Challenges in Global Health: Non-Communicable Diseases

Description

The topics discussed range from burden of and risk factors for non-communicable diseases to the effects of early life environment, globalisation, climate and environmental change on health, the intersection of communicable and non-communicable diseases and effective approaches for non-communicable disease prevention and management.

Which health challenges do low-, middle- and high-income countries face? What is the importance of non-communicable diseases globally, and what are the underlying causes and risk factors for non-communicable diseases? What is the intersection between communicable and non-communicable diseases? How are non-communicable diseases prevented and managed in different health systems? Which policy initiatives for effective prevention and control of non-communicable disease are being implemented? What are the consequences of global health threats or challenges such as globalisation, migration, climate or environmental change?

These are some of the topics that our international and interdisciplinary faculty will address in this one-week interactive global health summer school course with a particular focus on non-communicable diseases.

This course is organised by the UMC Utrecht (www.globalhealth.eu).

Lecturers

The course is offered as part of the MSc Epidemiology, Graduate School of Life Sciences, Utrecht University in collaboration with (inter)national and interdisciplinary faculty with expertise in the field of non-communicable diseases in a global context. 

Lecturers include: 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Regien Biesma, University Medical Center Utrecht, the Netherlands

Dr. Olga Combaco, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique

Dr. George Downward, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Kerstin Klipstein-Grobusch, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Dr. Grace Ku, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium 

Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ana Mocumbi, Universidade Eduardo Mondlane, Maputo, Mozambique

Dr. Arti Singh, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana

Assoc. Prof Ilonca Vaartjes, University Medical Center Utrecht, The Netherlands

Prof. Dr. Monique Verschuren, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht, The Netherlands

More information about the programme and lecturers will become available in March 2025.

Target audience

The course is open to 

• Master level students from a wide range of backgrounds: epidemiology, public health, medicine, biomedical and social sciences with knowledge on epidemiology and public health
• Professionals and (PhD) researchers from any disciplines and with knowledge on epidemiology and public health and affinity to global health and interest in non-communicable diseases

Aim of the course

This course aims to enhance knowledge and understanding of current challenges in global health with a particular focus on non-communicable diseases. By the end of the course, participants will be able to

• Describe the burden and epidemiology of non-communicable diseases;
• Describe the role of early life experiences in the variation in disease occurrence;
• Describe the intersection between communicable and non-communicable diseases;
• Describe the effect of globalisation, migration, climate and environmental change on non-communicable diseases;
• Explain the practice of non-communicable disease surveillance and control;
• Explain approaches to non-communicable disease prevention ranging from policy and health systems considerations to the use of e- and mhealth and big data 

Study load

One week full-time in Utrecht (The Netherlands).

Tags

• chronic disease
• epidemiology
• global health
• prevention
• public health
• life course
• equity
• non-communicable disease
• health system