Adaptive Management and Learning to Improve Health Programming in LMICs

3 Credits.

Introduces students to global mental health symptoms and syndromes and the variety of strategies and interventions used to treat such symptoms. Discusses mental health services as an integral part of global health research and program development. Addresses methods of adapting and developing intervention approaches in low-resource countries, as well as research designs used to evaluate mental health interventions. Challenges students to use critical and creative thinking skills throughout to discuss the issues involved in this relatively new area. Focuses on cross-cultural challenges in conducting mental health research in low-resource settings. Topics covered include overview of mental health issues in low-resource countries; cultural issues, developing, modifying and disseminating mental illness prevention and intervention strategies, and the interplay between mental health and related topics such as HIV and violence.