Public Health: from theory to practice

Description of assignment	Assesses which learning goals?
1. Individual essay: 2. Presentation (group)  3. Written assignment (group) 4. Class Participation	1 to 4 1,2,3 and 5 1,2,3 and 5 4

This course is a track finisher for Medical Science if UCSCIMED21 and a level 1 in Biology are completed.

Public Health is defined as ‘the science and art of preventing disease, prolonging life, and promoting human health through organized efforts and informed choices of society, organizations, public and private, communities and individuals’ (Acheson 1988). Public Health recognizes that the health of persons in a society depends on much more than the healthcare one receives: it depends largely on the existence of a sustainable and equal system influencing one’s lifestyle, environment, and access to health care. Non-medical disciplines play a crucial role in the health of persons, both in preventing health issues and in resolving these when appearing, through for instance policy, laws, organization of care and (monetary) resources, or communication with different stakeholders and sectors within a country. The involvement of multiple disciplines requires interdisciplinary collaboration. This course will bring teachers and students from different disciplines together to understand and combine the roles different disciplines to support a healthy society through public health.

The overall objective of this program is to develop a comprehensive understanding of public health, and to acquire specific skills to apply this knowledge.  This course will include practical examples and this includes field visits within the Dutch setting. For example, we will investigate public health services like newborn, child and youth services, vaccinations, screening, and how these services provide support to vulnerable populations that are usually underrepresented in health dialogues. These examples can be used to reflect on other global public health practices to understand a broad range of community health issues in the socio-political and cultural contexts in which they occur. Students participating in this course will act as “experts” in their field and will work in an interdisciplinary team to understand health systems in place.


Format

This course follows these methods of learning:

1. Required reading and online modules aimed to deliver a comprehensive yet easy to follow course content. The online modules primarily revolve around important public health concepts such as social determinants of health, sustainable development goals, health systems, and health equity and justice. The required readings and online modules are individually taken and certain modules can be prepared in advance
2. Live sessions guided discussions will be held to help students explore their understanding of the topics covered that week. Understanding of course concepts delivered is assessed through an individual essay.
3. In class guided workshops which are centred around helping students gain the skills necessary to work in an interdisciplinary team.
4. Stakeholder field visits A limited number of visits to public health services will serve as an inspiration for students’ interdisciplinary projects. Students will be able to gain insights from real world experiences and will help define, investigate and develop potential public health intervention for their group challenge.

Students are expected to spend about ten hours per week on the course outside of class and complete their readings before class. Students are highly encouraged to contribute actively to class discussion and activities.

Difference between Global Health and Public Health
Whereas the Global Health course focuses on differences between countries and medical health care itself, Public Health focuses on the context of health care: the surrounding system that leads to prevention of health-care issues and is required to intervene when such issues arise.

At UCU, the Global Health (GH) and Public Health (PH) courses both include a health equity dimension: reducing differences in chances to achieve optimal health outcomes of individuals and populations. Public Health focuses more on a specific community, country and/or health system with clear geographical or organizational boundaries than Global Health does. This Public Health course will emphasize the health systems context, with (field) examples from the Netherlands to illustrate this context, with focus on specific populations who are vulnerable to health inequitieis and what public health interventions outside of medicine exist to address their health needs.

Possible to choose both Public Health and Global Health Practice?
It is possible to choose Public Health AND Global Health Practice, as these courses are different. Public health is more localized to the Dutch context, while global health takes a broader, international perspective. It is good to know, though, that both fields are highly interdisciplinary, there is a focus on health equity, and there is a CEL approach in both courses. If you feel you want to dive deeper into these concepts and approaches, choosing both courses might be good for you. If you decide this, we encourage you to challenge yourself to monitor your learning and go the extra mile, and share any suggestions that may enhance the delivery of the classes.