Harvard VPAL
Global Health Delivery
Learn the obstacles facing healthcare delivery, and design a solution for real-world implementation.
Start date
03 September 2025
Course duration
10 weeks
Excluding orientation
Language
English
Access resources from start date
Effort
8–10 hours per week
Self-paced learning online
Course overview
The percentage of people with mental health disorders in low- and middle-income countries who don’t receive treatment.
World Health Organization (Aug, 2020).
Duration: 10 weeks (excluding orientation)
Access is the greatest challenge to effectively managing and improving healthcare delivery, not availability. The Global Health Delivery online short course from Harvard's Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL) in collaboration with HarvardX and allows you to join a global health community as you explore the influence of power and social structures in shaping disease response. Through real-world case studies, you will investigate international approaches to combating Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and MDR-TB and explore the burden of mental health. The course also examines how ideologies, problem framing, and the choice of metrics shape health policy.
With guidance from experienced faculty members, you will design your global health intervention to be implemented in public and private settings. This 10-week program will equip you with managerial and soft skills to complement your medical knowledge. Upon completion, you will receive a premier certificate from Harvard's VPAL, in association with HarvardX.
Is this course for you?
This online short course caters to individuals enthusiastic about healthcare innovation and seeking ways to improve their communities. This encompasses healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, and seasoned global health leaders such as policymakers, advisors, and government officials. The program also benefits those working in multilateral organizations, bilateral agencies, non-profit organizations, and non-governmental organizations or those investing or donating to global health initiatives.
Course overview
Introduction
Duration: 10 weeks (excluding orientation)
Access is the greatest challenge to effectively managing and improving healthcare delivery, not availability. The Global Health Delivery online short course from Harvard's Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL) in collaboration with HarvardX and allows you to join a global health community as you explore the influence of power and social structures in shaping disease response. Through real-world case studies, you will investigate international approaches to combating Ebola, HIV/AIDS, and MDR-TB and explore the burden of mental health. The course also examines how ideologies, problem framing, and the choice of metrics shape health policy.
With guidance from experienced faculty members, you will design your global health intervention to be implemented in public and private settings. This 10-week program will equip you with managerial and soft skills to complement your medical knowledge. Upon completion, you will receive a premier certificate from Harvard's VPAL, in association with HarvardX.
Is this course for you?
This online short course caters to individuals enthusiastic about healthcare innovation and seeking ways to improve their communities. This encompasses healthcare professionals, public health practitioners, and seasoned global health leaders such as policymakers, advisors, and government officials. The program also benefits those working in multilateral organizations, bilateral agencies, non-profit organizations, and non-governmental organizations or those investing or donating to global health initiatives.
Get this course for your team
Leading organisations recognise the value of this course and invest in it to enhance their employees' skills and expertise.
What will set you apart
An action plan to implement health interventions in your particular context.
A biosocial framework to assess how biological and social factors influence the spread of disease.
An understanding of the restrictions and challenges facing healthcare delivery.
Unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.Course curriculum
Orientation module
Welcome to your Online Campus
Module 1
Introduction to the biosocial
Module 2
Why ideas matter: Social theory in global health
Module 3
The history of global health and colonial legacy
Module 4
Political economy and foreign aid
Module 5
The global AIDS movement
Module 6
Challenges in healthcare delivery: Lessons from Liberia and Haiti
Module 7
Building an effective rural health delivery model in Rwanda
Module 8
Critical perspectives on metrics of disease
Module 9
The unique challenges of mental health
Module 10
Values and global health
What past students
think
Ellen Munemo
Program Director
The online course really opened my eyes to global health issues. I was so excited to learn about the different scenarios on how countries have managed to offer improved health services, especially the Rwanda experience. I also enjoyed the video session of real situations, and was able to relate to most of them. As a person working in public health, I know this course has taken me to another level of understanding how public health, global health, and international health are linked. The course is ideal for those who work with communities and in primary healthcare delivery. I enjoyed the discussions with colleagues, which made me understand what is happening in other countries.
Course Conveners
Anne Becker
Maude and Lillian Presley Professor of Global Health and Social Medicine, Harvard University
Arthur Kleinman
Esther and Sidney Rabb Professor, Anthropology Department, Harvard University
About the certificate
Learn about global health delivery across public and private settings and earn an official premier certificate from Harvard’s Office of the Vice Provost for Advances in Learning (VPAL), in association with HarvardX.
Assessment is continuous and based on a series of practical assignments completed online. In order to be issued with a digital certificate, you’ll need to meet the requirements outlined in the course handbook. The handbook will be made available to you as soon as you begin the course.
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Payment options
You can pay your course fees before the course starts, or you may opt for a split payment plan on courses that are nine weeks and shorter. For courses 10 weeks and longer, there is a three-part payment plan available. To find out more about payment options please visit our Payment and Financing page, or contact an Enrollment Adviser, to find out which option you qualify for.
Manage your time
GetSmarter's learning model is designed to help you, as a working professional, improve your skills without compromising on work and family responsibilities. The course work is broken up into weekly, manageable bite-sized modules, with incremental deadlines, designed to help you pace yourself over the duration of the course and allow you the legroom to work when it suits you best.
At the beginning of each module you'll be presented with the course content and assignments necessary for completion. You also have access to your Success Adviser who will help you manage your time, and support you with any administrative or technical queries you might have.
Seek employer assistance
By improving your skills and industry knowledge, you'll have an influence on the success of your organization. Why wouldn't you ask your boss to help you fund your studies if it's going to have an impact on the way you do business?
Of our past students, 37 percent have received financial assistance from their employers. You can ask for help, too. Here is a guide to show you how to request financial assistance from your employer.
If you are a Learning & Development (L&D) manager, or involved in training and upskilling for an organization, you can request information regarding our corporate offering on our GetSmarter for business page.
How to change your start date
As part of our commitment to your professional development, GetSmarter offers you a two-week period to change your course start date or request your money back if you’re not fully satisfied.
To qualify for a deferral of your course start date, or to cancel your enrollment and receive a refund of your course fee, your request would need to reach our Success Advisers before the release of Module 2. For more information, please read our Terms and Conditions.
Discover the Online Campus
The Online Campus will be your virtual classroom for the duration of your course. Through its easy-to-use interface you'll have access to a diverse variety of course content formats including: interactive videos, module notes, practice quizzes, presentations, assignment briefs, and additional web resources.
On the Online Campus, you'll also be able to ask questions and interact with your fellow students and teaching team through the discussion forums. If you are looking for your Online Campus login, please visit your Account page here.
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