Health and Community
Itineraries     Curriculum

Download the Health and Community Program Flyer

Itineraries
Spring 2008: Switzerland, India, China, South Africa
Spring 2009 #1: Switzerland, India, China, South Africa
NEW! Spring 2009 #2: United States, Tanzania, Vietnam

IHP’s Health and Community study abroad programs offer a comparative perspective on some of the most challenging health issues around the world. These intellectually stimulating and experientially rich programs can jump-start your graduate education or career in public health, medicine, anthropology, international development or a related field.

Take on big questions:

What keeps people and communities healthy?

How can a deeper understanding of culture transform our view of health?

Why do health disparities within and across countries widen, even as technological “fixes” increase?

What can be done about the health divide—between rich and poor, urban and rural—that exists in many countries?

How do nations define their responsibility to provide quality health care to their citizens?

Is health a fundamental human right?

How do grassroots activism and top-down approaches conflict with or complement one another?

Participants in IHP’s Health and Community programs learn about the ways that individuals and communities respond to the health consequences of their biological, ecological, economic, political, and socio-cultural environments. In each country, we explore:

• an infectious or chronic disease that has a profound international impact, such as HIV/AIDS, TB or malaria, and compare how it is manifested and addressed differently within various populations; 
• a specific environmental challenge to health--water, air, land, and agriculture--and explore it in the context of local culture and politics, national policies, and global forces;  and
• family health and wellness across the life span, with in depth attention to women, children, youth, or the elderly; and
• alternative systems of health and healing in the context of globalization.

Students live and study in city neighborhoods and rural villages, allowing for a deeper understanding of today’s growing rural/urban divide. 

Students gain skills in critical and comparative thinking, while gaining practical knowledge about the health impacts of globalization; comparative health systems, governance and policy-making; public health problems and innovative strategies to address them; and field-based research methods. They will listen to the multiple voices of people in local communities, governing bodies, and non-governmental agencies.

Both programs include a full complement of guest lectures, coursework and field visits. In addition, students have a week in each country to explore, in-depth, a topic of their interest, through case studies and presentations.  Homestays in host communities and IHP’s partnerships with local NGOs and universities allow students to connect with the issues on a deep cultural and personal level. IHP’s Health and Community programs give future health care leaders the confidence to ask important questions and to work toward sustainable and just solutions.

Which program is right for you?
We encourage you to indicate your first and second program choice on your application. While the programs will have many themes in common, students will focus on the most pertinent topics in each location. You may find that one of the programs is better suited to your particular areas of interest than the other. Below is a brief overview of the differences. Please also go to http://ihp.edu/programs/hc/itinerary.htm to read more about the itineraries.

Itinerary #1 Switzerland/India/China/South Africa

• Emphasis on the impact of globalization on the environment and health; health disparities within emerging economy countries; and healing traditions of the North and South.
• The Switzerland launch will give you a thorough understanding of top-down, inter-governmental approaches to public health.
• With four countries on the itinerary, you will gain a wide range of perspectives.

Itinerary #2 United States/Tanzania/Vietnam

• Emphasis on urban migration and its enormous opportunities and costs for family health and well-being;  the unique role of local and foreign NGOs in implementing community health programs; and the lasting impacts of war, including the lingering effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam and health conditions for refugee populations living in Tanzania.
• The U.S. launch will inspire you to action in your home communities when you return.
• You will have more time in each country for in-depth study of issues, within – country comparisons, and engagement with host cultures.  

Accommodations: During the Health and Community program, the majority of time will be spent in home stays although there will be a mix of other group accommodations throughout the semester.

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