[afro-nets] Short Course Climate Change and Health at Heidelberg University

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

Seats still available: Climate Change and Health: Impact & Adaptation Policies 

Date: September 17 ? 28, 2007

No scholarships available unfortunately.

Why this course?!

Climate change has become a reality which the health community is only slowly taking into account. The potentially far-reaching adverse health effects, sometimes of irreversible nature, need to be understood by researchers, practitioners and public health institutions in order to develop and implement practices and policies to counter them. In low- and middle-income countries especially, the issues are poorly studied and understood.

Content Overview

*   Physico-chemical basis of anthropogenic climate change and its dynamics;
*   Environmental impact of climate change
*   Climate-sensitive diseases 
*   Health outcome linked to climate change and environmental impact
*   Methods for assessing health impact
*   Mitigation and adaptation strategies
*   Policies for mitigation and adaptation and their evaluation

Objectives

The objective of this course is to provide participants with the ability to recognize the linkages between climate change and health and provide them with methods and tools to manage the impact of climate change on health. Examples will be drawn, whenever possible, from both developed and developing countries and cases studies will serve as a basis for learning.
At the end of the course participants will be able to:

1. Discuss and describe the physico-chemical basis of anthropogenic climate change and its dynamics;
Specific objectives:
1.1 explain the mechanisms of climate change
1.2. explain the links between climate change and environmental impact
1.3. illustrate the impact of climate change with regional examples

2. Describe the links between climate change and health impacts;
Specific objectives:
2.1 explain the concept of climate-sensitive diseases 
2.2 describe health outcomes linked to climate effects
2.3 identify mechanisms linking environmental conditions and health

3. Recognize effective methods to assess health impact;
Specific objectives:
3.1 review epidemiological methods evaluating health condition
3.2 identify methodologies assessing health impact

4. Plan, implement, and evaluate mitigation and adaptation policies
Specific objectives:
4.1 differentiate the concepts of mitigation (equivalent to primary prevention) and adaptation (equivalent to secondary prevention)
4.2 use mitigation and adaptation policies to derive possible alternatives
4.3 analyze mitigation and adaptation policies and evaluate their effectiveness
5. Apply the concepts, methods and tools within a country or region in the form of a case study (synthesis).

Target Group

Public health professionals, project planners & managers, paramedical staff, social scientists, tropEd students, etc. The course is held in English. Fluency in English (Reading, Speaking, Writing) required for the course.

Learning Methods

The course is composed of individual teaching units (50%), facilitated group work (30%) and self-directed learning (20%).   
The group work will include case studies at the regional or national level that focus on specific regions of interest selected by the participants. This facilitates the participants? achievement of the learning objectives and demonstrates the applicability of the concepts and methods to specific regional settings.
Because the topic of the course lies at the crossroad of several scientific disciplines, lecturers will be from a variety of fields including geography, climatology, biodiversity, modelling, epidemiology, public health and medicine. An appropriate mix of knowledge-transfer methods such as lectures, films, case study, critical incidents etc., will be used to insure that material that is new to most participants is communicated effectively. 
Each session has specific objectives and short key readings that are included in the course reader. 

Duration 

The course covers ten working days (90 Hours). 2 weeks, full time attendance. 

Course Coordinators

Dr. Valerie Louis
Dept. of Tropical Hygiene & Public Health
Valerie.Louis@urz.uni-heidelberg.de

Prof. Rainer Sauerborn
Dept. of Tropical Hygiene & Public Health
Rainer.Sauerborn@urz.uni-heidelberg.de

Registration 

Please register as soon as possible, as the number of participants is limited. Late registrations possible if seats still available, but please keep in mind the time you need for travel and visa arrangements etc.

Course fee

General admittance ? 1.500; tropEd students ? 1.000
No scholarships available unfortunately.
A non-refundable registration fee of ? 200 is included in the course fee. The course fee covers coursework, printed materials, coffee breaks and a pass for the Heidelberg public transportation system, but it does not include accommodation, insurance or other personal living costs during the stay.

Contact 

Ms Natascha Petersen
Programme Manager
Short Courses in International Health
Department of Tropical Hygiene and Public Health
University of Heidelberg
INF 324, D-69120 Heidelberg
Phone   +49 6221 56 5048
Fax       +49 6221 56 49 18 
E-Mail   petersen@uni-hd.de
Web	http://www.ukl-hd.de/athoeg