Global Health Emphasis
The Global Health Emphasis (GHE) provides undergraduate students in biomedical and public health-related disciplines the opportunity to complete global health coursework and to participate in an international field internship in Uganda. Recent internship locations include local hospitals, clinics, and public health organizations. GHE courses and internships allow students to cultivate applied knowledge, develop intentional relationships with local clinicians, and engage broader issues of aid, development, and medical missions.
Students will grow in their understanding of public health and interventional health by learning from and observing Ugandan professionals working in various health-related fields. Each student will have the option to focus in geriatric, pediatric, maternal/child, pharmaceutical, herbal medicine, or community health education internships. As students engage in their internships and are mentored by Ugandan and American faculty, they will gain valuable insight into the expanding field of global health and grow in cross-cultural awareness, developing competencies that will help them work effectively with diverse populations around the world.
GHE students can apply to live on campus in the dorms at Uganda Christian University or with a local host family in Mukono. Learn more about living context here.
Course Requirements
All Global Health students take Faith & Action in the Ugandan Context, Global Health Seminar and Global Health Practicum, and two electives. *Indicates Required Course
GHE Courses
The following Global Health courses are offered during the regular USP semester.
Global Health Seminar (2 credits) & Global Health Practicum (2-4 credits)
Global Health Seminar and the Global Health Practicum provide the academic framework and seminar-based learning to allow undergraduate students to learn how culture and cross-cultural health disparities are important to global health. These courses are designed for learning global health applications and global health community engagement in Uganda. Direct clinical or public health training is not the goal of these class; however, training and mentorship in cross-cultural understanding and communication for global health settings guides curriculum and instruction. Learning objectives of these course should allow for translation of this specific Ugandan learning context to a diversity of postgraduate healthcare applications in any country.
In these classes, students will utilize immersive hospital and public health internship experiences, relevant readings, and seminar course discussions to grow in the cultural competencies of openness, flexibility, engagement, self-awareness, cultural humility, adaptability/resilience, and integration. These competencies are not discussed with pretense of expertise, but instead to allow students to gain deeper understanding of how cultural diversity effects nursing, medical, and public health practice.
Students are required to complete a minimum of 80 hours (but most do 160) at an approved USP global health practicum site and discuss the applications of course readings to weekly global health practicum experiences.
Download the syllabus for Global Health Seminar and Global Health Practicum.
Download the Practicum Site Descriptions
Download info about the practicum placement process here.
Infectious Disease & Epidemiology (4 credits)
This course introduces the basic methods for infectious disease epidemiology and public health case studies of important disease syndromes effecting Uganda and East Africa. Methods include epidemiology definitions and nomenclature, basic disease pathology, symptom presentation, laboratory findings, and the physiology behind basic treatment for the diseases causing most significant morbidity and mortality in East Africa. This course focuses on epidemiology with the combined learning outcomes of pathophysiology and public health for infectious diseases at individual, community and systems levels. This course must be taken concurrently with the Global Health Practicum where students gain applied field knowledge in 80-160 hour global health practicums with international clinicians and public health educators. This course includes case studies of: viral infections (Dengue fever, HIV/AIDS, WNV, Zika, etc), bacterial infections (Tuberculosis, Typhoid, and Diarrheal infections), and parasitic infections (Schistosomiasis, Trypanosomiasis, and Helminths).
Download the syllabus for Infectious Disease & Epidemiology.
Microbiology with Lab (4 credits)
This course covers general aspects of undergraduate microbiology with emphasis on endemic microorganisms and human interaction. Topics include introduction to microbiology, microbial taxonomy, methods of microbial identification, immunology and infection. This course includes microscopy, staining, and hospital based microbiology laboratory applications with over 60 laboratory hours at Mukono Church of Uganda Hospital.Download the syllabus for Microbiology with Lab.
Fundamentals of Nutrition (4 credits)
Good nutrition is the foundation for a healthy body therefore this course unit will explore the basic concepts of human nutrition and food. Fundamental facts about food nutrients will be discussed with regard to their requirements, functions, effects of deficiency and excess. Key concepts of nutrition assessment and Nutrition throughout the lifecycle will be discussed with special attention on pregnancy, infancy, childhood, adolescence and aging stages of life. The overall aim of the course unit is to give the learner the introduction and overview into the area of Nutrition as an integral component of health.Download the syllabus for Fundamentals of Nutrition.
Questions about the Global Health Emphasis?
For more information, email us directly.
