases. Many countries have trouble providing access for the poor, due to limited (human) resources. This block explores the roles of the public and private sectors, including non-governmental organisations (NGOs), and the organisation of health care across the continuum of care, including health promotion, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, palliative care, and rehabilitation. See table 1. The course starts with two weeks that are a mix of various blocks. The first week has a focus on Learning and Communication Skills and Professional Development, and already some of the major health concerns are presented. Also, an introduction to health systems and policy is provided, and while learning how to access relevant information, demographic and epidemiological indicators are already introduced. After the first two weeks there are designated weeks per block. The last week of the course again has room for reflection on the learning as well as positionality. A debate on research integrity is organised and there is attention for advocacy skills needed by global health practitioners. See table 2.
Methods: There are generally two sessions a day. A session consists of two or three hours including a coffee/tea break. The morning session is from 9-10h to 12h and the afternoon session runs from 13-14h to 16h. On average, 0.5 to 1 day a week is delivered online. Reading material is prepared and distributed beforehand via the online learning platform Virtual Grounds (see attachment 2). Laptops and/or tablets are required. On average 1 day a week is kept free from sessions for self-learning. Sessions usually consist of an introductory presentation combined with other teaching methods as described below and finally a reflection on how the session relates to global health and the final take home messages. The content of the course is oriented as much as possible to the working situation of the participants. Participants have intensive contacts with highly qualified staff who are active in the field. Methods are varied and include interactive lectures, discussions, debates group work, case studies, exercises, health games, self-reflection, giving feedback to others and self-study. Simulations and role plays are used to familiarize participants with problem-solving in cross-cultural management and planning.
Prerequisites: ● Bachelor’s degree or equivalent academic training in either medicine or another field related to health care, such as health sciences, health economics, social sciences, or nursing. ● A minimum of three years of health-related work experience in health systems not limited to (organisation of) individual patient care but including involvement with public/global health, in resource-constrained settings and/or with marginalised communities and proven interest in these areas. ● Proof of English language proficiency: English academic TOEFL or IELTS test. A minimum written TOEFL score of 550, iBT TOEFL score of 80, computer based TOEFL score of 213, or an IELTS academic score of 6.0 is required. (See below for exceptions). ● Computer literacy is essential: we use a virtual learning platform and digital tools in our education and assignments, and the exams are conducted online.
Attendance: Maximum number of students 85, minimum number of students 15
Selection: first-come, first-served basis
Fees: Academic year 2024-2025: 7300 Euro. This fee does not include living expenses, transportation costs, insurance, or any other incidental costs.
Scholarships: Suggestions for financial support can be found on our website or www.grantfinder.nl
Major changes since initial accreditation: The course was last accredited in 2023. It is offered again for reaccreditation because of important changes. A change was made in the division of the blocks and specific objectives were reformulated. The previous version of the course had a separate block for health concerns and social determinants of health. These blocks are now integrated into one block called ‘Equity and Global Health Concerns .’ In previous versions of the course, the sessions of each block were intertwined, now the blocks will be clearly separated, with designated time for each block and a better spread of the assessments over the course period. Another change was aiming to address the diversity among course participants. The block on global health research was expanded, as previously it was felt to be too short for some students. Because of the wide variety in the level of pre-existing knowledge on research among participants, a pre-test is introduced. Students who score low on the test are advised to attend all class sessions, while students who score well may opt to take extra sessions on specific health concerns and refresh their knowledge with self-study materials. In addition, some sessions in the block on Learning and Communication Skills and Professional Development are optional for those with previous publications (literature search) and where possible alternative sessions on specific health concerns are offered. The fourth important change that was made was in the assessments. Previously there was one three-hour open book exam covering both research methods and health systems aspects. The health systems objectives are now covered in an oral examination and the research methods are covered still in an open book examination. The previous version had a peer assessed presentation which was dropped. The fifth important change concerns the focus of the course. More emphasis is placed on positionality of the international health expert. Also, the focus on equity, research fairness and empowerment of communities has increased. Focus is less on north south inequities, and more on inequities between groups of people both between and within countries. The course coordination is differently organised with one coordinator for each block. The advisory board of the course consists of the KIT coordination team, representatives of the University Hospital of Amsterdam (Amsterdam UMC), representatives of the CIGT (Concilium Internationale Geneeskunde en Tropengeneeskunde); representatives of international NGOs, representatives of the University Amsterdam and student representatives who meet once a year. KIT reorganised the setup of its master programmes with a similar core course for all students, and specific tracks allowing for mobility. This means that the core course will have a more internationally diverse audience and less fluctuations in participant numbers.
Student evaluation: The course was well received in the previous version. Some of the changes were piloted already in the last version of the core course, like the increased focus on positionality. This was very well appreciated. There was a difference in perception of the course among different subgroups in the course. Several medical doctors, especially those from western countries, were keen on sessions on health concerns, while some other students felt the need for more explanation on research methods and more support on literature search and scientific writing. Students would have loved more joint sessions with other master programmes at KIT with more international students. In the last course, a pilot was done to mix the groups which was very well appreciated and seen as an opportunity to practice collaboration and communication in a multi-disciplinary and multi-cultural setting intercultural skills.
Lessons learned: The pilot in the last edition of the course showed that the change of focus was well appreciated. As was noted many times before, the learning needs of participants differ widely among subgroups. This was also visible in the exam results. Only making certain sessions optional is not enough, and in fact some students do need more support with research and scientific writing than others. While main health concerns need to be covered for each participant (maternal health, NCD’s, main infectious diseases) others are less relevant to people who do not want to focus (anymore) on individual patient care. While it is impossible to cater for everyone’s learning needs, we do think we can diversify the offer with the help of self-study materials for those with previous knowledge and more step-by-step classes for those who need it for specific topics, while maintaining an interesting course offer for those who go fast in certain areas.
tropEd accreditation: Accredited in 2004 in Madrid. Re-accredited in 2009 in London, in 2014 in Umea, in 2019 in Lisbon, in 2023 in Barcelona. Re-accredited in Febr.2024 EC Telco This accreditation is valid until Febr. 2029.
Remarks: None
Email Address:	l.gerstel@kit.nl
Date Of Record Creation:	2011-06-07 17:26:56 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2011-06-07 17:35:30 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2021-03-18 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-03-08 20:06:50 (W3C-DTF)