Global Health Concentration
Beginning Spring 2009 the School of Public Health will offer a new concentration in Global Health
The Global Health Concentration (GHC) will provide MPH and MS students with the knowledge, understanding, and skills needed to confront and successfully address emerging global health problems.
Program Description / Overview
The Global Health Concentration is designed to attract students at the masters level who are interested in preparing for international careers in government, with international NGOs and health care agencies, industry, and academic institutions. Foreign students who undertake the concentration will be prepared to return to their home countries to work in the country’s ministry of health, with international governmental agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and other health care organizations.
At the conclusion of the concentration, students will be able to:
- Describe key historical events that have shaped public health internationally;
- Analyze the economic, political, social, and other contextual properties of global health;
- Discuss the significance of gender in relation to health in a global context;
- Apply appropriate theoretical frameworks to public health program development in the global context;
- Identify and apply community health prevention and intervention models appropriate for diverse global contexts;
- Apply methodological skills appropriate to global studies including rapid assessment techniques and program evaluation;
- Promote ethical principles in international research and practice;
- Apply information and technology transfer techniques;
- Draw upon international or other relevant experience to inform their global health careers
Program of Study
Didactic Course Requirements for MPH and MS Students
- IPHS 409 (3 sh) Global Public Health Challenges
- IPHS 410 (3 sh) Global Public Health Solutions
- Elective (3 sh) Taking a cross-disciplinary approach to public health, the Global Health Concentration draws upon course work and other resources throughout UIC that will help GH students to deepen their knowledge and understanding of the challenges, issues, and skills required to successfully address health problems globally. A list of courses which may be used to satisfy the concentration’s 3-hour elective requirement is found at: http://www.uic.edu/sph/global/academics_courselist_GHI.shtml. Selection of an elective should be made with the help of the student’s academic and Global Health Concentration advisors. Registration is subject to the offering Department’s approval.
In addition, as feasible, students in the concentration are strongly encouraged to select topics of global health relevance when completing all course assignments for their program. Competency in a foreign language is also highly recommended but not required for the program.
Additional Requirements for MPH Students
- IPHS 650 MPH Field Experience in Public Health (3 to 5 sh)
- IPHS 698 MPH Capstone Experience (1 sh)
MPH students must complete the MPH Field Experience and the MPH Capstone Experience with a global health focus. (For most students it is anticipated the Capstone Project will be based upon the student’s global health field experience.)
Students without prior experience are expected to complete an international field experience or identify an appropriate alternative. The latter choice includes working with an international NGO, a global health agency, or an ethnic community in the U.S.
With permission from their advisor, PEP MPH students with prior international experience suitable for their division have the option of either petitioning the Committee on Academic Progress (CAP) to waive the field experience or undertaking the internship. If the internship is waived, students in the concentration must complete an additional 3 sh elective in global health. (With proper planning, the substitute elective may satisfy both GHC and division requirements.)
Additional Requirements for MS Students
IPHS 598 Research in Public Health Sciences-MS (8 or 16 sh)
MS students must focus their research thesis on a global health related topic either outside the U.S. or domestically through an appropriate alternative venue. [Note, thesis research hours vary by division.
Admission
Students will apply to the SPH division of their choice(CHS, E-B, EOHS or HPA) and should also
apply for admission into the Global Health Concentration.
With proper planning the concentration can be completed during the same time period required for the MPH Professional Enhancement Program (PEP), MPH Comprehensive program, or the MS program. The deadline for admission to the concentration is two weeks from the start of the fall term. To apply to the concentration, please complete the application, obtain the appropriate signatures, and submit the application to Alyson Lofthouse, Global Health Program Coordinator, at SPHPI Room 1158, 1603 W. Taylor Street, Chicago, Illinois, 60612.
Global Health Concentration Application and Program of Study
Contact Information
For more information about this new concentration please contact Alyson Lofthouse, Global Health Program Coordinator, at 312-996-0054; or by email at alofth2@uic.edu.
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