Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 1 (Coursera)

About Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 1 Online Course

Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 1 Coursera Course Syllabus

WEEK 1

Module 1: Humanitarian Disasters and Public Health

In this module, we will define what we mean by disasters, hazards, risks and vulnerabilities. We look at patterns and trends and understand the role of public health in disasters.

Module 2: Humanitarian Actors and Coordination

Many humanitarian actors play a role in a disaster. This module describes many of them and also looks at various coordination models that are used.WEEK 2

Module 3: Water and Sanitation

This module describes the burden of, and mechanisms of, sanitation and water-related diseases in humanitarian crises. We also illustrate the various strategies and priorities that can be used to reduce outbreaks of those diseases.

Module 4: Livelihoods and Food Security in Humanitarian Crises

Disasters affect livelihoods. This module illustrates how and what livelihood strategies families use to cope with a crisis. We also describe what food security entails and ways to assess it. We look at various livelihood support programs that can be used in disaster settings.

WEEK 3

Module 5: Nutrition in Humanitarian Crises

This module looks at who is at risk of becoming malnourished in a disaster context and why that is the case. We will describe various types of malnutrition, the treatment and various preventative actions.

Module 6: Management of Diseases in Humanitarian Crises

This module examines the patterns of disease in affected populations. We will understand how the changes in population characteristics as well as lifestyles have changed the nature of the burden of disease populations from that of predominantly communicable to a pattern of non-communicable diseases.

WEEK 4

Module 7: Health Care in Humanitarian Emergencies

Disasters put special strains on the provision of health services as demands increase and resources to meet these needs diminish. The six major components of health services may be damaged in different ways, and all can require urgent attention. This is all discussed in this module.

Module 8: Shelter in a Humanitarian Setting

In this module, we talk about shelter and what it means. We describe how and which shelter solutions contribute towards the immediate and longer-term recovery of people affected by disasters.

WEEK 5

Module 9: Protection of Displaced Populations: Human Rights & Humanitarian Law

Many disasters cause populations to be displaced. The module on the protection of displaced populations explores the international protection of individuals through public health, human rights, and international humanitarian law.

Module 10: Emerging Risks, Challenges, and Opportunities for Future Humanitarian Emergencies

The potential for future disasters is great, and each has important public health components. New resources and new approaches will be needed to address these disasters and to help countries to recover economies and livelihoods. This module discusses the challenges and future directions in humanitarian assistance.

Course Teacher

Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 1 Coursera course is taught by Gilbert Burnham and Mija Ververs.