In an increasingly connected world, issues related to migration, population dynamics and disaster management are of growing concern for many disciplines, including global health.
UC students are eager to find solutions.
To help them get there, three new courses – developed by the UC Global Health Institute (UCGHI) and UC’s Innovative Learning Technology Initiative (ILTI) – will be available for spring 2018 registration. The courses address current issues in global health and offer UC students opportunities to explore a field that is growing in popularity.
Newly available courses include:
Migration and Health
Provides an introduction to the history, current status, and future of migration and health using the social determinants of health model to foster a multidisciplinary analysis of migrant health disparities.
Global Population, Health and Environment
Using a planetary health framework, this course examines concepts of demography, health, and environmental change from around the world. Engaging in current issues on the effects that our populations have on local and global environments, and the effects that our environments have on human and animal populations fosters cross-cultural and multidisciplinary problem solving.
Climate Change and Disaster Management
Examines the social, economic, environmental and health impacts of anthropogenic climate change through the lens of multiple disciplines, including public health, anthropology, and emergency management and preparedness.
UCGHI’s suite of online courses launched last fall with an Introduction to Global Health course as well as Ethics in Global Health. These courses equip students with the theoretical and practical knowledge they need to forge a career path in global health.
Global health attracts students from all disciplines – from psychology and engineering to economics and computer science – because global health issues are truly interdisciplinary.
“Introducing students to the idea that immigration itself is a social determinant of health is a core component of our course, and we use the online environment to expose students to the wide range of disciplinary approaches involved in understanding and addressing migration related health inequities,” explained Nancy Burke, PhD, MA, Migration and Health course co-creator and professor of public health at UC Merced.
“Having students from different disciplines and campuses come together really speaks to the collaborative nature of global health as a field,” said Woutrina Smith, DVM, MPVM, PhD, Global Population, Health and Environment course co-creator and professor of infectious disease epidemiology at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. “Successful projects in the real world require high levels of coordination and cooperation, and that’s exactly what the online format allows us to practice,” she added.
Interested students from all UC campuses can learn more and register via the UC Cross-Campus Enrollment portal.