5+ FREE Public Health Courses to take RIGHT NOW on Coursera
Public health is hot topic right now. With the current circumstances, public health and related fields have been getting a lot of attention. Unfortunately, many schools do not have a public health department or major and lots of people aren't exposed to the field until after college. Recognizing both the inaccessibility and significance of public health, Coursera is providing over 100 FREE courses related to health and well-being! Normally, Coursera offers courses that are free to audit, meaning, they do not include graded materials or an official certificate (certificates are $39+ per course!). Ending in July, you can earn a certificate for any of these courses at no cost.
I've spent the last week taking a fair share of courses and have come up with a list of 5 (plus 2 bonuses) that are absolutely vital for supplementing your public health knowledge. Whether you've been in the industry for years or have never even taken a course in pubic health, these Coursera courses are sure to have you feeling like an expert!
1) Covid-19 Contact Tracing- Johns Hopkins University
This was the first course I took on Coursera during the pandemic and I am SO glad I did! Contact tracing is a public health method used to support individuals who have tested positive for the pandemic-related illness (Covid-19 in this case) and literally trace down other individuals who may have been exposed to the virus. What I loved about this course is that it was short (estimated 5-6 hours) and informative. I learned so much about Covid-19, contact tracing methodology, and public health policies. Being a contact tracer requires you to be empathetic, investigative, and persistent- you are responsible for potentially saving lives here. This course is so good that it is required by many health departments to become a PAID contact tracer! That's right- you can get paid to do this! Even if you are not planning on becoming a professional tracer, this course will help you understand Covid-19 and measures you can take to protect yourself and others.
2) Epidemiology- The Basic Science of Public Health- University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
WOW. Shout out to my Alma mater for this one! The present circumstances have alerted the public on how important epidemiology is. Epidemiology is the branch of public health concerned with the distribution, determinants, and control of health-related events. Despite my public health background, I was not at all versed in epidemiology and the course really made me aware of the misconceptions I had concerning the field. Epidemiology is NOT solely looking at graphs related to disease and calculating rates of infection. It's a systematic, actionable, and holistic way of understanding health! While longer than other courses on this list (6 hours of videos and quizzes, but may take longer due to interesting readings and amount/level of content to understand!), it is 100% worth taking if you want an in-depth understanding of public health science. From learning to calculate risk and prevalence, to creating an experimental study, this course will leave you feeling like an NIH professional.
3) Epidemics, Pandemics, and Outbreaks- University of Pittsburgh:
This course is absolutely fantastic in improving your understanding of disease outbreaks on a national and global scale. The University of Pittsburgh does a fantastic job explaining the evolution of disease prevention and treatment from a variety of lenses. It's interdisciplinary approach includes medicine, policy, history, and ethics. I think the high point of this course was the in-depth analysis public health approaches such as quarantine, social distancing, and international communication and policies. I learned a lot about the International Health Regulations (IHR) in addition to the local, state, and federal powers used to govern the United States during outbreaks. If you are interested in the history of epidemics, pandemics, and/or outbreaks- this course is for you!
4) Psychological First Aid- Johns Hopkins University:
Has someone ever come to you with a crisis? It's an incredibly difficult and tricky situation to navigate! This Psychological First Aid course is all about how to effectively provide emotional support to someone experiencing psychological distress. I expected the course to be fairly basic and superficial with my psychology background but I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of knowledge I acquired by taking it. The course takes you through the importance of psychological first aid techniques such as reflection, rephrasing, and paraphrasing. Also integrated within the course are video vignettes which show a "correct" and "incorrect" way of providing each technique which are super helpful. What I liked most about this course was the evidence-based understanding of traumas associated with crises and the significance of providing psychological first aid both from an ethical and outcomes-oriented perspective. It really requires you to step outside of yourself, practice empathy, and acknowledge the other person's emotional needs. I highly recommend the course for anyone interested in providing therapeutic services or disaster relief. Even if you never wish to provide professional therapy or volunteer, the course is a great way to beef up basic interpersonal skills such as active listening.
5) Essentials of Global Health- Yale University
Out of all of the courses, this one taught me the most by challenging me to think critically about global health issues. Taught by Yale University's Richard Skolnik, the course provides 10 weeks worth of thought-provoking videos, readings, and quizzes. The course is so well designed, I felt like I was really sitting in a Yale University lecture hall! Topics covered include mental health, substance use, health disparities, injury prevention, humanitarianism, and more. The course succeeds in achieving the breadth + depth equilibrium- you will most definitely walk away with a comprehensive understanding of global health. In addition to the topical areas covered, Skolnik also covers a variety of different populations including children, adolescents, and women. I enjoyed the perspectives on ethics, justice, and fairness integrated throughout the course and felt like it did a great job reminding students of the "bigger picture". Normally, I do not complete all the assignments for a course (only quizzes and videos are necessary for certification), however, I know for a fact my experience taking this course would not have been the same without responding to the discussion prompts. The discussions allow you to interact with other students and evaluate other perspectives, which ultimately will enrich your own learning.
Honorable Mentions
Becoming a Changemaker: Introduction to Social Innovation- University of Cape Town: This course will have you feeling revolutionary as you learn the tools needed to create your own plans for sustainable change! This course is a great mix of history, philosophy, and morality and I highly recommend for anyone interested in starting an imitative for public good.
Human Physiology- Duke University: I tend to shy away from more technical online courses because I tend to have a lot of clarifying questions. This course, however, broke things down in an easy to understand format and I learned a lot about the human body. It will take some patience if you are unfamiliar with human biology, however, it was well worth the extra hours!
Thanks for reading! Do you have any recommendations?
