Community-Based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health

Program Overview

Please note: The Master of Applied Science (MAS) program in Community-based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health is not open to new matriculants in AY22-23. Students previously admitted to the program should consult the prior catalogue/guidebook under which they were admitted or review the OPAL Student Resources site in CoursePlus. For additional information, please follow up directly with OPAL Office to verify program requirements; [email protected].

The Master of Applied Science (MAS) is a fully online, part-time degree designed for working professionals, delivered through the Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL). Programs focus on emergent industry sectors in public health and health care that have a need for highly skilled professionals. By building on the strengths of the School, they provide unmatched opportunities for advanced training and focus on both local and global health issues. Students are prepared to create innovative solutions through multidisciplinary approaches that apply the latest scientific knowledge. All MAS programs will culminate in a final Integrative Activity. The goal of this activity is for students to synthesize knowledge and skills obtained through coursework in a final project that demonstrates mastery of program competencies, as applied to real-world public health and health care questions. Students can complete their degree program in as little as two years, but are allowed up to four years.

The MAS program in Community-based Primary Health Care builds on the community health strengths of the Bloomberg School and the Department of International Health, which provides unmatched opportunities for advanced training, focuses on both local and global issues, and prepares students to address public health problems through multidisciplinary approaches that apply the latest scientific knowledge. The program will provide students with the skills to plan, implement, and evaluate community-based public health programs and services in countries throughout the world. Our focus on Primary Health Care is in keeping with the Alma Ata Declaration that is built on active community participation. We hope that as a result of this course students will be able to involve the communities where they work in being active partners in the provision of their own health care.

LinkedIn Group

We have established a LinkedIn group for each of the OPAL program areas in order to strengthen connections between current students, faculty, and alumni of OPAL programs, as well as to facilitate student-to-student peer networking.

Participation is voluntary, but we encourage students to join this professional networking community.

BSPH OPAL Programs in Global Health

Additional Public Health Learning Resources

The Mid-Atlantic Regional Public Health Training Center provides links to many of its online learning resources, as well as external resources, databases and public health organizations. These can be used to supplement learning on a particular topic, or provide background material. Many of these resources are available for free via their website.

The Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins has many resources related to research, writing and documentation on their YouTube channel.

The School has a number of research and practice related seminar series that occur throughout the year and contribute to the intellectual community of the School, for students, staff, and faculty.  The Bloomberg School has a website that provides some additional resources for practitioners as well.

Practitioners can also access dozens of courses from Bloomberg School faculty on Coursera. Practice-focused offerings include courses on topics such as gun violence, food systems, health equity, biostatistics, and epidemiology, among others. 

MAS in Community-based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health Contact Information

MAS Program Adviser

William Brieger, DrPH
Professor and Program Director, MAS and Certificate programs in Global Health
Email: [email protected]

For Program-wide Issues

Elizabeth F. Topper, PhD, MEd, MPH
Senior Lecturer and Director, Online Programs for Applied Learning (OPAL)
Email: [email protected]

PROGRAM COMPETENCIES

Please note: The Master of Applied Science (MAS) program in Community-based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health is not open to new applicants in AY22-23. Students previously admitted to the program should consult the prior catalogue/guidebook under which they were admitted or review the OPAL Student Resources site in CoursePlus. For additional information, please follow up directly with OPAL Office to verify program requirements; [email protected].

The Master of Applied Science in Community-based Primary Health Care Programs in Global Health is an interdisciplinary program. Faculty at the Bloomberg School of Public Health contribute to the program via course development, teaching, and advising students. The topics and concepts allow graduates to build a diverse skill set focusing on the design, analysis, implementation and evaluation of large-scale community-based primary health care programs.

By the end of the program, students should be able to:

A. Core Global Health Practice Competencies

1. Apply capacity building processes to global health programming in low and middle-income countries.
2. Identify and collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders whose active participation is required for successful global health programming at community, sub-national, national and regional levels.
3. Apply ethical reasoning to the policy and programming decisions needed for designing and implementing global health programs in low and middle-income countries.
4. Exhibit a health equity and social justice lens in the design and conduct of global health programs.
5. Apply appropriate management processes in the design, implementation and evaluation of global health programs.
6. Demonstrate social, cultural and political awareness of the context in which global health programming takes place.
7. Conduct strategic analysis of factors that influence the success of global health programming.

B.    Community-Based Primary Health Care Competencies

1. Use community-based approaches to address priority health problems through full participation of community members and groups
2. Design and manage implementation of household surveys that yield relevant health and social data needed to plan community-based PHC programs
3. Analyze local contexts and project implementation designs in order to develop evaluation plans that can be practically applied to community-based PHC programs in middle and low-resource settings
4. Design a community-based primary health care program from the analysis through implementation to evaluation stages
5. Prepare a training plan for front-line and community health workers involved in community-based PHC
6. Conduct a detailed analysis of the demographic, epidemiological and social aspects of a major health need in a low- or middle-income country.

Hopkins invests in developing global perspectives so students can be engaged citizens wherever they are.

As a global university with students from all over the world, we welcome all kinds of experiences and new ways of thinking. We’re here to connect international students with the resources you need to become leaders and active members in our community and beyond. 

Please email [email protected] with any general international admissions questions. You can also email your regional admissions counselor if you have any questions specific to the area where you live or study.