I chose the following courses because I believe they will make me a stronger and more effective health justice advocate. My history courses have provided essential knowledge as to how our health care system came to be; by understanding this context, I am better equipped to make meaningful change in health policy. My courses focusing on the field of global health have instilled in me the tenets of good global health work: collaboration, community engagement, and interdisciplinary efforts. Other courses, such as Statistics and Bioethics, have provided me important tools as I go forward in my professional career. Taken together, these courses have prepared me to apply the principles of global health to health care issues here at home.
Katherine Rohde
University of Pittsburgh
Global Health Coursework
Coursework Descriptions
As one would expect from the course title, this was a fantastic introduction to the field of global health. It provided a thorough overview of the field, ranging from women’s health and child nutrition all the way to emergency and disaster relief. My major takeaway from the class was just how impactful the social determinants of health can be. Good health is the product of so much more than just access to medical care, and one’s circumstances and surroundings play a much larger role in our health than many health professionals may expect. In fact, of the global health interventions we covered in this class, the most successful were the ones geared towards the social determinants of health, such as nutritional needs or housing improvements, as determined by community collaborators.
One other key lesson from this class was that global health applies domestically as well. As my professor would often say, America is part of the globe. As such, the tenets and goals of global health absolutely apply here as well, and there is certainly much work to be done. Our final project involved a comparative analysis of different countries’ health care systems, and it was an excellent way to learn about how the United States’ system compares globally. Our public health infrastructure is severely lacking in comparison to many other countries, and these discrepancies provide a helpful guide as to how and where we can reform our health policies.
This class was by far the most technical of my global health coursework, dealing with complex mathematical formulas and modeling systems. Statistics provide an essential tool for every global health professional; they help us to understand problems, identify priorities, and measure results. This course has been incredibly beneficial in making sense of the health and science literature I have read during my global health studies.
This course provided an in-depth view into the history of global health. I learned about the inequalities of tropical medicine, the lofty goals of international medicine, and the triumphs and challenges of modern global health. It was fascinating to experience the evolution of the field, as it’s grown to become more community-minded and sustainability-focused. Unfortunately, global health has a history that is undeniably tied to imperialism and racist ideology. More than anything, this course has illustrated the importance of including community partners in global health interventions.
Given the scope of the course, we naturally also focused on global outbreaks of disease, such as the Spanish Flu and the polio epidemic. I learned a great deal about how governments can respond to an outbreak, both successfully and unsuccessfully. This information has turned out to be soberly relevant, as our country attempts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This course introduced me to the concept of health justice, and played a large role in my decision to attend law school next year. We explored issues of health inequity and how the fields of medicine, public health, and the law can address those issues. Primarily, we learned that each of those fields cannot work alone; successful interventions require the collaboration between professionals from all backgrounds. There is power in the law, but the knowledge of public health and the practice of medicine are also essential to achieving health equity. I am currently planning to enroll in a dual JD/MPH program, so that I can better work at the intersection of law and public health.
My final project focused on how the high cost of health care contributes to health disparities. I explored the current insurance coverage level in the United States and the frustrating financial barriers to health care. I also compared different public health care proposals, such as Medicare For All and Medicaid Expansion, and how those programs might improve the health and well-being of Americans. I left the class with a deeper understanding of the injustice rooted in our health care system, and a firmer conviction to reform it.
This course provided an interesting overview as to how the field of medicine has come to be. We learned how anatomical and physiological knowledge grew over time, and how the practices of medicine grew along with it. We also learned a great deal about the birth of the environmental health movement, and the importance of pollution regulation as it pertains to public health. Overall, the course illuminated how and why the field of medicine operates as it does today, and it left me with a deeper understanding of our modern health care system.
This course focuses on the doctrine of ethical decision making. We debate the ethics of decisions made in particular case studies, and how those decisions impacted the health and well-being of the public. We have explored the history of research ethics, including the Tuskegee Syphilis Study and the case of Henrietta Lacks. More than anything, this class has prepared me with the knowledge and tools I need in order to make ethical decisions in my future professional career.
Other Relevant Courses
This course has provided a fascinating look into how humans have used, distributed, and regulated drugs throughout history and across the globe. We explored the distinction (or lack thereof) between medicinal and recreational use, as well as between ancient and modern medical knowledge. Pharmaceutical drugs play a major role in global health, and this course has provided me some much needed context into how humans have shaped drugs, as well as how drugs have shaped society.