About this Course

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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).

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

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Beginner Level

Approx. 22 hours to complete

English

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Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Beginner Level

Approx. 22 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructors

Instructor rating

4.57/5 (74 Ratings)

Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(6,124 ratings)

Week1

Week 1

4 hours to complete

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.

4 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 51 min), 9 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

Welcome Message & General Introduction_ new video12mDefinition of Screening4mDefinition of a Screening Program4mNatural History of Diseases4mLead Time, Diagnosis and Treatment5mRisk of Overdiagnosis4mScreening Tests and Biomarkers4mThe Prevention Paradox6mTarget Populations for Screening4m

9 readings

Course Instructors10mDevelopment Team10mCourse Description: Modules & Themes10mCourse design10mGrading policy5mDiscussion Forum Guidelines10mGetting started: Break the ice !30mSuggested discussion45mReading List for Concepts5m

1 practice exercise

Introduction to Key Concepts in Screening40m

Week2

Week 2

2 hours to complete

Screening Metrics

2 hours to complete

10 videos (Total 56 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week3

Week 3

3 hours to complete

Screening in Pregnancy and Newborns

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 42 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

6 videos

Module 3_Introduction_new video3mKey Concepts for Genetic Screening Tests8mOverview of Prenatal and Perinatal Screening8mExample of an Improved Screening Test: Down Syndrome7mExample of Screening to Improve Prognosis: Congenital Hearing Loss7mExample of Genetic Screening: Cystic Fibrosis8m

3 readings

Suggested discussion45mGenetic conditions30mPrenatal and perinatal conditions20m

1 practice exercise

Screening in Pregnancy and Newborns40m

Week4

Week 4

2 hours to complete

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.

2 hours to complete

4 videos (Total 32 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week5

Week 5

3 hours to complete

Cancer Screening

Cancer is a classical field for screening because of both the improvement of the prognosis for most cancers and the usually long incubation period. This part of the MOOC will present current data, evidence and policies regarding the most important cancer sites that include colorectum, prostate, lung, cervix, breast and skin. This module is given by several experts including Elisabetta Rapiti from the Geneva Cancer Registry at the Institute of Global Health in Geneva; Professor Antoine Flahault, who is the Head of the Institute of Global Health in Geneva; and Jean-Luc Buillard who is a Senior Lecturer in the Division of Chronic Diseases at the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne. A quiz will complete this module.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 89 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week6

Week 6

3 hours to complete

Public Mental Health and Screening in Ageing

This module explores the topics of public mental health and screening in the ageing population for neuropsychiatric conditions and physical impairments such as hearing loss. This module is given by several experts including Emiliano Albanese, assistant professor in public mental health in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Geneva and the Director of the WHO Collaborating Center for Research and Training in mental health at the University of Geneva; Professor Christophe Bula who is the head of the geriatric and geriatric rehabilitation service at the Vaudois University Hospital Centre; Professor Armin von Gunten who is the head of the university service for geriatric psychiatry at the Vaudois University Hospital Service. A quiz will complete this module.

3 hours to complete

6 videos (Total 59 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

Week7

Week 7

3 hours to complete

Screening in Low and Middle-Income Countries and Migrants

The globalization of non-communicable diseases is a major challenge in low and middle income countries (LMIC). At the same time, migration is occurring between these countries and high income countries. Screening for cardiovascular diseases and for cancer in low and middle income countries will be presented and discussed. In addition, the special consideration of screening of migrants from these countries will be addressed. This module is given by: Professor Pascal Bovet from the Division of Chronic Diseases at the Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne; Dr. Catherine Sauvaget from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France; and Professor Patrick Bodenmann from the Polimedical University Clinic and head of the Centre for Vulnerable Populations. A quiz will complete this module.

3 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 82 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Module 7 Introduction_new video3mScreening of Noncommunicable Disease in LMIC5mOptimal Strategy for Screening in LMIC11mCardiovascular Disease (CVD) Screening in LMIC10mFocus on Hypertension for CVD Screening in LMIC11mCancer Screening in LMIC8mCross Cultural Competencies- Part I _new video13mCross Cultural Competencies- Part II_new video16m

3 readings

Suggested discussion10mScreening in low and middle-income countries10mScreening of noncommunicable diseases in low and middle-income countries20m

1 practice exercise

Screening in Low and Middle-Income Countries and Migrants1h

Week8

Week 8

3 hours to complete

Evaluation, Planning, Implementation and the Future of Screening Programs

In this final module, important aspects of for the evaluation, planning and decision making about the implementation or stopping of screening programs will be presented. This material is given by Senior lecturer Jean-Luc Bulliard who is an epidemiologist in the Division of Chronic Diseases at the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine in Lausanne. The conclusion of the module will be a series of interviews with experts on the future of disease screening in public health conducted by Dr. Gillian Bartlett-Esquilant, a visiting professor at the Institute for Social and Preventive Medicine at Lausanne. A quiz will close this module.

3 hours to complete

9 videos (Total 92 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz

9 videos

Module 8 introduction_new video3mMajor Controversies with Screening Programs13mEvaluation of Screening Programs10mBias in Screening Programs7mPlanning a Screening Program, Part I10mPlanning a Screening Program, Part II7mExample of a Decision Aid for Screening3mScreening Program Implementation13mFuture Directions in Screening Programs - Module 8 Conclusion_new video21m

2 readings

Suggested discussion45mPolicies and evaluation5m

1 practice exercise

Evaluation, Planning, Implementation and the Future of Screening Programs40m

Reviews

4.5

91 reviews

5 stars
69.47%
4 stars
21.57%
3 stars
5.52%
2 stars
1.31%
1 star
2.10%

TOP REVIEWS FROM DISEASE SCREENING IN PUBLIC HEALTH

by PEJul 15, 2020

A very challenging class with test questions that make you look at every perspective uniquely. 5 stars.

by CCOct 1, 2020

Enjoyed speakers, prefer a more interactive approach. Fundamentals and strategy thought provoking principles identified and allow for innovative ideas. Enjoyed the course, thank you.

by JGJan 7, 2018

very interesting. I learned a lot about diseases. Very informative course.

by ADApr 24, 2020

I am very glad to express that this course was very informative and interesting. I learnt many things about various disease and screening.

View all reviews

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Disease Screening in Public Health