Our Courses

Epidemics II

Explore the science, prevention and control of epidemics in this free online course. In addition to lectures by leading scientists in this field from HKU, this course will feature a supplementary module on COVID-19 and panel discussions with world leading experts in epidemics.

This is the second (spread of infectious diseases) of the four courses, covers these topics:

• Basic Concepts in Infectious Disease Epidemiology
• Epidemiologic Triangle: The Pathogen, The Host and The Environment
• Evidence Synthesis
• Infectious Disease Modelling

• Course by
• Self Paced
• English

PredictionX: John Snow and the Cholera Epidemic of 1854

An in-depth look at the 1854 London cholera epidemic in Soho and its importance for the field of epidemiology.

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• Self Paced
• English

Foundations of Public Health Practice

This specialisation will enable you to reflect on and cultivate the behaviours you require to become an effective public health professional –whether as an academic, practitioner, clinician, manager or leader.The specialisation is shaped into four courses covering the origins of public health, health improvement, behaviour change, and health protection.

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• Self Paced
• English

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease – The Essentials

Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) is a global problem, affecting up to 25% of all individuals. The disease not only increases the risk of liver disease, but also of cardiovascular disease and liver cancer. During this course, you will learn the essentials of NAFLD. We will begin with an introduction to the physiology of the human liver followed by epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical medicine, and genetics. Diagnosing NAFLD based on blood tests, diagnostic imaging and histology will be discussed.

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• Self Paced
• English

Epidemiology for Public Health

Thousands of new epidemiological studies are conducted every year and their results can have a profound impact on how we live our lives. Decisions regarding the food you eat, how much you exercise, where you live and what treatment you will follow if you get sick are made based on data from such studies.

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• Self Paced
• English

Systems Science and Obesity

Systems science has been instrumental in breaking new scientific ground in diverse fields such as meteorology, engineering and decision analysis. However, it is just beginning to impact public health. This seminar is designed to introduce students to basic tools of theory building and data analysis in systems science and to apply those tools to better understand the obesity epidemic in human populations. There will also be a lab in which students will use a simple demonstration model of food acquisition behavior using agent-based modeling on standard (free) software (netlogo).

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• Self Paced
• English

In the footsteps of Zika… approaching the unknown

Welcome ! Welcome to this on-demand MOOC “In the footsteps of Zika… approaching the unknown”.

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• Self Paced
• English

Air Pollution – a Global Threat to our Health

We all have to breathe to live. But the air we breathe is polluted both outdoors and indoors. Each year, this pollution costs 7 million lives across the globe – and a lot of suffering. 1 in 8 deaths is due to air pollution. This course will provide you with an introduction to the most recent research in the field of health effects of air pollution as well as a broader understanding of sources and spread of air pollution and what we should do about it. What is air pollution? What are the sources? How and where are we exposed outdoors and indoors? What happens in the body?

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• Self Paced
• English

A Public Health Approach to Hearing Loss and Aging

At the Johns Hopkins Cochlear Center for Hearing and Public Health, we are dedicated to training up the next generation of clinicians and researchers to study the impact that hearing loss in older adults has on public health and to develop and implement public health strategies and solutions for hearing loss.

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• Self Paced
• 3 hours
• English

Measuring and Maximizing Impact of COVID-19 Contact Tracing

This course aims to provide managers and developers of contact tracing programs guidance on the most important indicators of performance of a contact tracing program, and a tool that can be used to project the likely impact of improvements in specific indicators. Students who complete the course will be proficient in using the Contact Tracing Evaluation and Strategic Support Application (ConTESSA) to estimate the impact of their contact tracing program on transmission and strategizing about how to increase their program’s impact.

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• Self Paced
• 3 hours
• English

Data and Health Indicators in Public Health Practice

Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science in public health. Epidemiology in public health practice uses study design and analyses to identify causes in an outbreak situation, guides interventions to improve population health, and evaluates programs and policies. In this course, we'll define the role of the professional epidemiologist as it relates to public health services, functions, and competencies.

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• Self Paced
• 6 hours
• English

Surveillance Systems: The Building Blocks

Epidemiology is often described as the cornerstone science and public health and public health surveillance is a cornerstone of epidemiology. This course will help you build your technical awareness and skills for working with a variety of surveillance systems. Along the way, we'll focus on system objectives, data reporting, the core surveillance attributes, and performance assessment. This course is designed for public health practitioners and anyone who wants to learn more about the basics of public health surveillance.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 6 hours
• English

Validity and Bias in Epidemiology

Epidemiological studies can provide valuable insights about the frequency of a disease, its potential causes and the effectiveness of available treatments. Selecting an appropriate study design can take you a long way when trying to answer such a question. However, this is by no means enough. A study can yield biased results for many different reasons. This course offers an introduction to some of these factors and provides guidance on how to deal with bias in epidemiological research.

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• Self Paced
• 7 hours
• English

Epidemiology: The Basic Science of Public Health

Often called “the cornerstone” of public health, epidemiology is the study of the distribution and determinants of diseases, health conditions, or events among populations and the application of that study to control health problems. By applying the concepts learned in this course to current public health problems and issues, students will understand the practice of epidemiology as it relates to real life and makes for a better appreciation of public health programs and policies.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 7 hours
• English

Suicide Prevention

This course will explore the science of suicide research, prevention, and intervention. The field of suicide research is young and knowledge is rapidly changing. Topics will include terminology, epidemiology, historical and contemporary theories of suicide, modern approaches to suicide research, empirically supported approaches to prevention and intervention, the lived experiences of those with suicidal thoughts and attempts.

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• Self Paced
• 7 hours
• English

Study Designs in Epidemiology

Choosing an appropriate study design is a critical decision that can largely determine whether your study will successfully answer your research question. A quick look at the contents page of a biomedical journal or even at the health news section of a news website is enough to tell you that there are many different ways to conduct epidemiological research. In this course, you will learn about the main epidemiological study designs, including cross-sectional and ecological studies, case-control and cohort studies, as well as the more complex nested case-control and case-cohort designs.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 8 hours
• English

Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies

The Center for Humanitarian Emergencies is a partnership between CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch and the Rollins School of Public Health that drives global collaboration, research and evidence based training to improve the lives and well-being of populations impacted by humanitarian emergencies. - Center for Humanitarian Emergencies: http://www.che.emory.edu/ - CDC's Emergency Response and Recovery Branch: http://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/healthprotection/errb/index.html This course covers the technical and management principles that are the basis of planning, implementing, and ev

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• Self Paced
• 8 hours
• English

Childbirth: A Global Perspective

This course will review challenges for maternal and newborn health in the developing world, where a great many women and babies are suffering from complications during pregnancy, childbirth, and the days following birth.

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• Self Paced
• 9 hours
• English

Virology and Epidemiology in the Time of COVID-19

This course covers the science and social impacts of viral infectious diseases. We will begin by covering the basics: what a virus is, the structural and functional diversity of viruses, and how viruses use our bodies and the bodies of other organisms to replicate. Then we will dive into the human response: how our immune systems work to protect us from pathogenic viruses and how we use science and social systems to fend off viruses through vaccines and public health measures.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 9 hours
• English

International Travel Preparation, Safety, & Wellness

Whether you've traveled before or not, living and working overseas can be challenging. Learn how best to prepare and make the most of your time internationally. This course will prepare you to work and live overseas. It explores the epidemiology of common morbidity and mortality among travelers and examines key prevention, safety, and travel medicine principles and services to contextualize risks and maintain wellness.

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• Self Paced
• 10 hours
• English

Measuring Disease in Epidemiology

Epidemiological research is ubiquitous. Even if you don’t realise it, you come across epidemiological studies and the impact of their findings every single day. You have probably heard that obesity is increasing in high income countries or that malaria is killing millions of people in low income countries. It is common knowledge that smoking causes cancer and that physical activity is protective against heart disease. These facts may seem obvious today, but it took decades of epidemiological research to produce the necessary evidence.

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• Self Paced
• 10 hours
• English

Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy

Welcome to "Bats, Ducks, and Pandemics: An Introduction to One Health Policy".
One Health is the concept that human, animal, and environmental/ecosystem health are linked. The concept provides a useful framework for examining complex health issues such as food safety and security, emerging and vector-borne diseases, and antimicrobial resistance. It can be used to analyze government policies to determine if they are effective in improving health and well-being.

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• Self Paced
• 11 hours
• English

Major Depression in the Population: A Public Health Approach

Public Mental Health is the application of the principles of medicine and social science to prevent the occurrence of mental and behavioral disorders and to promote mental health of the population. This course illustrates the principles of public health applied to depressive disorder, including principles of epidemiology, transcultural psychiatry, health services research, and prevention. It is predicted that by 2020 depressive disorder will be the most important cause of disease burden in the entire world!

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 12 hours
• English

Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2

This course, Public Health in Humanitarian Crises 2, addresses public health issues of people affected by disasters, both natural or conflict-related. It discusses the many changes that occur in people’s lives when they are uprooted by a disaster, including many important topics related to humanitarian crises, such as when there is an epidemic a public health emergency; what do we mean with the humanitarian development nexus; what are the basics of disaster epidemiology and surveillance; humanitarian principles; and other very relevant topics.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 12 hours
• English

Clinical Epidemiology

Evidence forms the basis of modern medicine. Clinical research provides us with this evidence, guiding health professionals towards solutions to problems that they face in daily practice. Transferring existing problems in medical practice to a research setting is a challenging process that requires careful consideration.

• Course by
• Self Paced
• 13 hours
• English