This course aims to introduce the student to the history of the development of the primary health care (PHC) concepts and practices worldwide, and the rationale behind the emergence of the PHC movement during the 1970s. It focuses on the basic principles of primary care outlined in the 1978 Alma Ata Conference, how PHC was implemented, what worked and what did not work over the years, the demise of PHC and reasons for its demise, and its resurgence beginning in the start of the 21st century. A special emphasis will be made on PHC’s application in the Palestinian context.

Identification, planning and management of the various resources needed for health systems, including human, financial and physical (infrastructure and equipment) resources. Development and operation of effective and reliable health information systems. Potential models of best practice and challenges to successful implementation relevant to countries with scarce resources such as Palestine.

The main epidemics and diseases in Palestine, development of the conceptual and methodological skills acquired in the classical epidemiology course, in addition to the application of these concepts and skills to the study of the epidemics and common diseases in Palestine. (Pre-requisite: Classical Epidemiology 6230).

Health problems that individuals face in the different stages of their lifecycles: childhood, adolescence, adulthood and old age. The various factors of different lifestyles, such as nutrition, and their effect on public health.

The required theoretical and practical communication skills for health education through identifying suitable communication skills at the level of individuals, groups and society , with special focus on Palestinian society.

Communication as an instrument of administrative organization and training, skills of developing plans and individual and collective programs, in addition to report writing and organizing programs. (Pre-Requisite: Communication and Training Skills (I) 627)

This course familiarizes the students with the basic concepts and terminologies used in employing a social epidemiological approach to the study of health and disease at the population level. It focuses on the social, cultural, economic, environmental and political contexts in which health is made or broken, and in which disease occurs. It emphasizes the use of multiple methods of data collection for the purpose of understanding population health needs and the means through which to work on fulfilling those needs. The course will also introduce students to qualitative methods of inquiry both theoretically and practically. Prerequisite: None

Main problems in planning and managing primary health care services on the local, regional and national levels, and the methods of dealing with these problems, with focus on specific skills, such as planning, monitoring, evaluation, networking, time management and record keeping.

Basic concepts in quantitative and qualitative public health research. Appraisal research designs, formulation of research questions, and design of research studies appropriate for a specific research topic/question. Preparation of a complete original research proposal. (Lecture 3 hours).

This course will introduce students to the basic concepts, methods and applications of epidemiology. It covers sources of data, morbidity and mortality measures, epidemiological study designs and critical appraisal of epidemiological studies, association causation and causal inference, confounding bias and interaction. Both basic methods and application of epidemiology will be covered in this course. This course will also cover the distribution of epidemics and common disease in Palestine and their patterns of occurrence. A foundation course.

Fundamental conceptual statistical principles and skills needed to deal with the problems of public health. Use of statistical methods and their role in assisting the process of decision making for policy formulation and planning for public health. (Lecture 3 hours).

The different methods of developing health policies and planning, different models and tools in the process of formulating policies, follow and evaluation, the different technical skills required for effective and realistic planning and the development of health projects, the role of health ethics in the process of policy formulation and planning.

The different methods used internationally to solve medical and health care problems, analysis of selected urgent health issues that are debated internationally, and applying this analysis in Palestine when formulating and building the health care system, taking into consideration the available local resources when rebuilding and developing the future Palestinian health care system.

Causes of disease, common communicable diseases in Palestine such as virbal Hepatitis, recurring diseases such as Tuberculosis and non- communicable diseases such as Diabetes. Social and psychological determinants directly related to public health, such as violence, disability and aging, with a focus on strategies for the prevention of diseases, such as vaccinations, medical investigation and health education.

The relation between the environment and people’s health, their connection to material, environmental, economic, social, cultural and behavioral elements, medical biological determinants such as causes of diseases, climate change and global warming, the importance of environmental conditions in improving the health of populations, and environmental assessment tools.

The relation between the social sciences and health services, with a focus on the social aspects that affect health, such as demographic and socio-economic changes, including urbanization, life style changes, and income changes as well as social and family relations. The development of Palestinian society, and its impact on health, including nutrition and the changes in other patterns and indicators.

The social relations between men and women, the status of women in society and its implications for health, especially women's health. The experience of different international health and feminist movements in improving the health and social status of women. Study of Palestinian women's experience and the general health conditions of Palestinian women during the different stages of their lives ( e.g. their mental and social health).

In depth study and research in the developments and advancements in the field of public and community health.

Analysis of health systems and health care financing schemes; roles of health care financing policies, goals of health care financing ; health care financing and health system performance, the relation among patients, health professional and financing agencies, money flow in the health care system, risk theory, national health accounts and health sector reform.

Health Economics tools and concepts and their applications in health care and health care services, health as an economic service, characteristics of the health care market, demand and supply of health care, economics and decision-making in the field of health care, economic evaluation and allocation of scarce resources, cost analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, cost-utility analysis, cost benefit analysis.

In- depth study and research in the development of and advancements in the field of public and community health.

Population data resources; demographic indicators; population growth; factors associated with population growth; population policies; population change, gender, and reproductive health rights. (Lecture 3 hours).

A seminar about selected topics in the public health field. The seminar includes reading, analyzing and discussing some of the published research in scientific journals. It entails discussing scientific research ethics, and writing a final report that includes a thorough literature review, developing a strategy for collecting data, conceptual and statistical analysis of the data and finally presenting the results to the other students for discussion. (Pre-Requisite: Research Methods and Data Collection 633).

A seminar about selected topics in the public health field. The seminar includes reading, analyzing and discussing some of the published research in scientific journals. It entails discussing scientific research ethics, and writing a final report that includes a thorough literature review, developing a strategy for collecting data, conceptual and statistical analysis of the data and finally presenting the results to the other students for discussion. (Pre-Requisite: Research Methods and Data Collection 633).

Writing a thesis in the field of specialization according to the approved instructions for writing master's thesis. (Pre-Requisite: Research Methods and Data Collection 633).

In depth study and research of special and emerging topics in the field of public and community health.