Coursera Offerings
Essentials of Global Health
Richard Skolnik leads "Essentials of Global Health", a comprehensive introduction to global health. It is meant to introduce you to this topic in well-structured, clear and easy to understand ways. Much of the course will focus on five questions: What do people get sick, disabled and die from; Why do they suffer from these conditions? Which people are most affected? Why should we care about such concerns? What can be done to address key health issues, hopefully at least cost, as fast as possible, and in sustainable ways? The course will be global in coverage but with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, and health disparities. Particular attention will be paid throughout the course to health systems issues, the linkages between health and development, and health matters related to global interdependence. The course will cover key concepts and frameworks but be practical in orientation.
Early Breastfeeding Initiation
This course is designed for administrators, advocates, policy makers, clinicians, and service users. It will give you the background, recommendations, and tools you need to address issues related to high quality maternal and newborn care in your own setting. In particular, you will learn about the evidence behind implementing the midwifery model of care as a means to advancing the health and wellbeing of mothers and babies globally. The modules in this course are structured around the Quality Maternal and Newborn Care Framework, first published in the landmark 2014 Lancet Series on Midwifery. You will learn from nearly 20 expert contributors as they discuss their research and personal experiences in low, middle, and high resource settings.
Health Behavior Change: From Evidence to Action
Humans often fail to make rational decisions that affect their health. This course seeks to heighten understanding of the social and behavioral factors that contribute to health decisions and behaviors, with an ultimate goal of learning how to utilize these factors in improving public health efforts. Through a set of experiential learning exercises, students will learn to apply the science of health behavior change in their own lives. The course is appropriate for students interested in health care and public health, as well as individuals who are interested in learning to apply the science of behavior change to improve their personal wellbeing.
Yale Digital Media for Health Outcomes
The Yale Digital Media for Health Outcomes course, led by Dr. Saad B. Omer, Dean of O’Donnell School of Public Health at UT Southwestern, guides students through the design of digital social and behavior change communications, from insights to impact. Developed in partnership with the Ad Council, African Union | Africa CDC, Population Services International (PSI), and UNICEF, the course includes instruction from several experts in the health communications field, case studies from the WHO and Yale School of Public Health, and real-life examples of communication campaigns in action.
Learners begin with behavioral insights as a foundation for behavioral change and learn how to surface relevant insights to identify potential levers for change. By the end of the course, learners will understand how to plan a digital communication strategy, identify a target audience, design strategic messages based on evidence-based messaging guidance, explore, and illustrate best practices for health campaign creatives, and evaluate campaign impact by understanding ad metrics, survey data, and health outcomes.
Since the course's public launch in May 2023, it has garnered significant interest among SBCC experts and newcomers alike, with more than 6,700 enrollees and 2,600 active learners. Our global learner community represents 151 countries and hundreds of unique organizations. The course is available for free on Coursera, and will be available in English, Arabic, Bahasa, Chinese, French, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, and Swahili by September 2023. All those who complete the course can earn a Yale certificate.