The Challenges of Global Health
Duke's introduction to why some populations are sicker than others and what public health actors do about it, taught by Dr. Boyd across modules on basic concepts and terminology, the causes and distribution of infectious disease, noncommunicable disease, injury and violence, and maternal and child health. A closing module surveys the major global health actors, from national governments to NGOs, and the strategies they use to reach health outcomes at scale. Reviewers describe the instructor's delivery as conversational rather than dry, with supplementary interviews woven into the lecture videos. The course requires no prior public health background and is built as a broad orientation rather than a technical epidemiology course. It is free to audit through Coursera's no-certificate track, with a paid option only for those who want the credential.