Title:	Viral Infections
Keywords:	Viral Medical & Clinical sciences Tropical medicine Communicable diseases HIV/AIDS
Country:	United States of America
Institution:	USA - Global Medicine, University of Minnesota
Course coordinator:	Sarah Sponsler Kristina Krohn
About duration and dates:	Asynchronous / year-round Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Students can begin and complete the course at any time, within the expectations of their home institution.
Classification:	advanced optional
Mode of delivery:	Distance-based
Course location: Online, asynchronous
ECTS credit points:	2 ECTS credits
SIT: 50 hours total SIT This course consists of 25 online contact hours, completed asynchronously. In addition, students can plan to spend 25 additional hours for independent study and assessments.
Language:	English
Description: At the end of the module the student should be able to: 1. Analyze the epidemiology of tropical viral diseases. 2. Describe the pathophysiology and clinical presentation of these diseases, including HIV/AIDS, viral hepatitis and other viral infections. 3. Apply the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases at the clinical level. 4. Identify social determinants of health that impact viral diseases in neglected populations.
Focus or specific features: This is one of three online asynchronous courses in tropical medicine. As part of UMN’s Clinical Tropical Medicine and Global Health curriculum, these courses can be taken independently or in any order. Students are expected to sign up for this asynchronous course in a manner that conforms to the expectations of their home institution. If a student were to take only this course, without other courses at the same time, then they can expect to take about 10 days to complete this course, taking 5 hours per day, for example. However, they can complete these 10 days of work at their own pace, and ensure that this asynchronous coursework does not conflict with other courses they are taking and follow the regulations for completing courses from their home institution.
Assessment Procedures: 5% - Pre-test allows students to identify their baseline knowledge level and primes them for the type of information they will be required to know later in the course (as a pre-test, this is awarded full points if completed). 10% - Completion of all online activities (pass/fail). Students must attest to completely watching all video lectures and to fully completing all interactive lessons. In addition to student attestations, our Learning Management System tracks that students have clicked on the main links and completed the quizzes for each lecture and lesson. 10% - Reflection posts. For each section within the course (1. HIV, 2. Hepatitis and Other Enteric Viruses, 3. Viral Illnesses I, 4. Viral Illnesses II, 5. Clinical Case Vignettes) students must reflect back on the module and describe the most important thing that they take away from the module in order to advance to the next module. This is a personal reflection and a formative activity, receiving full points for any reflection. No points awarded if there is no reflection written. 25% - Quizzes. For each section within the course (1. HIV, 2. Hepatitis and Other Enteric Viruses, 3. Viral Illnesses I, 4. Viral Illnesses II, 5. Clinical Case Vignettes) students must pass each quiz to advance to the next section (pass/fail). Five total MCQ quizzes, as summative assessments for each section. 50% - Final test (multiple choice questions). This is a summative assessment covering all sections of the course. Students must achieve a passing score of 80% or above to pass this course. In the event of failing any component, students will have the option to repeat the failed component until successful completion of the course is achieved. Of note, this score of 80% is intentionally higher than many in-person courses, because students have more opportunity to learn the material at their own pace in this fully asynchronous course, and they will have the option to repeat any component until 80% is achieved.
Content: 1. HIV/AIDS • HIV pathophysiology • HIV management • HIV in the tropics • HIV opportunistic infections • HIV immune reconstitution inflammatory syndrome (IRIS) • Global pediatric HIV • Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission of HIV • HIV in adolescents • HTLV-1: clinical perspective • HIV and cryptococcal meningitis 2. Hepatitis and Other Enteric Viruses • Clinical viral hepatitis • Hepatitis E basics and outbreak in Namibia • Hepatocellular carcinoma in low income settings • Global burden of rotavirus • Global polio eradication initiative 3. Viral Illnesses I • Japanese encephalitis update • Mumps and rubella • Measles • Smallpox • Mpox • Vaccinia virus • Novel orthopoxviruses • Parapoxviruses • Diagnosis of poxviruses • Treatment of poxviruses and vaccines 4. Viral Illnesses II • Rabies • Dengue fever • Chikungunya • Zika • Dengue immunology • Non-dengue / Ebola hemorrhagic fevers • Rift valley fever • Ebola • SARS-CoV2 – the early months. What happened? • SARS-CoV2 – the early months. Reflections. • Yellow fever 5. Clinical Case Vignettes • Burmese refugee with fever, chest pain, and agitation • Returned traveler with rash and joint pain • 60-year-old male with HIV and CD4 < 5 • Ugandan farmer with a rash. • Ugandan with a HIV and a headache.
Methods: This is purely an asynchronous online course. Lessons include recordings of live lectures and interactive asynchronous modules with question prompts and reflection. The course is interactive in two ways. First, multiple-choice questions are completed throughout the course as students complete it asynchronously. Second, the cases at the end walk students through a case from chief concern to diagnostic steps to treatment, through a series of questions answered asynchronously, with further resources for each topic. The course is hosted on canvas.umn.edu. All students have access to course directors by email with questions. tropEd students can request a dedicated meeting with the tropEd representative at the start and end of the course, who is also available for questions. There are two course directors available, plus at least six other core faculty who are available to answer questions remotely.
Prerequisites: This is an advanced medical course in viral infections. Prior knowledge and experience in clinical health sciences is required. As a general rule, at least 3 years (180 ECTS) should be completed in medicine. However, the course is open on a case-by-case basis to other health professions, such as nursing, laboratory technicians, biotechnology, biology, or other background degrees that will be assessed by the course leadership. Although not required, many participants are also taking other online courses in the Clinical Tropical Medicine & Global Health Online Curriculum, or similar study elsewhere. For reference: check here Experience in low and middle income countries is relevant but not necessary. All activities are in English and fluent English is required. If relevant, the minimum requirements are English TOEFL test score 213 (computer-based) or 550 (paper-based) or 79-80 (internet-based) or IELTS band 6.0. Basic computer and internet connection capable of playing slides and short videos is required.
Attendance: Attendance is required and students must complete all asynchronous activities to complete the course.
Selection: Students are accepted on a rolling basis.
Fees: Practicing health care providers: USD $795 Trainees, including tropEd: USD $400 For details, contact globalhealth@umn.edu
Scholarships: Scholarships are not currently available to tropEd students. This tuition is already priced at a discounted student rate.
tropEd accreditation: Accredited in Edinburgh, Sept. 2024; The accreditation is valid until Sept. 2029
Remarks: As above, this is a fully asynchronous course, with remote access by email to course directors, faculty and tropEd representative. All content is part of an approved curriculum qualifying for the US Certificate of Knowledge in Clinical Tropical Medicine and Traveler’s Health (CTropMed Examination), as well as the UK Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H). Completing all courses in UMN’s curriculum will allow the student to sit for the CTropMed exam or the DTM&H exam. For further details:check here and here
Email Address:	globalhealth@umn.edu
Date Of Record Creation:	2024-10-11 05:12:20 (W3C-DTF)
Date Of Record Release:	2024-10-11 11:24:26 (W3C-DTF)
Date Record Checked:	2024-10-11 (W3C-DTF)
Date Last Modified:	2024-10-11 11:24:26 (W3C-DTF)