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Global health challenges: navigating current world health concerns (IEEL018)

This module will introduce selected case studies which examine challenges in globally significant health issues. Each session will comprise a seminar in which a current challenge in human health is introduced and then evaluated via structured group discussion and debate.

During our discussions we will focus on the latest improvements in our understandings of disease: causation, prevention and treatment. We will then discuss how these improvements in health research have ethical, economic, societal and global consequences. The content will vary from year to year, as it reflects varied areas that are the focus of research in Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool.

Module leader: Dr Alice Maher

Alice is a lecturer in the School of Life Sciences, her research and interests are zoology- and palaeontology-based, with a research focus on contributing to the understanding of animal ecology and evolution.

Aims

  • To develop confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas
  • To develop skills in research and collaborative learning
  • To enable informed evaluation of the consequences of improvements in our understanding of human health and disease in a broad global and societal context.

Content

Typical examples of indicative content, directly based on the most recent research conducted in the area of global health, are included below and may vary according to staff availability.

  • Ageing – mechanisms and consequences
  • Global challenges infectious diseases
  • Increasing food safety and security
  • Tracking emerging and zoonotic infections
  • Improvements in our understanding and treatment of cancers
  • Molecular basis of therapeutic targeting
  • Genomics and human health
  • Development of personalised medicines
  • Antimicrobial resistance - risks and potential solutions
  • How our evolutionary heritage predisposes us to modern health problems.

Structure

The module will be delivered over a three-week period in six two-hour sessions (four hours per week, total 12 hours contact time). The final two sessions will be for assessment. Each session will comprise a seminar in which a current challenge in human health is introduced and then evaluated via structured group discussion and debate. During our discussions we will focus on the latest improvements in our understandings of disease: causation, prevention and treatment. We will then discuss how these improvements in health research have ethical, economic, societal and global consequences. The content will vary from year to year, as it reflects varied areas that are the focus of research in Health and Life Sciences at the University of Liverpool.

In addition, it is expected that students will spend 34-38 study hours outside of the classroom contact hours on activities including assigned reading, optional reading of areas of personal interest, homework tasks, web research and preparation for assessment. Students should be aware that in order to fully benefit from the face-to-face classroom sessions, they will need to have done the preparation work assigned beforehand.

Teaching methods

The teaching approach will include the following:

  • Taught sessions
  • Small group working
  • Group discussions
  • Presentations
  • Site visits and team interactions.

Assessment

Assessment will be by long-form written assignment, combining collaboration and communication in a group context. Students will collaborate in groups of four to produce a 2,500 word PostNote. A PostNote is a summary of a public policy issues based on reviews of the research literature and interviews with stakeholders (e.g. from academia, industry, government and the third sector) – following the format of the reports produced by the Parliamentary Office for Science and Technology (POST).

Standard University policies apply with regard to late submission of assessments.

Learning outcomes

On completion of this module, students will be able to:

  • Display confidence in understanding and communicating complex ideas in written language
  • Research a topic within the subject area, be better able to work collaboratively in this research, and to produce a piece of work based on that research
  • Demonstrate an understanding of a named issue in human health and disease, and be able to apply the scientific knowledge to a broad global and societal context.

Skills

Key skills that will be developed:

  • Collaboration and teamwork, through collaborative group discussions in class and work on PostNote assessment
  • Communication, demonstrated orally in group discussions and tasks in class, and in writing by production of assessed assignment
  • Analytical skills, developed during class discussions and the written assessment.

Books, ebooks and websites

The University Library website provides access to many relevant books, as well as academic journals and databases.