What is Public Health?

Most of the diseases are preventable through simple precautions. For example, washing hands with soap can prevent the spread of various contagious infections. Vaccination is one the most popular prophylactic practices being followed for many years as a preventive public health measure. Use of condoms during sexual intercourse prevents the transmission of sexually transmitted diseases. All these measures are excellent examples to simplify the concept of public health interventions. Further, public health also includes measures to prevent a disease outbreak by controlling the spread of pathogen.

Public health aims at improving the quality of life through prevention and treatment of diseases and hence became most vital for disease prevention and emergency response and preparedness. It immensely contributes to improving the health of populations and increasing life expectancy. This interdisciplinary field incorporates various subfields such as biostatistics, environmental health, behavioural health, community health, public policy, health economics, mental health, occupational safety and health, sexual and reproductive health. In India, the public health system is managed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare of the Government of India with health care facilities maintained by states.

How to become a Public Health Officer?

Public health officers focus on the overall health of communities rather than treating individual patients. They work at local, state and federal levels to assess health risks and accordingly develop strategies to manage the upcoming crisis. Supported by institutions such as the World Health Organization and the World Bank, public health education has emerged enormously in recent decades. Education and training in this field is available throughout the world in institutes of public health, medical colleges, veterinary colleges, nursing schools and schools of social and public affairs. Apart from this, there are various accredited online courses available in the field of public health.

Career Opportunities for a Public Health Officer

Public Health Officers find career opportunities in public health departments, non-government organizations, healthcare associations, consulting firms, hospitals, nursing homes, mental health organizations, rehabilitation centres, federal agencies, universities, etc.

Online Courses in Public Health at James Lind Institute

James Lind Institute (JLI) offers various online courses in the field of public health and tropical medicine to train workforce that are skilled enough to prevent and fight various infectious disease epidemics and increase life expectancy across geographies and age groups. The following programs are offered in this category:

• Advanced PG Diploma in Public Health Research
• Advanced PG Diploma in Global Health Management and Policy
• Advanced PG Diploma in Global Sexual and Reproductive Health Management
• Advanced PG Diploma in Global Maternal and Child Health
• Advanced PG Diploma in Healthcare and Hospital Management
• Advanced PG Diploma in Tropical Medicine, Surveillance and Immunization
• Professional Diploma in Medical Tourism and healthcare Marketing
• Advanced Certificate in Medical Law and Bioethics
• Certificate in Healthcare Risk Management
• Professional Diploma in Public Health Management
• Master of Science in Health Management
• Advanced PG Diploma in Occupational Health and Safety Management

Enrolment in these courses typically requires a basic degree or higher diploma in any one of the core disciplines such as bioscience/life sciences, medicine, pharmaceutical sciences, biostatistics, bioinformatics, chemistry, nursing, law and related branches. These courses are also applicable to individuals who are not graduated in the above mentioned fields but with a prior work experience in public health, health management and allied areas. However, eligibility criteria to enrol differ for each of these courses. Detailed eligibility criteria are available on the programs pages on the website.
The curriculums for these programs are highly industry specific and developed by experts in the relevant fields. These programs are self-paced and the students will be assessed by their respective faculty on an on-going basis depending on their performance in online examinations and timely submission of assignments.
Some of the outstanding features of James Lind Institute are the technologically advanced e-campus that acts as a robust platform for online discussions between students and the faculty members, the Online Campus Tutoring Center (OCTC) where the faculty answers all questions related to the programs. Placement assistance and career development support are also provided towards the end of the program, if required.
For more information on various online training programs available in the fields of their curriculum, eligibility criteria to enrol in those courses, fee structure, assessment, career opportunities and academic support, please visit www.jliedu.com