Global Health Courses

UCLA offers a wide range of courses on global and immigrant health issues for public health, nursing, dental and medical students as well as any students with an interest in global and/or immigrant health. Many of these courses are offered through the School of Public Health, with an additional selection from departments such as Urban Planning, Sociology, Biology, Nursing and Law, among others. For a listing of the days and times that a course is offered during a specific quarter, or to verify the course units and description, please consult the UCLA Schedule of Classes.

The Global Health Certificate requires the completion of a series of courses designed to match the student's career and professional goals (at least 16 units of approved courses). Courses taken for major or departmental credit maybe used to additionally satisfy the requirements for the Global Health Certificate (e.g. CHS 200 maybe used for both a student’s MPH Degree and to receive credit for the Global Health Certificate). Quarters indicated on the website for expected course offering are subject to change. Students should check the Schedule of Classes on MyUCLA to confirm.

Students pursuing the Global Health Certificate may propose other courses with global health content as electives. For detailed information about making such a request, please email globalhealth@ph.ucla.edu.

CITI Training

Required of all students pursuing the GHC who did not complete EPI 273

Click here to access the training module (note: all FSPH students will be required to complete the "Biomedical Researchers and Staff" track)

Approved Courses for the Global Health Certificate:

The following courses are those that have been offered in the two most recent academic years:

Community Health Sciences Department

CHS 132. Health, Disease, and Health Services in Latin America (4 units, Fall)

Introduction to health, disease, and health services in Latin America, with emphasis on epidemiology, health administration, medical anthropology, and nutrition.

CHS 200. Global Health Problems (4 units, Fall, Winter)

Overview of health profile of the world in the 20th century. Global health problems and methods by which they have been dealt in context of the Alma Ata goal of "health for all by year 2000."

CHS 205. Immigrant Health (4 units, Winter)

Overview of key topics in public health for documented and undocumented immigrants and refugees in U.S. Demographics, health status, behavioral risk factors, and social determinants, health and human rights, and access to healthcare and prevention services. Analysis of public policy across topics. Builds skills necessary to develop integrated approach to health of immigrant populations.

CHS 224. Social Determinants of Nutrition and Health (4 units, Fall)

Course provides an overview of the literature supporting the relationships among socioeconomic disadvantage, food insecurity and food-related health conditions such as obesity, diabetes, and osteoporosis. Critically examines plausible pathways from the perspectives of multi-disciplines such as agriculture, economics, nutrition, planning & policy, and sociology.

CHS 229. Policy and Public Health Approaches to Violence Prevention (4 units, Spring)

Examination of violence as a public health issues in the United States (U.S.) and across the globe. Course covers a range of topics, including definitions and characteristics of various forms of violence; prevalence, determinants and health outcomes/correlates of violence; violence-related policy and advocacy initiatives and violence prevention efforts (including education, behavior change, gender-transformative, and restorative justice approaches).

CHS 231. Maternal and Child Nutrition (4 units, Winter)

Nutrition of mothers, infants, and children in countries at various levels of socioeconomic development; measures for prevention and treatment of protein/calorie malnutrition; relationship between nutrition and mental development; impact of ecological, socioeconomic, and cultural factors on nutrition, nutrition education, and service.

CHS 240. Child and Reproductive Health in Communities: Global Environmental Perspective (4 units, Spring)

Examination of global issues of child and reproductive health in relation to environmental factors in interplay with socioeconomic and biological factors. Discussion of impacts of qualitatively different, and potentially modifiable, factors such as access to safe water or urbanization, as well as environmental contribution to high-burden outcomes in childhood and reproduction. Focus on lower income settings and discussion of relevant population-based approaches to assessment and intervention.

CHS 246. Women's Roles and Family Health (4 units, Spring)

Rapidly changing roles of women throughout world are having important effects on women's own health and that of their families. Analysis of multidisciplinary research from both developing and industrialized countries to provide basis for in-depth discussion of programmatic and policy implications.

CHS 247. Population Change and Public Policy (4 units, Spring)

Examination of international population change, population-related policies, and public health implications of demographic processes.

CHS M250 (same as LATIN AM M262). HIV/AIDS and Culture in Latin America (4 units, Spring)

Exploration of cultural, political, and public health context for people living with and at risk for HIV/AIDS and their families in Latin America. Public health aspects, including epidemiology, comorbidity concerns and community interventions, medical anthropological study of experience of those impacted, and grass-roots responses, as well as political/economic context addressing poverty and structural violence.

CHS 254. Intentional Disasters: War and Refugees (2 units, Spring)

Previous international experience strongly encouraged. Overview of intentional disasters, with focus on technically underdeveloped areas and consequent population migration. Principal focus on health consequences of these events and strategies to address health issues.

CHS 258. Cooperative Interagency Management in Disasters (4 units, Spring)

Educates public health, public policy, and medical providers about the laws, techniques, and standards for government and non-government organizations' interaction during health emergencies and disaster events.

CHS M260. Health and Culture in Americas (4 units, Winter)

Health issues throughout the Americas, especially indigenous/Mestizo Latin American populations. Holistic approach covering politics, economics, history, geography, human rights, maternal/child health, culture.

CHS M264. Latin America: Traditional Medicine, Shamanism, and Folk Illness (4 units, Spring)

Examination of role of traditional medicine and shamanism in Latin America and exploration of how indigenous and mestizo groups diagnose and treat folk illness and Western-defined diseases with a variety of health-seeking methods. Examination of art, music, and ritual and case examples of religion and healing practices via lecture, film, and audiotape.

CHS 427. Reproductive Health in Sub-Saharan Africa (4 units, Winter)

In-depth understanding of reproductive health challenges facing sub-Saharan Africa and main programs designed to address them. Topics include family planning, STIs, abortion, adolescents, HIV/AIDS, and refugees.

CHS 440. Public Health and National Security at U.S.-Mexico Border (4 units, Fall)

Exploration of community and environmental health and health services issues that are present along U.S.-Mexico and coastal California borders. Integrated within public health framework are issues and mitigation of national security and disaster/terrorist risks and hazards.

CHS 448. Nutrition Policies and Programs: Domestic and International Perspectives (4 units, Spring)

Nutrition programs and policies in the U.S. and developing countries compared and contrasted. Analysis of role of major international, governmental, and nongovernmental agencies. Emphasis on meeting needs of vulnerable populations.

CHS 470. Improving Worker Health, Social Movements, Policy Debates, and Public Health (4 units, Fall)

This course introduces students to the field of occupational health and safety as part of the larger public health and social justice arenas. The course also examines current policy debates within the field and considers innovative interventions for promoting the safety, health, and wellbeing of workers and their communities.

CHS 484. Risk Communications (4 units, Spring)

Risk communication theory, research, and practice, including social and psychological bases of population risk perceptions, media theories, and how risk is portrayed in media. Environmental, product safety, food-borne and infectious diseases, disasters, and bioterrorism communications.

Epidemiology Department

EPI 220. Principles of Infectious Disease Epidemiology (4 units, Winter)

Ascertainment of infection, transmission, and epidemiological parameters rather than clinical and pathological aspects. Specific diseases discussed in depth to illustrate epidemiologic principles.

EPI 221. Emerging Infectious Diseases (4 units, Spring)

Overview of important emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases globally. Addresses factors associated with disease emergence/re-emergence, research methods, preparedness, disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, and response to EIDs with global perspective.

EPI 227. AIDS: A Major Public Health Challenge (4 units, Spring)

Presentation of epidemiologic, biologic, psychological, and clinical characteristics of AIDS and HIV-1 infection. Discussion of policy implications and intervention strategies.

EPI 231. Principles of Control of Infectious Diseases (4 units, Winter)

A comprehensive study of the tools for the control of infectious diseases and the application of these tools in public health programs to achieve an epidemiologic impact on disease reduction, elimination, or eradication.

EPI 232. Methods of Research in Marginalized and Hidden Populations (2 units, Fall)

Introduction to a range of different methodologies used to collect data and conduct analysis on reproductive epidemiology topics, including methods that produce quantitative data and methods that produce qualitative data, with emphasis on use of methods appropriate for challenging and sensitive research topics such as sexual behavior, abortion use, and sexual abuse

EPI 293. International HIV/AIDS Seminar (2 units, Fall/Spring)

Ongoing discussion of worldwide pandemic of HIV/AIDS, with emphasis on problems of surveillance, reporting, and intervention. Discussion of recent literature. Presentations by fellows from other countries.

EPI 420. Field Trials of Health Interventions in Low-Resource Settings (4 units, Spring)

Introduction to practical concepts and issues in conducting epidemiologic field research in developing countries, including formulating research questions, study site selection, ethical considerations, and logistics of data and specimen collection. Requisite: course 100, or 200A and 200B. S/U or letter grading.

Environmental Health Sciences Department

EHS 216. Planetary Health: Consequences of Environmental Change for Human Health (4 units, Spring)

Interdisciplinary seminar course in which students from Environmental Health Sciences and related fields will learn how to interpret studies from the scientific literature that discuss various aspects of planetary health, from drivers of environmental change to human health outcomes, integrate information across multiple scientific fields, and communicate planetary health research through an oral presentation and a written report.

Education Department

EDU 204E. International Efforts in Education (4 units, Winter)

Critical analysis of complex world of "developing cooperation", with particular reference to bilateral and multilateral efforts in education.

Health Policy & Management Department

HPM 230A & B. Health Economics: Low- and Middle-Income Countries' Perspectives (4 units)

This course will develop student thinking on how microeconomic theories help us understand determinants of health and behaviors of consumers and providers in health sector. Course is taught synchronously with the University of the Philippines, Manila.

HPM 240. Healthcare Issues in an International Perspective (4 units)

This course will provide an introduction to global health, from a health policy and management perspective. It will examine institutions, from global to local, through lenses including governance, financing, history and agenda-setting.

HPM M248. Primary Health Care (4 units, Winter)

*Same as CHS M248* Primary health care (PHC) is considered the foundation of strong health systems and should be able to resolve 80% or more of the population’s health problems. This course presents an overview of the organization, structure, and functions of primary health care with an emphasis on low- and middle-income country settings. Course participants will learn about the history and origins of PHC, the roles and functions of PHC in health systems, different organizational and managerial approaches to organizing and delivering healthcare within a PHC setting, and tools for measuring how well PHC programs and services are functioning. The course will provide an opportunity to review and critically analyze the evidence-base on PHC effectiveness and impact through analysis of detailed case studies of PHC programs in diverse settings around the world.

HPM 281. Policy Making amid Health, Economic, and Social Crises: Pandemics and Beyond (4 units, Fall)

In this course students will both learn how to analyze health and social policies comparatively and learn about the differing policy responses across countries to COVID-19. Each student will have the opportunity to select an area they would like to develop a database for, related to the pandemic, and analyze that area deeply.

Latin American Studies Department

LATIN AM M262 (same as CHS M250). HIV/AIDS and Culture in Latin America (4 units, Spring)

School of Nursing

NURSING 200. Health Promotion and Assessment across Lifespan (4 units, Fall)

Review and discussion of research, theories, clinical practice guidelines, healthcare systems, and policies that influence assessment of health and health behaviors, health promotion, and screening of disease across lifespan among diverse populations in multiple settings in communities for advanced practice nurse (clinical nurse specialist and nurse practitioner).

NURSING 209. Human Diversity in Health and Illness (4 units, Fall)

Human diversity in response to illness that nurses diagnose and treat, centering on culture and human belief systems associated with diverse orientations related to ethnicity and gender.

NURSING C255. Globalization, Social Justice, and Human Rights (3 units, Fall)

Exploration of theories, issues, debates, and pedagogy associated with globalization, social justice, and human rights and how these perspectives influence human health and well-being. Provides students with unique opportunity to explore these topics within classroom, via Internet and other technologies, and in other classrooms located around globe. Students, through collaborative projects with peers around world, reflect on how globalization shapes and transforms local communities and national cultures.

Division of Oral Biology

Oral Biology 229B. Anthropological Perspectives on Global Health: Implications for Oral Biology and Medicine (2 units, Winter)

What factors determine health, illness, and disease in global context, including political ecology of infectious diseases, child health issues, women's health and reproductive health, global trade in legal and illegal drugs, demography and health transition, structural adjustment, problems associated with globalization of pharmaceutical industry; antibiotic resistance, and globalization and health equity.

Department of Sociology

Sociology 236 A/B/C. International Migration (4 units, Fall)

Comprehensive overview of key current theoretical debates in study of international migration, with focus on exploration of possibilities of comparative (historical and cross-national) research program in field, linking North American, European, and other global experiences of immigration.

Department of Urban Planning

Urban Planning M258. Transportation and Environmental Issues (4 units, Winter)

Regulatory structure linking transportation, air quality, and energy issues, chemistry of air pollution, overview of transportation-related approaches to air quality enhancement; new car tailpipe standards; vehicle inspection and maintenance issues; transportation demand management and transportation control measures; alternative fuels and electric vehicles; corporate average fuel economy and global warming issues; growth of automobile worldwide fleet; automobile in sustainability debate.

Urban Planning C285. Built Environment and Health (4 units, Winter)

Exploration of important linkages between urban-built environment and public-health outcomes using ecological, urban planning, and community-based lenses through theory and series of case studies. Knowledge of these linkages is used to propose ecological solutions to issues at nexus of built environment and public health.

Archive of Elective Courses for the Global Health Certificate:

The following courses are those that have previously been approved for the Global Health Certificate, but that have not been offered in the two most recent academic years:

CHS M222. Understanding Fertility: Theories and Methods (4 units)

Application of demographic theories and methods to describe fertility trends and differentials and social and proximate determinants of fertility, with emphasis on understanding key proximate determinants. For advanced students interested in population, demography of health, and social demography

CHS M251. Human Resources and Economic Development

Examination, in context of developing countries, of interactions among economic development, population growth, levels of health and nutritional status, and educational investments.

CHS 282. Communication in Health Promotion and Education (4 units)

Design, implementation, and evaluation of health communication strategies for health promotion programs. Equal emphasis on communication theories, models, and empirical research literature and on specific applications in health programs and case studies.

CHS M294. Social and Behavioral Factors of HIV/AIDS: Global Perspective (4 units)

Overview of social and behavioral factors that influence both transmission and prevention of HIV/AIDS throughout world.

CHS 295. Selected Topics in Disaster Relief and Humanitarian Assistance (4 units)

Designed for graduate students. Overview of broad interdisciplinary issues which necessarily converge in fields of disaster preparedness and humanitarian assistance. Introduction to both theoretical and problem-solving strategies.

CHS 296. Advanced Research Topics in Community Health Science (2/4 units) Global Women's Health and Empowerment. CHS 296: Advanced Research Topics in Community Health Sciences: Primary Health Care, Winter 2019 (Only)

Pre-requisites: This graduate course assumes basic knowledge of health services and policies, so HPM 100 (or equivalent) is highly recommended. The course is framed within the larger contemporary global health context, so either CHS 200 or HPM 240 is also strongly recommended, but not required. Undergraduates may enroll only with instructor permission.
This course presents an overview of the organization, structure, and functions of primary health care with an emphasis on low- and middle-income country settings. Course participants will learn about the history and origins of PHC, the roles and functions of PHC in health systems, different organizational and managerial approaches to organizing and delivering healthcare within a PHC setting, and tools for measuring how well PHC programs and services are functioning. The course will provide an opportunity to review and critically analyze the evidence-base on PHC effectiveness and impact, present detailed case studies of PHC programs in diverse settings around the world, and include a series of discussions about contemporary challenges and emerging trends.

CHS 434A. Maternal and Child Health in Developing Areas (4 units)

Major health problems of mothers and children in developing areas, stressing causation, management, and prevention. Particular reference to adapting programs to limited resources in cross-cultural milieux.

CHS 441. Advanced Program Planning and Evaluation in International Health (4 units)

Theory, guidelines, and team exercise for planning community health/family planning projects in the U.S. and in developing countries.
Phases include community needs identification; goal setting; budget and work plan development; funding; staffing; evaluation design; data and cost analysis; and project presentation.

CHS 447. Health and Social Context in the Middle East (4 units)

Current health issues and problems of countries in the Middle East and implications for socioeconomic development. Review of economic, demographic, and cultural variation of the region to provide background for discussion of trends and patterns of health and nutritional status of population in the area.

EPI 222. Arthropods as Vectors of Human Diseases (4 units)

Comprehensive overview of morphology, systematics, natural history, host/vector/pathogen relationships, and spectrum of diseases carried by arthropods for graduate students, public health professionals, and medical doctors seeking information on global prevalence of arthropod-borne diseases.

EPI 223. Biology and Ecology of Human Parasitic Diseases (4 units)

Information on all aspects of parasitic organisms causing human disease, including their morphology, biology, means of diagnosis, and diseases they cause. From epidemiological perspective, special emphasis on way in which parasites maintain themselves in nature, and manner in which organisms are transmitted to people.

EPI 224. Zoonotic Diseases and Public's Health (4 units)

Examination of wide variety of infectious disease agents (viruses, bacteria, and protozoan and helminth parasites) causing diseases in individuals and populations. Emphasis on how these diseases exist in natural environment, how they are transmitted from animals to humans, and methods for their prevention and control.

EPI 229. Foodborne Illnesses (4 units)

Presentation of epidemiologic, biologic, psychological, and clinical characteristics of AIDS and HIV_1 infection. Discussion of policy implications and intervention strategies.

EPI 266. Global Health and Tropical Medicine (2 units)

Introduction to tropical diseases and global health. How humanitarian health issues, maternal-child health, research in tropics, World Health Organizations, and political/medical constraints all are related with respect to health on worldwide scale.

EPI 273. Responsible Conduct of Research in Global Health (2 units)

An introduction to the fundamental principles of public health ethics and the ethical issues facing public health professionals working in developing countries.

EPI M418. Rapid Epidemiological Surveys in Developing Countries (4 units)

Presentation of how to do health surveys in Third World countries. Practical assistance for planning and organizing surveys, including use of microcomputers to develop and test the questionnaire, select the sample, process and analyze data, and prepare final report.

EHS 208. Built Environment and Health (4 units)

Interdisciplinary course on built environment and health and breaking down silos. U.S. and other developed, as well as developing, countries are facing increasingly lethal and costly epidemics of acute and chronic diseases related to land use and built environment decisions. While hazards presented by air and water pollution are well recognized for acute, infectious, and toxicological illnesses, there is increasing recognition of hazards presented by building and community designs that fail to recognize human health. Land use and built environment decisions impact every age group and social and racial minority. Impacts range from very acute (motor vehicle trauma) to long term (obesity, cancer, heart disease). Decisions have as their bases economic, financial, insurance, housing, and other factors. Analysis of each factor and related disease endpoints.

**HPM 240. Healthcare Issues in an International Perspective* (4 units)**

Urban Planning 235 A/B. Urbanization in the Developing World I/II (4 units)

Questions of urbanization and planning in first term; rural development in second term. Case studies from Latin America, Africa, and Asia. Lectures, student presentations, and policy debates.