Global Health Sciences

GHS 204

Global Health Field Work (10 weeks)

Course Director: John L. Ziegler, M.D., M.Sc.

Students will enroll in this course while completing their independent project in a domestic or international setting. They will complete a project developed and approved over the previous two quarters. Students will be responsible for continually assessing their own progress and discussing with their mentors their progress and the application of their didactic learning to their particular setting. They will spend at least two months on their project.

Course Credit:

• Six units over the course of one quarter (Grading is pass/fail)
• Minimum 180 hours independent field work

Course Objectives:

Upon completion of this course, students will be able to:

• Complete an independent project of their own design in a global health setting
• Demonstrate the target knowledge, behaviors and attitudes as applied to field work
• Assess their role in a global health institution and determine potential career opportunities based on this role
• Keep a diary or log portfolio of fieldwork experiences, assessments, reflections, and learning during the project. Share these with the local mentor and the UCSF faculty advisor on a regular basis for constructive feedback and assessment
• Demonstrate sensitivity to local customs and arrange introductory meetings with the Dean, Head of Hospital or Head of Department as appropriate
• Be prepared to encounter obstacles to the research program and outline a plan to mitigate the problem or suggest alternatives to solve the problem
• Demonstrate cultural and ethical sensitivity in designing a health research project or intervention in a developing country
• Show how to solve a problem that obstructs a research plan (e.g. ethical concerns, logistical difficulties, personnel difficulties)
• Give examples of ethical problems in designing a health intervention at the community level
• Demonstrate leadership and diplomatic skills in a low resource setting Execution of independent project of student’s devising within the context of an existing collaborative project
• Self-evaluation throughout the course of the project

Fall Quarter (12 units)

• GHS 201A Principles of Global Health (3 units)
• GHS 201B Social, Cultural, and Economic Determinants of Health (3 units)
• GHS 201C Research Methods I [Course under development] (4 units)
• GHS 203A Global Health Practice Seminar (2 units)

Winter Quarter (12 units)

• GHS 202A Communicable Diseases of Global Importance (3 units)
• GHS 202B Non Communicable Diseases of Global Importance (3 units)
• GHS 202C Research Methods II [Course under development] (2 units)
• EPI 213 Decision and Cost Effectiveness Analysis (2 units)
• GHS 203B Global Health Practice Seminar (2 units)

Spring Quarter (6 units)

• GHS 204 Global Health Fieldwork

Summer Quarter (6 units)

• GHS 205 Policy and Development in Global Health (3 units)
• GHS 203C Global Health Practice Seminar (3 units)