The UAB Framework Program for Global Health &
UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health
Certificate in Global Health
Global health is defined as the application of public health principles to solutions of health problems
and challenges that transcend national boundaries. In the face of growing awareness of the need for
shared solutions to shared problems, opportunities in global health work are increasing and more
individuals are expressing interest in careers in global health. Those who desire to work in this field
require skills to identify and delineate critical health and human development issues that confront
populations in the settings in which they work. They may be required to design and/or implement large
or small scale interventions to prevent disease, protect, or promote population health. They may also be
hired as consultants to provide technical advice. Thus, this course is designed to equip participants
with the basic skills necessary to function effectively in global health practice. It covers several critical
issues in global health, including but not limited to epidemiology and disease control, health systems
management, disabilities, gender and health, refugee and migrant health, food and nutrition, evidencebased policy and practice, project design, monitoring and evaluation, environment and health. In
addition to didactic instructions in the aforementioned thematic areas, there is also a two-week field
study that provides hands-on experience in programmatic areas in global health practice.
The course is designed as a flexible, internet-based, alternative for local, regional, national and foreign
individuals working or intending to work with organizations engaged in global health. It is especially
designed with two groups of participants in mind: i) individuals with a passion for global health, but
without appropriate academic training in global health; ii) health professionals who need to update and
enhance their skills, but do not have the time or flexibility to undertake a strictly campus-based, full
academic degree program.
Course objectives
At the end of the course, participants should be able to:
• Analyze the relationship between health and development.
• Use appropriate methods to appraise global health challenges and health care systems, as well as
responses to these challenges.
• Synthesize information from primary and secondary sources to help identify appropriate
interventions and actions in the field of global health.
• Use research, planning and management methods to make efficient and effective use of available
resources in field settings.
• Develop professional skills in program design, program monitoring, and evaluation.
• Appraise health care needs associated with disabilities in resource-limited settings and strategies for
meeting such needs.
• Acquire skills in the use of distance learning technologies for application to future professional
development programs.
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Course Endorsement
This course has been developed with funding support from the Fogarty International Center of the US
National Institutes of Health (NIH) through the Framework Program for Global Health (Award #
R25TW007501) and in collaboration with the UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health. It has been
approved by the UAB School of Public Health and the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama
System. In addition to the Certificate to be issued by the UAB School of Public Health, Continuing
Medical Education (CME) credits and Continuing Education Units (CEUs) will be available.
Course Delivery
The course will be built in the Moodle course management system, which offers a variety of features to
facilitate and enrich online teaching and learning, including asynchronous threaded discussion boards,
chat rooms, white board, and email. To qualify for award of the certificate, participants are required to
complete a total of 6 modules (3 core modules and 3 elective modules) and a two-week field study.
The course will run from May-December, 2009. The first three modules (core) will run concurrently
from May 11-June 29, 2009. The field study is expected to be accomplished during the summer or fall
2009 and the remaining three modules will run concurrently in the fall of 2009. Each module will run
for 6 weeks. Ideally, the course can be completed within 6 months. However, course participants may
have up to 18 months to complete the course. Participants may sign up for individual modules without
being awarded a certificate. In lieu of a certificate, participants will receive a letter indicating that they
participated in the individual module(s).
Core Modules
Global Health: Principles and Practice: This module introduces participants to the historical
perspective of public health in its global context, examines major policies and themes, and analyzes
health problems and prevention priorities in different national and international contexts. The role of
international health agencies is analyzed, including their successes and constraints. Health care
delivery systems in different parts of the world are examined critically. Current and emerging global
public health priorities are analyzed, including international maternal health and child survival,
emerging infectious diseases, poverty, wars and other civil conflicts, social and gender inequities,
principles and the impact of health reforms, and major global initiatives for disease prevention. New
health challenges brought about by globalization, environmental changes, and economic development
are discussed.
Introduction to Applied Research in Global Health: This module will provide participants with skills
in basic research methods. Quantitative, qualitative, and naturalistic strategies will be examined for
their relative utility. A variety of basic issues in research, including hypothesis testing, sampling
techniques and procedures, descriptive and analytical methods will be covered. Instruction will be
provided in strategies for field-based data collection for planning of health services in remote rural
settings, including rapid rural appraisal and participatory appraisal methods. Course participants will
be equipped with skills in critical appraisal of published research and will develop competence in
ethical involvement of human subjects in research.
Project Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation: This module is designed to equip participants with
skills in conceptualizing, developing, implementing, and evaluating small-scale projects in global
health. Working individually and in small groups, students will be guided through the process of
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identifying and investigating a global health problem, designing and implementing an intervention to
solve the problem, and evaluating the impact of the intervention. Course participants will receive a
structured program of instruction on preliminary assessment of project need, statement of project
objectives, project design (including how to develop conceptual and theoretical models),
implementation (including how to develop a logical project framework), community involvement,
monitoring, evaluation and budgeting.
Field Study: The field study is a two-week, on-site program at the Southern Institute for Appropriate
Technology (SIFAT), a 75-acre facility in rural Lineville, Alabama. Two 2-week on-site training
sessions will be offered during the summer and fall months (actually dates to be determined) 2009 and
participants are expected to complete at least one of the two sessions. SIFAT is located halfway
between Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama. Since its founding in 1979, SIFAT has trained
community leaders from 82 countries around the globe in practical skills to meet basic human needs.
SIFAT's mission is with two main groups: Midpew America and the poor of the developing world. In
Midpew America, SIFAT raises awareness of missions and global issues, providing opportunities for
personal involvement. In the developing world, SIFAT trains leaders in practical self-help skills and
community development principles to meet basic human needs. Facilitated by renowned professionals
with extensive field practice experience, the field study will provide practical training in the subjects of
water and sanitation, food and nutrition (includes agriculture & small animals), alternative energy
(with emphasis on household energy technologies), primary health care (safe motherhood, child
survival, community eye care, where there is no lab…), microenterprise development, participatory
community development, training of trainers, cross-cultural sensitivity training, and conflict resolution.
We understand that for a number of reasons, including finance, travel restriction and professional
obligations, there are course participants who may not be able to spend time on-site at SIFAT. With
approval from the course administration, such participants can also arrange with adequate supervision,
to undertake their field study with relevant global health institutions/agencies that are accessible to
each course participant, including but not limited to, ministries of health, Non-governmental
Organizations (NGOs), bilateral and multilateral agencies, faith-based organizations. Participants will
be required to write a technical report on their field study experience.
Elective modules
Participants will be required to undertake 3 modules from the following list of elective modules:
Environmental Health Issues in Resource Limited Settings: This module is designed to introduce
participants to key environmental health issues and challenges in resource limited settings which are
characteristic of many developing nations. Emphasis is placed on the interrelationship between man
and his environment and the resulting impacts on health. The module will focus on the vast dimensions
of the environment inclusive of air, land, food, and water and related issues that encompass physical,
biological, chemical and radiological agents, which are known or suspected to be harmful to human
health and the environment. After taking the module, participants should be able to identify and
discuss the principles and parameters that determine the relationship between the following issues and
health: ambient air pollution, indoor air pollution, water quality, housing, waste management, food
safety, and vectors. Participants should also be able to apply knowledge gained to develop solutions for
environmental health issues/problems.
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Critical Issues in Global Maternal and Child Health: This module will introduce participants to
thematic issues in advancing the health status of women, children and adolescents globally. Beginning
with an overview of the global burden of disease among this population group, the module will analyze
the causes and consequences of global inequity in MCH morbidity and mortality. The role of politics
and power as well as the contribution of specific disease conditions and health systems factors,
programs and policies will be examined. Progress and challenges toward achievement of MCH-related
millennium development goals will be analyzed.
Gender and Health: This module will introduce participants to the concept of gender equity and
gender power relations. Participants will explore such key concepts as sex, gender, gender roles and
relations, women’s health and gender analysis, gender equity, gender mainstreaming, gender divisions
of labor, gender norms and identities, bargaining positions, as well as access to, and control over,
resources. The module will examine how these concepts interact to influence and shape health status
and access to healthcare for women, children and adolescents from a global perspective. The module
will present an exposition on the importance of understanding and mainstreaming gender into global
health policies and programs, using cross-cutting strategies that consider the role of socioeconomic
determinants, effectiveness and sustainability, participation, accountability, and multi-sectoral
collaboration. The importance of gender mainstreaming at the policy, health provider and community
levels as well as current gaps in knowledge and priorities for future research and practice will be
discussed.
Disabilities and Global Health: This module will enable participants to explore current paradigms and
models for defining and categorizing disability based on various international agreements and
documents. The causes of disability, global prevalence and relationship between poverty and disability
will be analyzed. Drawing upon disability studies, models of development, current overseas
development assistance programs, case studies, and reflections from leaders in the field, the course will
examine issues and conditions that impact people with disabilities in resource-limited settings. Since
one of the greatest barriers against access to appropriate health care for persons with disabilities is
negative societal attitude, this module will examine how local concepts and beliefs frame a society’s
perspective on disabilities and how this perspective affects the status of persons with disabilities,
especially in resource-limited settings of the world. International and national efforts and strategies to
improve inclusion as well as access to health and social services for women and children with
disabilities will be examined.
Global Health and Mental Health Issues in Deaf Communities: This module introduces the
participants to global health issues and needs of the deaf and hard of hearing community. Participants
are introduced to salient issues in health and mental health care provision for a population that has
been historically overlooked by health care providers due to attitude and communication barriers. The
intent of the module is to develop knowledge, values and skills which will give students a basic
understanding of health and mental health issues of deaf people; health disparities as it affects this
population, and the need to become advocates for quality care. Course participants will learn a) the
frameworks for understanding deaf people from medical and the cultural perspectives, b) major health
care access issues by deaf communities interfacing with health care providers, c) models of health
access for deaf people, and d) specific health issues such as mental health care, HIV/AIDS, cochlear
implants, genetic testing and counseling, and emergency preparedness..
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Evidence-based Global Health Policy: This module is designed to equip participants with skills in
how to identify and review programs and practices for evidence of effectiveness, how to develop
conceptual models for evidence-based policy analyses, and how to systematically search for and
retrieve scientific literature that may provide evidence of the effectiveness of the selected
interventions. Participants will examine the social and political contexts of global health policy
formation. They will develop skills in drafting and presenting evidence-based recommendations to
policy makers. At the end of this module, participants should be able to demonstrate skills in critical
appraisal of scientific literature, analyze the context-specificity of best practices, and appraise
approaches for translating scientific evidence into policies and programs.
Refugee and Immigrant Health: Throughout the history of global health, the movement of persons
across regional and national boundaries has been linked to the evolution, transmission, and acquisition
of diseases (communicable and non-communicable). The purpose of this module is to equip
participants with skills in analyzing the interrelationships between migration, refugee, and displaced
status and health. The module will analyze the global health implications of population movements,
forced migration, health concerns in emergency situations, health care in the post-emergency refugee
camps, mental health of refugees and migrants, public health concerns in countries of resettlement,
rebuilding communities after trauma and extreme stress, as well as equity and human rights as they
apply to refugees and displaced persons.
Food and Nutritional Issues in Resource Limited Settings: This module is designed to equip
participants with skills in analyzing major food and nutritional issues that affect health, survival, and
human development in resource-limited settings. Participants will review and appraise previous and
current initiatives for addressing hunger and food insecurity at household, community, national, and
international levels. The use of alternative technologies and micro-enterprise approaches to address
hunger and food insecurity at the household and community levels will be discussed.
Infectious Diseases of Global Health Significance: This module is designed to introduce participants
to the basic biology, epidemiology, control and prevention of infectious diseases of global health
significance, i.e., infectious diseases responsible of significant morbidity, mortality, and disability
globally. The module will focus on cases studies of successes and challenges in the control and
prevention of these diseases. After taking the module participants should be able to describe and
analyze the main epidemiological characteristics of infectious diseases of global health significance
and how these epidemiological characteristics can be utilized to develop and evaluate strategies for
control and prevention.
Course implementation format
Each module will be divided into the following sections:
• Purpose
• Learning objectives
• Module content/ weekly lecture notes
• Required and future reading
• Assignments
• External resources
• Faculty information
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The module purpose will provide a brief introduction to the topic of the module. It will serve the
function of getting the learner’s attention and will situate each module within the broader context of
the overall course.
The learning objectives for each module will state the expected outcomes of each module in active
and measurable terms.
The module content will be delivered in multiple, innovative ways, including text, images, and
streaming media.
The assignments section will consist of a series of test and discussion questions that will be released at
the beginning of each week and at the end of each module.
The external resources section for each module will consist of useful web links that will enhance
information presented throughout the curriculum. In most cases, course participants will be required to
explore these links in order to maximize their performance on the course. The links will provide access
to resource materials in global health, including libraries, reports, best practice databases, fact sheets,
policy statements, guidelines, and other online resources.
The faculty information section will contain information about the module facilitator and resource
persons.
Class moderation and faculty feedback
Each module will be moderated by a lead faculty. Each moderating faculty will participate in the
discussion as a “player coach.” S/he will review postings regularly and post comments on the
discussion board. Faculty comments may reflect a response to aggregate postings and/or replies to
individual postings and discussion points. Faculty moderators will communicate with individual
students as needed by e-mail and serve as mentors for the participants.
Guidelines for participation
Course participants are expected to participate at least four days a week by posting materials and
contributions to the discussion board. In addition, they are expected to comment on materials posted by
their colleagues. To be counted as participation, the posting must be thoughtful; that is, must relate to
the weekly readings, touch on relevant issues in published articles, information obtained from other
sources, or ideas expressed in the postings of other class members. Each course participant should
submit at least one substantive posting each day of active participation. These postings may be brief
but they must be a contribution of value or importance to the topic under discussion and reflect the
quality of discourse characteristic of a professional level seminar.
The following are guidelines for maintaining a high standard of scholarship in the discussions:
a. Reference any works (books, professional journal articles, popular press, personal
communication) from which ideas or (especially) quotations are drawn.
b. Reference the comments of other course participants. Give credit where credit is due.
c. Keep comments focused on the topic under discussion.
d. State questions and comments as clearly and concisely as possible.
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Final case study paper
Each course participants will be required to identify one key global health issue based upon which s/he
will develop a final case study paper for submission at the end of the entire certificate course. Such
issues may relate to water supply and sanitation, infectious diseases, nutrition, evidence-based global
health policy formation, safe motherhood, microenterprise, community development, etc. Topics must
be identified and approved by the third week of the course. Once each course participant has identified
a topic for a case study, s/he will discuss it with the course convener, and obtain approval prior to
development. The final paper will be 15 double -spaced pages, prepared in APA format, with tables,
graphs, and materials in the appendices.
Course assessment
Learning outcomes will be assessed through the following procedures:
ƒ Posting of responses to weekly assignments.
ƒ Participation in on-line asynchronous discussions
ƒ Individual case study paper
Course evaluation
30%: Class participation (at least 3 postings to the discussion board each week)
30%: Quizzes
20%: Individual paper
20%: Field study
Grading scale
The course will be graded pass (a grade of 70% and above) or fail (a grade of 69% and below). Participants
who achieve a passing grade of 95% and above will be awarded the certificate with distinction.
Cost
There are seven modules included in the course. Each module will cost $540, a total of $3780 for the
entire course. This excludes other costs associated with the field study module (e.g., transportation,
accommodation, and board). Financial assistance for course participants is not available at this time
through the course.
Payment
Payment can be made in two installments. The first installment should be made by April 30, 2009.
The second installment should be made in the second month of the course, i.e., by June 30th, 2009.
Payments can be made only by cashier’s check or money order payable to UAB Certificate in Global
Health. Payments should be mailed to:
Mrs. Sylvan Parker,
Department of Maternal and Child Health,
UAB School of Public Health,
RPHB 320,
1530 3rd Avenue South,
Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA
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How to Apply
Please email your completed application along with your curriculum vitae, copies of transcripts and
diploma of your highest academic degree to Heather White at hwhite@uab.edu. The application
deadline is Friday, April 3, 2009. To send hardcopies of these materials by post, please send them to:
Sparkman Center for Global Health
Attn: Heather White
University of Alabama at Birmingham
RPHB 437, 1530 3rd Ave So
Birmingham, AL. 35294-0022
Entry Requirements
Applicants must have at least a bachelor’s degree or comparable professional qualification.
Participants must be computer literate and have access to internet facilities to benefit from the course.
Previous credits will not be accepted toward completion of the course.
The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) (Carol Garrison, PhD, President)
The University of Alabama at Birmingham, one of three autonomous institutions within The
University of Alabama System, is the only four-year, public university in the state's largest
metropolitan area. The physical plant of the University spans more than 80 blocks in the city center
with some 235 buildings providing over 12.8 million square feet of assignable space. As of the fall of
2006, UAB employed 18,767 people, had a full-time faculty of 2,049, and a student enrollment of
16,561 at the undergraduate through doctoral levels. Fifty-nine percent of the students are female and
twenty-five percent are African-American. For the fiscal year 2006-07, the University's budget was
over $1.96 billion and its economic impact on the Birmingham area was estimated at $2.9 billion
(fiscal year 2003). In 2006-07 UAB received over $456 million in extramural grants and contracts and
ranked 18th in research and development funding (2005) from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).
UAB is comprised of 13 academic schools in the health sciences and other academic areas. The UAB
Health Center includes the Schools of Medicine, Dentistry, Nursing, Optometry, Public Health, and
Health Professions, the Joint Health Departments, the Graduate School, and the Lister Hill Library of
the Health Sciences. The University's academic campus consists of the Schools of Arts and
Humanities, Business, Education, Engineering, Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and Social and
Behavioral Sciences, the Graduate School, and the Mervyn Sterne Library.
UAB School of Public Health (Max Michael II, MD Dean)
With 76 primary faculty members, the School of Public Health (SOPH) ranks second in extramural
support among UAB Schools. Currently, it has 111 active research projects, funded for over $39
million, and 136 pending applications requesting over $93 million. The School ranked 10th in NIH
funding in FY 2003. SOPH has 22 programs of study in the following six departments: Biostatistics,
Environmental Health Sciences, Epidemiology, Health Behavior, Health Care Organization and Policy,
and Maternal and Child Health. The School also supports five centers that play key roles in its mission
to prevent and control disease: the Center for the Study of Community Health, the Deep South Center
for Occupational Health and Safety, the Sparkman Center for Global Health, the Lister Hill Center for
Health Policy, and the South Central Center for Public Health Preparedness.
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SOPH offers five graduate degree programs to a diverse student body of 400, with international
students accounting for 30% of the study body. Its broad and skilled faculty provides leadership and
support for several key national and international health initiatives while undertaking an array of
important research projects. These projects focus on industrial hygiene, health care organization, health
services research, health behavior, violence/injury control and prevention, biostatistical and
epidemiological methods for chronic and infectious diseases, HIV infection, cancer and environmental
epidemiology, toxicology, and a variety of international health issues in numerous countries.
Many of the research activities at the School are organized and conducted in partnership with multiple
departments across the University. The Department of Environmental Health Sciences has rapidly
expanded over the last several years in areas of research that focus on the interaction between gene
expression and environmental agents with an emphasis on signal transaction. Much of this work
complements the efforts in the UAB Center for Free Radical Biology. The Department of Maternal and
Child Health focuses on promoting the health of children, their families, and communities by working
with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Jefferson County Department of Health.
Strong collaboration between the Departments of Preventive Medicine and Health Behavior has led to
a variety of projects to address youth health issues, chronic and infectious disease prevention
strategies. Bioterrorism preparedness is a rapidly emerging area of focus for the Department of Health
Care Organization and Policy in collaboration with the Center for Emergency Care and Disaster
Preparedness in the School of Medicine. Strong research programs in infectious disease and
occupational safety epidemiology require additional partnerships within the University. The
Department of Biostatistics is focusing on large multi-center trials, statistical management and
statistical genetics, with one of the largest groups of statistical geneticists in the nation. Finally, the
Department of Health Care Organization and Policy works closely with multiple departments across
the University to evaluate health care financing, Medicare policy, and mental health issues.
Distance learning capacity
The Multimedia and Information Technology Services (MITS) personnel at the UAB School of Public
Health comprise three groups. Directly relevant to the Certificate in Global Health are the Instructional
Media and IT support groups. The Instructional Media group designs and produces a wide variety of
multimedia content. From interactive on-line course development to web design, this group provides
our school with all the resources needed for our on-line presence, including the school’s WebCT
installation and a Helix Streaming Media server. Our Web-Instructional Design and Communications
team provides the technical support foundation needed to launch an on-line course or to augment an
existing course with on-line course material. These technical support personnel have extensive
experience in the selection, deployment, and maintenance of server-based technologies for distributed
education. They will support the course in the maintenance of registration databases, including
passwords and user identification for WebCT. The school currently possesses its own WebCT server,
as well as a Helix Universal Media server, which provides any form of streaming media to students,
including Real Media, QuickTime, and Windows Media. The School owns three Canon GL2 video
cameras, seven wireless lavaliere microphones, two wireless handheld microphones, two shotgun
microphones, two panel microphones, one overhead boom microphone, a field audio mixer, and a light
kit for versatile, high quality recording capabilities. The school also owns four video workstations with
Canopus DVStorm2 capture cards, Adobe Video Collection professional editing software, and
Canopus ProCoder video conversion software. The school uses Accordent PresenterPLUS to
synchronize video lectures with the presenter’s slideshow.
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Framework Program for Global Health &
UAB Sparkman Center for Global Health
University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Public Health
Certificate in Global Health
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
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DATE OF
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Please email your completed application along with your curriculum vitae, copies of
transcripts and diploma of your highest academic degree to Ms. Heather White,
Sparkman Center for Global Health program manager, at hwhite@uab.edu.
Please mail the payments to:
Mrs. Sylvan Parker
Department of Maternal and Child Health
UAB School of Public Health
RPHB 320, 1530 3rd Avenue South
Birmingham, AL 35294-0022, USA
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