Infection & Disease - HEA00066M

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  • Department: Health Sciences
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: M
  • Academic year of delivery: 2022-23

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Autumn Term 2022-23 to Spring Term 2022-23

Module aims

This module will attract students who are keen to practice Public Health and who may subsequently be able to assume positions within regional, national and international health organisations or ministries of health. It is suitable for students from both medical and non-medical backgrounds. The aim of the course is to explore core knowledge and skills required to understand the determinants of disease, and propose strategies to prevent and control communicable and non-communicable diseases in a variety of settings and populations. In addition, you should be fully equipped to advance your knowledge and skills independently in areas relevant to disease and infection control, both in research and professional practice.

Module learning outcomes

At the end of the module, students will be able to:

  1. Understand the key public health issues pertaining to communicable and non-communicable diseases and the key strategies to address these issues.
  2. Describe the relationship of disease risk factors, causal pathways, host factors (mental health, addictions etc.), environment (physical and or social) and key prevention strategies pertaining to a selected group of non-communicable diseases.
  3. Explain the components and steps involved in surveillance and outbreak investigations and demonstrate proficiency in basic methods used to study these for  infectious diseases in different settings.
  4. Be able to identify an unanswered research question pertaining to a particular communicable or non-communicable disease and develop a funding proposal for the proposed research.

Module content

The health of people in resource poor settings is receiving increased attention in part because such problems do not recognise national boundaries or economic differentials between countries. The high burden of communicable diseases is well recognised, but the growing burden of non-communicable disease in developing countries is largely unchecked. For example, HIV disease first occurred in Africa and is now a global public health disaster. Conversely, problems associated with tobacco use, once the preserve of wealthy countries, are now increasingly frequent in developing nations. In addition, problems such as air pollution and mental health are emerging in different parts of the world with changing attributable factors including urbanization. This module will explore major issues in global public health with an emphasis on the most important causes of disease worldwide, e.g. addressing global burden of disease. Aspects of epidemiology, prevention and control of both communicable and non-communicable diseases will be covered.

Module content will be as follows:

AUTUMN TERM 

Session 1 – Co-occurring epidemics 
Session 2 – Patient centred interventions for comorbidities
Session 3 – Neglected tropical diseases
Session 4 - Tobacco use and key prevention & control strategies 
Session 5 – Air pollution and public health strategies
Session 6 – Global mental health

Session 7 – Communicable disease surveillance and control in disasters 
Session 8 – Public health response to disease outbreaks
Session 9 – Writing a grant funding proposal 
 
SPRING TERM
Session 1 – Non-communicable diseases: prevention and control 

Session 2 – Health risk and behaviour in relation to urbanisation  

Session 3 – Public Health aspects of Cardiovascular Disease 
Session 4 – Formative assessment (individual presentations and group discussions) 
Session 5 – Cancer epidemiology and prevention
Session 6 – Corporate influence on public health policies 
Session 7 – Defining obesity as a disease: Complexity, benefits and adverse effects 
Session 8 – Behavioural economics and public health 
Session 9 – Community engagement strategies for public health intervention

*please note session order may change based on speaker availability: please check your timetable for latest information 

Indicative assessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Special assessment rules

None

Indicative reassessment

Task % of module mark
Essay/coursework 100

Module feedback

Written feedback for summative assessment is provided on the standard proforma, within the timescale specified in the programme handbook.

Indicative reading

Reading List

Students will be directed to the relevant websites mentioned below, which have up-to-date information on all of the diseases listed below.

Journals

  • International Journal of Epidemiology
  • Journal of International Union against TB and Lung Diseases
  • Tropical Medicine and International Health

Websites and other electronic sources

Other useful resources

  • References to relevant journal articles and additional resources will be given during each lecture.