Rachel Moresky

I cannot advise you enough to take this class. It is well-structured, with guest lecturers in every session specialized in their field of study, and gives you a great overview of the study of Public Health. But moreover, I want to emphasize how great Pr. Moresky is. She explains well, is super interested, interesting and passionate about her job and has been a great mentor for me. Cannot recommend enough. I changed my whole life trajectory because of this class and this professor.

This class was every reason why I came to Columbia for grad school. I mean, where else would you get the pleasure to be taught by classroom filled with people who have worked (and who continue to work) at the top ranks in some of the most high-profile and devastating emergencies: Rwanda, the Congo, the Asian tsunami, etc, etc.? Do a quick Google search on each of the five professors and you'll see what I mean. The course is broken down into themes: Water and Sanitation, Nutrition, Health/Communicable diseases, Reproductive Health, Humanitarian protection and Human Rights and Psychosocial interventions. Each of these themes is taught by an expert professor, with the help of PowerPoint, case studies and class discussions. The profs obviously try their best (and succeed) in making this course a positive learning experience and genuinely want us students to succeed. The environment is pleasant and friendly. Sometimes the class was really quiet, but perhaps that was because it was a 9 am class... Take it if you can - you won't regret it. You'll definitely come away feeling more aware of what's going on in the world, and you'd thank yourself for it. If you ever dreamed of being a humanitarian aid worker and have wondered what it's like to be out there on the field, experiencing poverty, disease and conflict first-hand, you MUST take this course (even if it doesn't count towards your…

This class is definitely interesting and has amazing guest lecturers (the class is primarily different lecturers each class). I will say, part of the reason I took this class is because the reviews said it was an easy A and doesn't require much work. My experience has been different - while you don't need to do the readings (like, at all), the other assignments + midterm and final have been time consuming for me. We have 5 or 6 "case study" group assignments that oddly take a good amount of research plus there is difficulty in coordinating group work. These have been an annoyance. We got one page of notes for the midterm which was helpful, but definitely not an easy A. I studied a lot, always took notes, and felt good going into it and got a B. This could just be me, but goes to show that an A is not a given. The final is cumulative and I am expecting that to require a good amount of studying. All I am saying is that it's not a hard class by any means, but don't take this if you think it's an easy A. If you love public health, you'll love the lectures, they were really well done and presented by experts in the field. But those of you who are seeing the reviews I did, just know it will likely require more work than those make it out to be. Still a great course though!

Moresky is incredible and passionate about global health, and in this course you will learn directly from world experts. Moresky makes a real effort to make what could be a dry topic into an enjoyable class, largely through her sort of infectious excitement about it. The guest lecturers are the bulk of the course, and 90% of them were fantastic. The course exposes students to a huge variety of topics, so it's always something new, and will likely speak to you in some way. I wish more of the public health courses were like this, and less about the tedium of statistics and systems. Several short responses, a group project, a midterm, and a final. If you pay attention to the broad strokes, you're solid. I didn't find any of the readings all that helpful. The exams had several writing prompts, and you pick a few to write about. The group project was actually enjoyable with my group, and you can pick what topic you want to cover. The TAs were alright.

This is a class I would recommend to anyone who has any potential interest in medicine, global health, or an interest in how the global health system (or lack of) ties into politics and international relations. Overall it is an easy class and you could probably get away with a B by just going to the lectures and not taking notes. Personally I enjoyed this class A LOT! There were different guest lecturers every class (except for two or three where the professors gave lectures) which really showed how vast the field was, and while you don't really get to go that deep in each subject because of the short time frame for each, the lecturers are always glad to stay back a few minutes and have a discussion, and so are both professors. The TAs and professors are always willing to answer questions or meet outside of class and they really make an effort to get to know students and become more approachable. The professors are both very knowledgeable and their work abroad is inspiring. It's a class that made me want to learn more about medicine and health and my place in it.

everything about global health, lots of great lecturers

Fundamentals of global health, an overview of everything you would want to know about global health, super interesting topics!

- Basics of global health(care) and the challenges present today.

An introduction to international challenges of development as it relates to health

I would say that I basically learned the fundamentals of global health (the course is aptly named)! I learned about a lot about the foundations upon which public health policies are built, and how effective/ineffective current systems are at dealing with a myriad of pressing global health issues (such as malaria, mental health, drug use, aging). I feel like I have a more informed understanding of what the goals of public health initiatives should be, and have a better framework of assessing my own country's health systems as a result. I've also learned about the importance of universal, equitable health care, and that a healthy society cannot exist without strong primary health care (to briefly summarize).