Dr Arjan Gjonca CON.7.08

This course is available on the MSc in China in Comparative Perspective, MSc in Development Management, MSc in Development Studies, MSc in Global Health Policy, MSc in Health and International Development, MSc in International Development and Humanitarian Emergencies, MSc in Political Economy of Late Development and MSc in Social Research Methods. This course is available with permission as an outside option to students on other programmes where regulations permit.

Places will be allocated with priority to ID and joint-degree students. If there are more ID and joint-degree students than DV444 can accommodate, these places will be allocated randomly.  Non-ID/Joint Degree students will be allocated to spare places by random selection with the preference given first to those degrees where the regulations permit this option.

No pre-requisites are required for this course.

This course aims at looking at some of the major global health challenges in the 21st century. It analysis health challenges from a multidisciplinary approach including public health, demography and development studies. The relationship between epidemics, diseases and the public health policies are core to the content of the course. The course takes an interest on population consequences of diseases and epidemics. It also addresses the social and environmental determinants of epidemics and disease pattern in low and middle income countries. Moreover, the course does this in a comparative perspective to high income countries. The course uses both evidence-based and theoretical approaches.  Another important aspect of the course is that it sheds light on the future of global health challenges as a result of anticipated population health changes.

Some of the main topics covered are: Epidemics and pandemics in historical perspective; the effects of pandemics in the overall health and mortality patterns of populations; Covid 19 pandemic - characteristics and the public health response to it; obesity and undernourishment as public health challenges; The increased global burden of mental health, environmental challenges and the impact on health; the relationship of migration and health and its effect on urban population.

This course is delivered through a combination of lectures and seminars in the MT. Seminars will be at or upwards of 45 minutes duration and lectures will be at or above 60 minutes duration. There will be a revision session in the ST.

Student on this course will have a reading week in Week 6.

One 1,500 word formative essay in MT.

McMichael T (2001) Human Frontiers, environment and disease.  Cambridge: Cambridge University Press

Merson, MH, Black, ER, Mills, AJ. (2012) Global Health: Diseases, Programmes, Systems, and Policies, London: Jones & Barlett Learning; Caldwell JC.

Vaughan, Megan, et al., editors. (2021) Epidemiological Change and Chronic Disease in Sub-Saharan Africa: Social and Historical Perspectives. UCL Press

Taubenberger, J.K. and Morens, D.M. (2006) “1918 Influenza: the Mother of All Pandemics”; Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vol. 12, No. 1, January 2006, pp. 15-22

Patel, V., et al. (2018). "The Lancet Commission on global mental health and sustainable development." THE LANCET 392(10157): 1553-1598. [Open access, available at https://www.thelancet.com/commissions/global-mental-health]

Popkin, B.M. (2001) The Nutrition Transition and Obesity in the Developing World. Journal of Nutrition 131(3)

Montgomery MR. (2008) The health of urban populations in developing countries. New York, New York, United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division

Take-home assessment (100%) in the LT.

The take-home assessment will take the form of a take-home essay (100%, 3,000 words).