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.

Start: 20/05/2024

Duration: 2 weeks

Location: Blended course (1 week online + 1 week at KIT Amsterdam)

EC: 3

Language: English

Course period (2024): week 1: 20-24 May 2024 (e-learning), week 2: 27-31 May 2024 (face-to-face)

Course fee (2024): EUR 1.600 (for only week 1: EUR 780)

Reduced course fees (2024): tropEd / VU students EUR 1.280 (for only 1 week: EUR 640)

KIT application deadline (course period 2024): 15/03/2024

KIT application deadline if you apply for OKP Scholarship (course 2024): CLOSED >> 01/06/2023

OKP scholarship application period (course 2024): CLOSED >> 28 June - 5 September 2023, 16:00 CET

Contact: courses@kit.nl

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:

Defining digital health, principles and classification

Opportunities and limitations for digital health in LMICs

Surveying demand and feasibility of digital health solutions

Guidance on implementation of digital health interventions

Digital Health and Health Equity

Objectives

Week 1:

At the end of the first week, participants will be able to:

Explain principles and concepts of digital health, including the effect of digital health on health behaviour and on health systems

Discuss digital health interventions as means to address health challenges in different settings

Discuss opportunities and limitations that digital health interventions bring while providing Universal Health Coverage in high, low and middle-income countries

Recognize and address ethics and health equity data governance issues related to digital health interventions

Week 2:

At the end of the first week, participants will be able to:

Develop strategic problem-solving strategies using digital health to address challenges in the health sector

Combine technical, analytical and networking skills for developing and embedding digital health interventions in a systemic approach

Develop and evaluate potential digital tools and strategies in different settings (acknowledging their characteristics, strengths, weaknesses, and performance while implemented)

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

Online (synchronous, twice a day) keynotes focusing on key concepts of the course;

Online (synchronous twice a day) practical sessions (tutorials) aimed at introducing specific fields of DH or techniques;

Access to our online education environment – KIT Virtual Grounds – for asynchronous activities and course materials and resources.

Week 2 (face-to-face in Amsterdam)

The second week include a strong focus on applying the knowledge and skills acquired during week 1.

Labs and guided work: moments where students have the opportunity to apply what they have learned trying to solve a practical problem of the field with a DHI. Diverse labs will be offered during the week, to challenge your strategic thinking in different themes/fields.

Work sessions: participants work in groups developing a digital health intervention proposal to address a real-life problem. A presentation is given at the end of the second week with the outline of the project proposal. A written proposal is submitted for examination on Friday afternoon, after considering feedbacks received on the presentation.

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:

Keynotes = lectures on key concepts of the course.

Meet & Greet = social dynamics where everyone gets to know each other in a fun way to establish rapport and social network.

Tutorials = practical sessions introducing the participant to a specific technique to apply in their projects.

Q&A = on the first day, participants will have questions, so this is a moment for a general plenary of comments, questions, clarifications and suggestions.

Labs = moments when participants have the opportunity to apply the knowledge gained from keynote and tutorials to work on a practical problem, sharpening strategic thinking for applying DH solutions. The idea is to design a digital health intervention to a real problem.

Project Pitch = for those attending the second week, we will work on an actual project for the whole week. Project leaders (our personnel) will pitch some projects they want to work on, and participants will choose which team they will join. We expect the proposed projects to be real-life cases KIT and partners are working on and that we have at least 4 participants interested in each project pitched to form a few teams.

Work Sessions = time of teamwork (participants + project leader) to develop the DHI in the second week.

Final Presentation = plenary moment when each group presents the project DHI planned to the others and delivers a written proposal according to a previously agreed template.

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

Academic training at least to the level of a bachelor’s degree or equivalent, in medicine, public health or another field related to health care, such as health sciences, environmental sciences, economics, biostatistics, social sciences or nursing. Other fields might be considered if motivated on the cover letter.

Two years of relevant work experience, including work experience in health in low and middle-income settings.

Proficiency in spoken and written English

Computer literacy demonstrated by the ability to correctly and independently upload electronic documents in the online application system.

Motivation for the course, demonstrated by a motivation letter stating why the applicant wants to follow this specific course at KIT and how it aligns to your career plans.

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:

Updated CV

A one-page letter of motivation

Copies of your BSc diplomas and grade reports

An up-to-date curriculum vitae

If you are a TropEd student, VU student, or KIT alumni, please add also proof of this in order to get the discount on the course fee.

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:

Go to our FAQ Online Application System-page

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.