This module will provide a foundation to Masters Programmes in Public Health and Dental Public Health by introducing public health principles and practice. The module contrasts individualised and population approaches to improving health, discusses the relative influences of environmental and lifestyle determinants of disease and introduces an international context to public health. Individual sessions will provide highlights of other modules on the course illustrating how research methods, needs assessment, planning, evaluation, health protection, health promotion knowledge of organisations etc remain as important throughout the world as they were in addressing 19th century poor housing and sanitation in England. The module will consider international aspects of public health as well as the threats and opportunities posed by globalisation.

Main teachers

• Peter Professor G Robinson (United Kingdom)

Workload and ECTS

Class workload	Total workload	ECTS
25	150	7

Workload and ECTS

Class workload	Total workload	ECTS
75	450	21

This unit aims to teach students the basics of research methods, including the planning, data collection, and dissemination stages of research. Students will be expected to achieve an awareness of the key approaches and issues in health-related research methods.

The content will cover:

• Principles of public health and health services research
• Quantitative designs: clinical trials and non-experimental studies
• Qualitative research methods & analysis
• Methods of data collection: interview, questionnaires, postal and telephone surveys, use of secondary data
• Sampling methods
• Review of the literature
• Writing health services research protocols; ethical and research governance issues.
• Planning research projects
• Dissemination & implementation of research findings
  

Main teachers

• Jenny Freeman (United Kingdom )

An adequate level of knowledge and understanding of epidemiological methods is a basic requirement for effective public health practice. This module will cover measures of disease and association, epidemiological concepts and the main epidemiological research designs. Epidemiological concepts include association and causation, confounding and bias and the research designs will include cross-sectional, ecological, cohort, case-control and intervention studies.
This module aims to develop an understanding and basic proficiency in epidemiological methods as applied to public health, in particular in the areas of epidemiological concepts, measures, research designs and interpretation.

Main teachers

• Ravi Maheswaran (United Kingdom )

This module will introduce students to the basic concepts and techniques of medical statistics, such as hypothesis testing and confidence interval estimation. Students will learn some simple statistical methods and the principles behind some of the more advanced techniques such as regression. It will equip students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and critically appraise statistics in research literature.

Main teachers

• Stephen Walters (United Kingdom )

Workload and ECTS

Class workload	Total workload	ECTS
25	150	7

Needs assessment, planning and evaluation are three of the tools used in public health to ensure that health care is provided in an appropriate way to meet real needs to promote health and reduce inequalities. The methods of needs assessment encompass all forms of research methods in defining health needs. More general planning theories and practice need to be tailored for use in health care settings. Evaluation of health interventions takes many forms and various models will be presented. One modality often used in health evaluation is health economics, which will be introduced as part of this module.

Main teachers

• Sarah Barnes (United Kingdom )

Workload and ECTS

Class workload	Total workload	ECTS
50	300	14

The module is divided into two sections. The first section seeks to elaborate on the theoretical background with the aim of developing a critical awareness of the key concepts, debates and methods relating to health promotion. The second section aims to evaluate a range of health promotion strategies in different fields. Teaching will be presented through a series of lectures that will also include group discussion, case studies, and problem-solving exercises.

Overall module aims: To develop a critical understanding of the theory, concepts and practical issues relating to health promotion.

Overall module objectives:

• introduce key principles and methods in health promotion
• explore key debates and discussions within health promotion
• evaluate examples of health promotion practice in a variety of settings 
• introduce the principles and methods of health promotion evaluation
• reflect on own current health promotion practice

Main teachers

• Dr. Janine Owens (United Kingdom )

Health protection is one of the cornerstones of public health. It encompasses the control of communicable diseases, as well as the management of environmental health hazards, chemicals and poisons, and public health response in emergencies. This module will cover the principles of surveillance, outbreak and incident management, immunisation programmes and disaster/emergency response. It will also present a broad range of common infectious disease topics including HIV, tuberculosis, meningitis, diarrhoeal illnesses and influenza.

Main teachers

• Andrew Lee (United Kingdom )

Health is a critical dimension in the Millennium Development Goals, and improving health and the performance of health systems is a major challenge in all developed and developing countries. This module allows students to plan and undertake inquiries into the social, economic and political currents and debates that shape health policies, at global, national, and sub-national levels.

Main teachers

• Sarah Barnes (United Kingdom )
• Graham Jones (United Kingdom )

Students will be expected to achieve a critical awareness of the key aspects of the sociology of health and illness. They will be introduced to the centrality of sociological theory to medical sociology and will be expected to build on these foundations to develop a critical appreciation of the key aspects of the sociology of health and illness. Teaching will be presented through a series of lectures followed by detailed seminars involving a series of applied and practical explorations of key aspects of the sociology of health and illness.

Main teachers

• Barry Gibson (United Kingdom )

This module provides a comprehensive overview of systematic review methods as they relate to both quantitative and qualitative evidence synthesis. It consists of a mandatory series of 11 lecture and practical sessions followed by an opportunity to conduct a practical meta-analysis session. The course provides a foundation for any student planning to conduct a systematic review or evidence synthesis and is a compulsory requirement for any student requiring a dissertation supervisor for their systematic review topic. It is primarily designed for students interested in health services research (HSR) but will cover a wide variety of methodological topics of interest to students in public health topic areas.

Main teachers

• Andrew Booth (United Kingdom )

Students will be expected to achieve a critical awareness of the key aspects of management and organisation theory. Further, they will develop a critical appreciation of the key aspects of how theories of management and organisation apply to the fields of Public Health. Teaching will be presented through a series of seminars utilising a range of teaching and learning strategies, from lectures to practical exercises and critical debates on key aspects of management science.

Main teachers

• Tony Smith (United Kingdom )

Public health informatics is "the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health practice, research, and learning". This rapidly emerging field combines the use of public health information with use of information technology and the management of information systems. Particular emphasis will be placed on the phenomenon of global health issues (e.g. SARS, Avian Flu, AIDS etcetera) and the contribution that information technology can make to combating such global problems.

Main teachers

• Andrew Booth (United Kingdom )

Advanced Economic Evaluation aims to develop critical appraisal skills relating to the methods of economic evaluation routinely used within health care. The module also aims to enable the student to build simple decision trees and Markov models to assess the cost-effectiveness of health technologies.

• Basic methods of economic evaluation
• Problems with quality adjusted life years (QALYs)
• Willingness to pay and discrete choice experiments as methods of valuing benefits
• Economic evaluations alongside controlled trials
• Analysis of stochastic economic data
• Modelling; decision trees; Markov models and discrete event simulation
• Critical appraisal of economic models
• Reimbursement decisions and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)

Main teachers

• Simon Dixon (United Kingdom )

Research needs to influence policy and practice if it is to have practical value. This module is intended to help researchers to ensure that their findings are implemented. It is also aimed at clinicians and managers who want to use scientific evidence to change practice. The module aims to examine the ways in which research evidence can be used to change clinical behaviour, the delivery of health services and health care policy. It will explore the philosophy behind evidence-based healthcare (EBHC), the history and development of EBHC, limitations and criticisms, and the practicalities of implementing research evidence. It will also explore the perspectives of policy-makers, professionals, politicians and the public.

Main teachers

• Steve Goodacre (United Kingdom )

Does gender matter, in the ways in which we think about health and practise health care? And if so, how does it matter, in different countries and welfare contexts? In health research and health policy at national and international levels, gender relations and gender-based inequalities are a consistent focus of interest. The module introduces students to a range of theoretical perspectives on gender and health. Applying principles of inquiry-based learning, students have the opportunity to test and refine their understanding of the relationship between gender identities, gender relations and health practices by carrying out in-depth investigations in two current areas of current health research and practice activity, with tutorial guidance and support.

Main teachers

• Dr. Jenny Owen (United Kingdom )

This module focuses on mental health issues in different cultural, geographical and historical contexts. Content addresses how mental health issues arise in different contexts, different ways of treating and preventing mental health problems, sociological issues in mental health and critiques of conceptions of mental health and its care. Students will be encouraged to discuss these issues as they relate to their own social and cultural contexts with staff tutors and guest lecturers, who will share their research and experience.

Main teachers

• Dr. Michael Szollosy (United Kingdom )
• Chris Blackmore (United Kingdom )

Those working in public health and health services research need to be familiar with secondary data sources that support research, management and practice. This module will consider the main types of secondary data - relating to demography, epidemiology, clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness. Strengths, uses, interpretation and limitations of secondary data sources will be examined, assessing these with regard to completeness, accuracy, relevance and timeliness. Students will explore these issues in connection with a case study for a specific country. Scenario planning, confidentiality and the use of computers are other key topics that are illustrated and explored within the module.

Main teachers

• Andrew Booth (United Kingdom )