Syllabus
Completion requirements
Instructor
Monisha Sharma, ScM, PhD Assistant Professor, Department of Global Health, University of Washington Dr. Monisha Sharma is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Global Health. She received her Masters in infectious disease epidemiology from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in epidemiology from the University of Washington. Her research interests include mathematical modeling and cost-effectiveness analyses of HIV testing and linkage to care interventions in sub-Saharan Africa. She is the principal investigator of a K01 award to design an intervention into increase men’s uptake of HIV self-testing and clinic linkage in Uganda. During her joint postdoctoral fellowship with UW and the Harvard School of Public Health, she worked to develop a mathematical model of HIV/HPV co-infection to project the cost-effectiveness of cervical cancer prevention strategies in South Africa. She is currently working on a scale up project of Assisted Partner Notification services in Kenya and collaborates with the Institute for Disease Modeling to project the impact of scaling up point-of-care viral load monitoring for patients on ART in sub-Saharan Africa.Description
This course introduces the concepts and methods for economic evaluation in low and middle-income countries with a focus on cost-effectiveness analyses. Topics covered include measuring costs, valuing health outcomes in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), discounting, and utilizing models to conduct economic evaluation and evaluate uncertainty. You can also download the course syllabus. You are required to take a Course Policy Quiz to ensure you understand policies and grading for this course.Course Aims
After completing this course, you will be able to:- Understand the rationale and methods for conducting economic evaluations of global health interventions;
- Critically evaluate published papers in the field of global health economic evaluation;
- Identify sources for model parameters including costs and epidemiologic data;
- Understand the theoretical rationale for disability adjusted life years (DALYs) and willingness-to-pay thresholds;
- Participate in the design and conduct of health economic evaluations in collaboration with health economists or mathematical modelers.
Target Audience
This course is appropriate for health care and public health professionals who want a better understanding of the tools, approaches, and applications of economic evaluation. Prior experience with Microsoft Excel would be helpful. Participants are from multiple countries around the world and include health care workers, early to mid-career clinical and public health managers, and program directors.Format
This is a self-paced, online modular course divided into 10 weeks. This course will be delivered entirely online through a course management system named (Moodle). Participants are expected to review the pre-recorded weekly lectures, complete assigned readings and activities, and participate in discussion via the discussion forums. Most participants will also meet with a local study group that is led by a site facilitator. This is meant to increase opportunities for discussion about the relevance of the material to the local setting. Completion of a final course evaluation is strongly encouraged for successful completion of the course.If you have any questions, please look at the course FAQ. If your question isn't answered there, please email edgh@uw.edu.
Grading
To be successful in the course you will need to complete all of the learning activities listed. Final grades will be calculated as follows:| Activity | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Assignments (5 points each, 8 total) | 40% |
| Discussion Forums (2 points each, 5 total) | 10% |
| Quizzes (2.22 points each, 9 total) | 20% |
| Final Project (30 points, 1 total) | 30% |
| Optional Assignments (0 points, 1 total) | 0% |
| Total | 100% |
Submitting Assignments
All assignments for this course will be submitted electronically through Moodle. Assignments must be submitted by the given deadline.Viewing Grades in Moodle
Points you receive for graded activities will be posted to the Moodle Grade Book. Quizzes will be graded upon submission. Discussion and assignment grades are posted by the end of the day Monday after an assignment is due. If you submit your assignment late (after the due date), please note that your grade will be updated approximately 10 days after the due date. All due dates and times are in Pacific Time.Assignments
Assignments
Throughout the course you will complete a series of short assignments aimed to help you apply the concepts taught in each module.Discussion Forums
Your participation in the discussion forums is critical for maximizing your learning experiences in this course. Please refer to the information on posting to discussion forums to read about expectations for posting.Quizzes
Quizzes will open when the module opens. You will have 2 attempts on each quiz. The learning management system will record your highest score.Final Project
Each week in the course you will respond to non-graded questions meant to help you develop a final project. You will use these weekly writing prompts to build your final project and submit it during the last week of the course. The final project is intended to be an application of the information presented in the prior 10-weeks of the course. You will be asked to incorporate key concepts from throughout the course into your project.Optional Learning Activities
In some modules, we have included optional learning activities. These contain additional resources, learning activities, and downloadable resources. Completing these optional activities is for your own enrichment and will not count toward your grade.
Note: there is no final exam.