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Event Image 25 Jun 2014
International Certificate Course on GIS Application in Public Health
Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)

International Certificate Course on GIS Application in Public Health 

Event Brief:
 
The complex challenges posed by public health threats demand that public health professionals have a concrete understanding of the relationships among the various factors affecting health. In recent years, public health practitioners have grown increasingly aware of the value Geographic Information Systems (GIS) can add in developing an effective framework for action.
 
GIS can be used to solve the problems related with management of public health programs, as it helps the decision makers to understand their geographical region, know their coverage with respect to disease prevalence, and correlate different types of data to understand the probability of concurrence of any epidemics and to overcome with positive solutions to any critical information.
 
GIS can be useful tool for observing longitudinal trends, identifying population at risk, planning and targeting interventions, linking data, forecasting epidemics, monitoring disease patterns and interventions over time, determining geographical distribution and variation of disease (prevalence and incidence) and overall management (eg. Human Resources, Financial, Logistics and Supply, MIS etc.) of an effective health care delivery system.
 
This virtual certificate course will provide participants a platform to introduce fundamental concepts of the use of GIS within the public health context and build practical experience in the use of open source GIS software (QGIS) and spatially referenced data for effective program management.
 
This certificate course prepares international / national participants to strategically solve real-world problems and come up with cutting-edge solutions through a combination of technology and programmatic skills. The overall aim of the course is to provide virtual learning for people working in local enterprise or public sector organizations who require core training and skills development in Geographical Information Systems, or for students who want to study in their own environment and in their own time
 
Course Objectives:
By the end of this course, participants/ professionals will be able to:-
 
·         To introduce fundamental concepts of GIS use within the public health context and build practical experience in the use of open source GIS software and spatially referenced data for effective program management;
·         To familiarize participants with the use and application of GIS in the field of health; and
·         To provide experience with the use of the GIS package for analysis, interpretation and presentation of data.
 
Course Design:
The virtual certificate course on GIS Application in Public Health is designed as a three months program however participants can complete this course before depending on their feasibility and pace of learning. It is an interactive distance learning computer-based program, self-taught, complemented with online lectures, exercises and a comprehensive list of reference materials.
The sessions will be delivered in synchronous and asynchronous mode. There will also be a discussion board to let ideas flow between participants to enable enhanced learning.
The official language of course instructions will be English. Participants will be assessed based on successful completion of examination at the end of each module, and final examination (Assignment) at the end of the course.
Course Duration:
            1st September 2014 – 30th November 2014
Eligibility:
The course is open to: 
·         Applicants with graduate/ post-graduate with relevant work experience in public health.
·         Applicants currently engaged in public health related activities such as monitoring and evaluation, planning, research, epidemiological surveillance, data management etc.
Eligible candidates will be screened by a selection committee based on their application and statement of purpose. The selection committee’s decisions will be final.
Teaching and Training Methodology:
The course utilizes a blended online teaching/ learning technique. The basic course structure includes a combination of interactive online computer-based sessions, live interactive sessions, and recommended readings from journal articles and textbooks in a modular format. Online learning sessions will be conducted by experienced faculty members and students will be able to log on from their laptops/personal computers.
Hours required for online reading per week – 2.5 hours minimum
Hours required per week for assignment/self-study - 5.0 hours minimum
System Requirements:
·         Minimum bandwidth of 512 kbps (1mbps recommended)
·         Processor: Pentium 4 or equivalent and above
·         RAM: 512 MB and above (1 GB recommended)
·         Supported browsers: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or later, Mozilla Firefox 2.x, 3.x Google Chrome
·         MS-Office including MS- Access package
·         Adobe Flash Player 10.1 for all types of operating systems
·         Supported Operating Systems: Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7 & 8, Mac OS
·         Headset with microphone (web camera - optional)
Evaluation:
Students will be evaluated at the end of each module using multiple choice questions and assessed on an ongoing basis through coursework or assignments. Participants will generate their certificate online by achieving 80% overall score
 
COURSE FEES
 
•   For Indian participants: 18,000 INR
•   For International participants: 450 USD
 
Application Procedures and Deadlines:    July 31, 2014
 
 Click Here to Download Brochure and Application Form
 
 
Persons   who   wish   to   take   part   in   the course   should   send   the   completed application   forms   and   other   application documents as soon as possible to:
 
Mr. Vishal Kataria,
Program Coordinator 
M&E Unit, Training Division
Public Health Foundation of India
Plot No. 47, Sector: 44, Gurgaon-122003, Haryana, India
Tel: + 91-124-4781400/ +91-124-4722900 (Ext. 4260)
Fax No. +91-124-478 1601