221.646.01
Health Systems in Low and Middle income Countries
Location
East Baltimore
Term
2nd Term
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
3
Academic Year
2025 - 2026
Instruction Method
In-person
M, W, 1:30 - 2:50pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
Enrollment Restriction
no undergraduates. This section is only for Health Systems MSPH and PhD students and MHS Global Health Economics.
Provides an overview of health systems in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and approaches to improve their performance, focusing on enhancing equity and access for the poor. Emphasizes frameworks, tools, skills, and strategies to understand, influence, and evaluate health systems, identifying key institutions, functions, and performance issues at national and local levels. Analyzes, plans, implements, and evaluates health system changes across varying demographic and economic settings through frameworks, tools, and in-depth case studies. Addresses major debates, including monitoring system performance, the role of the public sector, challenges in unregulated private markets, linking priority health programs with health systems, and enhancing accountability.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Apply foundational language and frameworks used in the analysis and design of health systems
- Analyze how key components of a health system interact, including governance, financing, service delivery, workforce, and information systems.
- Integrate equity considerations into the analysis and planning of health system interventions.
- Analyze how different health system reforms will affect equity
- Design contextually appropriate health system reforms that address identified challenges and demonstrate systems thinking.
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 10% Participation
- 20% Health System Debates
- 70% Paper 1 and 2
The in person section is for MSPH and PHD in Health Systems and MHS in Global Health Economics students. All other students must register to the .81 online section