Introduction to Public Health and Humanitarian

Emergencies
National University of the Union of Myanmar
Fall 2022

Instructor: Dr. Sigge (Pseudonym), MBBS, MPH Course Information:

Contact: sigge.nuum@gmail.com Saturday and Sunday: 8:00-9:30 PM MMT
Classroom link: Meeting ID – 331 333 9974 Code -
846337

Course Description: This 3-credit hour “Introduction to Public Health and Humanitarian Emergencies”
course covers the basic knowledge and understanding of Public Health and Humanitarian Emergencies.
Due to the cross-cutting nature of these two disciplines, this course focuses on sub-disciplines soundly
relevant to both areas of expertise with interest to providing best public health practices in
humanitarian response to the course participants.

The course suits to those of you who require such understanding of public health practices during
humanitarian emergencies in your professional lives, and/or to apply in your studies. It encourages you
at the center by having you all in a series of robust discussions and exercises. Besides your enthusiasm,
curiosity, and a basic understanding on English, no prior knowledge or experience is required to take it
since the course is for everyone.

What can you expect: After completion of this course, the student should be able to –
- Understand the basic principles of public health and humanitarian emergencies.
- Identify the key health challenges of the population posed by humanitarian crises.
- Formulate/ prepare the interventions in respond to the need of the population with great impact.
- Gain exposure to knowledge and tools for further interventions of public health programs in
humanitarian emergencies and for further engagement into one of them.
- Critically appraise or analyze public health programs implementing during humanitarian crises.

Course Structure
Week 1-4 Public Health and Humanitarian Disasters
Humanitarian Principles, Human rights and law
Humanitarian Action
Healthcare in humanitarian emergencies
Week 4-10 Sub-disciplines: Maternal, neonatal and Child Health,
Nutrition, Sexual and Reproductive health, Mental health,
Water and Sanitation, Communicable and non-communicable
diseases, Shelter, livelihoods and food security, cross-cutting
issues, Epidemiology and Surveillance, and Outbreak
Management.
Week 11-14 Challenges, Opportunities and Design for actions
Week 15 Exam, and Individual Assignment.
Teaching format: Teaching will be based on lectures, and seminars/ workshops. Participation in the
seminars/ workshops is mandatory. In case of absence, the student will be given compensatory
assignments.
The intermediary language (medium of instruction) for this course is English.

Assessment: Three components are considered in accessing the student’s performance in this course.
- Participation in seminars/ workshops and class attendance: Student must undertake
compensatory assignments in case of absence in seminars to receive a ‘pass’ score. Failure in
completion of compensatory assignment will attribute to ‘fail’ score.
- Quiz and Take-home exam: It will be graded based on the grading score, which will be provided
together with the exam question.
- Individual assignment: Grades will be based on the marking scales, which will be provided when
assignments are rolled out.

Individual point disaggregation for each component is as follow –

Attendance – 50 points (Points will be deducted proportionally.)
Quiz – 200 Points (50 points for each quiz)
Seminars – 150 Points (50 points for each seminar)
Paper/ Final Individual Assignment – 100 Points
Final Exam – 100 Points

Course Grades will be assigned as follows:

97 -100 A+
90 – 96 A
87 – 89 B+
80 – 86 B
70 – 79 C
60 - 69 D (Pass score – 60% from each component.)
Below 60 F

Course Policies
Special pedagogical support – For students who have practical requirements for pedagogical support,
s/he should inform the contact person with thorough explanation with evidence. In the event of
assessment, s/he should inform the contact person minimum of one week in advance for possible
pedagogical support, or any alternatives.

Referencing – Vancouver or Harvard referencing style is encouraged to use as a citation format

throughout the course.

Plagiarism – NUUM does not tolerate any plagiarism, cheating or self-plagiarism. They are prohibited by
any means in all parts of the course. Suspicion of such cases is reported to the disciplinary board.
Course Materials: Valid from (August-December 2022). Note that the course literatures can be
changed before and during the course. Further reading materials (articles) will be provided during the
course. The followings will be used as main course references.

- Global Health 101 Fourth Edition – Chapter (16)

- Oxford Handbook of Humanitarian Medicine
- The Sphere Handbook - https://spherestandards.org/wp-content/uploads/Sphere-Handbook-2018-
EN.pdf

Schedule
Date Time** Activities & Topics Readings
WEEK 1
24/09/2022 20:00- Introduction
Saturday 21:30 Lecture: Public Health and Humanitarian
MMT Disasters

25/09/2022 20:00- Lecture: Humanitarian Principles, Protection,

Sunday 21:30 Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
MMT
WEEK 2
01/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Humanitarian Actors and Coordination
Saturday 21:30
MMT
02/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Healthcare services in Humanitarian
Sunday 21:30 emergencies
MMT
WEEK 3
08/10/2022 19:00- Thadingyut Holiday
Saturday 20:30
MMT
09/10/2022 19:00- Thadingyut Holiday
Sunday 20:30
MMT
WEEK 4
15/10/2022 19:30- Seminars: Case study and group presentation
Saturday 21:30 Quizzes
MMT
16/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Maternal, Neonatal and Child Health*
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 5
22/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Nutrition*
Saturday 21:30 Lecture: Infant Feeding*
MMT
23/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Sexual and Reproductive health*
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 6
29/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Mental Health and Psychosocial
Saturday 21:30 support*
MMT
30/10/2022 20:00- Lecture: Cross-cutting issues*
Sunday 21:30 Lecture: WASH*
MMT
WEEK 7
05/11/2022 20:00- Lecture: Non-communicable diseases*
Saturday 21:30
MMT
06/11/2022 20:00- Lecture: Communicable diseases*
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 8
12/11/2022 20:00- Quizzes
Saturday 21:30 Lecture: Epidemiology and Surveillance*
MMT
13/11/2022 20:00- Lecture: Epidemiology and Surveillance*
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 9
19/11/2022 20:00- Quizzes
Saturday 21:30 Lecture: Diseases and Outbreak Management*
MMT
20/11/2022 20:00- Lecture: Shelter*
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 10
26/11/2022 20:00- Lecture: Livelihoods and Food security*
Saturday 21:30
MMT
27/11/2022 19:30- Seminars: Group Presentations
Sunday 21:30
MMT
WEEK 11
3/12/2022 20:00- Quizzes
Saturday 21:30 Lecture: International Health Regulations and
MMT the Global Health Security Agenda
4/12/2022 20:00- Lecture/workshop: Humanitarian and
Sunday 21:30 development nexus
MMT
WEEK 12
10/12/2022 20:00- Lecture: Risks, Challenges and Opportunities
Saturday 21:30 for current and future humanitarian
 MMT emergencies
11/12/2022 20:00- Lecture/Workshop: Risks, Challenges and
Sunday 21:30 Opportunities for current and future
MMT humanitarian emergencies
WEEK 13
17/12/2022 20:00- Lecture: Designing Humanitarian project
Saturday 21:30
MMT
18/12/2022 20:00- Lecture/workshop: Designing Humanitarian
Sunday 21:30 project
MMT Recap
WEEK 14
20/12/2022 19:30- Seminars: Group work presentations
Tuesday 20:30
MMT
WEEK 15
28/12/2022 23:59 Paper Submission
Wednesday MMT
30/12/2022 23:59 Take Home Exam
Friday MMT
*Subdisciplines related to Humanitarian Emergencies. **Subject to change according to students,
instructors or NUUM’s requirements following informed decision.