International Public Health (BMED) - Period 5

International public health (IPH) is a field that comprises health issues affecting low- and middle-income countries and deals with health challenges transcending national boundaries. Due to the globalizing world, these challenges become more and more complex. It concerns the development of specific interventions and health care facilities that are accessible, affordable, and appropriate for the entire population. The specific focus is on low- and middle-income countries with high mortality and morbidity rates and often inadequate operating health services.

International public health is grounded in a large variety of scientific disciplines, e.g. epidemiology, biomedical sciences, health sciences, management, psychology, anthropology, policy sciences, ethics, and sociology. Therefore international public health is predominantly an interdisciplinary field. Its second main feature is the emphasis on "equity". The basic principle is that the obtained knowledge about good health should benefit all groups in the society. The third feature is related to worldwide trends, e.g. urbanization, migration, technological development and globalization. These trends have an enormous impact on health and sickness. Studying the worldwide trends is a major aspect of international public health.

Contact hours listed under a course description may vary due to the combination of lecture-based and independent work required for each course therefore, CEA's recommended credits are based on the ECTS credits assigned by VU Amsterdam. 1 ECTS equals 28 contact hours assigned by VU Amsterdam.