Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 80
Email: cih.adm@uib.no
Internet: Click here

The course is multi-disciplinary and focused on both biological, socio-cultural and public health issues. The scope is global, but with particular focus on sub-Saharan Africa. The the main topics are:

• The HIV pandemic: dynamics and trends, epidemiological approaches; status and trends of the HIV epidemics in the world: contrasts in spread and the search for their explanations
• Social interpretation and demographic impact; the social inter-pretation of HIV/AIDS; social impact; stigma, denial and confidentiality
• Current bio-medical understanding: virus(es) and disease: diagnostics, natural history, opportunistic infections, the prospects of vaccine development and principles of antiretroviral therapy; prevention of mother-to-child transmission
• Integrating prevention and support/care; social-cultural context; gender and age-related vulnerability in economically poor contexts; rural vs. urban contexts; reaching the young: school-programmes, out-of-school youths, youth friendly services; the ethnic-cultural context; counselling approaches and perspectives; the issue of orphans
• Cost-effectiveness and priority setting; cost effective prevention and care interventions; criteria for priority setting.
• Economic impact; knowing what works; economic impact; monitoring and evaluation systems to guide multisectoral HIV/AIDS programs
• Media and HIV; the role of media: documentary films, educational films, cultural-specific films.
• Ethics and HIV

The Master in International Health is an English-taught programme offered by the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Bergen. The Centre for
International Health coordinates the teaching programme. The programme will provide deeper knowledge and research training in important subjects within the fields related to international health. A frame and a curriculum for the master course will be developed for each student and should preferably reflect areas of high priority in the student's home region. The programme is run in collaboration with the Master Programmes in Dentistry and Health Promotion.
Subject:
Experimental Epidemiology
Socio-Cultural Dimensions of International Health
Qualitative Methods for International Public Health
Observational Epidemiology
Culture and Psycopathology - Mental health in a cross-cultural perspective
Global TB Epidemiology and Intervention
Global HIV Epidemic and Research Challenges to Improve Prevention

The programme is primarily aimed at students from low and middle income countries.
Competence in the English language must be documented according to specified requirements.

Please send us a mail on:
Email: cih.adm@uib.no
or call our Front desk at:
Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 80
Internet:

At the end of the module, the students will be able to:
- outline important historical milestones in the management of TB
- understand socio-cultural aspects of importance to the TB epidemic
- identify important determinants of exposure, infection and disease
- explain the major transitions in TB and identify suitable research procedures for each transition
- describe the immunological response to mycobacterial exposure
- explain the role of the laboratory in TB control
- explain how drug resistance may develop and how it is monitored
- describe symptoms and signs of the Tuberculosis patient
- explain advantages and disadvatages of various diagnostic methods
- describe the principle of chemotherapy
- explain how HIV and MDR influence the TB epidemic
- describe the global strategy to identify sources of transmission and to manage TB patients
- outline the role of various stakeholders in the Stop TB initiative
- describe the role of technical assistance in national TB programmes
- outline potential benefits from reviews of national TB programmes

The programme is primarily aimed at students from low and middle income countries.
Competence in the English language must be documented according to specified requirements.

Unni Kvernhusvik
Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 27
Email: unni.kvernhusvik@cih.uib.no
Internet: Click here

At the end of the course, the students shall:
1.be able to define and discuss the principles of case-control studies, cohort studies and survey research - and know how the three designs differ from each other and from the design of randomized controlled trials
2.be able to distinguish between the different types of cohort studies, i.e. prospective, retrospective and double cohorts
3.be able to suggest relevant designs (plan) for case control and cohort studies and surveys
4.be able to discuss the principles and consequences of density based sampling of controls in case control studies and the importance of using incident rather than prevalent cases
5.be able to identify and evaluate the direction and magnitude of selection- and information biases in case-control studies, cohort studies and surveys and discuss how to minimize the above mentioned biases during design and conduct of studies
6.be able to calculate sample sizes for cohort studies, matched and unmatched case control studies, and surveys based on simple random sampling and two-stage cluster sampling with stratification
7.be able to analyze data sets from case-control, cohort studies and surveys
8.Using STATA - accounting for precision and design effect in cluster sample surveys
9.define alternative sampling methods (stratified, systematic, cluster, two-stage, non-random)
10.Using STATA - do cluster sampling with probability proportional to cluster size based on a given data set
11.With an emphasis on stratified analysis, know how to identify potential confounding and interaction and ways to differentiate between the two. Know how to adjust for confounding factors using Mantel-Haenszel adjusted relative risk estimates and how best to present and interpret a stratified presentation of effect measures when interaction is present. This knowledge should be based on an understanding and ability to identify effect measure modification
12.Critically appraise the design, analysis and interpretation of studies conducted by other investigaators
13.Communicate effectively with those involved in conducting public health research

The candidates must fulfil the basic requirements including good knowledge of the English language, according to specific requirements, for admission to the University of Bergen. A good Bachelor's degree level is required for admission. Candidates are selected from graduates of schools of medicine or dentistry, and from graduates of related disciplines of science or social sciences such as public health, nursing, nutrition, human biology, medical technology, pharmacy, social and behavioural sciences and international health.

Unni Kvernhusvik
Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 27
Email: unni.kvernhusvik@cih.uib.no
Internet: Click here

At the end of the course the students will:

• Have a knowledge of the main principles of clinical/field trials
• Be able to plan a clinical/field trial
• Be able to assess and select relevant research designs for clinical/field trials
• Be able to conduct random allocation, blinding and sample size estimations, also for community randomised studies
• Have a good understanding of how to analyse clinical and field trial datasets, also from community-randomised effectiveness studies, and know how to adjust for repeated measurements in the same individuals identify interaction (in trials with stratified as well as unstratified randomisation) and, in trials of limited study size, to control for any confounding effect
• Be able to critically interpret published results from clinical/field trials
• Be able to write a competitive research grant proposal for funding of a clinical/field trial

Good working knowledge of English. Students admitted to a masters programme can join this course (e.g. TropEd Europe network).
Although knowledge of advanced epidemiology and biostatistics is not required, basic knowledge in these areas is an advantage, and the applicants are requested to describe their background, including that in epidemiology and biostatistics in their applications.

Kristin Hansen
Tel: +47 (0)55 588 571
Email: kristin.hansen@cih.uib.no
Internet: Click here

Like all systems of healing, biomedicine is a cultural product arising from Western industrialised countries. Yet, practice of medicine to a large extent has shown very little cognisance to cultural and social factors. Biomedical conception of health and its practice are often transported from one part of the world to the other in "packages of absolute truths". Notwithstanding great results, they have sometimes proven to be ineffective and even detrimental to the receiving group of people. Central to this problem is failure, on the part of biomedicine, to take into account culture's influence on people's attitudes, belief systems, conception of illnesses and diseases, disease aetiology, and health-care seeking behaviour. In addition, while certain health problems (e.g. culture-bound syndromes) are difficult to understand using imported biomedical models from the West, they are readily understood within the "exotic cultures" where they are manifested. The crux of this course is to examine mental illnesses, their manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment in different cultural societies.

A good bachelor's degree in medicine, dentistry or related disciplines of science or social sciences. Good working knowledge of English. Students admitted to a master's degree programme may join this course (e.g. TropEd European Network).

Unni Kvernhusvik
Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 27
Email: unni.kvernhusvik@cih.uib.no
Internet: Click here

This is an introductory course for international public health professionals and students to familiarize them with the range and use of different qualitative research methods The course will show the students why the use of these methods is practical and will enhance the preparation of health-promoting and preventive interventions and how to facilitate the preparation of larger, quantitative survey research instruments. Students will also learn how to code and analyse data obtained from such qualitative research and will be shown how this differs from coding and analysing quantitative data. The strengths and weaknesses of both qualitative and quantitative methods will be discussed and a case be made for the usefulness of a multi-method complementary research approach. The course includes both didactic and practice sessions in the classroom and students will also initiate and engage in at least one qualitative fieldwork research exercise. The use of these methods will be seen as particularly relevant for cross-cultural work and when dealing with sensitive public health issues.

Students admitted to a Masters Degree Programme may join this course (e.g.TropEd European Network). Proficiency in English at a level corresponding to TOEFL 550 or IELTS 5.0 is required.

Unni Kvernhusvik
Tel: +47 (0)55 97 49 27
Email: unni.kvernhusvik@cih.uib.no
Internet: Click here