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Pandemic Preparedness and Response (POPH90301)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Dual-Delivery (Parkville)
From 2023 most subjects will be taught on campus only with flexible options limited to a select number of postgraduate programs and individual subjects.
To learn more, visit COVID-19 course and subject delivery.
About this subject
- Overview
- Eligibility and requirements
- Assessment
- Dates and times
- Further information
- Timetable(opens in new window)
Contact information
September
clare.strachan@unimelb.edu.au victoria.oliver@unimelb.edu.au
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
OR
Currently enrolled students:
- General information: https://ask.unimelb.edu.au
- Email: Contact Stop 1
Future Students:
- Further Information: MSPGH Website
- Email: Enquiry Form
Overview
Availability | September - Dual-Delivery |
---|---|
Fees | Look up fees |
This subject explores pandemic preparedness and response from a multidisciplinary perspective. Focusing on pandemic examples, including but not limited to: SARS, Zika, Swine and Avian Influenza, Ebola, HIV/AIDS and COVID-19, the subject provides students with an intersectoral framework through which to appraise a range of preparedness and response efforts across diverse global contexts. Students will learn how to conceptualise effective pandemic preparedness and response as stemming from the intersection of global systems including human and animal health, political, economic, cultural and environmental systems. A wide range of pandemic and country case studies are presented, with particular attention to equity in terms of the diverse and specific needs of, and impacts on, varied populations. Applying an intersectional lens, the subject emphasises lessons learnt that can be translated into future and ongoing pandemic preparedness and responses, as well as highlighting unresolved issues.
This dual delivery subject will be delivered by a multidisciplinary team of experts from Australia and around the world. Topics covered include understanding intersectoral and One Health approaches, and boosting the surge capacity of health systems including preparing and protecting the health work force and other frontline responders. The subject attends to the importance of community engagement, equity and inclusion, and communications issues in preparedness and response to pandemics. The utility of different data sources for planning and response, including scientific data, epidemiological data and health systems data is also addressed. Other key topics addressed in the subject are the social and economic impacts of population containment strategies, and the politics of developing and distributing treatments, cures and vaccines for pandemics. Other key topics addressed in the subject include the wider health footprint of pandemics, as well as the social, economic and mental health impacts of population containment strategies, and the politics of developing and distributing treatments, cures and vaccines for pandemics.
Pandemic Preparedness and Response is a dual delivery block mode intensive subject. This means there is a mix of asynchronous (self-directed) modules and synchronous (live) content, taught intensively across six days over a two week period. Students are expected to commit approximately 40 hours to learning each week, comprised of learning modules, reading, discussion board activities, group work and live webinars. This intensive two week period is followed by independent learning towards a major assessment to be completed over four weeks.
Pandemic Preparedness and Response is a dual delivery block mode intensive subject. This means that the assessable material is delivered through self-directed online modules that students complete over a two-week period. The online modules offer flexibility in relation to the timing of when students complete them, or what hours of the day you may choose to study. However, allocated modules must be completed in time to allow effective participation in live interactive sessions that are linked with those modules. Live interactive sessions are held on six days across the two-week period, in which module material is discussed with fellow students and lecturers. Students may choose to attend these live sessions online or face to face. Students are expected to commit approximately 40 hours to learning each week, comprised of learning modules, reading, discussion board activities, group work and live sessions. This two-week teaching period is followed by group work and independent learning towards two pieces of assessment to be completed over four weeks.
Intended learning outcomes
On completion of this subject students will be able to:
- Apply an intersectoral approach to planning and evaluating pandemic preparedness and response, which considers human and animal health systems, political systems, economic systems and environmental systems;
- Evaluate the surge capacities of diverse health systems in responding to outbreaks of highly infectious diseases, so as to be able to plan and review requirements for enabling surge capacity, including for preparing and protecting health workers and other frontline responders, and launching appropriate testing strategies;
- Critically appraise different approaches to community engagement, equity and inclusion in pandemic preparedness so as to be able design inclusive planning and response processes;
- Differentiate the utility of different data sources for pandemic planning and response, and identify alternative strategies for informing planning and response in contexts where data is unavailable;
- Differentiate the political and economic implications of developing and deploying new pharmaceutical treatments and vaccines in response to pandemics, so as to inform responses that are appropriate across different contexts with varied levels of resourcing.
Generic skills
- Generate and articulate academic works appropriate to master level students;
- Critical and creative thinking;
- Ability to make connections between theoretical concepts and practice;
- Be able to examine issues related to pandemic from multiple disciplinary perspectives.
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Assessment
Description | Timing | Percentage |
---|---|---|
Introductory posts. Students must make a recorded or written introductory post
| Early in the teaching period | N/A |
Three x 400 word blog posts. Student response to discussion questions and peers' posts in the format of blog posts posted on the subject discussion board. Due over the two week teaching block.
| Throughout the teaching period | 20% |
Recorded group presentation focusing on pandemic preparedness, with 4 students per group. Students will be assessed as a group. Presentation length max 1000 words, (20 mins per group)
| 1 week after the end of teaching | 20% |
Written assignment focusing on pandemic response. Students will critically appraise a response to a particular pandemic scenario, choosing from a range of scenarios developed by subject coordinators.
| 4 Weeks after the end of teaching | 60% |
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Dates & times
- September
Coordinators Clare Strachan and Tori Oliver Mode of delivery Dual-Delivery (Parkville) Contact hours 30 contact hours constituted of: • Online lessons (asynchronous) x 14 @ 1.5 hours each, 2 lessons per day over 6 days = 21 hrs • 4 webinars x 4 @ 1.5 hours each = 6hrs • Viewing and commenting on group work presentations = 3 hours Total time commitment 170 hours Teaching period 5 September 2022 to 16 September 2022 Last self-enrol date 7 September 2022 Census date 16 September 2022 Last date to withdraw without fail 7 October 2022 Assessment period ends 14 October 2022 September contact information
clare.strachan@unimelb.edu.au victoria.oliver@unimelb.edu.au
Melbourne School of Population and Global Health
OR
Currently enrolled students:
- General information: https://ask.unimelb.edu.au
- Email: Contact Stop 1
Future Students:
- Further Information: MSPGH Website
- Email: Enquiry Form
Time commitment details
12 hours daily required readings: • 2 hours a day x 6 days 30 hours for Group Work components consisting of: • 1 hour initial consultation with subject coordinator • 6 x 2 hour group meetings = 12 • 12 hours independent work on group presentation = 12 hours (final presentation = 1000 words) • 5 hours reading of designated text for group work 18 hours Discussion board activity: • 3 hours per day X 6 days, including blog posts (1200 words in total), introductions and engagement with other students on discussion boards 6 hours Feedback/Feedforward on learning progress: • Subject coordinators / tutors available for 1 hr per day 64 hrs Independent Learning: • 64 hours for 2500 word essay, both reading and drafting essay
Last updated: 31 January 2024
Further information
- Texts
Prescribed texts
There are no specifically prescribed or recommended texts for this subject.
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
This subject is available to students studying at the University from eligible overseas institutions on exchange and study abroad. Students are required to satisfy any listed requirements, such as pre- and co-requisites, for enrolment in the subject.
Last updated: 31 January 2024