AY
An excellent course that covers the broad yet important topics surrounding global health. It truly highlights the necessities and simplifies some complex topics. I thoroughly enjoyed this course.

Essentials of Global Health is a comprehensive introduction to global health. It is meant to introduce you to this topic in well-structured, clear and easy to understand ways. Much of the course will focus on five questions: What do people get sick, disabled and die from; Why do they suffer from these conditions? Which people are most affected? Why should we care about such concerns? What can be done to address key health issues, hopefully at least cost, as fast as possible, and in sustainable ways? The course will be global in coverage but with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, and health disparities. Particular attention will be paid throughout the course to health systems issues, the linkages between health and development, and health matters related to global interdependence. The course will cover key concepts and frameworks but be practical in orientation. ESSENTIALS OF GLOBAL HEALTH WAS PRODUCED IN PART DUE TO THE GENEROUS FUNDING OF THE DAVID F. SWENSEN FUND FOR INNOVATION IN TEACHING. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Course Learning Objectives By the end of the course, learners should be able to: • Articulate key public health concepts related to global health; • Analyze the key issues in global health from a number of perspectives; • Discuss with confidence the burden of disease in various regions of the world; how it varies by sex, age, and location; key risk factors for this burden; and how the disease burden can be addressed in cost-effective ways; • Assess key health disparities, especially as they relate to the health of low-income and marginalized people in low- and middle-income countries; • Outline the key actors and organizations in global health and the manner in which they cooperate to address critical global health concerns; • Review key global health challenges that are likely to arise in the coming decades. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Value Added of the Course The course seeks to add special value by being comprehensive, by handling each topic in a consistent framework, and by helping learners gain an understanding of well grounded approaches to assessing global health issues and what can be done to address them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Readings and other materials for Essentials of Global Health For almost every session of Essentials of Global Health, you will see: - Required readings - Recommended readings - Recommended videos We have selected a small number of readings for each session that are central to understanding the content of the session. We have put these under “required readings”. For each required reading, we have also indicated how carefully you should read the material and on what parts of the material you should focus your attention. In addition, we have selected some additional readings that would be very helpful to your understanding the content of each session. The first is a textbook, Global Health 101, third edition. This is a comprehensive introductory textbook that closely follows the content of this Essentials of Global Health course. We have indicated for each session what part of the book you should read. Using this textbook can be very valuable to your mastering the content of the course. The second set of “recommended readings” is some additional readings, mostly from journal articles and reports. For these, too, we have indicated how carefully you should read the material and on what parts of the material you should focus your attention. Learners should note that to access articles from The Lancet they will have to register with the Lancet, if they do not have online access to a library that has The Lancet. Once they are registered, they will be able to sign into The Lancet and access all of its free articles. We have also indicated for most sessions one or two videos that relate to the topic of the session. These are meant to help the learner get a better feel for the topic which is being covered. Most learners will find the videos brief, easy and enjoyable to watch, and very enlightening.

AY
An excellent course that covers the broad yet important topics surrounding global health. It truly highlights the necessities and simplifies some complex topics. I thoroughly enjoyed this course.
JQ
GREAT REVIEW OF SOME INTERESTING AND VITAL ASPECTS OF GLOBAL HEALTH. THANKS, SO MUCH TO THE FOLKS WHO WORKED HARD IN PUTTING ON THIS COURSE AND ALLOWING ME TO TAKE IT GRATIS. DR QUINCY
NS
Highly recommended course for all of those who are seeking a career in global health and/or interested in making the world a better and more equitable place for ALL people!
MK
A very thoughtful and insightful course that help me to understand the global health, its key concept, challenges and cost effective strategies to address the issue in the global health perspectives.
AT
Thank you for this opportunity. It was very time consuming with work, travel and being ill during this 6 weeks - but I am better for having completed it and thank you!
MM
It was one of the best courses I have done on coursera.Also the instructor explains detailed subject matter very well which makes it easier to understand the subject.Certainly a 10\10 for the course !
CC
I really I appreciate that I've learned in one of the most prestigious university around the globe and its for free. Its so nice to learning during this pandemic times.Thank you Yale!
OC
i really had a good time during the duration of this course and i learnt more than i even hoped to learn. Thanks to whoever started this program, it was really helpful and full of information.
NC
Firstly, Thank you so much for very informative topics. Every week includes discussion forum which makes us to learn and share our experiences among the peer groups. Great course!!!
NR
Great Course!Very informative and engaging lectures. The reading material was also relevant and in depth . Would recommend anyone wanting to understand global health to take this course.
TL
Great introductory course from Yale, with a comprehensive curriculum, reliable referenced resources, and well-spaced graded quizzes. The recorded sessions were more engaging than I anticipated!
LM
The course is great for first insights into global health. It's very comprehensive, with good examples and I especially liked the students "participation" in the teaching method.
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This is the BEST course I've ever taken on Coursera! It's very complete, covers a very wide range of topics, has tons of mandatory and additional references for reading, the Prof. is very good at teaching, the visual production and materials are impeccable and the fact that it almost makes you feel like if you were sitting there in the very same classroom is an aspect that other courses should try to implement. It would be awesome if peer reviewed essays were required for this course.
If you want to learn about global and public health, this is the best way to introduce yourself to those topics.
Magnificent course! I enjoyed every lectures by Professor Skolnik because the course was designed to be very rich in detail and scientific research from WHO, but with warm atmosphere and very simple/forgiving Quizzes for knowledge check through-and-through. Taking this course during the pandemic lockdown really helps with understanding of the disease and its implications and effects to our world and health. Even for someone like me who is not in scientific workfield.
One thing to be fixed would be that some Reading material link either does not work or, in Professor's Skolnik's text cases, does not exist on that website anymore.
It is a comprehensive course, covering a broad range of topics and you can get a glimpse of nearly every subjects concerned with Global Health. Yet, the classes are very monotonous, not dynamic at all. The information is transmitted in the the same way every single class and after 3 or 4 classes into the course it starts getting boring and repetitive. Besides, in my opinion, many of the recommended articles are not relevant. The time dedicated to each reading is always way over underestimated as it will take you much more time than planned to go through everything if you wish to go that deep. The recommended book is very good though.
It was one of the best courses I have done on coursera.Also the instructor explains detailed subject matter very well which makes it easier to understand the subject.Certainly a 10\10 for the course !
This course was very informative and easy to follow & understand. I have no background in global or public health but taking this course really helped me understand the topic better and grow m interest in the field. I definitely recommend this course to anyone who has an interest in global health.
A significant topic for everyone, because health issues affect everyone. I was updated on the burden of disease issues, introduced me to new concepts, and learned more about efficient health systems, key ideas in public health/global health from different perspectives, and the health challenges that need to be addressed by governments and the global community.
It's a relatively lengthy course, but it's worth it and I feel fulfilled to have completed it. This is a very good course, with a very knowledgeable instructor and author Prof. Skolnik. This is for those who want to be active in the healthcare scene--community, national, or global, as well as for those who just want to gain more insights and awareness on healthcare issues and how we could better protect ourselves from diseases and disabilities, among others.
I would like to explore more about public health/global health after taking this course. I've always been interested in such topics.
Thank you, Yale University, Coursera, and Class Central, for this learning opportunity!
The course is exceptionally wonderful for those who are not familiar with health background. It really helps to me to equip better knowledge of health issues in the world. I strongly recommend it.
I would have liked if some of the discussion prompts were mandatory. I answered a few but ultimately felt discouraged to answer most due to the lack of responses by peers. I would have enjoyed reading others' comments. However, I believe many, including myself, may not have answered discussion prompts because they all could have been answered using the videos. I think more students would respond if the prompts required critical thinking and analysis (e.g. using the vizhub visual to provide answers, which could be done for required quantitative questions too).
Note: I did not make it past week 1. In my opinion, the focuss is mainly on the USA and therefore to me does not address global health to the extent I would love to see it. This course is relevant if you are from the USA, but I deem it to be not very interesting for people outside the USA. Also, I was not a big fan of the reheased class interactions. A positive point is the teacher who clearly has knowledge about the topic.
Too basic I think. A bit old, need a second version.
This course on global health is both enlightening and engaging, providing a comprehensive overview of crucial health issues affecting the poorest regions of the world. The content is well-structured, making complex topics like the development of drugs, diagnostics, and vaccines accessible and interesting. The real-world examples and discussions about technological advancements add depth and relevance, highlighting the urgent need for innovation in global health. Overall, it's an informative course that sparks genuine interest and calls to action for anyone concerned with improving health outcomes globally.
Richard was thorough and very practical. His course content cut across a lot of disease states and also included teachings from professionals from very important and essential health bodies/ agencies; people who had been/ still are on the field in different parts of the world.
I'll encourage those who can to take time in going through the course and actively participate in the discussions as well.
Thank you Richard!
By far, one of the best course I have taken. I like how Professor Skolnik discussed each lesson throughout the whole course with vignettes in relation to the topic. Only the problems are some of the links to the readings are dead. But overall, still a great course to take. I learned a lot!
A really comprehensive overview of the different areas of health - not just limited to the physical (diseases), but including accidents and injuries, mental health, nutrition, etc.
Really enjoyable course, good content, well-paced and excellent range of assessment materials.
Me parece un curso excelente, abarca muy bien el sistema de salud, sin embargo, me gustaría que abarcaran el tema de protección al planeta y cómo afecta económicamente, socialmente, y obviamente en la salud. Gracias, quedo muy satisfecha, y muy enriquecedor.
A very thoughtful and insightful course that help me to understand the global health, its key concept, challenges and cost effective strategies to address the issue in the global health perspectives.
An excellent course that covers the broad yet important topics surrounding global health. It truly highlights the necessities and simplifies some complex topics. I thoroughly enjoyed this course.
Very engaging course. I have gained in-depth knowledge on addressing issues that affect health globally. I recommend this course anytime, anywhere.
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It was a good course, but the references were a bit old (2013 - 2015) and are in dire need of some updating. In the section on tobacco and alcohol, I was missing a clarification on exactly what causes smoking-related disease. Often not even physicians know that it is the combustion process that generates the vast majority of harmful and potentially harmful constituents in cigarette smoke. I was also missing at least one paragraph on the potential of smoke-free products for public health, for those people who chose not to quit. Cessation and avoiding initiation is of course important, and need to be stressed, but a harm reduction approach based on availability of and accurate information about smoke-free products is the unrightfully ignored "third pillar" of the WHO's tobacco control strategy. Finally, I found the section on "anti-vax" unnecessarily ideological. Many public health experts, such as Jay Batthacharya (Stanford University), Martin Kulldorf (fired from Harvard for criticizing covid-19 policies), and Sunetra Gupta (Oxford) were ignored and censored. Needless to say, this is not science. It's more akin to propaganda.
This is the first time I've ever preferred to read the attached material rather than listen the the lectures. The quizzes are common knowledge and you don't have to listen to the lectures to answer them, 9/10 I got 80-100% on my first trial. What was of interest to me in this course was the articles, I firmly believe that the more abreast you are in research and improvements or lack there of in what ever field the better and more well rounded you would be. I always ask for more reading material and I never get it, this time, I had more than I anticipated but now after doing the quizzes out of self-interest and self-improvement I'm going back to finish reading all the articles in this MOOC.