Now enrolling for our Summer 2023 Session!
June 7 – July 19, 2023
Each session includes seven weekly classes scheduled from 12:00-2:00pm (EST)
ENROLL TODAY!
A 7-Week Executive Survey Course for Medical Product Donation Professionals
PQMD has condensed key elements of a Master’s in Public Health curriculum to create a comprehensive Executive Survey Course on global health, for professionals or students working in the space but lacking relevant formal education.
The course compresses much of the MPH curriculum with an emphasis on global concerns; participants gain an improved understanding of health disparities around the world and how they’re measured, health systems in low and lower-middle income countries, the global frameworks and key players providing sustained humanitarian assistance for global health development, and the dynamics and coordination of international disaster response.
The course is structured in 7 modules, and delivered through weekly 120-minute online sessions. Modules are delivered by topic-specific expert guest lecturers, including the course coordinator, a seasoned global health professional with substantial experience in the subject matter and adult education.
PQMD is currently enrolling its next cohort of participants.
The Global Health & Development Essentials course is intended as an introduction and orientation to international development policies and practices. Participants will gain an improved understanding of the global health policy environment in low and lower middle income countries; learn about the global frameworks and key players providing sustained humanitarian assistance and response for global health and health systems; explore the dynamics and coordination of international disaster and pandemic response, and complexities of medical product donation programs within these contexts and existing frameworks.
ELIGIBILITY There are no specific prerequisites for the Global Health & Development Essentials course; participants need no previous instruction in global health or surrounding disciplines. It is presumed that the trainees will come to the course with a diverse set of educational and professional backgrounds, and that the course’s content will improve their ability to design, influence or implement their organization’s medical product donation programs for maximum impact on health outcomes in vulnerable communities around the world.
FORMAT The GHDE course will be delivered through an exclusively ‘distance’ format: live lectures and supporting materials broadcast online at designated times, and the recorded sessions also available via streaming at the convenience of the trainee. Each 90-minute lecture will be followed by a 30-minute discussion session for those participants taking part at time of original broadcast. Lecture presentations, recordings and notes will be available online, as well as source materials, supplemental reading, and a list of other essential resources for the trainee.
| PRICING | |
| PQMD Official Member Representative | NO FEE |
| PQMD Member Organization Employee | $500 |
| Non-Member (Corporate) | $1,250 |
| Non-Member (NGO) | $700 |
| Academic Faculty/Students | $500 |
MODULE DESCRIPTIONS
MODULE 1: Introduction to Global Health & Health Disparities around the World
This module introduces the course format, previews the subject matter covered over the course of seven modules, and provides an overview of health dynamics around the world, with an emphasis on the disparities that characterize much of the developing world. It introduces the World Health Organization’s geographic regions and the World Bank’s income classifications; examines differences in health spending, life expectancies, and burdens of disease across those groupings; and discusses various sources of epidemiological data used by the global health community. The module also sets forth operational definitions for global health, development assistance for health, emergency response versus sustained health assistance, and medical product donation. A case study examines the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, and how it has been used to direct and optimize global investment in health development.
MODULE 2: Global Health Actors & Frameworks for Global Health Engagement
This session introduces financial sources of support for global health efforts, the players responsible for each aspect of development assistance, and the frameworks through which the global health community organizes itself and its work. It begins with an examination of global investment by type and over time, comparing government expenditure to private and philanthropic giving. It introduces various categories of global health actors and provides an illustrative example in each. The module then takes a look at two major international frameworks currently in use (the Sustainable Development Goals the Global Health Security Agenda), and discusses the significance of each and the relevance of donation programs within. A case study takes a look at global polio eradication efforts and the role the private sector has played.
MODULE 3: Health Systems & Health System Constraints in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
This module provides an overview of the structure of typical health systems around the world, with an emphasis on low and lower middle-income countries. The presentation is organized around the World Health Organization’s six Health System Building Blocks: health leadership and governance, financing, access to essential medicines and technologies, health information systems, human resources and health workforce, and service delivery. For each component of a typical health system, the module presents its primary role and function, discusses common challenges and constraints in resource-limited settings, and provides a historical example of a global health effort to strengthen that aspect of the health system. Discussion is focused on how effectively implemented medical product donations can contribute to lasting improvement and health system strength.
MODULE 4: Approaches and Trends in Global Health & Sustained Development Assistance
This session takes a closer look at current approaches to health development among the global community. It examines the definition of “sustainable” as pertains to global health initiatives and outcomes, and introduces Universal Health Coverage as a key concept and an aspirational component of the globally-adopted Sustainable Development Goals. The module then presents several categories and specific principles and approaches to sustainable development, including: improved strategies for health workforce strengthening, renewed focus on multi-sectoral engagement, the application of big data and mobile phone technologies, and efforts to improve local ownership of externally-funded health system strengthening initiatives. A case study examines a Tanzanian initiative to accredit retail drug shops, and tees up a discussion on the challenges of donating drugs within a complex national system of pharmaceutical regulation and reality.
MODULE 5: Infectious Disease Outbreaks & Pandemics
Module 5 is focused on infectious disease transmission, the realities of disease outbreaks and pandemics, and the mechanics of local and international response. It provides illustrative examples of past outbreaks, and examines the actual and potential impact in terms of lives lost, direct expense, and the intangible damage to already weak health systems. The module discusses risk factors for uncontrolled transmission, the vulnerabilities prevalent in low and lower middle-income countries, and the types of surveillance systems in use or planned to avoid catastrophic pandemics. In particular, the Global Health Security Agenda’s action packages are presented, including laboratory networks, vaccine stockpiles and other international cooperation. The recent Ebola outbreak in West Africa is used as a case study, and discussion is focused on relevant response considerations: commodities needed urgently, sources and donations, and the complications of delivery.
MODULE 6: Other Emergency Response & Disaster Relief Efforts
This session provides an overview of international response to disasters around the world. It describes the direct and indirect effects of multiple disaster scenarios, and the frequent causes of morbidity and mortality in disaster-affected populations. It presents the typical disaster cycle and reactionary stages, and within those focuses on key themes such as operations and logistics, environmental hygiene monitoring, nutrition and mental health management. The module also describes the role of major donor organizations and other stakeholders on the responding side, and discusses strategies to build disaster resilience in vulnerable parts of the world. A case study discusses the protracted consequences of the Haiti earthquake, and discussion is encouraged around the role of medical product donations in each of four disaster response phases.
MODULE 7: Medical Product Donations in Global Health
This module is focused squarely on medical product donation and its role in global health, both as relates to disaster response initiatives and to long-term health system strengthening initiatives. With the previous sessions as a backdrop, this module discusses the rationale, advantages, and particularities of product donation as a global health contribution. The session reviews existing guidelines and best practices for donation programs, compares and contrasts multiple delivery and partnership models, and addresses the key challenges to effective donation impact. Discussion is facilitated around impact evaluation, new partnership models, and future possibilities for more impactful donation programs.
