Sawleshwarkar Shailendra, Zodpey Sanjay P, Negin Joel
Faculty of Medicine and Health, Sydney School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Faculty of Medicine and Health, Westmead Clinical School, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Front Public Health. 2021 Jan 20;8:614744. doi: 10.3389/fpubh.2020.614744. eCollection 2020.
Global health discipline is of increasing interest for educators and students in public health across the world. Public health education is recently gaining momentum in India, but global health is still at an embryonic stage. Value of students as stakeholders in curriculum development is increasingly recognized but literature about perspectives of public health students regarding global health education is limited. This study aimed to explore Indian public health students' perspectives about global health education and to provide platform for the development of global health education framework for future public health professionals. This study involved a series of focus groups with students and sought to understand perceptions about global health and global health education framework. We recruited public health students at three institutes across India for focus group discussions. Focus groups questions covered current understanding of global health, opinions regarding global health education for public health curriculum and the relevance of global health competency domains for future employment. Recordings were transcribed verbatim and the transcripts were read along with field notes and then analyzed thematically. A total of 36 students participated in four focus groups. There was a general recognition that global health is transnational and that a global outlook is now essential. But there were concerns regarding local and global priorities in public health. Global health was regarded as being wider than public health by some, but others viewed public health being the umbrella term with global health as a specialization. Global health competencies were viewed as a "step up" from the public health competencies but core public health competencies were considered essential. International experiences and use of technology were key themes for delivery of global health education. Employability and career progression for global health graduates were of concern for many participants. This study provides insight into the student perspectives regarding global health education for public health programs in India. Clear direction in terms of curriculum and its utility for career growth and employability as a global health professional needs to be established for global health education in India and other similar settings.
全球卫生学科在世界各地的公共卫生教育工作者和学生中越来越受到关注。公共卫生教育最近在印度获得了发展动力，但全球卫生仍处于萌芽阶段。学生作为课程开发利益相关者的价值日益得到认可，但关于公共卫生专业学生对全球卫生教育看法的文献有限。本研究旨在探讨印度公共卫生专业学生对全球卫生教育的看法，并为未来公共卫生专业人员制定全球卫生教育框架提供平台。本研究涉及与学生进行的一系列焦点小组讨论，旨在了解他们对全球卫生和全球卫生教育框架的看法。我们在印度的三所机构招募了公共卫生专业学生进行焦点小组讨论。焦点小组问题涵盖对全球卫生的当前理解、对公共卫生课程全球卫生教育的看法以及全球卫生能力领域与未来就业的相关性。录音被逐字转录，转录文本与现场笔记一起阅读，然后进行主题分析。共有36名学生参加了四个焦点小组。人们普遍认识到全球卫生是跨国的，全球视野现在至关重要。但也有人担心公共卫生中的地方和全球优先事项。一些人认为全球卫生比公共卫生更广泛，但另一些人则认为公共卫生是一个总括性术语，全球卫生是一个专业领域。全球卫生能力被视为比公共卫生能力“更上一层楼”，但核心公共卫生能力被认为是必不可少的。国际经验和技术应用是全球卫生教育实施的关键主题。许多参与者担心全球卫生专业毕业生的就业能力和职业发展。本研究深入了解了印度公共卫生项目中学生对全球卫生教育的看法。需要为印度和其他类似环境中的全球卫生教育在课程方面以及其对职业发展和作为全球卫生专业人员的就业能力的实用性方面确立明确的方向。
