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Introduction to International Health

Gain a broad understanding of the complexities of international health - following either a clinical or biomedical orientation.

Short Courses

  • Face-to-face

  • Antwerp

20 ECTS Credits

English

About the course

Rationale

NOTE: The course structure and content is being reviewed may be adapted.


This course provides a broad introduction to international health. The focus is on determinants of health, poverty-related health problems in low-and middle-income societies, and principles of public health. It encompasses disease prevention and control, health system organisation, health policy and laboratory organisation in resource-limited settings. The systems approach and the specific inputs from social sciences will help students grasp the complex picture of health and health care in low-resource settings.


Students can choose between a clinical and a biomedical orientation. This needs to be indicated in the motivation letter upon applying.


The IIH targets (junior) health professionals with a concrete interest and/or career perspective in international health. Professionals with significant experience in low- and middle-income countries are advised to explore courses which go beyond the introductory level (e.g. master degrees or more specialized short courses).


This course can be combined with the Tropical Medicine and Clinical Decision Making (TMCDM) course to obtain a postgraduate certificate in Tropical Medicine and International Health (TMIH).

The IIH is also a core course for the MSc in Public Health (MPH) and the MSc in Tropical Medicine (MTM).

The IIH course is accredited as a core course for master programmes in the tropEd network.

Learning objectives

By the end of the short course, students should be able to:

  • discuss determinants of health in general and of health care seeking behaviour in particular
  • analyse the main biomedical, clinical and epidemiological aspects of the major health problems in low- and middle-income countries in order to contribute to their prevention and control at population and individual level
  • discuss the major issues in international health policy and development cooperation
  • contribute to the organisation of primary health care services taking into account local priorities and resource availability as well as the perspective of communities and patients
  • critically analyse disease control programmes, applying scientific tools and methods
  • analyse the main epidemiological, programmatic and health system aspects of reproductive health, child health and healthcare in emergency situations
  • organize field laboratories and review their performance 
  • manage communication and teamwork in a multi-disciplinary setting

Course Leader(s)

  • Ludwig Apers

Course Coordinator(s)

  • Deogratias Katsuva

Course Administrator(s)

  • Sanae El Harrak

Contact

  • tmih@itg.be