This course provides information on mental health conditions in the context of low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) as it relates to risk factors, the burden of mental illness, the impact of substance abuse on mental health disorders, and effective policies and interventions that can help improve mental health. By the end of this course, students will be better prepared to work as part of a team to effectively plan interventions to reduce the impact of mental health illness within a population.
The Global Health course, like all NextGenU.org courses, it is competency-based; competencies were developed in collaboration with global health and public health subject matter experts and take into consideration the mapping of key competencies required by the public health wider workforce to contribute to public health priority by the NHS Health Scotland and the New Global Health Concentration Competencies for the Master of Public Health (MPH) Degree from the Association of Schools & Programs of Public Health.
The course uses learning resources from accredited, world-class organizations such as the U.S. National Institutes of Health, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, the World Health Organization and other professional and academic sources.
The course was designed by Hugo Rojas, MD, MSc; Margaret Niles, PhD, MEd, DipID ; Valeria Reynolds, MD, MPH; Juan Jose Pemintel, MD; Pablo Baldiviezo Rodriguez, MD, DiplEd. It was later reviewed by Magali Collonnaz MD, MPH, MSc; Anthony Schlaff MD, MPH; Pablo Baldiviezo Rodriguez, MD, MSc, DiplEd; Reisha Narine, BSc, MSc and Rhonda Prudent, BSc.
For publications on NextGenU.org’s courses’ efficacy, see NextGenU.org’s publication page. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified of future updates, new courses, and to be part of our community.
There are four (4) modules to complete, which include:
- Module 1: Introduction to Global Mental Health
- Module 2: Epidemiology of Mental Health Conditions
- Module 3: Substance Abuse and Mental Health
- Module 4: Evidence-Based Interventions
The completion time for this course is estimated to be 96 hours which includes 61 hours of didactics and curated resources and 35 hours of work participating in activities and quizzes to assist the student in the synthesis of the materials. This course is equivalent to 2 credit hours.
Upon completion of the training (4 modules), participants will need to complete a “Final Exam”. The final exam will be designed so that participants can have three opportunities to answer correctly until the required score of 70% or higher is obtained.
At the end of each module, there is a practice quiz of multiple-choice questions. At the end of the course, after you’ve completed each lesson, quiz, and learning activity, you’ll have access to a final exam of multiple-choice questions and a chance to evaluate this course. Once you’ve passed that last test, you will be able to download a certificate of completion from NextGenU.org and our course’s co-sponsoring organizations (listed above). We keep all of your personal information confidential, never sell any of your information, and only use anonymized data for research purposes. We are also happy to report your testing information and share your work with anyone (your school, employer, etc.) at your request.
Engaging with this Course:
This free course is primarily intended for public health students, public health professionals or people working in the mental health field (non-clinicians) who would like to learn more about risk factors associated with mental health disorders, prevention, and treatment. The course can also be taken by clinicians who would like to learn more about global mental health with learning resources and titles that have been specifically listed as optional readings for clinicians ONLY.
To obtain a certificate, a learner must successfully complete:
- All the reading requirements,
- All quizzes and pass with 70% having unlimited attempts,
- All case studies,
- The final exam with a minimum of 70% and a maximum of 3 attempts, and
- The self and course evaluation forms.
NextGenU.org is happy to provide your institution with:
- A link to and description of the course training, so they can see all its components, including the cosponsoring universities and other professional organization cosponsors;
- Your grade on the final exam;
- Your work products (e.g. case study activities), and any other required or optional shared materials that you produce and authorize to share with them;
- Your evaluations -- course, and self-assessments;
- A copy of your certificate of completion, with the co-sponsoring universities and other organizations listed.
To obtain a degree, NextGenU.org co-sponsors degree programs with institutional partners. To obtain a full degree co-sponsored with NextGenU.org, registrants must be enrolled in a degree program as a student of a NextGenU.org institutional partner. If you think that your institution might be interested in offering a degree with NextGenU.org, contact us.
We hope that you will find this a rewarding learning experience, and we count on your assessment and feedback to help us improve this training for future students.
Here are the next steps to take the course for credit:
- Complete the registration form.
- Take the pre-test.
- Begin the course with Module 1: Introduction to Global Mental Health. In each lesson, read the description, complete all required readings and any required activity, and take the corresponding quizzes.
*The previous version of this course is also available here for your reference but is not available for registration. Only students that were registered before can complete it.