Global Mental Health Elective Courses

Reviews studies on the roles of social and psychological factors, such as socioeconomic status, mobility, ethnicity, stress, social support, coping, and illness behavior, in selected health disorders and chronic diseases. Discusses factors in relation to disease etiology, recognition of and response to symptoms, seeking care, the doctor-patient relationship and communication patterns, compliance, the course of disease, and disease outcomes.

Explores the role of public health in reducing violence and associated injuries. Focuses on factors that contribute to interpersonal violence, policy issues relevant to violence and violence prevention, and approaches to violence prevention and their effectiveness. Includes topics such as the epidemiology of violence; biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors related to violence; intimate partner violence; the role of alcohol and other drugs; firearms policy; behavioral approaches to violence prevention; and community efforts to prevent violence.

Covers the major concepts and methods in the design and analysis of trial in which the unit of randomization is a group of participants. Focuses on design: discusses unmatched, matched, stepped wedge, and other approaches, with particular attention paid to randomization and sample size considerations. Presents a variety of methods for the analysis of these correlated-outcomes studies. Includes special aspects of infectious disease interventions.

Stigma and discrimination are a major social determinant of health among multiple marginalized and oppressed communities. Do you want to evaluate the health impact of stigma and discrimination on a particular community or understand how public health programs may affect experiences of stigma and discrimination? Are you interested in learning more about the evidence behind how to reduce stigma and discrimination to address health inequity and social justice? Are you willing and ready to engage in critical reflection about the role of public health and our own actions in perpetuating or challenging stigmas?

Provides a broad understanding of the public health impact of stigma and discrimination related to a variety of identities and health conditions. Introduces students to frameworks for understanding stigma (including intersectionality), strategies for characterizing and measuring stigma, and intervention approaches for reducing stigma and discrimination at different ecological levels with the goal of improving health equity, access to quality healthcare services, and promoting psychosocial wellbeing.

Examines childhood victimization across a wide spectrum of victimizations, including sexual and physical abuse, peer and sibling assaults, witnessing domestic violence and verbal abuse and neglect. Acquaints students with the epidemiology of childhood victimization, reviews existing victim and perpetrator-focused interventions, and explores established emerging prevention strategies. Reviews legal policies aimed at reducing childhood victimization, their strengths and weaknesses, and challenges to the notion that childhood victimization is, or can be, effectively addressed solely or primarily via criminal justice interventions.

Students should take this course if they believe that the process is as important as the outcome. We blend case-based learning with service learning to understand the social context of adolescent health and development. Using classroom discussions, critical reflections and frequent interactions with adolescents, students learn how to describe and address community-identified issues that are relevant to adolescents. Here's what other students have said about the course: "It's an incredible course and you should absolutely enroll." "I am grateful for the opportunity to work with the [high school] students." "This was exactly in line with what I need to learn for my work."

Recognizes the social ecological model, social determinants of health tenants and the life course perspective as tools to understanding adolescent health. Explores the influences of contexts, such as neighborhoods, education and families, on adolescent health and well-being. Examines empirical work to consider the role of context in prevention and interventions aimed at adolescents.

Introduces students to the following content areas with regard to suicide: history and theories; epidemiology; etiological factors and mechanisms; clinical phenomenology and comorbid disorders; assessment of suicidal behaviors; special populations; preventive and treatment interventions; ethical issues on the conduct of research on suicidal populations.

Provides an overview of outcomes and effectiveness research. Emphasizes conceptual, design, and analytical aspects of research including policy implications. Covers both experimental (randomized) and observational designs. Addresses spectrum of outcomes and effectiveness research. Includes topics: qualitative research, cost-effectiveness and adaptive trial design.

Field trials in low-income countries are needed to assess potentially useful new interventions and to develop more effective disease control strategies.

Helps students (1) critically review the community trials literature, and (2) develop, identify and justify a randomized community trial design appropriate to answer a set of specific research aims. Discusses different types of randomized study designs appropriate for community (as opposed to clinical) trials. Includes topics: critical review of the community trials literature, formulation of specific aims, selection of study designs and appropriate study populations, estimation of sample size, methods for allocation of interventions or treatments, grantsmanship and budgeting, community participation, consent procedures, ethical and cultural considerations, specification of key outcomes, Safety and Monitoring Boards, data management, analyses and publication of results. Applies these methods in many settings, but emphasizes issues that are unique to developing country and resource constrained environments.

Focuses on the historical problems and interventions associated with infant mortality. Describes the scientific basis for maternal and infant mortality. Analyzes causes and consequences in a population and development of a programmatic and policy approach.

Implementation science is the study of methods that influence the integration of evidence-based interventions into practice settings. It is now a major priority for many healthcare organizations and funders. Have you heard about implementation science, but want to know how to conduct research in it?

Introduces methods, research designs and evaluation approaches that can be used to study implementation science questions. Includes an introduction of methods such as mixed-methods, measurement validity and reliability, randomized and non-randomized designs, and simulation studies using examples from mental and behavioral health settings.

This course will appeal to those who are interested in the practical application of theoretical principles related to program implementation, evaluation, and sustainability.

Provides an overview of the range of intrapersonal, interpersonal, and organizational factors that may influence program implementation, sustainability, and outcomes. Explains the role and importance of community engagement and collaboration across the spectrum of a program’s lifecycle, from conception to executing the activities that make up a program, to evaluating the link between program implementation and desired outcomes, to determinations of program sustainability. Offers students the opportunity to develop skills in appraising which factors affect a program’s implementation and subsequent sustainment through seminal readings on program implementation and sustainability, lab assignments, peer-learning, and lectures. Equips students to make evidence-based recommendations for program implementation and sustainability for organizations seeking to develop community-based programs.

Combines didactic methods and activities to explore the rapidly evolving topic of implementation as it pertains to public health research and practice. Provides an overview of the concepts, the theories, tools, and methods used to advance implementation research and practice. Presents key principles of implementation science from a multidisciplinary perspective and provides practical applications of those principles in both practice and research-based settings.

Introduces students to the application of common econometric methods available to address questions of concern to policy makers, administrators, managers, and program participants regarding evaluation of health programs in low and middle-income countries. Students learn to apply econometric methods in their research and to recognize the limitations in applying the same methods in estimating the impact of a policy intervention. Combines a theoretical development of methods and a numerical application involving continuous dependent variables. Emphasizes the correct use of data in framing relevant questions and understanding the importance as well as the limitations of data analysis in order to equip students with the quantitative skills necessary to evaluate policy alternatives.

Systems thinking is a holistic approach to analyzing how components of complex systems interact and adapt. Through systems thinking we can understand how societies organize themselves to achieve collective health goals and how different actors contribute to policy outcomes. The practice of systems thinking includes the ability to integrate multiple perspectives and synthesize them into a framework or model that encompasses the various ways in which a system might react to policy choices.

Provides students with an understanding of how to apply systems thinking in public health. Trains students on the fundamentals of systems thinking theory and offers an opportunity to apply key methods and approaches to health policy and health questions. Prepares students to ask relevant research questions and apply a systems thinking lens to describe, understand, and anticipate complex behavior. Examines how systems models can be critically appraised and communicated with others so public health policy makers can exercise a greater degree of wisdom and insight.

Introduces basic methods for undertaking research and program evaluation within health services organizations and systems. In addition to basic methods, also provides "the state of the art" in research and evaluation through the review of major completed studies. Recommended for students who will be carrying out policy research, social science research, or program impact evaluation within health delivery systems. Also relevant to those who will apply the results of Health Services Research (HSR) done by others.

Uses lecture, discussion, and individual and small-group applications formats to: 1. Discuss evaluation of evidence-based public health programs, with a focus on low income countries; 2. Grapple with and discuss the best solutions to address methodological challenges in designing and conducting effectiveness evaluations in these settings; 3. Design comprehensive measurement plans with knowledge gained about pros and cons of different ways to collect new data and use and/or model existing data to address all parts of impact chains; 4. Discuss ways to design the evaluation and disseminate findings to maximize acceptance and use of findings.

Introduces students to the fundamental principles of, rationale for, and key considerations in conducting community-based participatory research (CBPR). Offers knowledge of and skills in CBPR that emphasize the importance of community inclusion and partnership as a viable approach to constructing and increasing the acceptance of interventions and improving the health and well-being of populations. Also uses case-based learning as an approach for real world application of CBPR concepts.

For students who have had limited to no experience in monitoring and evaluation, this course provides the building blocks and skills needed to design an evaluation.

Familiarizes students with different types of program evaluation, including formative research, process evaluation, impact assessment, theory-based evaluations, and grounding evaluation in equity. Gains practical experience through a series of exercises involving the design of a logic model, selection of indicators and data sources, and the design of an evaluation plan to measure both a process and impact evaluation. Covers experimental, quasi-experimental, and non-experimental study designs, including the strengths and limitations of each.

Public health is a science-based profession. An important part of that science is determining whether public health interventions achieve their intended objectives in practice. Whether your career goal is to become a researcher, a teacher, or a practitioner in public health, it is critical that you understand the principles and practices of that determination, to ensure that the interventions you pursue or advocate are in fact evidence-based.

Introduces basic principles and methods for undertaking scientifically rigorous research with a special emphasis on evaluations of interventions intended to improve health and safety. Focuses on evaluations of policy, health care delivery systems, and public health programs. Topics include the evaluation and health policy analysis; common research designs and their strengths and weaknesses; and internal and external validity with the intent of giving students the fundamental tools needed to conduct health policy evaluations and/or making them better consumers of research conducted by others.

In the past decade, comparative effectiveness research (CER) and patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) have surged to the forefront of political and academic consciousness in the US. This course provides an introduction to the motivators of this rapidly evolving field, and the methods that can be applied to answer questions that are meaningful to the care of patients and populations of patients.

Reviews the problems faced by decision makers across the US health care system, and reviews priority topics for investigation. Explains the role of stakeholders, including payors, manufacturers, health care organizations, professional groups, providers and patients. Explains study designs and methods used in effectiveness research, focusing in particular on observational studies, but also on newer trial designs. Addresses the policy implications of this research.

Introduces basic principles of quality improvement/knowledge translation (QI/KT) research. Focuses on efforts aimed at increasing the extent to which patients receive evidence-based therapies. Discusses the concepts, methods, and applications of QI/KT theory and explores real-world QI/KT projects. Outlines the development of a research proposal for a specific QI/KT topic. Appraises a published guideline critically. Reviews literature around a QI/KT topic systematically.

Systematically presents population-based and provider-based methods by which data are secured and analyzed to provide indicators of health service use, health risk behavior, and outcomes relative to health status. Targets health status indicators as the basis of planning and evaluation across a wide range of health objectives and measurement characteristics examined. Introduces health information resources available through the World Wide Web and develops skills to search and access data through the Internet.

I know you won’t think I’m being objective, but all of the speakers provide fantastic presentations!! For example . . . You will hear the best talk on heart disease and depression. You will learn about the how the pathology of Parkinson’s disease may start in the gut and relates to the development of depression. You’ll learn that autism is associated with specific physical disorders. How response to stress may explain racial / ethnic differences in diabetes. How the gut biome may affect behavior. How “silent” strokes are associated with behavior in sickle-cell disease. How the immune system affects mental health.

Addresses the epidemiology, consequences, measurement, and implications for health service delivery of co-morbidity of mental and physical disorders. Employs a conceptual framework that emphasizes the potential psychological, behavioral, social, and biological mechanisms through which mental and medical illness interact to cause disability and death. Includes implications for development of new service delivery models that integrate the care of mental health disorders into the care of medical conditions such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Interacts with investigators and clinicians in lecture format, examine case studies, and generate a paper related to a medical-psychiatric co-morbidity of their choosing.

Focuses on directed readings and discussion on the science and pathogenesis of HIV/AIDS. Covers dynamics of the HIV epidemic in the populated world, difficulties and contrasts between clinical management of HIV/AIDS in developed and developing countries, prevention and control modalities against HIV/AIDS, and predicting patterns of future growth of the HIV/AIDS epidemic with special reference to global economic impact of HIV vaccine and eradication issues of HIV/AIDS.

Introduces students to the diverse projects and research activities led by faculty in the Global Disease Epidemiology and Control (GDEC) program. Presents key institutes and centers working to improve international health and introduces faculty-led case studies to identify challenges in ongoing research and practice initiatives. Examines and reflects on the history global health and its impact on current research and practice using the book, “A History of Global Health,” by Randall M. Packard as a framework.

Understands the clinical and social causes of high maternal and newborn mortality and morbidity. Exposes students to the clinical, program and policy interventions that address these issues, and evaluates the strength of the evidence supporting these interventions. Offers practical exercises for students to: 1.) understand the scope and epidemiology of both maternal and neonatal problems, and 2.) design and assess programmatic responses to address them. Upon completion, students will have the knowledge base to be able to contribute to program and policy responses with an informed perspective to avert maternal and newborn deaths in different contexts.

This seminar provides an opportunity to learn about how the organization and strengthening of health information systems is applied in low-and middle-income countries.

Covers basic components of health information management systems (HMIS) in low-and middle-income countries (LMICs) including vital registration, routine service data, health surveys and surveillance systems. Offers an overview of the use of HMIS data for decision making in LMICs. Describes processes for collecting data through HMIS in LMICs and considers challenges to the quality of HMIS in LMICs with an eye toward strengthening these systems.

Students should take this course because they, like us, believe that young people and communities have strengths and assets to address public health problems. This course is solutions focused and infused with perspectives of people who work with vulnerable young people daily. Students will learn about the common elements of assets-based approaches and be asked to apply them to across contexts and populations. Here's what previous students have said: "The structure was great, I especially enjoyed being exposed to community groups." "I loved this course - the material felt super relevant, and really appreciated hearing the perspectives of guest speakers (especially young people!)."

Uses experienced practitioners, community leaders, and community members to expose students to a wide range of domestic youth health, welfare issues and interventions through an asset lens. Uses an asset-based approach to highlight domestic youth challenges (e.g., disconnection, homelessness, LGBTQ status and justice involvement) and aims to expose students to thoughts, voices, and perspectives from a variety of different backgrounds. Features ample discussion, expert lecturers, youth voices, and an examination of existing programs in and out of Baltimore City.

Focuses on the major health issues that affect adolescents and the effective interventions/policies to address these issues in the developing world. Explores the meaning and health of adolescence from various contexts around the world through lectures, readings, video clips, panels, and discussions.

Addresses the rapidly increasing need for specialized knowledge among epidemiologists in order to effectively promote the health of the aging society in the US (in 2020, 20% of the US population will be 65 or older). Introduces the epidemiology of aging and age-related disorders, including overviews of the public health impact of an aging society and the demographics and biology of aging. Covers the descriptive and analytic epidemiology of prevalent chronic conditions in the aged, methodologic challenges essential to consider in research on older adults, and strategies for prevention of age-related disorders.

Introduces the provision of basic health requirements for displaced populations which includes refugees, Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), persons displaced by disasters from natural disasters, and other migrant populations. Touches on the issue of persons resettled to developed countries, although its main concern is with the health needs of those displaced in low and middle-income countries. Addresses epidemiologic assessment, control of communicable and non-communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health needs, establishing and managing health services, reproductive health services, ethical decision making, application of International Humanitarian Law, and coordinating activities among agencies in international contexts.