Back to selection
79815-01 - Lecture with practical courses: Complex Global Health Challenges: A Systems Thinking Approach (2 CP)
| Semester | fall semester 2026 |
| Course frequency | Every fall sem. |
| Lecturers | Daniel Cobos Munoz (daniel.cobos@unibas.ch, Assessor) |
| Content | This course develops students' capacity to apply systems thinking as an analytical and practical framework for understanding and addressing complex global health challenges. Rather than treating health problems in isolation, the course examines how social, economic, political, environmental and institutional systems interact to produce and sustain challenges that resist simple, linear solutions. The course is structured in three phases. The first phase (Weeks 1–3) builds foundational competence in systems thinking, covering key concepts – feedback loops, stocks and flows, emergence and non-linearity – and introducing qualitative systems mapping methods, including causal loop diagrams. The second phase (Weeks 4–12) applies these tools systematically to nine interconnected global health challenges: the rise of non-communicable diseases and the cardiovascular disease burden; global health governance and accountability; health inequities; intersectional approaches; long-term and end-of-life care; fragmentation of health information systems; achieving universal health coverage; and the design and implementation of intersectoral policies. Each 2-hour session combines a substantive introduction to the challenge with a systems analysis of its drivers, feedback dynamics and leverage points. The third phase (Weeks 13–14) is a two-part seminar in which students present and receive structured peer feedback on their individual case study assignments. In parallel with the lecture programme, students develop an individual case study – a systems analysis of a complex global health challenge of their own choice. This take-home assignment (~32 hours of self-directed work) is introduced in Week 1, developed progressively alongside each session, and formally presented and discussed during the final two seminar sessions. Throughout the course, real-world examples are drawn from Swiss TPH's research and programme experience in sub-Saharan Africa, Asia and Europe. Students are expected to engage critically with peer-reviewed literature and grey literature from WHO, the World Bank and other leading global and national health institutions. |
| Learning objectives | By the end of the course, students will be able to: (i) Explain the foundational concepts of systems thinking – including feedback loops, stocks and flows, emergence and non-linearity – and apply them to complex global health challenges. (ii) Apply qualitative systems mapping tools, including causal loop diagrams or discrete event modelling, to challenges such as the rise of non-communicable diseases, health information system fragmentation and universal health coverage implementation. (iii) Critically evaluate global health governance frameworks, the roles and interests of key actors, and the implications of governance failures for addressing complex health challenges. (iv) Analyse health inequities and the intersecting social, structural and institutional determinants that drive them, using intersectional and systems perspectives. (v) Assess the systems-level barriers to and enablers of key global health priorities, including long-term care, universal health coverage and the design of intersectoral policies. (vi) Develop and present an individual systems analysis of a complex global health challenge, demonstrating proficiency in causal loop diagram construction, leverage point identification and evidence-based written and oral communication. |
| Bibliography | Key references: • Rutter H, Savona N, Glonti K et al. (2017). The need for a complex systems model of evidence for public health. Lancet, 390(10112): 2602–2604. • Sterman JD (2006). Learning from evidence in a complex world. American Journal of Public Health, 96(3): 505–514. • GBD 2021 Causes of Death Collaborators (2024). Global burden of 288 causes of death and life expectancy decomposition. Lancet, 403(10440): 2100–2132. • Frenk J, Moon S (2013). Governance challenges in global health. New England Journal of Medicine, 368: 936–942. • Bowleg L (2012). The problem with the phrase 'women and minorities'. American Journal of Public Health, 102(7): 1267–1273. • Sleeman KE, de Brito M, Etkind S et al. (2019). The escalating global burden of serious health-related suffering. Lancet, 394(10203): 1023–1032. • AbouZahr C, Boerma T (2005). Health information systems: the foundations of public health. Bulletin of the World Health Organization, 83(8): 578–583. • Kruk ME, Gage AD, Arsenault C et al. (2018). High-quality health systems in the Sustainable Development Goals era. Lancet Global Health, 6(11): e1196–e1252. • WHO (2014). Health in All Policies: Framework for Country Action. Geneva: World Health Organization. • Commission on Social Determinants of Health (2008). Closing the Gap in a Generation. Geneva: World Health Organization. • Meadows DH (2008). Thinking in Systems: A Primer. White River Junction: Chelsea Green Publishing. |
| Comments | This is an on-site lecture that is not recorded. |
| Language of instruction | English |
| Use of digital media | No specific media used |
| Interval | Weekday | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|---|
| wöchentlich | Monday | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
Dates
| Date | Time | Room |
|---|---|---|
| Monday 21.09.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 28.09.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 05.10.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 12.10.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 19.10.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 26.10.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 6 |
| Monday 02.11.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 6 |
| Monday 09.11.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 16.11.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 23.11.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 30.11.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 07.12.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Monday 14.12.2026 | 09.15-11.00 | Swiss TPH Neubau, Seminarraum 2 |
| Modules |
Doctoral Studies Epidemiology and Public Health: Courses (PhD subject: Epidemiology and Public Health (Faculty of Science)) Doctoral Studies Epidemiology and Public Health: Courses (PhD subject: Epidemiology and Public Health (Faculty of Medicine)) Module: Advances in Epidemiology, Statistics and Global & Public Health (Master's Studies: Epidemiology) |
| Assessment format | continuous assessment |
| Assessment details | Students individually develop a systems analysis of a complex global health challenge of their own choice (take-home case study). The analysis must include the application of one systems thinking method and a policy discussion (~1,500 words). Work is presented and discussed during the two-part seminar (Weeks 13–14). |
| Assessment registration/deregistration | Reg.: course registration, dereg: cancel course registration |
| Repeat examination | no repeat examination |
| Scale | Pass / Fail |
| Repeated registration | as often as necessary |
| Responsible faculty | Faculty of Science, studiendekanat-philnat@unibas.ch |
| Offered by | Schweizerisches Tropen- und Public Health-Institut |