Courses

Explore the critical infrastructure operated by local governments and public entities in this 37-minute conference talk. Delve into the technology-enabled services managed by local authorities, public utilities, and maritime ports. Examine the unique security challenges these technologies face and learn about a policy-based control that could potentially reduce government threat surface by 40%. Gain insights from Michael Hamilton of the University of Washington as he discusses recent events, DHS Critical Infrastructure, and various aspects of public sector operations including traffic management, water purification, waste treatment, communication, and emergency management. Understand the role of legislation and cybersecurity insurance in addressing these challenges, and participate in a Q&A session to further explore logical borders and other relevant topics.

Learn how to implement comprehensive observability solutions specifically designed for public sector organizations in this 16-minute conference talk from Conf42 O11y 2025. Explore the unique challenges facing government and public institutions when monitoring their digital infrastructure and discover practical frameworks for overcoming these obstacles. Understand modern observability principles and how they apply to public sector environments, including technical implementation strategies that account for regulatory requirements and budget constraints. Examine real-world case studies demonstrating successful observability transformations in government organizations, with detailed analysis of the outcomes and lessons learned. Follow a structured implementation roadmap tailored for public sector adoption, covering everything from initial assessment to full deployment. Discover the most effective technology stacks for public sector observability, including open-source and commercial solutions that meet security and compliance requirements. Master techniques for measuring return on investment and addressing common implementation challenges such as legacy system integration, security concerns, and resource limitations. Gain actionable insights for taking the next steps in your organization's observability journey, with practical advice for building stakeholder support and ensuring long-term success.

This course, presented by IMF Statistics Department, covers the fundamentals needed to compile and disseminate comprehensive public sector debt statistics (PSDS) that are useful for policy- and decision-makers, as well as other users. The course introduces the conceptual statistical framework for PSDS—as presented in the Public Sector Debt Statistics: Guide for Compilers and Users—in the context of the government finance statistics (GFS) framework, which is harmonized with other macroeconomic statistical frameworks. Basic concepts, definitions, and classifications are covered, along with the principal accounting rules (including valuation and consolidation) that are relevant for PSDS compilation. The course discusses the recommended the instrument and institutional coverage for compiling comprehensive, internationally comparable PSDS, and how to record contingent liabilities such as government guarantees. It also deals with the impact on PSDS of some debt-related issues such as debt assumption, debt forgiveness, on-lending, financial leases, and financial bailouts. Important PSDS compilation considerations—including what PSDS to compile and disseminate—and the IMF’s guidelines and standards on disseminating PSDS are also covered. The course also presents possible uses of PSDS, including debt sustainability analyses (DSA), and fiscal risk and vulnerability analyses.

ABOUT THE COURSE:This course introduces the concepts of Public health and hygiene & health determinants, and provide knowledge about various food components and to educate about communicable and non-communicable diseases. The course will provide awareness and education about various disease preventive and control measures. Students will understand the importance of food components and their deficiency related diseases and balanced diet. The students will learn about causes, and preventive measures of communicable diseases. This course will make the students understand about the cause of life style diseases and how to control them.INTENDED AUDIENCE: Undergraduate and postgraduate level students with interest in Zoology and/or Life Sciences and/or Biomedical Sciences.PREREQUISITES: 12th PCBM and BScINDUSTRY SUPPORT: Public Health sector of Government and NGOs.

This course provides an introduction to evaluating public health programs at scale. This course focuses on evaluating public health programs and policies in low- and middle-income countries, however, core skills of designing and carrying out an evaluation are applicable to any public health programs and policies. The course will equip you with skills to: 1. Critique an evaluation of an international health program, identifying its strengths and possible weaknesses and how they could be addressed. 2. Develop a technically-sound evaluation plan for a reproductive, maternal, newborn, child health (RMNCAH) and nutrition program being implemented at scale in a low- or middle-income country, including evaluation design, key indicators, measurement methods, analysis, and communication of results. 3. Guide program managers and donors through a process of agreeing on priority evaluation activities included in an evaluation plan for a specific RMNCAH and nutrition program. 4. Make informed decisions about whether they want to pursue further learning and/or a professional role as an evaluator of large-scale programs. The development of this course was supported by a grant from Government Affairs Canada (GAC) for the Real Accountability, Data Analysis for Results (RADAR) project.

Reflect on the responsibility of a nurse in public health Public health and the promotion of health and well-being is now at the centre of national and global agendas. On this course, you’ll reflect on the value of nurses as promoters of health – a model for nursing first established by Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. Discover how to define ‘healthy’ You’ll identify what it means exactly to be ‘healthy’, before going on to define what globalisation is, and learn how it is impacting on healthcare. You’ll identify why your nursing might need to change with the times, and describe what the future of public health looks like in practice. Explore health promotion strategies and nursing ethics In week two, you’ll go on to explore the concept of health promotion, understanding how nurses can act to empower individuals to lead healthier lives – just as Nightingale initiated nursing training and education programmes. You’ll also consider the ethical dilemmas nurses can face when working in the field, and how to reconcile these with your work as social reformers and health campaigners. This course is designed for experienced nurses wanting or needing to extend their understanding of how nurses can act as promoters of health.

This free course, Introducing public health, presents some key elements of public health and health promotion. It considers the scope and focus of public health and how it is subject to change and located within the wider global context.

What are the effects of a healthy individual on the world around them? Beyond the hereditary connections between parents and children or the implications of communicable diseases, public health has intrinsic value as a basic human right. Furthermore, health and the three pillars of sustainable development i.e. economic, social and environmental well-being, are intrinsically connected. Global Public Health, is a course taught by experts from the Public Health Foundation of India. It explores the institutions, infrastructure, and the interplay of actors that constitute health not only in local communities but also on a global scale. In this course, you’ll discover how health is influenced by the environment, food systems, energy security, transport, trade, and human migration. You’ll also learn health’s positive influence on other sectors, with investments in health shown to have a positive impact on economic development. Finally, this course will illuminate how health impacts and is essential to achieving poverty reduction, gender empowerment, universal education, conflict resolution, and other Sustainable Development Goals. This course is for: Graduate students and advanced undergraduate students studying public health, international development, public policy, nursing and medicine and other fields who are interested in the key concepts and practices in global public health Healthcare professionals and other practitioners who want to understand their work within the broader context of international policy and the concept of sustainable development Sustainable development practitioners who want to understand the lifecycle of needs and support necessary to improve health globally, including those who work for international aid organizations and nonprofits in the realms of healthcare, poverty, and nutrition

Explore a comprehensive examination of public health's current challenges and future directions in this 51-minute conference talk from The Aspen Institute. Delve into the critical need to rethink public health approaches in light of diminished financial support, outdated methodologies, and eroded public trust in expert guidance—issues intensified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Analyze persistent domestic and global health challenges including obesity epidemics, food and water safety access, infectious disease management, reproductive health services, and tobacco control initiatives. Discover innovative solutions through creative partnerships, technological advancement, and modernized approaches to data utilization, service delivery, and workforce development. Gain insights into building a more responsive and efficient public health system capable of addressing contemporary health crises while preparing for future challenges.

1. Outline various health reforms and disease control programmes in India2. Examine the structure and functioning of country-level and local (District and Taluka level) healthsystems and assess their performance3. Explain the principles of community participation and identify strategies to improve communityparticipation in health programmes4. Compare/contrast various health financing models and use tools to assess degree of coverage ofhealth services in a given community

The Foundations of Public Health Practice: The Public Health Toolkit builds on public health thinking (introduced in the previous course) and introduces a variety of core public health approaches (the toolkit) to conceptualising problems, conducting analysis and bringing forward recommendations. In this course we cover health needs assessment, evaluation and public health intelligence-approaches.

The Public Health Approach course is the first instalment of the wider Foundations of Public Health Practice specialisation from Imperial College London's Global Master of Public Health (MPH). The scope and content of this course has been developed from the ground up by a combined team of academics and practitioners drawing on decades of real-world public health experience as well as deep academic knowledge. Through short video lectures, practitioner interviews and a wide range of interactive activities, learners will be immersed in the world of public health practice. Designed for those new to the discipline, over four modules (intended for four weeks of learning), learners will become familiar with the scope, origins, ethics, principles and paradigms of public health practice. But there is also important foundational content for those coming from more experienced practitioner backgrounds. The 'Public Health Approach' is a phrase that is used widely to describe an up-stream, preventive, values-driven and evidence-based approach to improving population health. By the end of this course, learners will be confident with identifying and describing a wide range of public health challenges using the language and reference points of the public health profession. The subsequent courses require the knowledge from this course, as learners will be introduced to the public health toolkit of health needs assessment and evaluation, before taking deeper dives into behaviour change and health protection.

Explore leadership insights and opportunities for public-private collaboration in advancing global health during this hour-long discussion featuring Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GSK. Gain valuable perspectives on making the business case for prioritizing global health in corporate portfolios and learn about the roles that private sector companies and donors like USAID can play together to accelerate progress in global health. Discover how GSK, ranked #1 on Fortune's Change the World list and top-ranked pharma company on the Access to Medicines Index, has become a private sector vanguard in developing and delivering life-saving global health solutions to some of the world's hardest-to-reach populations. Hear from Sir Andrew Witty as he shares his experiences and insights on fostering collaboration between public and private sectors to address critical health challenges in developing countries.

Explore a thought-provoking talk featuring CDC Director Mandy Cohen as she discusses the critical role of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in safeguarding public health. Gain insights into the agency's multifaceted responsibilities, including monitoring infectious diseases, ensuring emergency preparedness, and addressing various health challenges. Delve into the lessons learned from COVID-19 and other public health crises, and understand the importance of rebuilding trust in government and scientific expertise. Learn about the CDC's state-of-the-art laboratories, data analytics capabilities, and diverse workforce that contribute to its mission. Discover how the agency tackles issues ranging from vaccine distribution to environmental threats, workplace safety, opioid use, and chronic diseases. This engaging discussion, part of the Aspen Ideas: Health event, offers a unique opportunity to hear directly from a key figure in America's public health system about the challenges and opportunities facing the CDC in today's complex health landscape.

This four-part dinner series was created by Prof. Lawrence Susskind at the request of a group of students in MIT's Department of Urban Studies and Planning ([DUSP](https://dusp.mit.edu/)) who felt the need for a graduate-level leadership course that would be attuned specifically to the needs of public sector professionals. The trailer and session videos may be freely viewed, downloaded, and reused under MIT OpenCourseWare's [Creative Commons BY-NC-SA](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/deed.en) license.

Explore the unique challenges faced by women in public sectors through this inspiring TEDx talk by Dr. Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury. Gain insights into gender bias, limited leadership representation, and work-life balance issues as Dr. Chaudhury shares her personal journey from becoming a female lawyer to ascending to political prominence. Discover how family support and progressive thinking can facilitate women's professional growth, and learn about the importance of creating more opportunities for females in Bangladesh. Hear Dr. Chaudhury's call for collective efforts to address the gender gap in public sectors, drawing from her experiences as a former State Minister for Women & Children Affairs and her work with Commonwealth countries. Understand the significance of implementing gender equality policies and legislation, and be inspired by Dr. Chaudhury's achievements as the first woman Speaker of the Bangladesh Parliament and her contributions to promoting women's rights and preventing violence against women.

Explore the importance of digitizing public sector service delivery in this TEDxAbuja talk by Lanre Akomolafe. Discover how digital transformation can revolutionize information flow between government agencies, leading to increased efficiency and improved public services. Learn from Akomolafe's extensive experience in digital transformation and user experience across multiple regions, including Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, South Africa, and Singapore. Gain insights into cutting-edge topics such as Artificial Intelligence, Cybersecurity, Fintech, and the Future of Work as Akomolafe shares his expertise as a Partner and Chief Product and Innovation Officer at Prunedge Development Technologies.

This 27-minute conference talk by Jonatan Permert, Project Leader for AI Transformation at AI Sweden, explores how collaborative approaches are transforming AI implementation in the public sector. Discover how a pioneering initiative uniting nearly 60 Swedish government agencies, cities, and municipalities is overcoming common AI adoption challenges through a shared SaaS solution built on open-source models and collective infrastructure. Learn about Svea, a prototype digital assistant being tested by over 10,000 public sector employees, with early results showing 80% of active users reporting improvements in efficiency, quality, and workplace satisfaction. Gain valuable insights into how 250+ employees across organizations are collaboratively annotating data to train sector-specific AI models, addressing the critical challenge of high-quality public sector training data. Understand the key challenges and success factors in public sector AI adoption through this case study of transformative cross-agency collaboration. Recorded at the 2025 GAIA Conference in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Business Process Optimization (BPO) is essential for the public sector to deliver effective services, meet citizens' needs, and achieve organizational goals. We equip public sector professionals with concepts, methods, and examples, to support their agendas in alignment with their government or public sector organization's vision and goals. Learners will learn how to identify, select, and apply common tools and principles in Business Process Optimization. Upon completion of this course, you will learn how BPO can help public sector organizations deliver better services, achieve their goals, and meet the needs of citizens. You will develop the skills necessary to identify and address process challenges, streamline workflows, and automate tasks to improve efficiency. You will be able to apply a systematic approach to planning and executing process improvements that are aligned with organizational objectives. You will know how to develop and apply key performance indicators (KPIs) to track progress and drive continuous improvement. This course is designed for public sector professionals, government officials and staff assisting policymakers, as well as individuals involved in business process management and optimization within government agencies and public sector organizations. There are no specific prerequisites for this course. A general understanding of public sector operations and business principles will be beneficial, but not mandatory. An eagerness to streamline processes and improve service delivery will enhance the learning experience.

Engaging in this course will provide you with the opportunity to think about breastfeeding and its public health implications. The Socio-Ecological Model will be the framework of the course as we think about how each level of the Model (individual, interpersonal, community, organizational, and public policy) impacts breastfeeding practices in the United States, and globally. Through short video lectures you will be introduced to relevant topics related to the public health perspectives of breastfeeding such as the maternal and child short- and long-term health benefits, economic and environmental impacts, the state of health profession curricula surrounding breastfeeding education, and breastfeeding practices of the LGBTQ+ community. You will apply this knowledge to critique breastfeeding literature, create a breastfeeding budget for a particular breastfeeding parent persona, and design an education material to promote breastfeeding. As you complete this course, you should feel confident in identifying the barriers to successful breastfeeding practices and understand how adequate breastfeeding will impact population health.