The Global Health & Humanitarian Medicine (GHHM) course is designed to give you the medical knowledge and skills required to work in low resource settings and humanitarian crisis contexts.
Organised by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), it is a part-time, online course.
The GHHM syllabus is taught by a diverse and international faculty of clinicians, experts, and academics and will cover:
- Clinical infectious diseases
- Global public health
- Women’s and child health
- Non-communicable diseases and mental health
- Humanitarian medicine
The course will prepare you to take the Diploma in Global Health, offered by the Royal College of Physicians in collaboration with MSF. On completion of GHHM, you will also be eligible to sit the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.
You can apply to the GHHM course if you are a medical doctor who:
- holds a primary medical qualification (MBBS, MB ChB or its equivalent) from a recognised medical school in any country
- and has a minimum of two years of post-internship work experience
While we welcome applications from qualified medical doctors from all countries, we prioritise applications from those who intend to work, or are already working in, low resource settings.
‘The GHHM course was not only an amazing learning experience, but also an inspiring one. I’ve benefited so much from the course during my professional journey after completing it, as there were a lot of topics that are not part of the standard curriculum in my country of origin.’
About GHHM
The course is a nine-month, part-time commitment allowing you to fit your studies around your work.
We ask that you attend our weekly online seminars and complete additional work online in your own time.
Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for more information about the syllabus and completion criteria.
Content
Our curriculum reflects the current challenges doctors face working in resource-constrained settings, and is designed to give you the knowledge and resources to provide high-quality medical care in these contexts.
Teaching is delivered through online interactive seminars, case discussions and group work, creating an environment of collaboration and knowledge sharing.
‘GHHM was a key learning experience in my career. During the months I was part of the course, I eagerly waited every week to connect to the seminars. What I learned from the expert lecturers and my colleagues has had a tremendous impact in my day to day work in every setting I have been with MSF.’
Course details
The GHHM course will run from September to May, with approximately 37 weeks of teaching.
The weekly seminars run from:
- 18:00-20:00 GMT every Tuesday (for the GHHM UK course)
- 16:00 to 18:00 IST every Thursday (for the GHHM SA course)
You will be required to dedicate approximately two-and-a half hours every week to the online seminar and a further 6-8 hours for self-directed learning and group work.
The minimum requirement for course completion is:
- 70% attendance in the weekly seminars
- contribution to 70% of the online group activities
- completion of mock exam
More information
Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.
Read the FAQs page for more details.
We have worked hard to ensure that the GHHM course is accessible and affordable. The course is run by a small core team, and course fees cover a percentage of our overall course costs while the rest is covered by MSF.
We will supply an invoice and can provide letters to support funding applications.
GHHM course fees are informed by the World Bank income classification. The following amount should be paid as a one-time fee, either to MSF South Asia or to MSF UK, depending on your country of residence:
- £2,760 for students whose country of residence is in the European Economic Area or a High Income Country (HIC)
- £750 for students whose country of residence is in an Upper Middle Income Country (UMIC)
- £650 for students whose country of residence is in a Lower Middle Income Country (LMIC)
- £550 for students whose country of residence is in a Low Income Country (LIC)
The DTM&H examination fees are paid directly to the examining body. The examination is expected to be held online in June 2025.
More information
Download the GHHM Course Prospectus
Read the FAQs page for more details.
GHHM offers 5% of its places free of charge to students from low-income or lower middle-income countries.
Who can apply:
- As with all GHHM places, applicants must be medical doctors
- Nationals of low-income or lower middle-income countries who are currently residing in low-income or lower middle-income countries
- Preference given to women bursary candidates (in case of equal qualification)
- Preference given to bursary candidates who do not yet hold a postgraduate qualification
- Applications are intended for doctors who have no possible way of paying the course fee. Flexible payment plans are available to doctors who can afford to pay but struggle to pay the full amount in one transaction.
What is included:
- Waiver of GHHM course fee
- Payment of your Diploma in Global Health exam fee if you complete the course (should you wish to attempt the exam – this is not compulsory)
- Access to the GHHM Alumni Community on completion of the course
- A GHHM bursary does not involve the award of any sum of money. GHHM course fees will be waived, and exam fees (where applicable) will be paid directly to the exam provider
How are bursaries awarded?
Award of GHHM bursaries is decided by a selection committee. The committee is formed of former GHHM students from low or middle-income countries and members of staff from MSF UK and MSF South Asia. Applications are anonymised, reviewed individually and then discussed as a group by the selection committee.
Since GHHM bursary place are limited, applicants are strongly encouraged to explore alternative funding opportunities.
On completion of GHHM you will have knowledge and understanding of:
- The key global health challenges and emerging threats to populations worldwide
- Evidence based decision making in clinical infectious diseases in resource challenged settings and humanitarian intervention contexts
- The principles of programmatic interventions in resource challenged settings and how to apply this to real world settings
- The inequities and inequalities faced by vulnerable groups accessing healthcare globally and strategies to address this
GHHM themes
- Non communicable disease and mental health
- Clinical infectious diseases
- Global public health
- Women's and child health
- Humanitarian medicine
Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.
Read the FAQs page for more details.
Candidates must be:
- Registered medical practitioners:MBBS (or its equivalent)
- with at least two years of post-internship, clinical work experience
- and proficient in the English language.
Candidates are eligible to apply if they meet the above criteria and state their motivation to participate in the GHHM course.
A committee comprising the GHHM team and various academic partners make the final selection. Medical doctors with a demonstrable interest in tropical medicine with a humanitarian assistance background will be given priority.
The London-based course (GHHM UK) is available to medical doctors in Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
The Delhi-based course (GHHM South Asia) is available to medical doctors in Asia and Oceania.
This distribution will be made by GHHM to enable physicians to attend webinars when convenient for the time zone of their residence. The decision of the GHHM team is final.
More information
For more information on GHHM South Asia, please visit - Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine Course South Asia
MSF UK collects your personal data on the GHHM application form for the sole purpose of administering the Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine Course.
The data is processed under Article 6(1)(b) (performance of a contract) of the General Data Protection Regulation. It is shared only with the academic institutions providing the course.
If unsuccessful in your application, we will securely retain your data for one calendar year.
If successful in your application we will securely retain your data for five years following your completion of the course, and after this will retain only basic contact information in order to maintain records of the course.
You have a right to object to the processing of your data, and to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office should you feel our processing of your personal data is not compliant with the law. Read our privacy notice for full details of MSF UK’s Privacy Policy, and how to contact us.
‘Completing the MSF GHHM course in 2021- 2022 is probably one of the best things I have done in my 35 year professional working life. For me the experience was life changing and I hope to work with MSF over the coming years. Do the GHHM course, it's challenging but worth it, you will not regret it.’
Meet our students
GHHM alumni Ihsan, Hitham and Miguel share their experiences of the course.