Foundations of Public Health Practice: The Public Health Approach
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Foundations of Public Health Practice: The Public Health Approach
This course is part of Foundations of Public Health Practice Specialization
Instructor: Dr Richard J Pinder
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There are 4 modules in this course
The Public Health Approach course is the first instalment of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation from Imperial College London's Global Master of Public Health (MPH). The scope and content of this course has been developed from the ground up by a combined team of academics and practitioners drawing on decades of real-world public health experience as well as deep academic knowledge. Through short video lectures, practitioner interviews and a wide range of interactive activities, learners will be immersed in the world of public health practice.
Designed for those new to the discipline, over four modules (intended for four weeks of learning), learners will become familiar with the scope, origins, ethics, principles and paradigms of public health practice. But there is also important foundational content for those coming from more experienced practitioner backgrounds. The 'Public Health Approach' is a phrase that is used widely to describe an up-stream, preventive, values-driven and evidence-based approach to improving population health. By the end of this course, learners will be confident with identifying and describing a wide range of public health challenges using the language and reference points of the public health profession. The subsequent courses require the knowledge from this course, as learners will be introduced to the public health toolkit of health needs assessment and evaluation, before taking deeper dives into behaviour change and health protection.
This first course, "The Public Health Approach", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to public health practice: whether new to the topic, or coming with a wealth of experience. This first module, entitled "Principles of Public Health Practice" introduces learners to the scope, origins and ethics of public health. The module begins reviewing different frameworks of public health that have been used, settling on a hybrid model comprising four domains: health improvement, health protection, healthcare public health and health intelligence. And this sets the scene and structure for the remainder of the specialisation. Learners are then taken through a very rapid and concise history of public health, before contrasting ideas of public health ethics with those of more traditional biomedicine.
What's included
22 videos10 readings2 assignments3 discussion prompts
22 videosβ’Total 94 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Richard Pinderβ’3 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Samantha Alvarez Madrazoβ’4 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Katharine Colletβ’3 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Talia Boshariβ’4 minutes
- Meet the Team (Optional): Carolyn Sharpeβ’3 minutes
- Welcome to the course: The Public Health Approachβ’2 minutes
- Breaking down public health: conceptual frameworks and the four domain modelβ’7 minutes
- An introduction to health improvement (domain 1)β’6 minutes
- An introduction to health protection (domain 2)β’5 minutes
- An introduction to healthcare public health (domain 3)β’4 minutes
- An introduction to health intelligence (domain 4)β’2 minutes
- Practitioner interview: the domains of public health, why are they important?β’2 minutes
- A history of public health: origins and genesisβ’5 minutes
- A history of public health: the modern worldβ’6 minutes
- A movement for global healthβ’7 minutes
- International governanceβ’5 minutes
- What is ethics?β’6 minutes
- Ethics in public health practiceβ’3 minutes
- Utilitarianism in public healthβ’6 minutes
- An introduction to social justiceβ’6 minutes
- The challenge of autonomy in public health practiceβ’6 minutes
- Conclusionβ’1 minute
10 readingsβ’Total 105 minutes
- About Imperial College London & the FPHP Teamβ’5 minutes
- How to be successful in this courseβ’5 minutes
- Grading policyβ’5 minutes
- Glossaryβ’5 minutes
- Examples of health improvement activitiesβ’10 minutes
- Examples of health protection activitiesβ’10 minutes
- Examples of healthcare public health activitiesβ’10 minutes
- Examples of health intelligence activitiesβ’30 minutes
- The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)β’15 minutes
- A public health approach to ethicsβ’10 minutes
2 assignmentsβ’Total 50 minutes
- Categorising public health initiativesβ’30 minutes
- Ethics in public health practiceβ’20 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ’Total 30 minutes
- Nice to meet you!β’10 minutes
- What is public health?β’10 minutes
- SDGs: Where are we now?β’10 minutes
This first course, "The Public Health Approach", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to public health practice: whether new to the topic, or coming with a wealth of experience. This second module, entitled "The Wider Determinants of Health" introduces the wider determinants paradigm: a very different and much broader world-view that recognises much more of the socio-cultural, economic and environmental influences on population and individual health. We introduce learners to the differing ideas of equality and equity and the centrality of combating health inequalities.
What's included
7 videos5 readings3 assignments3 discussion prompts2 plugins
7 videosβ’Total 35 minutes
- Introducing the wider determinants of healthβ’6 minutes
- Socio-economic status (SES)β’7 minutes
- Deprivation - a spatial measureβ’4 minutes
- Equity and equalityβ’4 minutes
- Examples and implications of inequalityβ’7 minutes
- Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)β’6 minutes
- Conclusionsβ’2 minutes
5 readingsβ’Total 60 minutes
- The Marmot Report and the social determinants of healthβ’10 minutes
- Causal pathways and complexity in public health practiceβ’10 minutes
- International comparisons of SESβ’15 minutes
- How deprivation is quantifiedβ’10 minutes
- Deprivation: masking and the limitations of inferenceβ’15 minutes
3 assignmentsβ’Total 65 minutes
- The wider determinantsβ’30 minutes
- Socioeconomic Statusβ’15 minutes
- Deprivationβ’20 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ’Total 40 minutes
- What influences your health and wellbeing?β’10 minutes
- Understanding deprivationβ’10 minutes
- Identifying inequalitiesβ’20 minutes
2 pluginsβ’Total 5 minutes
- Poll: What determines your health?β’3 minutes
- Results: What determines your health?β’2 minutes
This first course, "The Public Health Approach", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to public health practice: whether new to the topic, or coming with a wealth of experience. This third module, entitled "Prevention and Early Identification" formalises understanding of prevention, early identification, resilience and screening. We also begin to explore ideas of strategy and policy and the skills needed for the aspiring professional.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 assignment1 discussion prompt
8 videosβ’Total 38 minutes
- Prevention and early interventionβ’5 minutes
- Resilienceβ’3 minutes
- Introducing screening: definition and approachesβ’5 minutes
- The epidemiological implications of screeningβ’5 minutes
- Risks, bias and consequences of screeningβ’6 minutes
- The Wilson-Jungner Criteria for screening programmesβ’7 minutes
- Practitioner interview: Screening in practiceβ’4 minutes
- The Prevention Paradox & Conclusionβ’2 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 40 minutes
- Prevention and early interventionβ’10 minutes
- Improving awareness and uptake of screening programmesβ’30 minutes
1 assignmentβ’Total 20 minutes
- Screeningβ’20 minutes
1 discussion promptβ’Total 15 minutes
- Example of a screening programmeβ’15 minutes
This first course, "The Public Health Approach", part of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation, is designed to introduce learners to public health practice: whether new to the topic, or coming with a wealth of experience. This fourth and final module builds on the knowledge and understanding established in the prior three modules. This module focuses on the art of public health: examining how we work in political environments, with stakeholders and where a myriad of external influences and personal ideology combine.
What's included
8 videos2 readings1 peer review3 discussion prompts
8 videosβ’Total 30 minutes
- Political theoryβ’5 minutes
- Practitioner interview: Power and politicsβ’4 minutes
- Sources of power and types of authority in public health practiceβ’5 minutes
- Approaches to influencing effectivelyβ’4 minutes
- Stakeholder mapping and influencingβ’5 minutes
- Stakeholder mapping and influencingβ’3 minutes
- Practitioner interview: Working with stakeholdersβ’3 minutes
- Conclusion to the courseβ’2 minutes
2 readingsβ’Total 25 minutes
- Where do you stand politically?β’15 minutes
- Collaborating in public health: the example of climate changeβ’10 minutes
1 peer reviewβ’Total 90 minutes
- Peer review: Make recommendations on a proposed national screening programmeβ’90 minutes
3 discussion promptsβ’Total 30 minutes
- Types of authority in typical public health settingsβ’10 minutes
- Stakeholder Mappingβ’10 minutes
- Systems thinking and systems leadershipβ’10 minutes
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Reviewed on Nov 25, 2021
the studying material is great and well displayed... the activities and quizzes were also well composed and quite interesting and useful
Reviewed on Mar 25, 2021
Excellent introduction to Public Health, content well presented and laid out. I find it very easy to follow and the concepts well explained.
Reviewed on Mar 25, 2022
The course even though online engages the student and provide examples of how to apply the knowledge in real life in terms of helping in decision and policy making process in the public health arena
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When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile.
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