Course Information
The course is open to family medicine practitioners, general internists, internal medicine subspecialists, pediatricians, emergency medicine physicians, obstetricians/gynecologists, surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, nurses, public health professionals, physician assistants, and to anyone interested in making a career change. This course is divided into three two-week modules in order to accommodate busy schedules and allow more flexibility for health care professionals to take the course. Participants may take just one, two, or three modules in any sequence, or they may choose to take the entire course at once if their schedules allow. The course is made up of three (3) major components, with a content of approximately 250 hours of didactic contact time as follows:
- Didactic lectures, seminars, and small-group discussions in infectious diseases and tropical medicine, and tropical public health
- Laboratory demonstrations and practicums in microbiology (e.g. bacteriology, parasitology, mycology, mycobacteriology, virology), hematology, dermatology, surgery, radiology, primary health care techniques, and computers
- Flexible, supervised, educational training modules in travel medicine, computer modeling in epidemiologic field methods (e.g. EPI info, biostatistics, etc.), infectious diseases and virtual parasitology lab experience
Course Objectives
Following this activity, participants should be able to:
- Identify major global issues in tropical public health such as Women’s Health, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Vector Control, Water and Sanitation, and Famine and Refugees
- Discuss clinical tropical diseases frequently encountered in the developing world
- Diagnose and treat these diseases
- Implement field-based preventive and control measures for major communicable/infectious diseases
- Manage travel related illnesses
- Identify important parasitic diseases in tropical and developing countries
- Review clinical presentations, diagnosis and management of these diseases
- Discuss important vectors that transmit and cause infectious diseases, including insects and ticks
- Discuss infectious diseases causes by bacteria, viruses and fungi that are encountered in tropical regions
- Diagnose and treat these diseases
Social Justice Syllabus Statement
West Virginia University is committed to social justice. We concur with that commitment and expect to foster a nurturing learning environment based upon open communication, mutual respect, and non-discrimination. Our University does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, disability, veteran status, religion, sexual orientation, color or national origin. Any suggestions as to how to further such a positive and open environment in this class will be appreciated and given serious consideration.
If you are a person with a disability and anticipate needing any type of accommodation in order to participate in this class, please advise us, and we will make appropriate arrangements with Disability Services.