Public health education in Latvia

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Public health education in Latvia

• Anita Villerusa
• Dean, Faculty of Public health
• Riga Stradins University

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Riga Stradin University

• In 1919 the Faculty of Medicine was formed at the
  University of Latvia.
• In 1950 was founded Riga Medical Institute, as
  independent University type State medical
  education establishment.
• In 1990 Riga Medical Institute was renamed
  Medical Academy of Latvia. ( AML- Academia
  Medicinae Latviensis).
• In 2002 Medical Academy of Latvia was reorganized
  and renamed Riga Stradins University

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Riga Stradins University

• The number of students in academic year 2003/2004
  are 3500,
• Teaching staff 360, of them 62 professors, 82
  asociated professors.

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The structure of RSU

• Faculty of Medicine, Stomatology, Pharmacy,
  Nursing, Rehabilitation, Public Health and Social
  sciences.
• 41 departments, 7 institutes, 7 schools, 2
  centres.

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The faculty of Public Health

• Established in year 1997/1998
• Studies for the Bachelour degree lasts for 4
  years.( 160 Credits )
• The study program consists of eight terms, 2
  practice trainings and bachelour degree work
• The core of the program is common, but in the
  fourth year students have a possibility to chose
  selective course depending on professional
  direction ( health promotion and education,
  environmental health and health care
  administration).

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Bachelour program in Public health

• The study program provide basic knowledge and
  skills in the field of natural sciences and
  medicine ( anatomy, biology, chemistry,
  physiology, pathology, clinical disciplines
  etc.),
• sociology, psychology, law, economy, statistics,
• public health, health care administration, social
  medicine, environmental health, occupational
  health, epidemiology, health promotion.

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Departments in RSU offering courses for Public
Health students

• Department of Public health and epidemiology,
• Department of biostatistics and physics,
• Institute of Occupational and Environmental
  Health,
• Department of Infectious Diseases, Tuberculosis
  and Specific Epidemiology,
• Department of Physiology,
• Department of chemistrie,
• Institute of anthropology and anatomy,
• Department of humanitarian sciences
• Department of psychology and psychosomatic
  medicine etc.

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Departments in RSU offering courses for Public
Health students (2)

• Department of Dermatovenerology,
• Department of obstetrics and gynecology,
• Department of Pediatrics,
• Department of Therapy,
• Laboratory of nutrition,
• Department of sociology,
• Department of Sport and Rehabilitation and others

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Cooperation with PH institutions

• Public Health Agency
• Health Promotion centre
• Agency of Health statistics and Medical
  technologies

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The School of Public health at Riga Stradins
University

• the School was founded in 1993 at the Medical
  Academy of Latvia.
• Since 1996 offers 2 year professional Master
  degree study program in Public health.
• The total period of studies is 4 semesters
  including 40 course credits, from which 32
  credits come from the theoretical courses and 8
  from writing the theses

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Professional program Master of Public Health

• Obligatory course
• Introduction to Public Health I- 4 credits
• Introduction to Public Health II- 4 credits
• Health policy, strategy and planning I- 4 credits
• Health policy, strategy and planning II- 4
  credits
• Elective course
• Health promotion and health education- 4 credits
• Health sector management- 2 credits
• Introduction in health economics- 2 credits
• Basic epidemiology- 2 credits
• Introduction in psychosocial medicine- 3 credits
• Environmental health- 2 credits
• Health ethics- 2 credits
• Presentation skills- 1 credits
• Communication skills- 2 credits

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Master of sciences in Public health

• Program Purpose and OrientationThe program is
  directed towards the education and training of
  researchers in the public health and health care.
  
• The program emphasizes the importance of theory
  in research, multiple levels of analysis ranging
  from the individual to the societal, quantitative
  and qualitative method, and evidence based public
  health perspectives

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The Program of Master of sciences in Public Health

• Obligatory courses
• Research methodology- 5 credits
• Epidemiology- 10 credits
• Qualitative methods in research- 5 credits
• Biostatistics- 10 credits
• Elective course
• Health promotion policy and practice
• Environmental health and risk assessment
• Occupational health and labor medicine
• Patients rights
• Health care management
• Management of emergency epidemiological
  situations
• Psychosocial Problems in Working Place
• Professional Ethics
• Etiquette and Self- Presentation
• Communication skills
• Office work
• Master thesis- 20 credit points

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Research Methodology ( 5 credit points)

• This course will provide an overview of selected
  methods used in conducting public health
  research.
• To give insight into evidence based Public
  health approach, importance of literature in
  research. Use of theories in public health
  research.
• The course will address all phases of the
  research process, from generating research
  questions and hypotheses, to study design,
  measurement, data collection, and planning data
  analyses. During research the students will get
  an idea on formulating Qualitative and
  Quantitative approach in making a research plan.

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Epidemiology II 10 credits

• The aim of the course is to increase students
  understanding, knowledge and skills beyond the
  basic level of epidemiology for strengthening
  capability of their independent planning and
  executing public health research. To introduce to
  principles and methods of extended epidemiologic
  analysis.
• The content of the course include recall of the
  basic epidemiology, general concepts of
  causality, study designs, measures of
  associations, survival analysis, accuracy and
  validity questions, theory about errors and
  different biases, methods to assess and control
  confounders, questions about factor interactions,
  methods of stratified and adjusted analysis,
  multivariate analysis.

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Biostatistics 10 credits

• The aim of the course is to train students in the
  theory and practice of biostatistics.
• The content of the course include recall of the
  basic statistics, probability, discrete
  probability distribution, continuous probability
  distributions, hypothesis testing, nonparametric
  methods, hypothesis testing categorical data,
  regression and correlation methods, multisample
  inference, hypothesis testing person- time data
  etc.
• Students should be able to apply knowledge and
  skills in programmes SPSS, STATISTICA

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Qualitative research methods 5 credits

• The course is designed to introduce students with
  qualitative research methodology and to teach
  skills for performing research projects based on
  qualitative data.
• Five types of qualitative traditions of research
  will be explored biography, phenomenology,
  grounded theory, ethnography and case study.
• Qualitative data collection methods, observation,
  recordings and interviewing will be practiced.
  The following areas will be explored theory of
  field research, approaches to field research,
  research problems for qualitative approaches to
  fieldwork, methods of sampling, data collection
  and data analyses.

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A Joint Program of Open Society Institute (OSI)
the Association of Schools of Public Health in
the European Region (ASPHER)STREAM 2 PARTNERSHIP
PROGRAM

• The aim of the project is development of the
  curriculum and the program for advance training
  at the Master Sc. degrees in Public health and
  increasing the number of young public health
  researchers and teachers

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The goals of the programme

• to promote establishment of public health
  education system in Latvia, stressing research
  oriented approach
• to train local academic staff to prepare and
  develop own programmes and curricula
• to develop and deepen co-operation among academic
  staff in Latvia and EEC countries to accumulate
  experience and education materials
• to join credit transfers system in field of
  public health within Europe.

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Crusial area for further development of the
Master of sciences in Public health

• program development
•  capacity bilding
•  improvement basic resources

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Increasing the numbers of the faculty and
building their capacity by

• Improving their theoretical knowledge and
  practical skills in teaching advance courses
• Introducing new problem oriented pedagogical
  methods
• Increasing the activity in research and the
  publishing practice

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The improvement of the learning facilities

• Supplementing the library with the books
• With the 1 2 scientific journals
• Purchase of licensed PC programs
• ( SPSS, Nudist) and adequate teaching
  literature on application of these programs

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Training for trainers Health and Health policy
research and practice interaction.

• Health status monitoring. Determinantes of
  health. Health indicators.
• Needs assessment. Priority setting in Public
  Health. Strategic planning.
• Implementation and evaluation of Public Health
  interventions

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The objective of the training

• To instruct the trainers in the usage of the
  progressive interactive methods
• New knowledge in development of various
  indicators for the evaluation of health status,
  assessment of the health care system and
  development, implementation and evaluation of
  health policy
• Increase usage of the evidence based decisions
  in practice among students.
• To link science and theory with practice.

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Workshop Methods and strategies in bridging the
gap between research and practice in public
health, with special emphasis on the situation in
Latvia

• The outcome would be to increase the competence
  among the participants in teaching students
• How to use theories and research methods and to
  communicate their use to practitioners, with the
  ultimate goal to improve population health
• How to use different competencies in society to
  increase communication between professionals and
  between professionals and the public.
• How to make decision makers aware of public
  health competence
• as a necessary basis for designing and
  implementing health plans.

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Benefit of the OSI/ASPHER project

• Curriculum development
• Strengthening teaching and research capacity
• Increasing the number of staff members at Faculty
  of Public health
• Increasing of the cooperation among academic
  staff and practitioners
• Improvement of facilities
• Collaboration with the PH Schools in the Central
  and Eastern European region.