Global perspectives on Digital Health (GPDH)
This two-weeks course offers an introduction and overview of digital health, including a strong emphasis on how in reality, digital health functions in various settings. Participants will discuss how digital health interventions can help push the triple aim of Universal Health Coverage and Sustainable Goal Development for more people at a lower cost in different settings in high-, low- and middle-income countries. The program discusses what kind of analysis is needed for developing digital health interventions, which stakeholders should be involved and cross-cutting issues to be considered when implementing DHI in low resources settings.
![digital_health1[1]](/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/digital_health11.jpg)

This course is TropEd accreditated and can be followed as a stand-alone course or as an advanced module of the Master in International Health. The first week can be followed as a stand-alone course, for which we offer an attendance certificate. For the two-weeks programme, we offer a certificate of completion after passing the final assessment.
This course is organised jointly with Amsterdam Health and Technology Institute (AHTI) and in cooperation with a number of other partners: Pharmaccess, Joep Lange Institute, Amsterdam Institute for Global Health and Development (AIGHD) and Smarthealth Amsterdam
Content
The contents of the course are:
Objectives
Week 1:
At the end of the first week, participants will be able to:
Week 2:
At the end of the first week, participants will be able to:
Learning methods
The course is designed in an innovative model – similar to hackathons and data sprints, often the standard approach to develop technical skills. In the “sprint” methodology, while learning basic concepts, the participant can also acquire and develop applied skills developing projects to address real health problems. We encourage device and corpus literacy, allocating considerable time to course preparation, live tutorials, practical labs and interaction with partners, facilitators and keynote lectures.
We planned different activities to train theoretical knowledge on digital health and have an overview of practical skills needed to conceive, develop, implement, and evaluate digital health interventions. Using the Active Learning Perspective, the main characteristic of this course is the “hands-on” strategy, allowing the participant to apply during the course the knowledge they are acquiring in real-time.
The first week will cover all the basic aspects and participants will apply the knowledge on a proposed study case.
The workshop nature of the second week is an opportunity to work in challenging real-scenario cases from our course partners.
Week 1 (online)
The first week aims to get the participant acquainted to the basic principles of digital health and possible fields of application
Week 2 (face-to-face in Amsterdam)
The second week include a strong focus on applying the knowledge and skills acquired during week 1.
Assessment
Participants who wish to be examined and/or obtain the credits are required to take the course assignments as follows:
Week one: Open-book exam with a combination of multiple-choice and essay-type questions.
Week two: Group assignment focusing on the development of a Digital Health Intervention (project). The examination is divided into two parts. First, the group delivers a presentation at the end of the second week, added by a written outline of their digital health intervention project.
Learning Methods
This course is offered as a blended model, week 1 online and week 2 in Amsterdam.
The facilitation of the learning experience in the first week will be conducted exclusively via a Moodle-based virtual learning environment (virtualgrounds.kit.nl), which will contain all learning materials. Interaction between learners and the lecturer will be through KIT Virtual Grounds and other tools, such as Zoom. In the Moodle environment, we will provide preparation materials in advance for self-directed learning. There will be daily live sessions.
For the second week, participants will gather at the KIT training centre in Amsterdam and will have a designated working space for the group and venues for lab activities designated in advance.
During the course, considering the hands-on strategy, we planned the following activities:
With this variety of activities, we expect to cover critical skills so that our participants can spot opportunities to develop and apply digital health in their daily routine, being also able to work it out responsibly and ethically. Having this experience in our course, we hope our students can be multiplicators in their countries, advocating for the adoption of DHI to strengthen their health systems and enhance the quality of delivered healthcare.
Application
We developed the “Global Perspectives on Digital Health”, aiming for mid-career and senior health professionals interested in updating their competencies in the field of digital health. We also aim for professionals who want to include digital health components in the programmes/projects they manage at different healthcare levels (in MoH, NGOs, etc.). Finally, we also expect applications from young professionals interested in adding digital health to their portfolios. We are also betting on intergenerational learning, considering the participants’ broad range of ages and backgrounds.
Admission criteria
Application procedure
The application package is due two months before the start of the course.
Please upload your application online. The following documents should be uploaded:
What we expect from your motivation letter:
Please indicate in your motivation letter why you want to follow this specific course, why you want to follow the course at KIT Amsterdam, what do you expect to learn and how you will apply your newly gained competencies from the course in your work, what kind of benefits will it bring to your future career, etc. Describe a relevant problem you have experienced in the last two years that you would like to discuss during this specific course. Your motivation should be about ½-1 page. Please do not repeat your CV again.
This course can be taken on its own, as advanced module of the Master in International Health (MIH) programme.
FAQ Online Application System
Do you have a question about our Online Application System? Then you can find the answer in our FAQ Online Application System:
Practical information
Location
First week: The course will be online. We will use KIT Virtual Grounds, KIT’s virtual community of professionals in health and international development, exchanging material, providing support, and communicating to participants. Zoom will be used for live sessions and group activities (links and descriptions of activities will be announced on Virtual Grounds). This way, we will make it easier for those looking to expand their knowledge but cannot be in Amsterdam. They can be followed via an internet connection from anywhere in the world.
You should make sure to have a good working device and stable internet connection.
Second week: The course is held at KIT’s training facilities in Amsterdam.
Funding
The arrangement of financial support to cover all study costs is the responsibility of the applicant. KIT does not offer financial support or scholarships for this course.
OKP scholarships
For this course and a number of other KIT courses funding from the Orange Knowledge Programme OKP is available for applicants from OKP countries. See the OKP page for more information on the eligible countries, eligibility criteria and application instructions. Applicants from OKP countries are strongly encouraged to apply for an OKP scholarship.
The OKP application has to be submitted via an online application system from Nuffic. All accepted applicants from OKP eligible countries will receive the link to apply automatically when the application period opens. See top of this page for the OKP application deadline for this course.
You are advised to apply as early as possible.
See the detailed instructions on OKP information.
European Credit
The European Credit Transfer System (EC) facilitates the transfer of course credits between different institutions of the same academic level. A course comprising 28 hours of formal teaching and private study is equivalent to one EC credit point.
Accreditation
This course is also accredited for the Master in International Health programme organised by tropEd, a network of European institutions for higher education in international health.
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Up-to-date approach to complex public health issues
Practice-oriented
Exchange between disciplines
Interactive Education
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Participants from diverse backgrounds and countries
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