Postgraduate Certificate in One Health
At a Glance
Duration
6 months
Tue – Wed
4:00 – 06:00 pm (EAT)
Study Mode
Online
Intake
September 2024
Fee
390$
Degree
PGCert in One Health
About the program
The Postgraduate (PG) certificate program in One Health at Somali One Health Centre, Abrar University, aims to address a broad range of topics under the One Health approach. It provides a foundation for the principles of health-related threats to human, veterinary, agriculture, and environmental health professionals and how to address them collaboratively. The program begins in September every year and runs over a period of six months, enabling students to contribute to the success of One Health actions.
Aim of the program
To enhance the capacity of the One Health workforce through the conduct and delivery of a specially designed postgraduate certificate in One Health with the knowledge, skills, and mindset necessary to address complex health challenges at the intersection of humans, animals, plants, and the environment, and contribute to the advancement of One Health principles and practices.
- Bachelor’s degree in biological sciences, veterinary or human medicine, public health, agriculture, environmental sciences, or biostatistics from an accredited university.
- One letter of recommendation.
- CV.
- Personal statement.
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Explain concepts of One Health in preventing, controlling, and responding to health threats at the human-animal-ecosystem interface for better health outcomes for all.
- Demonstrate leadership skills and the ability to communicate and coordinate well with relevant stakeholders to implement One Health actions effectively.
- Apply the One Health approach to identifying health problems and their social and environmental determinants for better health outcomes.
- Apply knowledge and skills to design and implement integrated health interventions, conduct risk assessments, and develop disease prevention and control strategies.
- Apply the One Health approach to research methods in designing, analysing statistically, and presenting the data effectively.
- Plan, implement, and evaluate One Health Programmes to promote One Health actions and raise awareness about the identified health problems at different community levels.
- Fee: 390$
- Funding:
- Early payment fee reduction: A 10% discount is available if paid in full before 31st August for the academic year 2024/25.
- Women in Science Scholarship: 30% off is available until August 31st for the academic year 2024/25 to all eligible female students for this program.
- Alumni discount: A 15% discount on the total fees is available for Abrar University’s previous graduates.
- Instalments: Two-instalment plan allowed.
All fees must be paid in US Dollars directly to the Abrar University account.
- Account Name: Abrar University
- IBAN No. SO 91 0001 101 300030329911
- Account No. 30329911
- Bank Name: Salaam Somali Bank
- Bank Address: Afgoi Road, Wadajir KM5, Mogadishu, Somalia
- SWIFT Code: SSBMSOSMXXX
- Currency: US Dollars
- Description: PGCert One Health 2024
Minimum enrolments: This course will not be offered if fewer than 25 students apply to enrol.
Curriculum and Syllabus
Description: This course provides an overview introduction to “One Health,” an approach to understanding, managing, and mitigating complex health challenges at the intersection of humans, animals, plants, and the environment on a local, national, regional, and global level.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate the principles and practical applications of the One Health approach.
- Understand the four main pillars of One Health—humans, animals, plants, and their shared environment—and discuss its institutionalization nationally, regionally, and globally.
- Understand the interdependencies among stakeholders in global One Health challenges and lead One Health actions.
- Understand the role of the community in shaping everyone’s health outcomes.
- Identify global One Health challenges, develop solutions to health threats, and plan effective implementation.
Course Outline:
| Topic | Description | |
| 1. One Health: What Is It and Why Is It Important? | This unit introduces students to the history, concepts, and benefits that underlie the One Health approach to protecting and improving the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. | |
| 2. One Health Quadriad | Describes how the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment are linked to one another in the epidemiology and transmission of diseases, toxins, and AMR, as well as their management. | |
| 3. Operationalizing One Health Initiatives | This unit develops the knowledge and skills required to plan and manage for effective program implementation and evaluation under the One Health approach. | |
| 4. Essentials of One Health Research | Provides a general overview of the structure and importance of collaborative research in identifying stakeholders to develop research questions, carry out fieldwork together, and interpret findings with a One Health lens to their potential local, national, regional, and global health impact. | |
| 5. Institutionalization of One Health | Describes the importance and essential steps for institutionalizing the One Health approach at all levels of institutions locally, nationally, regionally, and globally. | |
| 6. Teamwork and Collaboration in One Health | This unit introduces and develops the student’s knowledge, abilities, and skills to work, collaborate, and lead One Health actions nationally, regionally, and internationally. | |
| 7. Community Engagement in One Health | Explores the role of the community in ensuring optimal health for all and describes better ways for engaging community members and community-based organisations in all aspects of community engagement practice, including developing solutions, participatory approaches, integration, coordination, and resource mobilisation to address complex health threats to humans, animals, plants, and the environment. | |
| 8. Global One Health Challenges | Provides an overview of the health threats posed by biological pathogens, AMR, pesticides, food and feed insecurity, health financing constraints, the One Health workforce shortage, climate change, poverty, and the humanitarian crisis. | |
| 9. The Future of One Health | Describes the gaps, future challenges, and opportunities of One Health in improving the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. |
Readings
- Zinsstag, J., Schelling, E., Crump, L., Whittaker, M., Tanner, M. and Stephen, C. (eds) (2020). One Health: The Theory and Practice of Integrated Health Approaches. (2nd ed.). CABI, UK.
- Deem SL, Lane-deGraaf KE, Rayhel EA. (2019). Introduction to One Health: An Interdisciplinary Approach to Planetary Health. Wiley Blackwell, 2019.
- Cork S, Hall DC & Liljebjelke K. (2016). One Health Case Studies: Addressing Complex Problems in a Changing World. 5M Publisher.
- Charron DF (ed). (2012). Ecohealth Research in Practice: Innovative Applications of an Ecosystem Approach to Health. Springer, IDRC, 2012.
- Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Description: This course introduces students to the basic principles and applications of epidemiological concepts and approaches and investigative techniques in the study of complex health challenges in humans, animals, plants, and the environment.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate an understanding of the key concepts underpinning One Health epidemiology.
- Design an epidemiological study and apply and interpret appropriate epidemiologic analysis to address a complex health problem.
- Apply epidemiological principles and methodologies to understand transmission dynamics, surveillance, disease control, combating AMR, and outbreak investigation from a One Health perspective.
- Communicate epidemiologic information to lay and professional audiences.
Course Outline:
Topic | Description |
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1. Introduction to Epidemiology | This unit introduces students to epidemiologic concepts and methods with applications to One Health practice. |
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2. Causation in Epidemiology | Outlines the basic concepts of causation and association. |
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3. Disease Transmission | Explains the sources and modes of disease transmission by which a pathogen spreads from one host to another at the human-animal-environment interface. |
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4. Measures of Disease | Highlights a variety of measures that are used to characterise everyone’s health. |
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5. Study Designs | Describes various epidemiological designs with their analyses and interpretations to identify and quantify the relationship between exposure and a health outcome under the One Health approach. |
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6. Outbreak Investigation | Introduces students to how to identify and investigate outbreaks, the importance of communication, how to implement outbreak control measures, and how to identify lessons learned to inform and improve future healthcare delivery at the human-animal-environment interface. |
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7. Epidemiological Surveillance | Introduces the students to the systematic collection, analysis, and dissemination of health data for the planning, implementation, and evaluation of One Health programmes. |
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8. Prevention, Control, and Eradication of Disease | Highlights principles and strategies for preventing, controlling, and eradicating diseases at the human-animal-environment interface. |
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9. Epidemiology & Control of Vector-borne Diseases | Provides students with an overview of the epidemiology of infectious diseases, with a focus on how the presence and control of vector-borne diseases affect everyone’s health locally, nationally, and internationally. |
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10. Epidemiology & Control of Food and Water-borne Diseases | Describes how the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment are linked to one another in the epidemiology and transmission of food- and water-borne diseases. |
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11. One Health and AMR | This unit offers an overview of the threat of Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) to human, animal, and environmental health and explains the role of people, animals, agriculture, and environmental sectors in AMR. |
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Readings
- I Abubakar, HR Stagg, T Cohen, LC Rodrigues. Infectious Disease Epidemiology. 1st Edition 2016. Oxford University Press
- Vynnycky E, White R. An introduction to infectious disease modelling. OUP oxford; 2010 May 13.
- M. Cooke, D. Gareth Jones and B. Kaye. 2006. The Epidemiology of Plant Diseases. Second Edition. Springer, Dordrecht, The Netherlands.
- R Bonita, R Beadglehole, T Kjellstrom (2006). Basic Epidemiology. 2nd Edition. World Health Organisation
- Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Description: This course provides students with basic concepts, methods, and understanding of the application of economics to One Health actions to maximise health benefits to humans, animals, plants, and the environment.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Demonstrate a critical understanding of health economics and its potential contribution to decision making in the One Health actions.
- Understand the principles and techniques of economic evaluation of One Health interventions and research, and to understand their use in the decision-making process.
- Appropriately apply the key concepts in investing One Health initiatives.
Course Outline:
Content | Description |
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1. Introduction to Health Economics | This introductory unit covers the principles of health economics and its role in the One Health perspective. |
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2. Demand and Supply in One Health | Outlines supply and demand analysis for everyone’s health under a One Health approach. |
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3. Health Insurance | Describes the fundamentals of health insurance for humans, animals, agriculture, and the environment, with their target markets and types including Social and commercial insurance. |
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4. Economic Evaluation | This unit covers the basic elements of economic evaluation from conception through design, data collection and analysis (cost analysis, cost-benefit analysis, cost-utility analysis), and interpretation and use in decision-making in advancing One Health. |
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5. One Health Sustainability | This unit outlines a vision of a sustainable health system for people, animals, plants, and the environment based on One Health principles. |
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6. Investing in One Health | This unit explains how investment in One Health makes an important contribution to improving the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. |
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Readings
- Maria Goddard; Mark Sculpher; Rodrigo Moreno-Serra; Marc Suhrcke; Paul Revill (2020). Global Health Economics: Shaping Health Policy in Low- And Middle-income Countries: 5 (World Scientific Series In Global Health Economics And Public Policy). World Scientific Publishing Company
- Barbara McPake, Charles Normand (2008). Health Economics: An International Perspective. Routledge
- Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Description: This course provides students with the understanding that the social and environmental causes of human, animal, and plant diseases and human damage to the environment are critical to addressing health threats and essential for developing and implementing effective One Health actions.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Define social and environmental determinants of health that sustain or diminish the health of people, animals, plants, and their shared environment.
- Explain how social and environmental factors influence the health of people, animals, plant, and the environment.
- Explore the role of public policy in shaping health outcomes for all.
- Develop and implement effective One Health actions for reducing social and environmental determinants of health.
Course Outline:
Topic | Description |
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1. Introduction | A broad overview of the social and environmental factors that have an impact on everyone’s health. |
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2. Health and Society | This unit introduces students to the social drivers (e.g., social class, culture, social networks/support, education literacy) and their influence on the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment. |
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3. Coverage and Access to Healthcare | Describes how coverage and access to healthcare services for humans and animals, plants, and environmental protection services impact the health outcomes of all and explores approaches for extending access and coverage to all. |
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4. Politics and Policy in One Health | Explores the impact of politics and policy on everyone’s health. |
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5. Air, Water and Soil Pollution | Addresses critical pollution problems that lead to the degradation of the quality of the air, water, and soil, harming both living organisms and the environment, and discusses strategies to create nonpolluting solutions for urban and rural environments. |
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6. Climate change impacts on health | Explores how climate change affects the health of people, animals, plants, and the environment, as well as how to adapt to and be resilient in the face of these changes to protect everyone’s health. |
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7. Health Emergency Preparedness and Response | Highlights disaster terms, risk assessment, planning, preparedness, and concepts that form a shared framework for working together as a team to solve problems and identify possible solutions and responses to health emergencies under a One Health approach |
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8. Social Responsibility and Bioethics | This unit introduces students’ reasons about good and wrong conduct, assesses beliefs and practises, and applies them to improve the implementation of One Health research and interventions. |
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9. Religion and One Health | This unit highlights the ways that religious practices, beliefs, and remedies are associated with health issues at the interfaces of humans, animals, plants, and the environment. |
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Readings
- Pan American Health Organization (2016). Environmental and Social Determinants of Health. Washington, D.C.: PAHO.
- Marmot, M. & Wilkinson, R.G. (eds) (2006). Social Determinants of Health. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
- Herman Koren & Michael Bisesi (2003). Handbook of Environmental Health: Pollutant interactions in air, water, and soil, Volume 2. Lewis Pub.
- Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Description: This course provides students with the critical skills they need to design, conduct, and analyse quantitative and qualitative data from health studies and interpret findings with an eye to their potential One Health impact.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Explain the approach to and development of a research question, the selection of appropriate research methods, and the plan for undertaking One Health research.
- Apply knowledge of key concepts of data collection, analysis, and interpretation.
- Develop a research proposal and apply for grants to finance the research projects.
- Communicate the findings nationally, regionally, and internationally in a scientific and professional manner.
Course Outline:
| Topic | Description | |
| 1. Introduction to Research | A broad overview of the research process and its importance in complex health challenges at the human-animal-environment interface. |
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| 2. Formulating A One Health Research Problem | Outlines key concepts to formulate research problems from troubling questions that exist in scholarly literature and future improvement, in theory or practise, that point to the need for meaningful understanding and deliberate investigation in complex health challenges under a One Health approach at the human-animal-environment interface. |
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| 3. Literature Review | Explains how to search and evaluate the available literature. |
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| 4. Research Design | Highlights a variety of research designs and their appropriate applications in One Health research |
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| 5. Research Ethics | Provides principles for conducting research responsibly in terms of society and others, the use of resources, and research outputs. |
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| 6. Data Collection | Describes the process of gathering and analysing accurate data from various sources and interpreting research findings to find answers to research problems. |
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| 7. Data Analysis and Interpretation |
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| 8. Writing a Research Proposal | Highlights the process of preparing a research proposal, including the idea or questions that you intend to address, expected outcomes, budget, and work plan. |
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| 9. Fundamentals of Grant Writing | This unit outlines the basic steps in planning, researching, and writing a grant proposal for funding and explains how a proposal will be reviewed and the funder’s financial considerations. |
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| 10. Writing A Research Report | Describes how to write clearly and concisely about the process and findings of research and discusses correlations and gaps that need further inquiry. |
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Readings
- Zinsstag, J., Schelling, E., Crump, L., Whittaker, M., Tanner, M. and Stephen, C. (eds) (2020). One Health: The Theory and Practice of Integrated Health Approaches. (2nd ed.). CABI, UK.
- Kumar, R. (2011). Research Methodology: A step-by-step guide for beginners (3rd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA, Sage.
Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Description: This course introduces students to the key theories, concepts, and approaches to leadership and management in One Health.
Course Learning Outcomes:
On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
- Apply effective leadership and management skills that are required for working in complex national, regional, and global health environments to promote change in One Health practise, policy, and research.
- Apply knowledge to coordinate, collaborate, and communicate effectively with national, regional, and global One Health stakeholders.
Course Outline:
Topic | Description |
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1. Leadership & Management Theories | This unit introduces students to leadership and management theories and their impact on One Health actions. |
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2. Supervision and Delegation | Highlights the fundamental concepts and principles in assigning, delegating, and supervising healthcare for all and how to evaluate the performance of the team. |
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3. Negotiation Skills | Introduces students to the key principles of negotiation, the attributes of a good negotiator, and how to lead a successful negotiation. |
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4. Conflict Management | Provides students with key principles to identify and manage conflicts sensibly, fairly, and efficiently. |
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5. Leading and Managing Change | Describes leadership roles in designing, implementing, and managing organisational and strategic change under the One Health perspective. |
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6. Systems Thinking in One Health | Highlights key concepts of systems thinking and how to apply its tools to One Health issue. |
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7. Financial Management | Provides the principles of financial management and the roles and obligations of leaders and managers in relation to financial management. |
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8. One Health in Leadership | Explores the importance of incorporating the One Health concept into the political, public, and private leadership at different institutions for effective leaders’ thinking about health-related preparedness and response. |
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9. Project Management in One Health | This unit introduces students to the steps in the project management cycle and how to apply the skills to One Health actions to improve quality and productivity. |
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10. Effective Communication on One Health | Describes a strategic approach for effectively communicating One Health information, advice, and guidance to influence and empower individuals, communities, and decision-makers to make healthier choices for all. |
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11. Stakeholder Engagement | Introduces students to how to engage and empower others to act in managing and leading One Health actions. |
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Readings
- Gary A. Yukl; William L. Gardner. (2019). Leadership in Organizations. 9th Edition. Pearson.
- Rowits, L. (2014). Public Health Leadership: Putting Principles into Practice. 3rd Edition. Jones & Bartlett Learning
- Additional readings of published scientific studies will be assigned.
Taught by leading field experts.
Students have the opportunity to learn from and engage with leading One Health experts. Our worldwide team of programme instructors contributes a range of backgrounds, expertise, and passion to our programme, ensuring students are provided with the highest level of academic excellence.
