Master of Science in Global Health Delivery

Course Catalog

Principles of Global Health Equity provides an interdisciplinary introduction to global health equity. It frames global health using a biosocial perspective, in order to better understand and critique efforts to deliver equitable health care throughout the world. The course draws from social theories, One Health, as well as various disciplines, including history, anthropology and epidemiology, to analyze and to explain global health challenges and attempts to address them.

Evidence-based Global Health Delivery: Program Monitoring, Evaluation and Research Methods introduces students to fundamental research designs and monitoring and evaluation tools, conveying basic concepts of epidemiology and biostatistics and exploring the strengths and limitations of quantitative, qualitative and mixed methods research designs to answer various research questions. Students learn to use data to design and evaluate the impact of health care delivery interventions and also to be critical consumers of scientific research and policy.

Leadership and Management is designed to mentor students to effectively manage change, people, and one’s self, as well as how to carry out effective and efficient project and team management. Students design personal leadership action plans and implement solutions that address challenges faced by health service delivery organizations. Students learn how to use leadership to promote organizational development, provide constructive feedback, work effectively across cultures, and develop their networking and influencing skills. These competencies are engaged through active and reflective learning that can be applied in the workplace and in their personal and professional development.

Managing Global Health Care Delivery provides a review of key strategy and management practices in global health programs and explores the essential components of high value programs. It is designed to train managers how to apply, to test, and to refine current frameworks in health care delivery. Students are challenged to apply the value-based delivery framework to programs in which they work. This course is designed to provide an overview of managerial functions to equip health services managers with the knowledge and skills to understand, to organize, and to manage complex organizations. Students will study the theory and practice of health care delivery, their roles within the health system, and how organizations function. They will then learn the managerial procedures and processes necessary to effectively achieve positive health outcomes. Through active learning methodologies, students will understand and apply the material in a practical manner.

Health Policy and Political Economy is designed to introduce students to conceptual frameworks of policy analysis and walk them through relevant examples of public health policy analysis. Ultimately, the course should develop students’ background knowledge and equip them with the conceptual tools they need to analyze the influence of political and economic forces on social determinants of health.

Practicum gives students hands on experience in research design, implementation, management, analysis, and results dissemination, further preparing them for their futures as global health leaders and change makers. The practicum is designed to teach students how to understand and then address problems scientifically, strategically, and collaboratively with stakeholders from the partnering organization using evidence-based methods that they have learned throughout their tenure at UGHE. Students will work in small group, propose and design a project that will address a challenge the organization is facing. They will travel to the location of their host organization (this may be outside of Rwanda) and work onsite closely with the stakeholders within and served by the organization for 12 weeks to complete the field-based component of the project. During and after their placements, students will produce tangible academic deliverables and develop products for wider dissemination, such as recommendations for system improvement, training programs, future research, program evaluation, and policy memos. Through this process, students will utilize principles of evidence-based management to translate research into practice and to improve health care delivery and systems. They demonstrate leadership in promoting organizational development, training and mentoring partner organizations in global health delivery practices, addressing complex operational challenges effectively and efficiently, and engaging in practices that foster lifelong learning and personal and professional development.