International Health

The University of Copenhagen offers this intensive three week Summer Course in International Health targeting students and professionals with health related backgrounds. The course takes place every summer and especially addresses participants working with health provision at hospitals and health centres in developing countries.

In order to provide participants with a basic understanding of the health problems facing developing countries and the challenges these provide for their health systems, the topics of the course include:
•tropical medicine
•health promotion
•disease prevention
•sexual and reproductive health
•social and cultural aspects of health
•child health
•communicable and non-communicable diseases
•health related to water and sanitation
•and health in emergencies

Emphasis is on the biomedical and clinical aspects of the diseases facing people in developing countries. The most important diseases will be discussed in more detail with emphasis on clinical presentation, diagnosis and treatment.

The conditions include diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, malnutrition, malaria and other febrile diseases, tuberculosis, filariasis, leishmaniasis, schistosomiasis, intestinal worms, diarrheal diseases, leprosy, mental diseases, sexual transmitted diseases, hepatitis, HIV/AIDS, eye-diseases, skin-diseases and snake bites. Introductions to child health and reproductive health programs are also provided.

The socio-economic context and cultural aspects of health provision in resource poor societies and the changing disease patterns in developing countries are also discussed. The health problems relating to urbanization is examined as well as the provision of health in emergencies.

Course leader

Thor Theander

Target group

Master

Health professionals:

Health professionals such as medical doctors, midwives, nurses, physiotherapists etc. are welcome to apply. You must have completed an education related to health, which as a minimum should include a bachelor's degree with a duration of minimum 3 years of studies.

UCPH medical students:

Medical students from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), who have completed the 3rd semester of their master's degree, can apply for the summer course as part of the 5th semester perspective: Internationalt perspektiv - international sundhed, which includes an 8 weeks clinical attachment at a hospital in Tanzania. It is a requirement for admission to the summer course that you participate in the clinical attachment. If you are accepted to the summer course, you are automatically registered for International Study Exposure – Health Provision in Tropical Africa.

Before the clinical attachment, you must have completed the following courses:

- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Internal Medicine
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Surgery
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Anaesthesia
- Course certificate in Patient Safety and Quality Development
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Ophthalmology
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Otorhinolaryngology
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Dermatology and Venereology
- Course certificate in Clinical Course in Neurology and Neurosurgery
- Other medical students

Medical students from universities other than UCPH should have similar qualifications as UCPH medical students. In effect, this means that you should be about to start your final year.

Students must have an adequate level of English as all lessons, group discussions, etc. are carried out in English.

Selection process:

After the application deadline the admissions committee will go through all the applications and select the course participants, based on an assessment of who will profit the most from the course. Priority will be given to applicants with experience from working in the field, contact to or contract with a relevant institution/organization, etc.

40 places are reserved for UCPH medical students. If the number of applicants exceeds this number, participants will be selected by lottery. No letter of motivation is needed for UCPH medical students.

We strongly encourage all other applicants to put energy and care into the letter of motivation, as this is the main selection criteria.

Course aim

Knowledge:

- Demonstrate a broad understanding of the disease conditions affecting resource poor societies.
- Explain the global transition in disease burdens and its determinants.
- Demonstrate an understanding of health provision in resource poor societies and its actors.
- Demonstrate an understanding of health challenges during disasters and provision of health during such circumstances
- Describe major health issues in developing countries such as specific diseases as well as influences due to the socio-cultural context.

Skills:

- Assist in providing health services in resource poor societies
- Analyze the dilemmas of priority setting in international health
- Reflect upon the role of key global health stakeholders in shaping policies and programs targeting international health challenges.
- Provide or plan health services at hospitals and health centers in developing countries.

Competencies:

- Manage provision of basic health care in resource poor societies.
- Engage in advocacy, communication, and networking
- Evaluate practice in hospitals and health centers in developing countries and reflect on how to ensure to avoid harm and participate
in developing best practices.

Fee info

DKK 5000: EU/EEA citizens
DKK 9000: Non-EU/EEA citizens

You are exempted from payment, if:

You are enrolled at a Danish university and the course is part of your master's programme. Danish students must provide a pre-approval of credit transfer from their home institution upon application.

You are a student at UCPH enrolled in one of the following programmes, you do not need to apply for pre-approval of credit transfer:

- MSc in Health Science
- MSc in Human Biology
- MSc in Medicine (5th semester perspective: International Health)
- MSc in Public Health Science

You are an exchange student and attend the course as part of the autumn exchange semester (min. 3 months stay).

You are an exchange student nominated through Nordplus express or Nordlys.

Scholarships

You can apply for the Novo Nordisk International Talent Programme (NNITP) scholarship, if you are incoming students from IARU universities, Harvard University, or University of Sydney.

Application deadline is 1 April 2024.