Dates
TBA
Length of Course
4 days
9:00 am – 4:00 pm EDT
Prerequisites
An undergraduate degree is desirable
Delivery Method
Online
MyLearningSpace platform
Cost
$1,525 CAD
Cost includes a non-refundable $25 registration fee
Instructors

Warren Parker
Public Health and Communication Specialist

Alan Whiteside
Professor, International Policy and Governance, Wilfrid Laurier University
Course Summary
According to the World Health Organization, ‘health’ is: “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity. The enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health is one of the fundamental rights of every human being”. Global health focuses on health for all, irrespective of national and territorial boundaries. This goes beyond national interests and includes collaborative efforts involving multidisciplinary research and action. The underlying environmental, economic, social and political inequalities play a vital role in the provision of, and access to, global health.
Pandemics involve large-scale outbreaks of disease affecting multiple countries and regions and impacting negatively on global health and well-being. These pandemics include both slow and rapidly moving communicable diseases. All are disruptive to health and economic, social and political life, which the onset of COVID-19 brought into sharp focus. Pandemics have occurred throughout human history, with the loss of millions of lives. Just over a century ago, the ‘Spanish Flu’ spread globally in three waves from 1918 to 1920, resulting in more than 50million deaths. A number of influenza pandemics have followed, albeit with fewer fatalities. Novel diseases including HIV/AIDS, SARS, MERS, Ebola and Zika have been widespread but effectively contained in early phases, whereas COVID-19 remains uncontained. These novel diseases emerge through a combination of environmental and human factors.
Pandemic mitigation processes include preparedness, immediate responses, sustained response and resolution. The long duration of the HIV/AIDS pandemic and the inconsistent response to the COVID-19 pandemic provide sobering examples of the threat of novel diseases to humanity. This course provides an overview of global health policy and the causes of, and responses to, pandemics. It provides a foundational framework for those in public health, and global health policy and development.
Course Sessions
- Health economics and HIV/AIDS research
- Ideological and cultural aspects of HIV/AIDS and COVID-19 pandemics
- Pandemic preparedness and response mechanisms
- Global health policy and biostatistics
- The role of the private sector in global health
- The role of multilateral institutions: World Bank, World Health Organization, etc.
- Trends in Epidemiology
At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- Define and clarify global health equity in relation to pandemics
- Explain the key aspects of HIV and COVID-19 pandemics and lessons learned from the global policy response
- Clarify the key elements shaping the dimensions of pandemics and global health
- Interpret key pandemic data and statistics
- Utilize the framework for analyzing and responding to pandemics and global health in their careers

Instructors

Warren Parker
Public Health and Communication Specialist

Alan Whiteside
Professor, International Policy and Governance, Wilfrid Laurier University