This is a new course for 2022 entry (subject to final approval). Some details may change.

Introduction to global public health and determinants of health

Aims

The aim of this module is to introduce students to the major causes of morbidity and mortality around the world, the major determinants of those causes, and to review the historical and contemporary approaches and policies used to tackle these problems at a local, national and global level.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the development and principles of evidence-based medicine and policy
• Discuss and identify the many concepts of health and their individual and wider/environmental and commercial determinants
• Evaluate the utility of a systems science approach in developing public health approaches and policies
• Demonstrate an understanding of the major non-communicable (NCD) and communicable diseases and their key risk factors
• Demonstrate the ability to design, conduct and interpret health and environmental impact assessments
• Demonstrate an understanding of the principles and theory of health promotion along with contemporary public health and population level approaches and policies
• Discuss the importance of equality and equity in global public health and critique the role of public health approaches and policies in tackling them

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (T – F)
• Communication (T – F – A)
• Numeracy (T – F)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T)
• Information technology (T)
• Problem-solving (T – F – A)
• Working independently (T – F – A)
• Working as part of a group (F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).

Problem definition and prioritisation

Aims

The aim of this unit is to teach students the epidemiological and research methods used in public health to identify public health problems and prioritise public health responses

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of key public health epidemiological measures and methods, including those in health economics
• Design, carry out and interpret statistical and other quantitative analysis as applied to public health issues
• Explain population level measures and disease classifications for public health and critique their use in describing a range of public health issues
• Describe and explain key qualitative research methods and demonstrate an understanding of their utility in public health
• Show awareness of screening and surveillance approaches for non-communicable and communicable disease and critique their effectiveness
• Identity and use key public health data sources and to show awareness of developments in health information applications that may prove useful for surveillance and monitoring in public health

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (T – F)
• Communication (T – F – A)
• Numeracy (T – F – A)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T – F – A)
• Information technology (T – F)
• Problem-solving (T – F – A)
• Working independently (T – F – A)
• Working as part of a group (T – F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).

Identifying public health solutions

Aims

The aim of this unit is to teach students how to identify and critique possible policy and programme approaches for tackling public health problems on a local, national and global level.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Identify and interpret evidence on public health approaches and policies, including population level behaviour change interventions
• Design and conduct systematic reviews and meta-analysis on public health related topics
• Critically evaluate and appraise the scientific literature including interpret findings and critique the strengths and limitations of the literature
• Demonstrate an understanding of the hierarchy of evidence and evaluate the suitability of different study designs for public health research
• Show awareness of the importance of interval validity in public health study design, including but not limited to population sampling, randomisation and allocation, sample size and clustering
• Recognise and discuss the utility of mixed method approaches and the importance of external validity for public health research

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (F)
• Communication (F)
• Numeracy (T – F)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T – F – A)
• Information technology (F)
• Problem-solving (F – A)
• Working independently (F - A)
• Working as part of a group (F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).

Policy formation and implementation

Aims

The aim of this unit is to provide students with an understanding around the development and implementation of public health evidence-based policies and approaches.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Describe and explain means for translating ideas from research into policies and approaches; and putting those policies and approaches into practice
• Demonstrate an understanding of public health policy environments at a local, national and global level
• Show awareness of the range of public health strategies and their utilisation, development and implementation
• Recognise the importance of multisectoral and multistakeholder involvement in public health strategy, policy development and implementation including community mobilisation and patient and public involvement
• Discuss the barriers to policy development and implementation, including conflicts of interest from non-health sectors and stakeholders, in particular industry
• Demonstrate an understanding of implementation research and its utility in public health, along with the importance of context specific implementation

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (F)
• Communication (F - A)
• Numeracy (F)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T – F – A)
• Information technology (F)
• Problem-solving (F – A)
• Working independently (F - A)
• Working as part of a group (F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).

Global public health evaluation and monitoring

Aims

The aim of this unit is to develop an understanding of how to evaluate and monitor public health approaches and policies

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Show awareness of the importance of ongoing evaluation and monitoring of public health approaches and policies at a local, national and global level
• Demonstrate an understanding of the differences between policy and programme evaluation
• Show awareness of public health evaluation research methods and critique evaluation and monitoring approaches
• Discuss the ethics related to public health-related evaluation
• Demonstrate an understanding of the economic evaluation of public health approaches and policies, including cost benefit analysis
• Show awareness of the role of a range of sectors and stakeholders in public health evaluation and monitoring

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (F)
• Communication (F - A)
• Numeracy (F)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T – F – A)
• Information technology (F)
• Problem-solving (F – A)
• Working independently (F - A)
• Working as part of a group (F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).

Public health scale up and sustainability

Aims

The aim of this unit is to teach students the importance and means for ensuring that public health approaches and policies can be scaled up and sustained through careful planning and multisectoral and multistakeholder collaboration.

Learning outcomes

At the completion of this unit the student will be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the importance of scale up and sustainability in the development and implementation of public health policies
• Summarise the organisational structure or change required, including policy and financial resource allocation, for scale up and sustainability
• Discuss the science of practice and policy scale up in many contexts
• Critique the scalability and sustainability of public health policy and approaches, recognising challenges and facilitators to both
• Design and apply pilot and other programmatic research for the successful scaling up of public health approach and policies
• Demonstrate an understanding of scale up strategy and guidance and its application in a range of contexts
• Perform critical analysis of investment in health improvement, and the part played by economics

Skills

• Knowledge and understanding (T – F – A)
• Intellectual (T – F – A)
• Professional/Practical (T)
• Communication (T – F – A)
• Numeracy (T – F)
• Data acquisition, handling, analysis (T – F – A)
• Information technology (F)
• Problem-solving (T – F – A)
• Working independently (T – F – A)
• Working as part of a group (F)

Taught (T), Facilitated (F), Assessed (A).