SMEA15076U International Study Exposure – Global Public Health

Iberoamericana University (IBERO) in Mexico City will be hosting the Global Public Health course during the first 2 weeks of field visit abroad. IBERO has been selected as our host as we have established a research collaboration with this important private university in Latin America. Furthermore, several institutional and site visits including Mexico City and surrounding areas will be part of the course programme. The second half of the course will take place in the state of Chihuahua in northern Mexico. Here our host will be the Autonomous University of Chihuahua. The first week will be spent in the city of Chihuahua with activities at the university as well as site visits in and around the city of Chihuahua. The second and last week of the course programme will be spent in the mountains of Chihuahua among others visiting remote communities of indigenous people.

The purpose of the course is to gain an understanding of the context and causes of the national disease burden and to critically assess and discuss public health strategy, interventions and related health care challenges in the context of socio-economic conditions and changes. The focus will be on primary and secondary prevention strategies of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) including life-course exposure and comorbidities. Special focus will be given to health and disease in indigenous people in one of the four weeks.

The visit will strengthen the ability of the course participants to observe, compare and discuss conditions that relate to epidemiology, social medicine and health care systems in a society in fast transition.

Prior to the 4-week field visit in Mexico (beginning early November), course participants will join a 2-week International Summer School in Global Health Challenges with a broad public health focus (August), and a 3-week international pre-departure course (September-October) to some extend overlapping with similar courses of students/health professionals from different countries. The pre-departure course will give an insight into life course risk factors of NCDs including comorbidities, the Danish health system, civil society NGOs, and health policy from municipality to state level in Denmark. The purpose is to ensure a solid public health knowledge before going to Mexico, and to be able to compare the Danish and the Mexican health systems, policies and civil society involvement in the context of the NCD burden in the two countries.