e-Learning: Core public health concepts for health emergency and disaster risk management

The first cohort is now open for registration and study on a first-come-first-served basis. Upon registration, students are allowed to study the course until 31 Dec 2018 at their own pace. A certificate of completion will be issued for participants who have successfully completed the course.

About this course

This course will introduce the basic concepts of health and public health and core principles for public health practice. These core concepts and principles are fundamental for developing and implementing health interventions in health emergency and disaster risk management (Health- EDRM) at the global level. In this course, public health practice is categorised into three major domains: health protection, health promotion and health service provision. Each domain will be explained in lectures 3, 4 & 5 with relevant principles, models and theories to help understand how public health interventions and policies are developed and implemented. Lectures 5 & 6 will illustrate major threats to global health, diseases and disasters, in order to highlight the increasing needs for global efforts to fight against various health challenges.

What you'll learn

Upon completion of the course, students should be able to:

1. Understand the basic principles and concepts for health and public health
2. Gain basic principles of public health interventions, which are essential in disaster and humanitarian crisis
3. Grasp the three main spheres of public health and how they are practiced to protect and promote population health
4. Develop a good understanding of global health threats in relation to Health-EDRM and needs for public health interventions.

Target audience

This online course will be available to anyone in the world. The target audience is individuals studying and working in health, policy, education and humanitarian sectors or postgraduate students of closely-related disciplines. The course can be complementary to other HKJCDPRI online courses, such as Climate Change and Health.

Objectives

Knowledge

1. The principles of public health and determinants of health
2. The three main spheres of public health
3. Health protection principles
4. Health promotion models and theories
5. Two major pillars for health service provision, i.e. health systems and health policies  

Understanding

1. The overview of various principles related to public health
2. How the three domains of public health are related to public health practice
3. How health protection principles are useful for developing interventions
4. The practical use of models and theories for health promotion practice
5. Understanding six building blocks of health systems and three components that affect health policy development and implementation 

Skills 

Students become able to:

1. Rationalise why and how a health intervention and a policy is developed
2. Describe the needs of public health interventions to protect population health
3. Relate health protection interventions and principles 
4. Identify which health promotion models or theories are used for some health promotion practice
5. Recognise factors involved in building efficient health systems and health policies

List of lectures

1. Health and Public Health
2. Health Protection
3. Health Improvement
4. Health Service Provision
5. Threats to Global Health Part 1: Communicable & Non-Communicable Diseases
6. Threats to Global Health Part 2: Disasters