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Humanitarian Health Courses

For those wanting to train in humanitarian health, there are a number of leading institutions providing quality recognised courses online. The below online courses cover humanitarian health topics including health programming in disaster zones, women and girl’s health, infectious and non-communicable diseases and global public health. The online trainings are ideal for those who want to gain recognised qualifications in humanitarian health, including those already working in the international aid industry and students wanting a career as humanitarian health workers.

Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies – Emory University

Created by the Centre for Humanitarian Emergencies and the American CDC’s Emergency Response and Recovery Branch, this online course allows students to investigate the technical and managerial skills needed to run humanitarian health projects in complex responses. The web course particularly focuses on humanitarian health in refugee camp settings and has modules covering assessing humanitarian health needs, nutrition, epidemiology of major health crises and health surveillance. The online course also provides practical tools for running humanitarian health programmes.

Offered online by Emory University, the Health in Complex Humanitarian Emergencies course ensures students have knowledge in assessing complex humanitarian disasters, calculating basic health interventions, evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of possible humanitarian health responses and mitigations for internal and external factors that may disrupt aid delivery in complex humanitarian emergencies. The web course is ideal for those currently working in humanitarian health as well as students and graduates wanting a career in humanitarian health especially in emergency response.

Non-Communicable Diseases in Humanitarian Settings – University of Copenhagen

The spread of disease can massively increase during a humanitarian crisis. This online course by the University of Copenhagen explores the humanitarian health methods that can be used to prevent people succumbing to non-communicable diseases (NCD). Humanitarian disasters also negatively affect healthcare systems and prevent people from accessing care for NCDs. This web course focuses on positive solutions to providing care in humanitarian settings and explores the methods for preventing, treating and caring for people with NCDs affected by disasters.

The University of Copenhagen’s online course on Non-Communicable Diseases in Humanitarian Settings is ideal for those already working in humanitarian health as well as students looking to start their career in the aid industry. The course focuses on the three main areas of why reducing the impact of NCDs in the humanitarian crises is important, what current humanitarian health interventions can be done, and also the ongoing and future challenges and opportunities for humanitarian health workers to respond to NCDs in areas of conflict and disaster.

Global Health and Humanitarianism – University of Manchester

The University of Manchester offers an online course that combines the theories and practice of global health with the specific needs of those affected by humanitarian emergencies. The course focuses on the three main topics of introducing global health, humanitarian responses and the dilemmas posed to health and the rights to humanitarian health assistance and providing protection. The online course is aimed as an introduction for beginners and is ideal for those wanting to pursue a career in humanitarian health as well as current health practitioners who want more knowledge of how humanitarian crises directly impact global health.

The web course on Global Health and Humanitarianism by the University of Manchester encourages students to engage with the key ethical and moral challenges of running humanitarian health responses. Students on the online course are also encouraged to develop their own thinking around the role humanitarian health programming can play in global health and challenge current orthodoxies and explore new trends. The web course also explains core humanitarian health principle through case studies and research, allowing students to critique recent and ongoing global health interventions.

Foundations for Global Health – University of Colorado

For those with an interest in humanitarian health, this online course from the University of Colorado covers the Foundations of Global Health. Exploring how international economic and social integration has impacted global health with positive and negative trends, the online course is designed to introduce the practical tools needed for global health responders. The course also provides the skills needed to run humanitarian health programmes across global settings and focuses on specific activities of health responders.

The online course on the Foundations for Global Health by the University of Colorado begins with an introduction to the key concepts of global health, it then goes on to cover humanitarian health topics such as access to healthcare, food security, clean water and climate change. The web course also explores humanitarian health issues such as infectious and non-communicable diseases and mental health. There are also web modules that focus on specific humanitarian disasters such as conflicts, natural disasters and forced migrations and how these relate to humanitarian health. The course also provides specific humanitarian health standards and tools.

Effects of Emergencies on Health and Nutrition: An Introduction – Save the Children

Save the Children is one of the leading humanitarian agencies working with children affected by disasters and conflict. This online course by Save the Children introduces students to the main risk factors relating to health and nutrition that occur in a humanitarian emergency and provides tools and practices on running effective humanitarian health and nutrition programmes. The aim of the course is to build the capacity of those working in humanitarian health and nutrition to limit preventable illness and death.

The online course on the Effects of Emergencies on Health and Nutrition by Save the Children covers the basic ideas and foundations of the impact humanitarian emergencies have on the health and nutrition of those affected. The web course can be an introduction for those wishing to get a better understanding of the links between humanitarian health, nutrition and emergency response, as well as for more advanced students wanting to refresh their understanding of humanitarian health. The web course is available in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.

Violence Against Healthcare – Universite de Geneve

Wars and conflicts have a massive negative impact on the health of populations and on healthcare systems. Often, humanitarian health programmes are run to mitigate the impact of human violence on healthcare. This online course by the University of Geneva teaches participants practical tools that can be utilised by humanitarian workers on the ground, as well as policy makers and governments, to try and protect health staff and facilities during conflicts. The online course also shows how constructive dialogue between humanitarian health workers and armed groups is vital when supporting healthcare in conflicts.

The web course from the University of Geneva on Violence Against Healthcare covers the roles, responsibilities and ethical requirements of humanitarian health workers in conflict zones. It also informs students on the relevant international and humanitarian laws as well as human rights protocols that are needed when working on health projects in war zones. The online course is ideal for those currently working in humanitarian health and want to specialise in conflict situations, as well as for those wanting to move into a career in humanitarian health work.

International Women’s Health and Human Rights – Stanford University

The University of Stanford’s online course in International Women’s Health and Human Rights links healthcare for women and girls with human rights, and explores the intersections that occur preventing women accessing their needs. Covering key humanitarian health topics such as gender-based violence, women in conflict settings and forced migration and women in poverty. The online course also includes study of community engagement in relation to women’s health and human rights, sexual and reproductive health and HIV/Aids – all crucial topics for understanding current humanitarian health trends.

The online course on International Women’s Health and Human Rights offered by Stanford University is aimed as an introduction to the key issues facing women and girls worldwide and how healthcare and human rights impacts them globally. The course is ideal for anyone wanting to get a better understanding of the intersections of women’s human rights and health, including those currently working in humanitarian health or looking to enter the aid sector. The course is designed by current global health practitioners.

Improving the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also offers an online humanitarian health course on improving the health of women, children and adolescents. The web-based course explores the latest information, priorities, challenges and debates over the health of mothers and children worldwide. Ideal for those working or wanting to work in humanitarian health, the online course teaches students how innovative humanitarian responses can markedly reduce maternal and infant deaths worldwide, as well as how evidence-based practice can be used in humanitarian health programming.

Taken online, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine course on Improving the Health of Women, Children and Adolescents: from Evidence to Action focuses on key humanitarian health issues such as the issues affecting adolescents and young people, sexual and reproductive health, contraception and family planning and the health of women during pregnancy and childbirth. The online course also focuses on data and evidence to summarise key research on how humanitarian health can assist women and girls, as well as exploring the gaps in current programming.

Global Health: Ebola, Covid, and Beyond – University of Maryland

Covering highly relevant and current global events such as Ebola and Covid-19, the University of Maryland’s online course on Global Health is ideal for those interested in humanitarian health. The course explores how multi-functional teams can work together to tackle global health and humanitarian crises. The online course also explores how globalisation has affected global health and links this to economic, political and social development as well as global poverty – key ideas related to humanitarian health.

The Global Health: Ebola, Covid and Beyond online course by University of Maryland encourages participants to explore core questions that relate to humanitarian health. These include how local health crises and compounded and affect the health of populations worldwide, what creates a healthy society and how methods can be used to increase a societies health, as well as which organisations lead the fight for global health. The online course focuses on specific, real-world case studies such as SARS, Ebola, Zika and the Covid-19 pandemic.

Disaster Medicine Training – Stanford University

Stanford University has developed an online training for healthcare workers who respond to disasters and humanitarian emergencies. The course covers how to create a flexible medical team able to work in complex crises, as well as how this team should prepare for deployment within the first 72 hours of a disaster. The online training also explains how humanitarian health disaster response teams should be trained and the core curricula that should be in-place. The course also covers humanitarian health disaster response best practice.

Developed by the Stanford Emergency Medicine Program for Emergency Response (SEMPER), the online Disaster Medicine training by Stanford University is one of the leading humanitarian health courses. The web training is aimed at those already working in the medical field who need to gain knowledge and practical experience of humanitarian health work especially in disaster zones. The course can also be relevant for current humanitarian workers who wish to gain a better understanding of medical responses in disasters.

Foundations of Global Health – John Hopkins University

The John Hopkins University online course on the Foundations of Global Health is an introduction to the key factors affecting the health of world populations. Covering a wide range of topics, including assessing the strength of healthcare systems and primary healthcare, the course is highly relevant to those interested in humanitarian health. The web training has modules specifically on public health in humanitarian crises, community change in public health and training programmes for community health workers.

Taken entirely online, the John Hopkins University course on the Foundations of Global Health explores core topics related to humanitarian health programming. This includes how to plan, implement and evaluate effective humanitarian health projects, as well as how health projects should be adaptable to different humanitarian settings. The course also covers the differences in humanitarian health programming in low- and middle-income countries. The course has been developed by leading practitioners in global public health and humanitarian response.

Health in Humanitarian Crises – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine is one of the world’s leading institutions specialising in global and humanitarian health. This free online course focuses on the health impacts of armed violence, natural disasters, forced displacement and disease outbreaks. Taking a combined look at individuals health and health systems, the online programme asks three main questions: what are the foundational health needs in a humanitarian crisis? How can humanitarians develop health responses? And what will be the humanitarian health needs of the future?

Completely free to take online, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine course on Health in Humanitarian Crises explores the specific health challenges humanitarian health workers face, as well as how aid programmes can be run to provide support. The humanitarian health course by London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine also investigates the economic, social, cultural and political factors that result in humanitarian crises and how healthcare providers and individuals affected by disasters can respond. The free online humanitarian health course is ideal for those already working in health programmes with NGOs or the UN, or want to move into a career in humanitarian health.