Collaborative Public Health Field Course: January 2013

In January 2013 the collaborative public health field course will happen in the city of Fortaleza, the capital of Ceará State, which is widely recognized for its innovative efforts to reduce infant and child mortality in the past 15 years. Students participating in the course will have the chance to learn from hands on experience about these efforts, as well as about the Brazilian Health Care System, Health Polices, and Endemic Infectious Diseases in the country.

This collaborative field course is offered by the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), theUniversidade Federal do Ceará (UFC), and the Brazil Studies Program at Harvard University's David Rockefeller Center for Latin American Studies (DRCLAS). A Scientific Organizing Committee is responsible for the planning, review, and assessment of the course, and is comprised of faculty members from HSPH, UFC, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, and Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. Professor Marcia Castro is the HSPH leader for the course.

The overall objectives are to enhance participants’ abilities to:

--> Critically analyze environmental and socioeconomic factors in Brazil that are associated with a high prevalence and geographic distribution of the infectious diseases discussed in this course.

--> Identify population characteristics, such as nutrition status, immunity, co-morbidities, degree of exposure associated with disease epidemiology and the impact of these factors on disease morbidity and mortality.

--> Identify and describe selected infectious diseases that are prevalent in Brazil.

--> Foster lasting academic collaborations and joint research projects between HSPH and Brazilian participants, strengthening personal networks throughout Brazil and internationally.

The five topics to be covered in the course were chosen based on assessments of the major health problems in the city of Fortaleza. The topics are HIV/AIDS, Leishmaniasis, Leprosy, Tuberculosis, and Maternal & Child Health and Nutrition.

Course Dates: January 7th - 25th, 2013

APPLY NOW!

>> Application for Harvard Students
>> Application for Brazilian Students
>> Estimated Budget for Brazilian Students
>> Faculty
>> Course Schedule
>> Participants
>> Field Groups
>> Key Locations Map
>> Lectures
>> Readings
>> Student Pairings
>> Support

For more information, please contact: Marina de Moura (marina_demoura@harvard.edu)

Please see previous course pages as a resource for more information: 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008.