Global Health Systems and Development

MPH Concentration in Program Design and Implementation

The Program Design and Implementation concentration prepares students to design and implement public health programs in industrialized, emerging, or developing countries.  Students will acquire conceptual and practical tools to conduct needs assessments, conceptualize program/project frameworks, identify and manage human and financial resources required to successfully implement programs, and identify and utilize information for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) programs/projects.

The 45-credit hour MPH curriculum is designed to prepare students to improve the health of populations worldwide through strengthening health systems, building stronger communities and facilitating healthy behaviors in an increasingly globalized world.

Concentration Competencies

• Identify program/project goals, objectives, strategies, activities and resource requirements for interventions that target key global health problems.
• Implement management systems for interventions that address priority global health problems.
• Identify information requirements for design, implementation and evaluation of global health programs.
• Apply design and implementation principals and approaches to a specific program area within global health.

Employment Opportunities for Graduates

The coursework in this concentration will prepare students for work in a particular disease or health area (e.g., disasters/public health emergencies, HIV/AIDS, infectious disease/malaria, nutrition, or reproductive health). Typical jobs include: entry-level project coordinators, desk officers, or program/project managers in: local, state and federal health departments; NGOs, private voluntary organizations (PVOs) and faith-based organizations; federal agencies involved in domestic and international work, such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID); United Nations, World Bank, and other multi-national agencies.

School Required Courses

Department Required Course

GHSD 6010 Comparative health systems

Concentration Required Courses

GHSD 6250 Design and implementation of global health interventions
GHSD 6270 Monitoring of program interventions in global health, or equivalent

AND at least one course in a specific disease or topic area of public health (Disasters/Public Health Emergencies; HIV/AIDS; Infectious Diseases/Malaria; Nutrition; Reproductive Health)

Concentration Recommended Courses

CSCS 6100 Introduction to public health policy and practice
GCHB 6110 Planning of health education programs
GCHB 6140 Developing leadership and communication skills in public health
GCHB 6220 Community organization
GHSD 6110 Health economics for developing countries-tries
GHSD 6260 Formal qualitative methods
GHSD 6280 Evaluation of program interventions in global health
GHSD 6350 The Other Drug War: Essential drugs, contraceptives & health commodities
GHSD 6360 Human resource management
GHSD 6370 Grant writing
GHSD 6380 Organizational behavior
GHSD 6510 Accounting and finance for public health
GHSD 6530 Principles of financial management for international healthcare settings II
GHSD 6550 Health and development issues in Peru
GHSD 6780 Information systems
GHSD 6830 International health policy
GHSD 6980 Health system of china: an applied perspective
GHSD 7020 Communications research for family planning and health
GHSD 7120 Monitoring and evaluation of maternal and child health
GHSD 7130 HIV biological & behavioral surveillance in hard to reach populations using respondent-driven sampling (RDS)
GHSD 7170 Strategic management and planning for health care organizations
GHSD 7710 Quantitative decision models
IDEV 6900  Grant Writing for Development Projects
IDEV 6900 The United Nations Systems

Model Course Schedule

Culminating Experience

The Department of Global Health Systems and Development offers two options for students to complete this graduation requirement: a comprehensive exam or a public health analysis.  This activity should be completed in the student’s final semester.

Culminating Exam: The first option for completing the culminating experience will be a comprehensive exam developed by the school (Part A: which will test the student's knowledge of the core course material) and the department (Part B: which will test the student's knowledge in the major areas represented by the departmental core course).  This exam will be given only three times each year and it is the student's responsibility to be present in New Orleans to take the exam on the given day. Students must arrange their schedules accordingly.

Public Health Analysis:  The Public Health Analysis is a formal, professional written document much like a peer reviewed journal article. The Public Health Analysis is a substantive review and discussion of the body of knowledge in a selected field of public health.  The report should thoroughly and completely address the selected topic. GHSD will require that the final report be presented to the faculty advisor no later than one month prior to the date of graduation. 

Practicum

The Department of Global Health Systems and Development requires a period of practical training (the Practicum) of a minimum of 250 hours, usually in the summer between the second and third semesters (for those enrolling in fall). The practicum provides students with experience in an actual health delivery or development setting, program or project, in which students apply the knowledge and skills acquired in their coursework to practical settings. The specific outline and reporting requirements of the practicum are detailed in the SPHTM field practicum handbook.

Program Design and Implementation Faculty

Jane Bertrand, PhD
Sambe Duale, MD
Thomas Eisele, PhD
Nancy Mock, DrPH - Concentration Lead
Peter Scharf, EdD

For more information contact:

Roseanna Rabalais
Program Coordinator
E-mail: roseanna@tulane.edu
Phone: 504-988-3655
Location: Tidewater Building, 22nd Floor