Global Public Health with Data Science MSc

Advanced and integrated analysis techniques are required in order to harness the potential of ‘big data’ to advance healthcare delivery. Therefore, the purpose of this module is to introduce students to the basic concepts of data science and to learn its application in healthcare. The main module objective is to aid students to understand and implement the computational methods that help in extracting insights from healthcare datasets and developing new diagnostic, prognostic, predictive, or monitoring applications to address global health challenges.

This module introduces the student to health promotion theories and strategies through a lens of health inequalities. It explores the role of policies and action to address inequalities. It provides experience in the associated needs assessment, design and evaluation of health promotion interventions. Emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of health promotion policies, programmes and strategies to deliver health for all through a social determinants of health lens. Health care systems are considered with respect to their role of addressing inequalities in health.

In this module, you’ll learn about a number of topics, such as: transmission and epidemiology of communicable diseases and the influence of mode of transmission; outbreaks and epidemics, including emergence, control and the role of vaccines, therapeutics and intervention strategies; epidemiology, pathogenesis and laboratory diagnosis of selected infectious diseases with focus on those which are new or topical; the use of new technologies for the characterisation of pathogens and their detection.

This module will introduce you to non-communicable diseases and epidemiology. It explores the impact of non-communicable diseases (NCD) on public health and their root causes. Emphasis is placed on the critical analysis of health strategies used to prevent, detect and manage NCDs.

The timely use of health care services can lead to enhanced health outcomes in all contexts. Reducing the delay to timely health seeking practices requires the development of health systems that are efficient and effective. Selecting how to fund healthcare is based on health economic principles. The module’s aims are to analyse principles of microeconomics and their application to healthcare and to examine issues of efficiency and equity and their application to healthcare and global health – to this aim we will be using examples from high-middle-low income countries. It will also provide an overview of the basic principles of health economic evaluation, modelling and decision making to evaluate interventions in healthcare and resource allocation.

The purpose of this module is to teach the principles and practice of research with a focus on qualitative and quantitative study designs and methods of data collection and processing. It will show how these designs and methods can be applied to evaluation studies as well as to research. It will provide a supportive and intellectually challenging environment within which students develop their knowledge, understanding and skills as researchers.

This module consolidates and extends the skills learned in other modules and particularly Research Methods I. It culminates in the conduct of a supervised research project relevant to a student’s area of professional practice and course specific discipline.

This module will explore recent advances in evidence-based integrative medicine. A broad range of both Western and non-Western approaches to health and wellbeing will be evaluated which will be based around diet, exercise, therapies and activities. These approaches will focus particularly on chronic disease, long-term illness and aging. The module will include appraisal of the validity for the integration of these interventions and modalities.

This module introduces the political influences on health and nutrition policies and the challenges that nations encounter when trying to implement them. This module will examine the history of global health and nutrition policies and which policies have been more effective and why. Students will investigate policy making and analysis tools. Students will explore policy making and governance frameworks in order to carry out a stakeholder and policy analysis for their assessments. They will be supported to become more reflective practitioners, to develop skills like effective team leadership and performing well under stress, while managing conflict. There is a strong emphasis on developing your skills for professional practice, including professional accountability.

This module focuses on the evidence-based research which has informed key UK policy development in health and wellbeing. The evidence for the impact of social prescribing and wellbeing on individuals and communities will be evaluated, while also considering critics of this field. International applications of social prescribing across different health systems and the key roles of professionals delivering social prescribing will be discussed. The module will explore concurrent development and implementation of inclusivity legislation, and its effect on health and wellbeing.