Education
Imagine conducting a rapid assessment of child health needs in a remote village where literacy levels are low and you do not speak the local language. Picture yourself working with a government to address the health concerns of illicit drug users in a country that imprisons them. Your previous training may not serve you well. Skills and ideas that work in one setting may not work in another.The Nossal Institute has a comprehensive education program to equip professionals for global health practice. Taught by current international health practitioners - both within the Nossal Institute, and in partnership with other Australian institutes - these educational programs are offered at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and for those already in the workforce. Course work education is also offered in international settings, including a residential intensive short course in primary health care and community development in partnership with the Comprehensive Rural Health Project at Jamkhed, India.
The program in international health education covers child and adolescent health; safe motherhood; disability-inclusive development; and HIV and AIDS prevention, care and treatment and the environment. These content areas are complemented by courses in public health leadership, and global health research and practice. The Nossal Institute's program has a strong focus on the principles of primary health care as described in the 1978 Alma-Ata Declaration which affirmed health as a fundamental human right, and identified participation, equity and multi-sectoral engagement as critical to the attainment of "Health for All".
The Nossal Institute aims to ensure that University of Melbourne students have a broad range of opportunities to develop global health expertise, but also supports the professional development of those working in resource-poor settings. Nossal Institute staff have expertise in training needs analyses, curriculum design, delivery of education programs, and evaluation of learning outcomes. Understanding that training alone is often not the answer to improved health outcomes, the Institute has a critical interest in how a range of strategies can support better performance by health workers.
A guiding principle of the Nossal Institute is to be known for the people they train and mentor into positions where they can make a difference to global development and health.
Opportunities for Students at the Nossal Institute