Readings in Global Health - Harvard University

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How do health professionals predict global patterns of disease? In the case of an epidemic, disaster, or armed conflict, how do experts determine what health care interventions to use? Is it possible to eradicate diseases like guinea worm and polio? How can health systems address their challenges?

In this course, learners will hear from leading experts as they engage with current issues and challenges in global health. The course will examine the global response to diseases, such as the developing Zika outbreak. The backbone of this learning experience is a set of 18 reviews, co-edited by David Hunter and Harvey Fineberg, published in The New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM). The combined reviews constitute an up-to-date survey of global health topics from authoritative leaders in the field, covering disease patterns and predictions, infectious and non-communicable diseases, and health systems and institutional responses.

Participants will read the reviews, hear from the authors through a series of interviews, and engage with the content and one another through assessments and discussion questions.

• The state of knowledge in key areas of global health
• An understanding of expert opinions on current controversies and challenges in global health
• How evidence is used for decision-making or priority-setting in global health