Personal Professional Development (Public Health and Primary Care) / Course details

The course is aimed at students who have an interest in, or work in, public health and/or healthcare, local authorities, or other similar settings. It is important to have an understanding of the implications of climate change on health. The impacts of climate change are already being felt worldwide and they are forecast to escalate over the coming years. It will be imperative to understand the challenges that climate change is bringing and to be able to plan and implement preventative measures and services. Adaptation of health and other local services and responses to new and potentially novel threats to health that an area, region or country may not have faced before, will be vital.

This is an interactive course. Students work through online course material, seminars and discussion tasks. Students are encouraged to interact with each other and utilise discussion boards to ask questions and check their understanding of the course material. 

This unit is mandatory for the Environment and Public Health stream.

This unit aims to:

• Synthesise the evidence base for climate change and the impacts on, and implications for, health
• Provide an introduction to climate science and the climate change policies and actions taken around the world on prevention, mitigation and adaptation
• Develop understanding of the specific health impacts, adaptations, interventions for mitigation, and adequate responses which will allow public health professionals to create policies and practices and, design and deliver appropriate services for the setting in which they work 

• Introduction to climate change
• Scenarios and international agreements
• Extreme climate events and effects on health
• Species distribution, allergies and infectious diseases
• Agriculture, food and nutrition
• Indirect effects on health
• Migration and displacement
• Global responses to climate change
• Co-benefits, mitigation and adaptation
• Developing setting specific responses

This course unit includes text provided by the tutors and required and additional reading of articles, policies and media publications. It includes reflective study tasks, and topic-based discussions hosted on Blackboard. There is an optional formative midterm task, and a final graded, written assignment. Facilitated seminars offer students the opportunity to discuss and debate topical issues.

Material provided is diverse in nature, reflecting the wealth of information available. Peer-reviewed publications are highlighted, along with key publications and reports from international organisations (such as Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change) in the context of both science and policy. Media articles and videos are also included to demonstrate the depth of interest and topicality of climate change. Students will be encouraged to research and explore independently.

Additionally, experts are invited to provide webinars (live and recorded) allowing students to question professionals active in the field.

Distance/blended learning students only - Students on this mode of study will have the opportunity to study synchronously with the on-campus students and asynchronously via recorded sessions and online resources.

This is a mandatory course unit for students studying on the on-campus programme, or an optional course unit for students on the web-based learning programme. There will be written materials by the tutors guiding students through the course, illustrated with photographs and figures to illustrate the rich topic areas. Much of the content will be presented through reading, including peer reviewed journals (accessible through the University library), and multimedia, including videos. Students will be directed to a variety of relevant literature each week, but also encouraged to research and explore and find their own sources.  

There will be regular interaction with the tutors through scheduled seminars (which will be recorded for those on the web-based option) and online through the discussion boards. Students will be encouraged to use self-reflection to think about the ideas discussed, and take part in discussion board activities. Students should work through the unit in a logical sequence. The individual course unit timetables will guide what should be done and when. Participation in the discussion boards is greatly encouraged, and can help enhance your learning experience and prepare you for your assessment.

For all students - The majority of the course will be delivered through the virtual learning platform, which will include required and additional reading, self-tests and discussion boards.  

Web-based students - There will be webinars that will be recorded to allow synchronous and asynchronous learning. Web-based students may join webinars live, but it is not mandatory. Recordings will be made of all face-to-face activities and will be made available.

For on campus students - All face-to-face activities are mandatory for all students. Attendance is monitored and an escalation policy is in place for non-attendance. The tutor-led sessions will be recorded and made available for all students as part of good pedagogic practice for accessibility, revision and consolidation. We also have weekly peer-led team study sessions where you will be asked to undertake tasks linked to the course unit materials using the discussion boards.

For all students - In line with guidance from the Office for Students and Quality Assurance Agency, the programme will be augmented by the Programme Director Seminar Series to deliver study skills, written English, academic writing, research skills, critical thinking and understanding arguments, careers and employability skills, revision/assessment/examination skills including time management. 

Students are provided with personalised feedback for their final summative assignment (3,000 words) within 20 working days.

Opportunities for formative feedback (on non-assessed work) is also provided during the course unit. 

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) – website https://unfccc.int/  

The Lancet Countdown on Health and Climate Change website - https://www.thelancet.com/countdown-health-climate  

For further information please watch this video from our Course Unit Leader.

If you have any questions about the content of this unit, please contact the course unit leader, Christine Greenhalgh, via email on christine.greenhalgh@manchester.ac.uk. If you have any other queries, please contact the PGT programme administrators via email on shs.programmes@manchester.ac.uk