The Global Health and Humanitarian Medicine (GHHM) course is a 10-month, part-time, online/hybrid course in tropical medicine and health.
The GHHM is designed for medical doctors who intend to or are already working in:
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poor resource settings
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in low- and middle-income countries,
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or in humanitarian medical programmes through Médecins Sans Frontières/Doctors Without Borders (MSF), Ministries of Health and other health care providers and humanitarian organisations.
‘We once thought that when we study a disease, it’s all about the diagnosis, the treatment and follow up. Nowadays, you have to put a lot more into the context of delivering those treatments’
Applications
Applications are now closed.
About GHHM
MSF knows that providing high-quality education in tropical medicine that is affordable and globally accessible leads to improved patient care and organisation of health services in poor resource settings and humanitarian crises.
Grounded in the real-life, day-to-day challenges of working in healthcare in poor-resource humanitarian settings, the GHHM course equips medical doctors to confidently practice in different poor-resource settings in low- and middle-income countries, and with populations experiencing humanitarian crises.
Course content is delivered by a team of colleagues from MSF and academic institutions from the UK and South Asia.
Successfully completing the GHHM course prepares you to sit the Diploma in Tropical Medicine & Hygiene (DTM&H) Exam offered by the Royal College of Physicians UK.
You can apply for the GHHM course if you have a degree in Medicine (MBBS or equivalent) from a medical school recognised by the UK General Medical Council in any country, and a minimum of two years of clinical experience working as a medical doctor (excluding mandatory internship).
- If you are a medical doctor based in Africa, the Middle East, Europe, and the Americas; please apply to the London based course GHHM UK.
- If you are a medical doctor based in Asia, the Middle East and Oceania; please apply to the New Delhi based course GHHM South Asia.
What you’ll study
The GHHM course follows the syllabus of the DTM&H Exam, in line with the latest edition of the Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine. The GHHM course also includes information and discussion on:
- Recent developments in global health
- The programmatic organisation and principles of health services
- Standards and organisation of humanitarian medical programmes.
GHHM course content is grounded in recent operational experiences of MSF and other humanitarian actors, illustrated by guest lecturers from MSF projects. Because most of our students work full-time while studying we aim to be as flexible and supportive as possible within the requirements of the DTM&H Exam.
Download the latest GHHM prospectus for more information.
GHHM course topics include:
- Tropical Diseases and Parasitology
- Public Health
- Maternal and Child Health
- Humanitarian crises / Complex Emergencies
- Non-Communicable Diseases.
Additionally, there are 16 hours of face-to-face Basic Microscopy and Parasitology Training at one of MSF UK’s collaborating institutes.
About the course
Applications are now closed.
Information on this webpage is about the GHHM UK course only. If you are based in any of the below regions please apply for the GHHM South Asia course.
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Central Asia
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South Asia
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East Asia China
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Middle East
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Southwest Asia
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Southeast Asia
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Oceania
Read the FAQs page for further details.
Individuals with a degree in Medicine (MBBS or equivalent) from a medical school in any country and a minimum of two years clinical experience working as a medical doctor (excluding mandatory internship) can apply for the GHHM.
Places on the course are not allocated on a first-come-first-served basis. We will prioritise your application if you have worked in or intend to work in in poor resource settings or humanitarian crises.
Time zones
If you are applying for GHHM UK and are based outside of Europe time zone differences may impact on your ability to join lectures/sessions.
Lectures/sessions are typically held 18:00 – 20:00 BST/GMT. Please consider this as you apply for the GHHM UK.
Language
This is an English language course. A good standard of English comprehension is required.
Internet connection
A stable internet connection is essential for participating in this course. It is recommended you have a minimum 400 Kbits/sec in internet bandwidth speed.
Applications are closed.
Read the FAQs page for further details.
The GHHM course costs:
- £2760 if you are residing in a high-income country
- £750 if you are residing in an upper middle-income country
- £650 if you are residing in a lower middle-income country
- £550 if you are residing in a low-income country
The course fee includes the cost of undertaking the Basic Microscopy and Parasitology Training required of all students and online access to the Oxford Handbook of Tropical Medicine, 5th edition.
The fee does not include travel and accommodation costs require Basic Microscopy and Parasitology Training if the Basic Microscopy and Parasitology Training is delivered face-to-face.
The course fee does not include the cost of the DTM&H exam.
Read our FAQs page for further details.
The 2023/24 UK-led programme will be delivered fully online.
However, as per the current requirements of the Royal College of Physicians (RCP) UK, you must attend an in-person laboratory training to be eligible to sit the DTM&H exam.
Any exemptions to this are granted solely at the discretion of the RCP.
Teaching includes weekly lectures every Wednesday 18:00 – 20:00 BST/GMT, weekly online moderated case discussions and quizzes via an interactive online platform.
Read our FAQs page for further details.
The GHHM UK is delivered as a part-time course.
Students require a minimum average of eight hours per week to participate.
There are three teaching days on Saturdays in December 2023 and April 2024 one additional teaching day will be incorporated into the course for the 2023/2024 – this is yet to be scheduled.
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Weekly lectures are a minimum two hours commitment.
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You'll be expected to contribute to online moderated classes as part of a group of students from across the globe, which equate to a minimum two-hour commitment.
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The weekly activities require a minimum two-hour commitment each week to complete and submit.
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Self-directed learning requires an additional one to two hours of self-directed learning per week.
You must also attend one of the laboratory-based training sessions of a minimum of 16 hours. We offer laboratory training at our Royal College of Physicians accredited laboratories in London, Johannesburg, and Amsterdam.
The ability to offer in-person laboratory training will depend on the progress of the current global COVID pandemic.
If we are not able to offer in-person training we will run the parasitology training online. We have carried out successful online training for our last two cohorts.
Overall, commitment to the GHHM course is the equivalent of a three-month full-time study commitment.
The GHHM course is highly demanding and there is a strict attendance requirement. If you are undertaking any other full-time courses or have other pressing professional commitments, we encourage you to defer your application for GHHM.
MSF-UK collects your personal data on this 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.
Meet our students
GHHM alumni Ihsan, Hitham and Miguel share their experiences of the course.