Pandemics and
Public Health
We are Socially Distant. Our Learning is Not.
Since the end of 2019, the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) has reordered the way the world works. Thousands of people are out of school and work and are staying at home, trying their best to adjust to this temporary new normal. In Pandemics and Public Health, Knovva Academy is seizing this moment to prepare the next generation of leaders with the tools and understanding they need to get through this crisis.
In this web-based and interactive lecture series, Knovva Academy is partnering with world-renowned scientists and public health experts to provide students and teachers with accurate information and access to an online community where they can:
Learn
about COVID-19 and how public health institutions around the world are addressing it
Engage
with peers from around the world while social distancing
Develop
critical thinking skills through interactive simulations and research projects
Program Structure
Speakers
Dr. Don Goldmann
Professor of Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard. T. H. Chan School of Public Health;
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School
Dr. Felipe Fregni
Professor of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Harvard Medical School;
Associate Prof. of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
Lecture Series
Every other week, Knovva Academy will release an online lecture led by an expert in public health, policy, or medicine. These lectures will provide an introduction to the science and history of pandemics, the role of public health in global policy and prevention, and the current landscape of public health.
Lectures will explore topics and questions such as:
Panel Series
Following each lecture and in alternate weeks, a multi-disciplinary panel of experts will come together to discuss each topic. In these discussions, experts will demonstrate how to apply the knowledge from the lecture to better understand the current health crisis.
The panel series will explore questions such as:
* The topics are subject to change.
Activities
Students will be invited to participate in a series of activities that will take place entirely online in Knovva Academy’s Community Forums. Building on the lecture and expert panel discussion topics, students will develop their understanding of the complexity of global health governance, and build skills in critical thinking, collaboration, communication, and global competence.
Through a web-based simulation, students will be presented with a rapidly unfolding crisis scenario. After being assigned the role of a key player in a sector related to public health, students will use the information provided to collaboratively develop a course of action. Students will apply their knowledge and test their critical thinking skills as they collaborate with peers from around the world to develop policy proposals that address pressing public health issues at both local and global levels.
Building on their understanding from the lectures and expert panels, students will delve more deeply into different facets of public health, and explore their own interests through a series of research projects. In each assignment, students will research and propose solutions with real-world implications for the future of public health policy and education.
