The importance of translational science for global health goals
The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include a global commitment to health. Much of the effort towards achieving improved health has been focused on universal health coverage, in particular in low and middle-income countries (LMICs). However, the valuable progress made towards this goal does not necessarily improve health. Recent research suggests that more than half of excess deaths amendable to health care in LMICs are due to poor quality care, rather than to not accessing care at all.
This makes translational science central for achieving global health goals. Yet many health innovations are intended primarily for health systems of high-income countries. Even those innovations that are targeted at lower and middle-income countries often do not scale well beyond local projects, or are hindered by the lack of foundational elements of a well-functioning health system. Effective translation therefore depends on understanding and addressing the wider context for innovation implementation in specific countries and settings. The context for translation in low and middle-income countries is also particularly shaped by international organisations, including governmental institutions such as the World Bank and non-governmental organisations such as major donor charities.
Guest lecturers will include members of the Lancet Global Health Commission.
The last date for receipt of complete applications is 5pm Friday 5th April 2024. Regrettably, late applications cannot be accepted.
Course Aims
On completion of this module, we expect our students to be able to:
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Give a critical account of translational challenges for health systems in low and middle-income settings
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Build on other modules to set innovations in the social, cultural and systems context of specific countries and identify options for improved translation
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Apply relevant frameworks to identify and analyse key factors for translation of health innovations for global health goals
Research methods and techniques taught in this module:
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Qualitative: ethnographic and interview approaches to capturing the country-specific contexts of health innovations
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Quantitative: metrics and indicators for measuring and comparing performance within and between LMIC health systems
Examples of case studies to be discussed in this module:
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Initiatives to end preventable deaths of newborns and children under five
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Healthy ageing in a global context
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Improving the outcome of diabetic pregnancy