[afro-nets] Short Courses in International Health ­ Schedule 2005

[Natascha Petersen <natascha_petersen@urz.uni-heidelberg.de>]

Short Courses in International Health ­ Schedule 2005
-----------------------------------------------------
At the University of Heidelberg, Germany

Dear Members of the AFRO-NETS Mailing List,

I would like to inform you about our increased number of train-
ing courses offered by the Department of Tropical Hygiene and
Public Health of the University of Heidelberg.

With our broad range of courses we try to address health issues
that arise specifically within low and middle income countries.
The courses are composed not only to transfer current knowledge,
but also to enhance skills and abilities the participants can
put into practice.

The courses are accredited within "tropEd", a European Network
for Education, which offers a joint Master in International
Health, yet they are open for individual further training. All
participants receive a certificate of attendance from the Uni-
versity of Heidelberg.

A two-week course costs EUR 1,500. (including course work and
printed materials, but not accommodation, insurance or other
personal costs during the stay).

You will find a short overview of all courses at the end of this
e-mail.

For further information, organisation & application forms please
mailto:natascha_petersen@urz.uni-heidelberg.de. You can also
consult the web site:
http://www.hyg.uni-heidelberg.de/ithoeg/teaching/short/short.htm

In the light of the recent Tsunami tragedy, I would like to
point out especially the course on "Health of Unstable Popula-
tions" in detail:

Health of Unstable Populations
May 2 ­ 13, 2005
In cooperation with the Centre of Research on the Epidemiology
of Disasters (CRED), University of Louvain/B

Contents overview
The content of the course reflects current knowledge and experi-
ences of the management of complex emergencies in the health
sector. Disaster situations, disaster preparedness, development
programmes, cross-cultural awareness, working relations in the
field, donor coordination, from relief to development, applied
epidemiology of unstable populations.

Objectives
The goal of the course is to provide a better under-standing of
the issues related to the health care of refugees, internally
displaced persons and the affected host population in developing
countries and to the health care of migrants.
* To sensitize participants for health of unstable populations
* To create awareness about the relief and development context
in which international organisations work
* To enable participants to prepare for disasters and to better
design health programmes focussing on unstable populations

At the end of the course, participants should be able to
* explain the determinants of migrants health in Developing
Countries and in Europe
* apply rapid assessment methods in emergency situations
* use strategic and operational planning and health management
tools in unstable situations
* apply planning methods in post-conflict situations
* explain the driving forces and determinants of donor coordina-
tion
* set up a disaster preparedness plan at operational district
level
* use quality criteria for good disaster management

Please forward this e-mail also to interested colleagues.

Thank you.

Kind regards,

Ms Natascha Petersen
Short Courses in International Health
Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public Health
University of Heidelberg INF 324
D-69120 Heidelberg, Germany
Tel. +49-6221-567-065
Fax: +49-6221-564-918
mailto:natascha_petersen@urz.uni-heidelberg.de
________________________________________________________________

Short courses in International Health Schedule 2005

Reproductive Health Services and HIV/AIDS: New Evidence and
Strategy
18 ­ 29 April 2005

The course begins with the history of reproductive health along
its historical development. It includes an overview on the con-
cept of sexual and reproductive health and the changes and adap-
tations it has undergone from Cairo to the Millennium Develop-
ment Goals and their impact on the international development
agenda in sexual and reproductive health. This is followed by
the assessment of health needs related to sexual and reproduc-
tive health including immediate outcomes such as morbidity and
mortality as well as social cultural and economic consequences.
The core of the course is devoted to methods for improving and
managing reproductive health in the health system with a par-
ticular focus on appropriate indicators, planning process and
service provision. Considerable attention is also given to the
future SRH agenda like infertility, new family planning methods,
anti retroviral therapy, and prevention of mother to child
transmission of HIV.


E-learning course: Management of Medicines in International
Health
2 May 2005 ­ 16 October 2005 (ca. 64 h investment time)

In partnership with InWent GmbH (Capacity Building Interna-
tional).

Normally pharmacology inform us about the predictable responses
of medicines which are administered to individual patients, this
course covers the topic public health pharmacology which has a
population perspective to assure the best use of medicines in
society in order to fulfil the universal human right to adequate
health care. Participants should be aware of the importance of
medicines as an essential health technology in order to provide
good quality health care services. Such an E-learning course
provides a unique opportunity where participants who are sepa-
rated by huge geographic distances and work in different parts
of the health sector can learn together as a cyber group. Public
health pharmacology is especially suitable for such a problem-
and action-oriented learning process with a group of interna-
tional and interdisciplinary participants, because the aim to
get the right medicines with a correct treatment schedule to all
the people who are in need of these medicines is a goal of truly
global concern.


Health of Unstable Populations
2 ­ 13 May 2005
In cooperation with the Centre of Research on the Epidemiology
of Disasters (CRED), University of Louvain / Belgium.

In the context of increasing conflicts, of man made and natural
disasters, health systems are not sufficiently prepared to cope
with disaster situations. With a worldwide tendency of chronifi-
cation of complex emergencies, health systems can remain over
years vulnerable. These so called borderline situations, which
highlight the gap between emergency aid and development activi-
ties demand new concepts and approaches. With a systemic public
health approach health systems should be better prepared to
bridge the gap between emergencies and development. This course
aims at creating a better understanding of the health care for
refugees, internally displaced persons, and affected host popu-
lations in unstable situations such as natural and man-made dis-
asters. The course also focuses on aspects of health policy, and
planning in conflict and post-conflict situations in order to
allow a continuum between the relief phase and development. The
link between Human Rights and Humanitarian Aid including psycho-
social and health conditions of refugees and migrants in devel-
oping and European countries will be discussed.


Rational Drug Management in International Health
6 ­ 17 June 2005
In cooperation with Swiss Tropical Institute (STI).

Drugs are an essential tool for preventive, curative and reha-
bilitative health care. However, holistic health care has to
consider drugs just as one tool among many others and avoid the
irrational overuse of pharmaceuticals. The number and type of
drugs is constantly increasing, while the financial resources
for health care services in general remain limited. Therefore
rational drug management has become an increasingly important
topic in order to make optimal use of the drug budget and to of-
fer health services of the highest possible standard. The goal
of this course is to enable health professionals to understand
and apply the concepts of essential drugs and rational drug man-
agement, considering national and international drug policy and
financing options, and to improve their knowledge and skills for
rational drug management.


Quality Management in International Health
20 June ­ 1 July 2005 & 19 ­ 30 September 2005
In cooperation with Deutsche Gesellschaft für Technische Zusam-
menarbeit (GTZ).

Knowledge and skills in improving quality in health care ser-
vices and systems have become essential for health professionals
and managers. But sorting through the mountains of information
and misinformation on quality improvement has become a daunting
task. This course, in its fourth successful year, provides prac-
tical training for those who want to cut through the jargon and
make a difference in managing quality. The course uses a frame-
work of key principles of quality management, participatory
learning and input from international experts to provide par-
ticipants with knowledge, skills and attitudes to lead teams and
services in improving quality. Included in the course is a two
day training in an international quality management model.


Consultancy Skills in International Cooperation in Health
Part I (4 ­ 15 July) + Part II (18 ­ 22 July)

Join a multi-cultural, multi-disciplinary, expert-led group of
health professionals and managers in learning or strengthening
your skills in International Health consulting. The course pro-
vides practical knowledge and experience in developing proposals
/ evaluating programmes, essential consultancy skills, the do?s
and don?ts of working in the international arena, and much more
to allow you to strengthen your consulting skills. Department
faculty, all with extensive consulting experience, are joined by
other international consultants in facilitating these courses:
(courses can be taken separately or together)

Part I CS: Evaluation of Health Projects and Programmes
4 ­ 15 July 2005

The goal of this module is to enable the participants evaluate a
health service project or programme and write an evaluation re-
port for a Ministry of Health and a funding agency. At the end
of the course, participants will be able to 1. Describe the
health care sector of the country in which the evaluation takes
place; 2. Apply the principles of effective writing on evalua-
tions; 3. Describe the basic principles and processes for the
evaluation of health projects and programmes; 4. Explain basic
skills to evaluate a project or programme as a team; 5. Demon-
strate knowledge about the important steps to set up a consul-
tancy unit.

Part II CS: Proposal Development targeting International Donors
18 ­ 22 July 2005

At the end of the course the participants will be able to de-
velop and write a project proposal targeting international do-
nors: 1. Describe the health sector of the country in which the
proposal will be developed; 2. Describe different approaches to
planning; 3. Define and apply the principles of effective writ-
ing of a project proposal; 4. Describe the principles of assess-
ment and evaluation of proposals


Health and Human Rights
1 ­ 12 August 2005

This course of study covers the general concepts and principles
of human rights, their relationship to, and impact within the
health sector. The course will use case studies from numerous
countries, with a focus on low and middle-income countries, and
the experiences of those within the course, to examine the vital
role of human rights within the health sector. Participants will
have the opportunity to practice incorporating human rights into
policies, strategies, monitoring and evaluation.


Medical Anthropology as a Tool for Public Health
5 ­ 16 September 2005
In cooperation with the South Asia Institute, University of Hei-
delberg.

When health professionals come to work in contexts different
from their own they are often faced with a set of challenging
questions: Why do health policies and programmes not work every-
where? How can we understand different cultural ideas about
health and the body, and how do such ideas affect our health
programs? And why do people prefer local healers even though
they have access to modern medicine? How people explain, cure
and react to illness is always shaped by their cultural back-
ground. This cultural dimension of health and illness is an im-
portant factor for medical professionals and Public Health work-
ers, also taken up by organisations like the WHO, UNAIDS and the
Tropical Disease Research (TDR). This course provides essential
knowledge about the links between health and culture, and also
imparts methodological tools that will help students to under-
stand and use cultural categories in the context of health re-
lated work. It will explore the social and cultural determinants
of health seeking behaviour, and investigate the relation be-
tween medicine and local healing systems.


International Oral Health and E-learning: a multi-disciplinary
approach
3 ­ 14 October 2005

This course of study covers the principles of oral public health
policy and strategy for promoting a multi-disciplinary approach
to health in low and middle income countries. It will also pre-
sent the oral diseases and conditions relevant to middle income
& developing countries and discuss the challenges in treating
and managing these conditions in a primary care environment.
Participants will be instructed on the technical knowledge and
practical skills needed to undertake basic dental treatment in
emergency and primary care situations in remote locations. Each
participant will have a one to one individual session of tuition
with the course facilitator to develop a personal project pro-
posal and discuss the training the trainer principle of the e-
coursework platform.


Financing Health Care ­ Principles of Insurance
7 ­ 18 November 2005

The overall objective of this module is to learn experiences and
lessons learnt from different countries in the area of financing
health care, which can then be applied to different contexts. In
addition, discussion of cases will enable the students to de-
velop an analytic approach to problem solving and apply theo-
retical knowledge to a real life context. Specifically, upon the
completion of this course, participants will: 1.Describe the ba-
sic tools used in development and assessment of financing mecha-
nisms and critically analyse the advantages and weaknesses of
these tools; 2.Critically analyse the roles of the public and
private sector in health financing in different context ; 3.
Compare and analyse the basic features of health financing
mechanisms in developing countries and in developed countries;
4. Design a scheme of health financing based on current theories
and case study examples


Project proposal development for better Management of Medicines
in International Health
28 November ­ 7 December 2005

This contact course aims at young health professionals such as
doctors, pharmacists, health service managers, administrators
and nurses who have successfully participated in the e- learning
course ?Management of Medicines in International Health?. The
participants will learn how to critically assess the medicine
situation in their health facility or health district and de-
velop, write and assess a project proposal targeting funding or-
ganizations to improve the management of medicines. At the end
of the course the participants will be able to
1. Describe and analyse the medicine situation in a health fa-
cility for which the proposal will be developed;
2. Utilise a logical framework/ objectives-oriented project plan
as a basis for developing a proposal;
3. Define and utilise certain tools and terms used in planning
such as objectives, activities, indicators, assumptions, risks,
budget;
4. Define and apply the principles of effective writing to a
project proposal;
5. Describe and apply the principles to assess a proposal;
6. Describe potential funders to improve the management of medi-
cines in international health.