Master in International Health at the University of Copenhagen:
http://www.mih.ku.dk/

Master of Disaster Management at the University of Copenhagen, offered
in collaboration with Lund University: http://www.mdm.ku.dk/
 

From November 14, 2007 to March 19, 2008

A comprehensive archive of public seminars is available online on the website of the International Institute for Society and Health of University College, London. The seminars cover a broad range of topics which Alma Mata members will find interesting and useful.

Topics have included:

Risk, Resilience and Social Integration
Conflict Medicine: A Neglected Challenge
Social Inequalities in Health - New Evidence and Policy Implications

The lowdown on...the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

Probably the most popular course for doctors wanting to practice in the tropics, the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, or DTMH is a good way to prepare for overseas work. Most docs who travel to tropical countries will have this course on their CV and several humanitarian agencies recruit from the graduates.

What does the course entail?
It’s a three month, (six months or one year in some places) full-time postgraduate course for physicians. It aims to equip physicians with the clinical knowledge and skills to diagnose, treat and prevent common tropical diseases. It’s also useful for doctors practising travel medicine or infectious diseases outside the tropics. The course includes a element of epidemiology and public/ community health to give the doctor a grounding in social, economic and political factors influencing health in resource poor countries.

Where can I do it?
In the UK: the two options are at London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. Both courses are heavily subscribed. Options further afield are Bangkok School of Tropical Medicine Faculty of Tropical Medicine, Mahidol University, James Cook University of Northern Queensland, Australia, Witwatersrand, South Africa and the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam. (all links below) The syllabus of these courses vary as do the length of the training.

Who can apply?
You will have a recognised medical degree and some schools ask for a minimum of two year’s postgraduate clinical experience. You may need to demonstrate proficiency in English. The Netherlands Course in Tropical Medicine is also open to nurses and midwives.

How is it taught?
DTMH includes a mixture or seminars, lectures and practical laboratory work covering:
• communicable diseases
• water supply and sanitation,
• nutrition,
• maternal and child health,
• non-communicable disease,
• population and reproductive health
• and health in emergencies.

You’ll be examined by a mixture of MCQ, essay questions and a practical exam. The pass rate is 50% and, in the UK, it is accredited by the Royal College of Physicians.

Then what?
Many doctors will go on to work overseas. Read about Dan Campion’s (Liverpool) experiences in Guatemala and Claire Collett’s work in Nigeria at http://www.almamata.net/ news/international_work in the Worldsearch interview bank. They both went on to study for Diploma in Medical Care of Catastrophes (DMCC). See http://www.apothecaries.org for more details.

Dr David Osrin did the course in Bangkok after MRCP and went on to work as a Research Fellow in Nepal for the Centre for International Child Health, London and is also interviewed on the site. LSHTM offer two add-on courses: a short course in Travel Medicine or a two-week field trip in The Gambia to gain hands-on experience.

Please find attached the latest Alma Mata Newsletter.

Gaz Lewis looks at the how the media impact on recognition of global health problems, how can we manage this important vehicle for health promotion?

Adam Musgrove, who works for Practical Action, raises issues surrounding indoor smoke, a large course of morbidity and mortality in the less developed world.

We round up with an article covering the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene and the latest news form Medact and Medsin.

Many thanks for your continued support.

Advice on post graduate options, links to training and courses in international health, interviews with students and special features and news.

Courses & Links

Alma Mata member's postgrad database as well as links to several websites offering comprehensive lists of post-graduate courses in International Health and giving advice about post-graduate study and funding.

The Swiss Institute of Technology organises an interdiciplinary, multiculturel, innovative and high level training program on sustainable development and its interactions with technologies in the context of developing countries. This program links theoratical and practical knowledge by mixing lectures, field visits, group work and field studies with development organisations. Among others, the main subjects covered will be:

Sudden changes in UK immigration law, already in the news for their impact on overseas doctors, have also forced hundreds of students at UK medical schools to reevaluate their career plans. With immediate effect from April 3rd 2006 all doctors who are not residents of EEA countries have only been able to apply for training posts if their potential employer can prove that there are no EEA doctors available for that post. Importantly, this ruling also affects doctors from overseas who graduated from one of the UK's 31 medical schools and completed the 2 year foundation programme.

Society & Health, Social Justice, Sustainable Human Development, Global Commitment

There are gross inequalities in health between rich and poor countries. Life expectancy in Sierra Leone is just 34 years compared to 82 years in Japan. Even within a rich country like the United States, there is a 20 year life expectancy gap between the richest and poorest groups. The mission of the Institute is to take action on the social determinants of health, to provide solutions to global health problems, and to improve the health and well being of all, especially the poorest. The United Nations Millennium Development Goals focus on relieving poverty, and its health effects, among the world’s poorest by 2015. The social determinants focus of the Institute will complement these goals by focusing on a broad range of populations- poor, intermediate, and better off. It will, in addition, provide much needed evidence that will add impetus to the achievement of these goals.