Office of Global Health

Overview | Requirements & Enrollment | Department Advisors | Foundation Courses | Competencies

Overview and General Information

Paul Bouey, from PEPFAR, gives a global health seminar at UNC.

The Certificate complements currently enrolled graduate students' departmental requirements by offering courses, seminars, and fieldwork or internships that provide for a comprehensive understanding of global health conditions, needs, and solutions that cross borders in both developing and industrialized countries and regions. Students will gain competence in identifying and analyzing factors that generate disparities in health status, health resources, and access to health information and health services, particularly for ethnic minorities and other marginalized and vulnerable population groups.

The Graduate Certificate in Global Health is open to students currently enrolled in a residential graduate degree program of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Students must discuss this with their departmental Global Health Certificate Faculty Advisor. Students enrolled in graduate degree programs of other units of UNC may apply after an interview with the Director of the Office of Global Health.  Please email the Office of Global Health to set-up an interview.

Requirements & Enrollment

For more details on the requirements listed below and other aspects of the Certificate, please review the full program description, November 2009 (PDF).

• Graduate-level global health related coursework (only courses numbered 400 and above), totaling a minimum of 10 credit hours.  You must take the following
  
• One foundation course, either HPM 664/MHCH 664 (Globalization and Health) OR PUBH 510 (Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Global Health)
• Two semesters of the Global Health Discussion Series  (1/2 credit each semester) -- you must register for PUBH 500 via Student Central or your registrar.
• Three additional elective global health courses (See list of approved Certificate courses).
  
• Practicum and language courses and credit hours do not count as an elective or toward the 10 credits. 
• Master's paper/thesis should have a global health focus
• If your paper/thesis is on a domestic issue, you must include a substantive section (minimum of 5 pages for a master's paper; minimum of 10 pages for a doctoral dissertation) applying your topic in a global setting/context.
  
• If your final project/master's paper is a group project (e.g. HBHE), you must submit the group project report as well as a separate document (5-10 pages) applying your topic in a global setting (individual project, not group work).
• Regular attendance at local global health-related events
• Global health-related internship or field placement (strongly recommended)

Call (919-966-3564), email, or drop by if you have any questions. The Office of Global Health is located in 124 Rosenau Hall.

**Please Note: Students who entered their graduate program before Fall 2007 have the the option of completing the former requirements (pdf file) or the requirements listed above.

Departmental Global Health Certificate Faculty Advisors

Please be sure to discuss your interest in pursuing the Global Health Certificate with your departmental certificate advisor -- see list below. Each of these faculty members serves on the Global Health Advisory Committee for the Office of Global Health and are the liaisons between your department and the Office of Global Health. They will best be able to advise you in your course selections so that you are able to fulfill your department requirements, as well as complete the Certificate at the same time.

• Biostatistics: Shrikant Bangdiwala
• Environmental Science and Engineering: Don Lauria
  
• Epidemiology: Sharon Weir
• Health Behavior and Health Education: Suzanne Maman
  
• Health Policy and Management: Bruce Fried and Dean Harris
• Maternal and Child Health: Ilene Speizer
  
• Nutrition: Peggy Bentley
• Public Health Leadership Program: David Steffen
  
• Health Care Access and Prevention: Russ Harris

Foundation courses to fulfill core course requirement

Interdisciplinary Perspectives in Global Health (PUBH 510)

3 credit hours
Fall 2009: Wednesday, 12:30-2:50pm

The course explores contemporary issues, problems, and controversies in global health through an interdisciplinary perspective; examines the complex tapestry of social, economic, political, and environmental factors that affect global health; analyzes global health disparities through a social justice and human rights lens; analyzes the roles and agendas of major players in global health; looks at the link between global and local health issues; and exposes students to opportunities in global health work and research.

Instructors:

• Margaret Bentley, Associate Dean of Global Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
• Gretchen Van Vliet, Director, Office of Global Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Poster session for the 2007 course

3 credit hours
Spring 2009: Tuesday, 1:00-3:30pm

The course examines multiple dimensions of globalization and explores their direct and indirect effects on determinants of health through presentations, case studies, class discussions and interactive sessions, small group seminars, readings, weekly written assignments, a critical book review, and a final paper and poster session.   An expected outcome of the course is that students will gain a deeper understanding of how the changes and transformations of globalization and development affect health, and will have examined responses and approaches to current and projected global patterns that contribute to positive and adverse health effects, and health inequalities.

Instructors:

• Bruce Fried, Associate Professor, Health Policy and Management, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health
• Lynn Knauff, Adjunct Professor, Maternal and Child Health, UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health

Competencies for Graduate Certificate in Global Health Certificate

In conferring a Global Health Certificate, the School of Public Health acknowledges students' capability and capacity to perform as public health professionals with a global perspective and with collaborative and cross-cultural sensitivity and skills.  

Communication

1. Communicate global health information in diverse settings.
   
2. Utilize appropriate technologies and forms of communication with global and diverse audiences.   

1. Analyze a global health problem in an interdisciplinary manner in order to: 

• Develop interventions

• Evaluate programs

• Develop and implement policies, and

• Contribute to the knowledge base of global health research
  

2. Extend cultural understanding and skills to global and diverse settings related to populations such as refugees, immigrants, and migrant workers. 

3. Adapt and work effectively in countries and cultures that challenge one's physical, social and economic perspective or comfort level.   

Leadership

1. Gain experience in leadership positions in diverse settings.   

Professionalism & Ethics

1. Analyze global health disparities through a social justice and human rights lens.

2. Understand and analyze the roles and agendas of major players in global health. 

Program Planning

1. Work with a research or evaluation team in a global context taking into consideration how the unique characteristics of research in a resource-poor setting affects research, design, data collection, interpretation and dissemination. 

Systems Thinking

1. Analyze the complex tapestry and interaction of social, economic, political, and environmental systems that affect global health.