Title:	Global Health responses in emergencies and humanitarian crisis
Keywords:	Humanitarian setting Emergency
Country:	Spain
Institution:	Spain - Barcelona Institute for Global Health - University of Barcelona
Date start:	2025-04-22
Date end:	2025-05-07
About duration and dates:	Duration: 9 days in two weeks Application deadline: April 3rd 2023 Readings (including essential and recommended) will be distributed 4 weeks prior to course commencement.
ECTS credit points:	3 ECTS credits
SIT: Classroom hours: 33 Independent study hours: 39 Evaluation hours: 3 TOTAL: 75 hours
Language:	English
Description: At the end of the course, participants will be able to: 1. Describe what information and data is needed to initially assess a humanitarian crisis in order to plan a response accordingly. 2. Apply notions of epidemiology to detect an alert of an emergency situation. 3. Identify and describe the main health problems present in the different type of humanitarian crises. 4. Apply concepts of design, organization and deployment of medical relief actions to assist affected populations. 5. Describe the international standards that apply to humanitarian responses, specially related to health interventions.
Assessment Procedures: Students will be assessed both group-based and individually based on the annexed rubric. The final grade will be calculated considering the following components: • 25%: Individual class participation • 25%: Final Test exam • 50%: Group work oral presentation 1) 25% Individual participation in class Students are expected to be proactive in the classroom, raising and answering questions, expressing opinions, giving examples and engaging in debates. 2) 25% Individual multiple-choice exam A multiple-choice exam will be done on 3rd May 2023 face to face in the classroom. Students will have up to 60 minutes to complete the exam. The exam will consist of questions related to the essential readings and content acquired from the sessions. 3) 50% Group work (case study) Students will be divided into groups by the coordinator. The group work will consist of answering questions about a case study. Each group will be asked to present the case study on 4th May 2023. Detailed instructions and schedule for group presentations will be provided at the start of the course. Grades will be communicated maximum 15 days after the final day of the course. A minimum grade of 4 is required for each evaluation component. Resit: Students who fail to pass the evaluation will be given the opportunity to pass a second examination on the 12th May 2023 in a format (face-to-face or online) to be announced.
Content: Session 1: Introduction to Humanitarian Aid • Humanitarian action: Purpose and principles • What is an emergency • The Sphere handbook • The UN clusters system Session 2: Project cycle and needs assessment in Humanitarian Aid • Initial assessments in emergencies • Phases of the Project Cycle Management Session 3: Epidemiological indicators and alert •Epidemiological data classified by time-place-person •Key morbidity and mortality indicators to use in emergencies •Tools to detect medical-humanitarian alerts Session 4: Outbreak investigation (measles) • How to detect an alert of a potential outbreak • Essential steps involved in an outbreak investigation • Main indicators used during an outbreak investigation • Rapid assessment for measles outbreak confirmation (case study) Session 5 and 6: Outbreak response part 1 and 2 • Distinctive aspects related to the initial assessment and the operational response for outbreaks of Epidemic Prone Diseases (cholera, malaria, filovirus, meningitis) • Lines of intervention to respond to an outbreak Session 7: WASH response in Humanitarian settings • Assessments and analysis • Standards and indicators • Planning and monitoring of activities • Type of WaSH activities Sesion 8: Logistics in Humanitarian responses • Humanitarian logistics within the project cycle • The humanitarian Supply Chain: Procurement, Warehousing and transport, distribution • Greening Logistics Session 9: Response to Natural Disasters • Challenges and constraints linked to Natural Disaster Interventions • Main lines of the operational strategy in a natural disaster Session 10: Humanitarian response in conflict • Health scenarios in conflict situations • War surgery • Sexual Gender Based violence (SGBV) Session 11: Round table discussion on humanitarian challenges and dilemmas • Debate on humanitarian challenges and dilemmas presented by international humanitarian actors Session 12: Mass casualty Plan • Organisation and coordination in the response to a mass influx of patients • Contingency Plans • Triage system • Psychosocial support for all persons involved in the disaster Session 13, 14 and 15: Case study: Response to a Complex Emergency • Analyse and summarise the results of an initial intervention • Define immediate, short- and medium-term response strategies • Plan the implementation of an emergency program Session 16 and 17: Initial Humanitarian response to displaced populations workshop (simulation out-door activity) • Design a health humanitarian response to a refugee population • Set-up a refugee camp with health assistance
Methods: The course is based on adult learning methods. Participation in class discussions is encouraged by facilitators. Methods include and combine introductory lectures, debates, problem-based learning, case studies, autonomous guided group work and a simulation activity outdoors. The simulation activity (sessions 16 and 17) is organised in collaboration with The Cooperativa Humanitaria. Students are engaged in the design and set-up of a health humanitarian response for refugee population in a simulated refugee camp.
Prerequisites: Basic concepts of humanitarian context and global coordination mechanisms are desirable (core course level). Medical background will help to understand the medical priorities and clinical definitions, but is not a compulsory requirement. tropEd candidates must accredit an English language level TOEFL test 550 or 213 computer-based or 79/80 internet-based or IELTS band 6.0 or equivalent.
Attendance: A minimum of 10 students is required for the course to take place. Maximum 45 students. No limitation for number of tropEd students, but in house students have priority.
Selection: For tropEd students: First come, first served
Fees: Academic year 2022-23 fee: 525€ + University taxes (90€ approx.)
Scholarships: Not available.
Major changes since initial accreditation: Any changes in course coordinator, objectives, content, learning methods, assessment procedures need to be described with a short explanation about the reason for this change.
Student evaluation: Provide a summary of the student evaluations (positive and negative aspects) and any other major feedback received.
tropEd accreditation: Accredited in Hamburg is September 2022. The accreditation is valid until September 2027.
Remarks: This is a new course that replaces the previous course on Responses to Humanitarian Crises from the Global Health Perspective, jointly organized by ISGlobal-UB-MSF that was a tropEd accredited course for many years. That course has been our most successful and demanded advanced course by tropEd students. However, MSF has decided to stop the coordination of this course and given that one of the main students’ feedback items on this course was that it was a really good course but limited to MSF perspective in Humanitarian Aid, we decided to redesign it. In this redesign process, we decided to work together with The Cooperativa Humanitaria, with whom we are already collaborating in other courses since long time ago. They are a non-profit cooperative society composed by professional humanitarian workers with an extended experience in Humanitarian Aid especially in emergency response situations and humanitarian crises affecting populations and victims of conflict and wars, natural disasters, outbreaks or nutritional crises. READINGS: Essential readings: • Module Managing Humanitarian Emergencies. Pre-reading notes (will be available in the virtual campus Recommended ReadingsThe Cooperativa Humanitaria.: • The Sphere handbook, 2018 edition. https://spherestandards.org/wp- content/uploads/Sphere-Handbook-2018-EN.pdf • MSF Clinical Guidelines https://medicalguidelines.msf.org/en • Health Cluster Guide WHO 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/334129 • UNCHR Global trends 2021 https://www.unhcr.org/flagship-reports/gl • Global-overview IDP IDMC 2021. https://www.internal- displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf • Global humanitarian assistance (GHA) Report_2021 https://devinit.org/resources/global-humanitarian-assistance-report-2021/ • Devictor, X. (2019) How long do refugees stay in exile? To find out, beware of averages. https://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/2019-update- how-long-do-refugees-stay-exile-find-out-beware-averages • Health Cluster Guide WHO 2020. https://apps.who.int/iris/handle/10665/334129 • UNHCR Global trends 2021 https://www.unhcr.org/flagship-reports/gl • Global-overview IDP IDMC 2021. https://www.internal- displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf • Global humanitarian assistance (GHA) Report_2021 https://devinit.org/resources/global-humanitarian-assistance-report-2021/ • Devictor, X. (2019) How long do refugees stay in exile? To find out, beware of averages. Available at: https://blogs.worldbank.org/dev4peace/2019-update- how-long-do-refugees-stay-exile-find-out-beware-averages
Date Of Record Creation:	2022-10-03 04:23:53 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2022-10-11 09:59:47 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2022-10-03 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-06-11 10:26:14 (W3C-DTF)