Current and future public health is characterized by the increase of chronic and degenerative diseases, corresponding to the worldwide ageing of the population. The increasing prevalence of these conditions together with the long incubation period of the chronic diseases and the continual technological innovations, offer new opportunities to develop strategies for early diagnosis. Public Health has an important mandate to critically assess the promises and the pitfalls of disease screening strategies. This MOOC will help you understand important concepts for screening programs that will be explored through a series of examples that are the most relevant to public health today. We will conclude with expert interviews that explore future topics that will be important for screening. By the end of this MOOC, students should have the competency needed to be involved in the scientific field of screening, and understand the public health perspective in screening programs. This MOOC has been designed by the University of Geneva and the University of Lausanne. This MOOC has been prepared under the auspices of the Ecole romande de santé publique (www.ersp.ch) by Prof. Fred Paccaud, MD, MSc, Head of the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne (www.iumsp.ch), in collaboration with Professor Antoine Flahault, MD, PhD, head of the Institute of Global Health, Geneva (https://www.unige.ch/medecine/isg/en/) and Prof. Gillian Bartlett-Esquilant (McGill University, Quebec/ Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine, Lausanne).
Offered By
Disease Screening in Public Health
About this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
20%
33%
Learner Career Outcomes
20%
33%
100% online
Flexible deadlines
Beginner Level
Approx. 20 hours to complete
English
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Introduction to Key Concepts in Screening
This module will provide a brief welcome by Dr. Fred Paccaud and Dr. Antoine Flahault. An overview of screening and an introduction on how the course is organized and evaluated will be provided by Dr. Gillian Bartlett-Esquilant. Dr. Idris Guessous, a Senior Lecturer in the Population Epidemiology Unit in the Department of Community Medicine, Primary Care and Emergency Medicine (Geneva), and in the Department of Ambulatory Care and Community Medicine (PMU Lausanne) & Division of Chronic Diseases at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (Lausanne) will provide lectures on definitions of screening. Natural history of diseases and the characteristics of subclinical conditions allowing early diagnosis will be presented. A quiz on the key concepts for screening will complete this module.
Screening Metrics
The second module, provided by Dr. Idris Guessous, will address the metrics of screening with concepts related to robustness, validity and impact. A quiz on screening metrics will complete this module.
Screening in Pregnancy and Newborns
This module on screening in the prenatal (pregnancy) and perinatal (newborn) stage of life is given by Professor Murielle Bochud, MD, PhD, head of the Institute of social and preventive medicine in Lausanne, Switzerland. A quiz will complete this module.
Screening for Cardiometabolic Conditions
Senior lecturer Arnaud Chiolero, MD, PhD, from the Division of Chronic Diseases at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne will be presenting three case studies related to the increasingly prevalent condition of cardiometabolic disease. Three different diseases will be explored in terms of burden of disease, benefits and harms, evidence and issues followed by recommendations about whether screening should be implemented. A quiz will complete this module.
Top reviews from Disease Screening in Public Health
very interesting. I learned a lot about diseases. Very informative course.
This course made my foundations for public health.
Instructors
Antoine Flahault
Professor of Public Health and Director of the Institute of Global Health (Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva) and co-Director of Centre Virchow-Villermé (Université Paris Descartes)
28,719 Learners
6 Courses
Fred Paccaud (In Partnership with UNIGE)
Professor of epidemiology and public health and Director of the Institute of social and preventive medicine6,585 Learners1 Course
Gillian Bartlett-Esquilant
Professor of Epidemiology and Research and Graduate Program Director and Associate Chair for the Department of Family Medicine at McGill University.6,585 Learners1 CourseOffered by
University of Geneva
Founded in 1559, the University of Geneva (UNIGE) is one of Europe's leading universities. Devoted to research, education and dialogue, the UNIGE shares the international calling of its host city, Geneva, a centre of international and multicultural activities with a venerable cosmopolitan tradition.
University of Lausanne
The University of Lausanne is a Swiss state university founded in 1537. It is focused on Medicine, Life Sciences, Geosciences, Environmental Sciences, Business, Humanities, Social Sciences and Sport Sciences. UNIL is a research-intensive university which encourages interdisciplinarity. It is also renowned for its innovative teaching methods.
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