The Global Child Health program maximizes student potential through guided learning with mentorship by world-renowned faculty. Students find the program integrates academic training and experiential learning, with online classes for academic credit blended with on-campus programming. Students build an understanding of current and future developments in global child health.
During the program, students learn to:
The program provides students learning opportunities to identify and implement the necessary systems level changes that improve the treatment and care of childhood cancers and catastrophic illnesses. These competencies empower the students to apply their education at the local, regional and global level, across multiple settings, and to accomplish identified goals in complex settings.
The competency-based curriculum focuses on basic and applied research skills, global health systems and innovation and population science, tailored to the context of child health. The program equips students with a distinctive blend of:
Students are trained in three core competency domains: foundational knowledge, translational tools and implementation skills.
Foundational knowledge includes training in the fundamentals of biostatistics and epidemiology, social sciences and child health issues in the context of global health and health systems. Students learn to translate their foundational knowledge into applied research, and evidence-based policies and programs. Implementation skills ultimately guide students towards becoming agents of change by strengthening their communication, leadership and management abilities.
Foundational Knowledge (Concept and Theories) |
Translational Tools (Methods, Analysis and Synthesis) |
Implementation Skills (Execution) |
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Identify and Analyze Data | Develop Evidence Based Policies and Programs | Get Things Done in Complex Health Systems |
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Year 1 | |
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On-Campus Orientation & Summer Intersession (2-3 weeks; July-August 2021) |
Introduction to Online Learning and Math Preparation |
Ethical issues in Global Child Health and Research | |
Leadership, Management, and Communication Workshops | |
Fall Semester (September-December 2021) |
Principles of Biostatistics |
Introduction to Epidemiology | |
Foundations of Global Child Health | |
On-Campus Winter Intersession (2 weeks; January 2022) |
Leadership, Management, and Communication Workshops |
Spring Semester (January-May 2022) |
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Research Methods in Global Health | |
Health Economics | |
Introduction to Health Systems | |
Year 2 | |
On-Campus Summer Intersession (2 weeks; July-August 2022) |
Leadership, Management, and Communication Workshops |
Introduction to the Thesis | |
Fall Semester (September-December 2022) |
Organizational Leadership and Health Communication |
Political Economy of Global Health | |
Thesis Seminar | |
On-Campus Winter Intersession (2 weeks; January 2023) |
Leadership, Management, and Communication Workshops |
Mid-term Thesis Report | |
Spring Semester (January-May 2023) |
Strategic Management of Child Health Programs |
Child Health and Health Systems Innovation | |
Thesis Practicum | |
June 2023 | Graduation |
August 2023-Beyond | Postgraduate Capstone Project Implementation |
Each course is delivered online through two weekly sessions of direct instruction, a maximum of three hours per week and an estimated six hours per week of out-of-class preparation over 15 to 16 weeks. Assignments are posted online, and students complete and upload them to the course website within a stipulated time. Some courses may include group activities and team projects to foster a sense of community and collaboration.
Instructors are available during office hours and by appointment. Multiple ways of communicating are available, although the primary mode is through emails with occasional video chats.
Students have mandatory non-credit workshops and seminars during their four on-campus visits to the St. Jude Graduate School. Orientation and visits during subsequent winter and summer intersessions focus on:
During the four intersessions, students will build skills in leadership, management, and communication. Topics to be covered include issues related to self-mastery, team building, organizational and systems-level leadership, conflict management, public speaking, persuasive presentations, effective writing, basic principles of effective prose and argument in advocacy, opinion pieces, and policy writing. The leadership, management, and communication training over the four Intersessions (Summer 1, Winter 1, Summer 2, and Winter 2) follows the format in the linked PDF.
The thesis is the culmination of studies and the primary locus for translation of knowledge and skills that students acquired through the program. A selection of theses is considered for funding by the Department of Global Pediatric Medicine of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, after successful degree completion. Theses selected for funding will be implemented as “Capstone Projects.”
The Thesis Seminar and Practicum supports students in producing a thesis of high academic standard, guiding them through structured and collaborative approaches to develop a project idea. Students are introduced to the challenges of writing and presenting a thesis. Resources are provided to support students through the process. The Thesis Seminar and Practicum also helps students learn to review scientific literature, collaborate with diverse stakeholders, design action plans, develop proposals and write a final thesis.
Each student is assigned a thesis adviser to provide supportive supervision.
Theses have two main components:
For a complete overview of the two-year curriculum of the MSc in Global Child Health, view the linked PDF.