Tropical Medicine and International Health MSc

Overview

This programme aims to develop the careers of doctors whose interest is the practice of medicine in tropical and low- and middle-income countries. It aims to enhance evidence-based decision making in tropical medicine, international health, and the underpinning disciplines through a wide choice of modules including small group clinically focused teaching.

Objectives

By the end of this programme students should be able to:

• demonstrate understanding of the causation, pathogenesis, clinical features, diagnosis, management, and control of the major parasitic, bacterial, and viral, and noncommunicable diseases affecting tropical and developing countries
• demonstrate a critical understanding of the evidence base of tropical medicine and disease control in developing countries and of its application in the practice of evidence-based tropical medicine and disease control
• demonstrate understanding and skills in diagnostic parasitology microbiology and entomology through the selection of appropriate testing methods and the preparation and examination of biological specimens for identification of common parasitic and bacterial pathogens and associated vectors
• demonstrate understanding of the application of basic epidemiological principles, including selecting an appropriate study design to address a given clinical or public health problem
• demonstrate understanding of the selection application and interpretation statistical methods in the analysis of quantitative data
• demonstrate ability to analyse and synthesise research findings for clinical and disease control decision making (in areas including assessment diagnosis, test selection treatment, prognosis and control) and to critically evaluate their effects
• demonstrate understanding of the key contribution of clinical trials to the evidence base of tropical medicine and international health, and of how such trials are designed, conducted, analyzed and reported
• demonstrate ability to synthesise and communicate relevant medical knowledge and principles at an appropriate level to patients, health care professionals, colleagues and other groups
• demonstrate understanding of the role of basic and applied research underpinning clinical and international public health practice, at an appropriate level depending on the individual student's choice of modules.

Careers

Graduates from this programme go on to a wide variety of career paths including further research in epidemiology, parasite immunology; field research programmes or international organisations concerned with health care delivery in conflict settings or humanitarian crises, or return to academic or medical positions in low- and middle-income countries.

Students must have a degree in medicine and be registered medical practitioners. Preference will be given to candidates who have at least two years of experience working in clinical medicine (in any country) with recent professional experience in a relevant discipline.