PHPS41290

This ten-credit module provides a comprehensive overview of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are crucial for anyone pursuing a career in global health. The SDGs emphasize that eliminating poverty must be accompanied by initiatives to enhance health and education, reduce inequalities, foster economic growth, combat climate change, and protect the environment for future generations.

Students will integrate knowledge from other courses in the MPH program, exploring how many public health determinants extend beyond healthcare services, necessitating multidisciplinary collaboration and health impact assessments across all governmental policies. The module covers the built environment and public health in both developing and developed countries.

Addressing climate change and environmental degradation, which pose significant threats to human health, the module includes an online component from the Global Consortium on Climate and Health Education in collaboration with the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health and the Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region (ASPHER).

The Sustainable Development Goals serve as a central framework for tackling health determinants and improving health outcomes. The course examines global health governance, including the roles of governments, donor aid, NGOs, and other international organizations in addressing health needs at both global and national levels. It also delves into the functions of health systems, the provision of primary health care, the health needs of refugees, and public health responses in humanitarian crises.

Public health in conflict zones, including issues of internal and external migration, will be explored. The module also focuses on health challenges in resource-limited settings and strategies for less developed countries to meet their health needs with limited resources.

Students will engage in country case studies and group presentations to apply their learning and demonstrate their understanding.