Professional Certificate: Distance Learning Program in Health Metrics and Evaluation

(Anticipated start date: Spring Quarter 2012)

This Professional Certificate program is being designed specifically for the Field Epidemiology Training Program (FETP) and Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Program (FELTP) of the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. This program is intended to supplement FETP and FELTP training with instruction on broader population health measurement techniques that can improve students’ abilities to assess health trends at national and subnational levels. In future years, we hope to expand the program to reach broader audiences, particularly global health professionals working in low-resource settings.

Overview

• Students will be trained in evaluating health programs and initiatives, conducting risk assessments, assessing needs for interventions, and strengthening health systems.
• Program will focus on health information system design, data management, and how to maximize health programs with limited resources.  
• Program will focus on methodologies that have direct health policy implications.
• Program will initially consist of three courses: Global Health Challenges, Health Information Systems and Public Health Surveillance, and Global and National Burden of Disease.
• 10 credit program.
• Anticipated start date: spring 2012.

 Objectives

• Train participants on measures of health, such as years of life lost, years lived with disability, and disability-adjusted life years.
• Develop skills for using sparse data to determine levels of mortality, morbidity, causes of death, and health status.
• Expand understanding of the global health landscape, its major challenges, and emerging health dangers.
• Familiarize students with various data sources available and technologies that improve data collection.