Overview

Class Central Tips

- Discover the inner workings of how to plan and manage a global health initiative - Identify the logistical details of an effective global health program - Discuss the best practices for human resources management in disease control programs Planning and managing a global health initiative involves a complex set of issues. At every level from global to national and sub-national, there are a wide range of considerations to make. Additionally, many steps and many actors are involved. These include establishing a robust supply chain, addressing corruption, thinking about the intersectionality of poverty and gender, and considering how the program may advance or hinder the larger goal of health equality. Using the polio eradication effort as a case study, you’ll 1) address the foundational concepts, theoretical frameworks, and practical details involved in this complicated process, and 2) explore all of these stages and will decipher how to address each of them within the context of global health. You’ll also learn about how to acquire, train and deploy appropriate human resources to each individual stage of the global health program, and will again use the polio eradication effort to put this into context.

Syllabus

Disease Eradication Basics with Polio Case Study

This module we will begin with an overview of the course. To consider strategies for global disease control, as a case study, we will cover the basics of the poliovirus and polio eradication — the reason we are doing this is that understanding the characteristics of a disease may affect your management strategies. This information will be useful as we get into planning and management strategies in the coming weeks.

Planning and Managing Global Health Programs

This module, we will cover the fundamentals of planning and management to set your program up for success, and consider key elements in reaching every last inidividual. We'll round the week out with a roundtable discussion focusing on the value of accountability structures towards eliminating corruption.

Health Commodities, Logistics, and Supply

This module we will delve into health commodities, logistics, and supply. We will begin with exploring the example of vaccine derived polioviruses, and the challenges involved in terms of logistics. Then, we will dive into the process of health commodity and logistics management, including the cold chain and vaccine supply.

Human Resources for Health (HRH)

This module we will begin with an introduction to human resources for health, and their central role in all aspects of program implementation. Next, we will consider how incentives, politics, and gender roles impact human resource functioning. We'll round the week out with a roundtable discussion focusing on the safety of health workers in conflict settings.

Health Equity and Social Justice

This module we will begin by exploring core concepts in health equity and social justice. We will hear from experts on the role of ethics and equity in eradication programs. We'll round the week out by reviewing frameworks to understand and address inequitable program design and implementation.