Introduction to Public Health Sciences
Learning Outcomes
At the end of this course (Modul 1 for the PHS Course Program), students have knowledge and understanding to:
- Describe the scope and history of Public Health and its sciences and the main definitions, concepts and methods.
- Describe key methods, concepts and current topics, relevant to population health and its determinants; health systems and policy; as well as health promotion, protection, and disease prevention.
- Establish connections between themes and draw parallels in relation to their own field of work.
- Explain the principles of Public Health ethics and acting with integrity and relate to their own field of work.
Topics/Content
Participants get an overview of the foundations, history, as well as ethics of Public Health, its definitions, key concepts and core disciplines with a special focus on:
- Population health and its determinants: Socio-economic determinants, Environmental and biological hazards, Nutrition, Life course, Global and One Health, Genetics
- Health systems and policy: Health policy, Health law, Health care systems, Perspectives in health care research
- Core methods: Epidemiology and demography, Social Sciences research methods, Statistical and computational methods, Evaluation and implementation
- Health promotion and disease prevention: Participatory research, Behaviour change, Knowledge transfer tools
For PHS Course Program participants Module 1 is mandatory.
Activities / Program
Blended learning
- 45-90 minutes recorded lectures
- Material for preparatory assignments before the session
- 2.5 - 4 hours exchange on-site with the lecturers for each discipline
Basic information
| Number | E046.1/1.25 |
|---|---|
| Dates | Introduction to Public Health Sciences: |
| Times | Specific times for the 5 face-to-face sessions are listed in the 'Dates' section |
| Course location | Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine ISPM Tue 14.10.2025, room 320, third floor |
| Lead | Professor MD Matthias Egger, Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM), University of Bern and lecturers from ISPM and Institute of Philosophy, University of Bern: |
| Seats max. | 20 people |
| Course language | English |
| Registration deadline | 29.09.2025 |
| Format | Individual event from Public Health Sciences Course Program |
| Governing Unit |
Faculty of Medicine University of Bern Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine (ISPM) |
| ECTS info |
2 ECTS points For an accreditation of the ECTS, a minimum of 80% attendance and active participation incl. completion of assignments and assessments are required.
root number KSL: 484082 |
Target audience
PhD students, Post-docs, clinicians and public health practitioners who want to learn about public health sciences.
Application and admission procedure
A tertiary education degree is required. The program manager decides on the final admission. Priority is given to PhD students.
Application process: You are requested to enroll online. Seats will be allocated according to date of enrolment. Three weeks before the course at the latest, the administration will decide and inform about running or cancelling the course.
Costs
Amount still open
Administrative / Payment modalities
Registration fees are waived for PhD students of the University of Bern who commit to the whole course attendance. To avoid being invoiced, it is mandatory that you indicate your institute and the matriculation number upon registration for the course. Please note cancellation regulations below.
Course fees for other participant categories:
PostDocs Uni Bern CHF 200
Other participants Uni Bern CHF 600
Participants other academic institutions 1200
Other participants CHF 1680
Participants completing the entire PHS Course Program benefit from a reduction; overview course fees here.
Cancellation regulations
After the closing date for registrations, the organisers will decide whether the course can take place. The decision is based on the number of registrations.
These cancellation rules apply to PhD students of the University of Bern.
Processing fee of CHF 100 will be applied for:
- Cancellations after 2 weeks before the first course day (late cancellations)
- Participants with course attendance of less than 80% of the on-site course time
- Absence on the first day of the course (considered as a late cancellation).
Course attendance must be cancelled at the latest 2 weeks before the first course day. Write an email to phs-admin.ispm@unibe.ch.
The cancellation has to be confirmed by the course coordination.
For your registration the General Terms and Conditions of the PHS Course Program apply.
Contact
University of Bern
Public Health Sciences Course Program
c/o Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine
Mittelstrasse 43
3012 Bern
Switzerland
Tel: +41 31 684 34 04