Global health, disasters and health crises

Objectives

The aim of the course is to give the participant an overall understanding of global health and how disasters and health crises affect public health. In addition, it aims to give insight into how international health response can be planned and organized, with a focus on international humanitarian response.

At the end of the course, the participant should be able to:

• Describe and explain the global health situation and factors that influence trends and variations, as well as summarize strategies relevant to improved global health.
• Explain principles and prioritization and triage in mass casualty situations.
• Identify, interpret, and compile information on the interaction between vulnerability and various hazards/threats in addition to which health problems dominate in disasters and health crises.
• Make an overall analysis of a health system in a disaster or health crisis.
• Explain the principles and regulations for humanitarian actors and humanitarian assistance, as well as the importance of context.

Content

The starting point of the course is the global health situation and factors that determine it. It shows how different types of disasters and health crises interact with vulnerability and affect health overall.

• Global health: Trends and variations and health determinants
• Climate change and its impact on health
  Disasters and their impact on health
  • Conflicts
  • Natural disasters
  • Disease outbreaks
• Health systems and analysis of “disrupted” systems
• Basic principles of epidemiology in disasters and health crises
• Principles, rules, and standards for international humanitarian assistance (focus on health)
• Humanitarian assistance: main actors, mandates, and coordination
• Methods for needs assessments
• Simulation and exercise for handling mass casualty scenarios

Teaching Methods

The course runs over two weeks, where one half of the course consists of web-based distance studies, including a final project work (context analysis and health system analysis), and one half of the course consists of interactive campus days, including exercises in mass casualty triage.

When and where

Dates: The course starts on January 16 and ends on January 29, 2025. Lectures on campus will take place from January 20 to January 24.

Course venue: Karolinska Institutet, Campus Solna, Stockholm, Sweden.

Target group

Licensed healthcare professionals and other professions who aim to work within the field of health response in disasters.

Course Managment

Anneli Eriksson, course leader, RN PhD, Research specialist, Centre for Research on Health Care in Disasters, Department of Global Public Health

Johan von Schreeb, MD, Professor Global Disaster Medicine, Department of Global Public Health

Martina Gustavsson, RN, MSc, PhD, Postdoctoral Researcher

Hannah von Reding, MSc in Global Health, Project coordinator

Course syllabus

You can find the course syllabus here.

Price

11 000 SEK, excluding VAT per participant. Course literature is not included in the price.

Extra information

This is one of four courses that together provide you with the competencies, strategies, and tools to enable you to work as humanitarian health assistance staff. The four courses give a comprehensive preparation for health professionals. The first course and fourth course also comprise a useful introduction to the field for other professionals.

The other modules can be found here:

• Disasters, health crises and communicable and non-communicable diseases, as well as epidemic outbreaks, 3 credits
• Sexual and reproductive health and rights), as well as child health in disasters and health crises, 3 credits
• Project planning and response in disasters and health crises, 3 credits

More information

For questions about the course content:

Anneli Eriksson, course leader

Karolinska Institutet, Department of Global Public Health

E-mail: anneli.eriksson@ki.se

For administrative questions:

Kristoffer Mörtsjö, project coordinator

Executive and Professional Education at Karolinska Institutet

E-mail: Kristoffer.mortsjo@ki.se

Registration

Registration is binding. For cancellations later than six (6) weeks before the start of the course, 50 percent of the course fee will be charged, and for cancellations later than three (3) weeks before the start of the course, the full course fee will be charged. For complete terms and conditions, see our general terms and conditions.

Please note that the course is subject to the condition that we receive a sufficient number of participants.