Global Health (m.sc.) in Trinity College Dublin, Ireland

Global Health (m.sc.) in Trinity College Dublin

Global Health is an attempt to address health problems and issues that transcend national boundaries, and are informed by the circumstances and experiences of countries in differing contexts. The underlying assumption is that the world's health problems are shared and are best tackled by cooperative action and the sharing of innovative solutions.

The M.Sc. Global Health aims to prepare graduates to contribute on a broader scale to the design, implementation, and management of health programmes, health systems development and health policy. The course augments traditional approaches to public and international health by bringing together perspectives and insights from a range of health and social sciences in understanding and resolving the challenges of global health. These problems may arise, for example, in relief and development programmes in developing countries; in conflict and post-conflict situations; with refugees, asylum seekers and economic migrants; with tourists and business travellers. All countries give rise to inequities in health, wealth, education and human rights, and the interconnectedness of these issues will be a major theme running throughout the course.

The course also lays emphasis on 'local' experiences that resonate globally in the case of Ireland. These include the influence of poverty and rapid social change on health and identity in Ireland; migration and refugee welfare, the consequences of ethnic conflict, the peace process and the challenges of reconciliation for creating inclusive health services. The strongest emphasis within the course is on health in developing countries and the impact of globalisation. We develop a strong emphasis on the influence of socio-cultural, economic and health policy issues.

The programme aims to provide graduates with a greater appreciation of the global interconnectedness of health problems and the range and depth of research methodology that can be used to work through these challenges. The M.Sc. Global Health course is particularly designed for practitioners, policy makers, health system planners, programme managers, analysts and health researchers, who wish to understand the broader and interconnecting causes of many health problems from a global perspective as well as those who aspire to build a career in the global health arena.