This course introduces methods and tools necessary for monitoring and evaluating public health programs during routine public health activities as well as during large scale emergencies and public health crisis. The course will use the case based teaching method developed by the Harvard Business School and examples from the ebola outbreak, recent water crisis and other types of events to describe how evaluation methods can be used to inform public health decision making. The range of topics includes: evaluation planning, survey development and validation techniques, assessment of modern and rapid testing methods; an overview of various methodologies and designs for estimating coverage and changes for a region; methods for evaluating sub-regional performance (i.e. the health districts of a region); and comprehensive monitoring and evaluation approaches that allow for both local and regional assessment. Emphasis will be on the practical aspects of design, analysis and presentation. Students will use a public health systems approach to the evaluation of the programs and discuss as a group the consequences of the decisions they make on the implementation and evaluation of specific public health programs.

Course leader
Marcello Pagano & Elena Savoia (Harvard School of Public Health)

Target group
Physicians, clinicians and public health professionals from public and private institutions who are looking for systematic training in the principles of epidemiology and biostatistics, or epidemiology applied to health care planning and evaluation. They will acquire familiarity with epidemiological and biostatistical principles and techniques and with the computational tools needed to solve practical problems. Students in biostatistics and epidemiology, and researchers both from public and private institutions who wish to increase their familiarity with quantitative methods or to deepen their knowledge of a specific area of interest, so they can more effectively address problems in health research. They will gain knowledge in modern, advanced methods useful for health professionals engaged in clinical practice, research and teaching.

Course aim
To cover topics such as evaluation planning, survey development and validation techniques, testing methods, methods for evaluating subgroups performance, comprehensive monitoring and evaluation.

Fee info
EUR 1200: For University students: Registration before 31 March 2015 1,200. After 31 March 2015 1,400. EUR 1350: Registration before 31 March 2015 1,350. After 31 March 2015 1,550.

Scholarships
A limited number of Scholarships are available for current university students. Scholarships cover the cost of tuition, for at most one week. The request to be considered for a scholarship should be communicated no later than March 1, 2015.

Harvard University and Karolinska Institutet
Address: Department for Public Health, Karolinska Institutet Tomtebodav%C3%A4gen 18a, Stockholm, Sweden
Postal code: SE-171 77
City: Castello Brandolini Colomban, Cison di Valmarino - Treviso - ITALY
Country: Italy
Website: http://www.biostatepi.org/
E-mail: bioepiedu@ki.se
Phone: +46 73 6515825