Course Introduction
Courses Related to Global Health
This is an introductory course in global health that aims to explore key issues in global health from a multidisciplinary (economics, political science, sociology, management, etc.) perspective. The course will begin with an introduction of a brief history, key social theories, and values of global health. The course then covers global burden of disease, inequalities in global health distribution and determinants, various global health systems, issues in health delivery, the role of international actors in global health, and the impact of foreign aid on health and development. Relevant real-world case examples are introduced as well. Finally, the course reviews prospects and emerging challenges in global health.
Recently the scope and interest of global health are being rapidly extended, affected by the recent consequences of the globalization processes, development of technologies, and the newly emerging infectious diseases, etc. In this light, research in global health has a correspondingly wide spectrum, ranging from qualitative studies to quantitative research to practical implementation research. The course introduces and discusses diverse research methods in global health and their applications to real-world examples, with an aim to help students develop their own research design and implementation skills in global health. The course also holds workshops to provide students hands-on experience.
This course will introduce essential concepts and principles with which policies are made from the global health context, to help students understand, interpret and assess the process of global health policymaking. The first section of the course will focus on discussing key concepts and theories regarding public policy and health policy in general and processes for planning, implementing and analyzing global health policy. The section will also cover some cross-cutting themes such as the politics (e.g., governance, power, institutions, actors, publicprivate partnerships) and economics (e.g., financing and development) of global health policy. The second section will look into and discuss selected real-world policy issues (e.g., universal health coverage and health workforce at the country level in low- and middleincome countries, and global health security and refuge health at the global level) to help students apply the concepts and frameworks learned throughout the course to the key global health policy issues.
Planning and evaluating a global health program in a developing country setting is particularly challenging and requires a broader perspective and a systematic approach considering the specific local conditions. This course aims to review important factors relevant to each of the steps in planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating a global health program and to provide understanding about the theories and methods of the steps. The course introduces real-world examples of a global health program planning and evaluation and discusses the reasons of success or failure of each example. The course also provides students with an opportunity to experience developing their own global health program design and a monitoring & evaluation plan, considering a country’s sociocultural and economic conditions, health care needs, community participation, and sustainability of the program.
Recently the scope and interest of global health have been rapidly extended, influenced by the consequences of globalization processes, technological advancements, and the emergence of new infectious diseases (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic), among other factors. This seminar course aims to address cross-cutting issues, advanced topics and recent trends in global health that go beyond those covered in the introductory global health course (i.e., “Global Health”) requiring deeper reflections.
This course will provide students with an opportunity to apply their academic knowledge and experience in global health to real-world practical public health problems in the global context. Through the practicum, students will expand their research and professional experience to understand health problems, assess health needs, and explore alternative approaches to problem solving, based on their understanding of the sociocultural and economic status of the local populations.
Global Health Practicum Syllabus
2019 Global Health Practicum Social Contribution Course Final Presentation Materials
Courses Related to Economic Evaluation and Decision Analysis
Economic evaluation is defined as an analysis that compares two or more policy alternatives in terms of cost and effectiveness. It is currently accepted as a methodology for comparing and evaluating alternatives in the health care field in many countries, and in recent years, the frequency of use in decision-making and impact assessment related to health policy at the global level is increasing. This course introduces the basic concepts and theories of economic assessment and comprehensively examines the major methodological and ethical issues related to conducting economic assessment. In addition, it introduces the use of economic assessment in evaluating projects and policies in the field of international health.
Decision analysis is a multidisciplinary discipline developed with roots in various disciplines such as economics, mathematics, statistics, and psychology, and systematically applies various quantitative analysis techniques to help make decisions under uncertainty. Decision analysis is applied to various academic fields, and in health studies and global health, it has been actively used as one of the main methodologies in evaluating the performance or impact of health programs or health policies in individual countries and international organizations. This course introduces the main concepts and methodologies of decision analysis that can be applied to the fields of health science and international health. It covers the basis of decision analysis, decision-making process, decision-making model construction, model estimation, and simulation techniques and uncertainty analysis using decision models, and introduces real-world examples and the latest academic trends.
Global Summer Courses
This course examines conceptual frameworks and key issues of health system and policy with a global perspective. It then examines the impact of the COVID-19 and various policy measures for the preparedness and response to a pandemic. Health system and policy, such as financing, service delivery, workforce, and governance, are deeply embedded in the history, political and socioeconomic context of each country. This course explores health (e.g. confirmed cases, fatality rates) and socioeconomic (e.g. economic growth, employment) consequences of COVID-19 as well as the pandemic’s impact on the vulnerable population (e.g. people with disabilities, refugees/immigrants) and gender equity in high-income versus low and middle-income countries. In addition, it analyzes the key characteristics and the role of health system and policy of each country in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, this course introduces global efforts to respond to the pandemic, and discusses ethical issues that should be considered in making pandemic response policies and strategies.