585.770.81 - Global Health Engineering

Expanded Course Description

The intended audience for this course includes biomedical engineering students, engineering designers, hospital administrators, public health practitioners, translational scientists, implementation scientists, and systems researchers.

Course Structure

The course materials are divided into modules which can be accessed by clicking Course Modules on the left menu. A module will have several sections including the overview, content, readings, discussions, and assignments. You are encouraged to preview all sections of the module before starting. Most modules run for a period of seven (7) days, exceptions are noted in the Course Outline. You should regularly check the Calendar and Announcements for assignment due dates.

Course Goals

The goal of the course is to develop the core competencies required for clinical engineers to significantly impact the design and management of medical devices and healthcare systems, particularly in underdeveloped countries.

Course Learning Outcomes (CLOs)

• Define a healthcare system and distinguish it from a health system.
• Demonstrate a nuanced understanding of how the complex constraints of operating in low-resource healthcare setting significantly alters the clinical engineer’s scope of practice.
• Critique the continuous engagement model for clinical engineering in low-resource settings.
• Apply biomedical engineering design principles to clinical engineering interventions.
• Evaluate a health systems preparedness to absorb clinical engineering interventions.
• Understand the impact of a weak regulatory system on clinical engineering practice.
• Explain how a robust capacity management promotes healthcare strengthening.

Textbooks

The following books and other resources will be used in this course. All of this material is available through the EReserves link in the course site. No purchases are necessary.

• Edlin R, McCabe C, Hulme C, Hall P., Wright (2015) Cost Effectiveness Modelling for Health Technology Assessment, Springer International Publishing, Switzerland.
• Ladanza E., (2019) The Clinical Engineering Handbook, 2nd edition, Academic Press, Elsevier 125 London Wall, London EC2Y 5AS, United Kingdom.
• Griffin, P.L., Nembhard, H.B., Delitch, C., Bastian, N. D., Kang, H, Nuñoz, D.A. (2016) Healthcare Systems Engineering. John Wiley & Sons, Inc., Hoboken, New Jersey.
• Global Forum for Health Research, (2004) Strengthening health systems: the role and promise of policy and systems research. Geneva, Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.
• Savigny, De D., Taghreed A., (2009) Systems Thinking for Health Systems Strengthening. edited by WHO Press.
• Yock P.G., Zenios s., Makower J., Brinton T.J., Kumar U. N., Watkins F.T. ((2015) Biodesign: The process of Innovating Medical Technologies, Cambridge University Press UK.
  
• Medical equipment maintenance programme overview: WHO Medical device technical series.

Required Software

Student Coursework Requirements

It is expected that each module will take approximately 7–10 hours per week to complete. Here is an approximate breakdown: reading the assigned sections of the texts (approximately 3–4 hours per week) as well as some outside reading, listening to the audio annotated slide presentations (approximately 2–3 hours per week), and assignments (approximately 2–3 hours per week).

This course will consist of the following basic student requirements:

Discussion forums (15% of Final Grade)

Weekly discussion forums. Few discussion forums are based on pre-recorded expert interviews.  The discussion fourm is meant to be interactive.  Students are required to make their first post by Wednesday 11:59pm so that other students have a timely opportunity to interact and respond. Additionally, the discussion forum will be closed on Sunday @ 11:59  PM each week.

Quizzes (10% of Final Grade)

Weekly quizzes challenge your recall of information presented in lectures and readings. Students well have a total of three attempts for each quiz.  Your highest grade will be used as the official grade for each quiz.

Medical Instrumentation Assignments (30% of Final Grade)

Medical Instrumentation Assignments in modules 3, 6, and 9. These will inform the final health care strengthening report. Once these assignments are handed in on time you will have one extra opportunity to respond to the graders comments and resubmit the assignment.

Case Studies (30% of final grade)

Four Case Studies. The Case Studies provide opportunities for peer learning. Once these assignments are handed in on time you will have one extra opportunity to respond to the graders comments and resubmit the assignment.

• Module 2 Case Study – single week-individual assignment.
• Modules 4-5 (executed individually/analyze a fellow student’s work in 2nd week).
• Modules 7-8 (executed individually/analyze a fellow student’s work in 2nd week).
  

Final Health Care Strengthening Report (20% of final grade)

Final Health Care Strengthening Report is assigned in module 10, due in module 14.

Each deliverable associated with the final must be handed in by the deadline.  Once your assignment has been handed in, you may respond to grader comments and resubmit the deliverable.   The final health strengthening report must be turned in, one time, by the deadline.  There is no opportunity to improve the grade of the final health strengthening report after it has been submitted.

Grading Policy

Assignments are due according to the dates posted in your Blackboard course site. You may check these due dates in the Course Calendar or the Assignments in the corresponding modules. I/We will post grades one week after assignment due dates.

We generally do not directly grade spelling and grammar. However, egregious violations of the rules of the English language will be noted without comment. Consistently poor performance in either spelling or grammar is taken as an indication of poor written communication ability that may detract from your grade.

A grade of A indicates achievement of consistent excellence and distinction throughout the course—that is, conspicuous excellence in all aspects of assignments and discussion in every week.

A grade of B indicates work that meets all course requirements on a level appropriate for graduate academic work. These criteria apply to both undergraduates and graduate students taking the course.

EP uses a +/- grading system (see “Grading System,” Graduate Programs catalog, p. 10).

Final grades will be determined by the following weighting:
 

Academic Policies

Deadlines for Adding, Dropping and Withdrawing from Courses

Students may add a course up to one week after the start of the term for that particular course. Students may drop courses according to the drop deadlines outlined in the EP academic calendar (https://ep.jhu.edu/student-services/academic-calendar/). Between the 6th week of the class and prior to the final withdrawal deadline, a student may withdraw from a course with a W on their academic record. A record of the course will remain on the academic record with a W appearing in the grade column to indicate that the student registered and withdrew from the course.

Academic Misconduct Policy

All students are required to read, know, and comply with the Johns Hopkins University Krieger School of Arts and Sciences (KSAS) / Whiting School of Engineering (WSE) Procedures for Handling Allegations of Misconduct by Full-Time and Part-Time Graduate Students.

This policy prohibits academic misconduct, including but not limited to the following: cheating or facilitating cheating; plagiarism; reuse of assignments; unauthorized collaboration; alteration of graded assignments; and unfair competition. Course materials (old assignments, texts, or examinations, etc.) should not be shared unless authorized by the course instructor. Any questions related to this policy should be directed to EP’s academic integrity officer at ep-academic-integrity@jhu.edu.

Students with Disabilities - Accommodations and Accessibility

Johns Hopkins University values diversity and inclusion. We are committed to providing welcoming, equitable, and accessible educational experiences for all students. Students with disabilities (including those with psychological conditions, medical conditions and temporary disabilities) can request accommodations for this course by providing an Accommodation Letter issued by Student Disability Services (SDS). Please request accommodations for this course as early as possible to provide time for effective communication and arrangements.

For further information or to start the process of requesting accommodations, please contact Student Disability Services at Engineering for Professionals, ep-disability-svcs@jhu.edu.

Student Conduct Code

The fundamental purpose of the JHU regulation of student conduct is to promote and to protect the health, safety, welfare, property, and rights of all members of the University community as well as to promote the orderly operation of the University and to safeguard its property and facilities. As members of the University community, students accept certain responsibilities which support the educational mission and create an environment in which all students are afforded the same opportunity to succeed academically. 

For a full description of the code please visit the following website: https://studentaffairs.jhu.edu/policies-guidelines/student-code/

Classroom Climate

JHU is committed to creating a classroom environment that values the diversity of experiences and perspectives that all students bring. Everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect. Fostering an inclusive climate is important. Research and experience show that students who interact with peers who are different from themselves learn new things and experience tangible educational outcomes. At no time in this learning process should someone be singled out or treated unequally on the basis of any seen or unseen part of their identity. 
 
If you have concerns in this course about harassment, discrimination, or any unequal treatment, or if you seek accommodations or resources, please reach out to the course instructor directly. Reporting will never impact your course grade. You may also share concerns with your program chair, the Assistant Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, or the Office of Institutional Equity. In handling reports, people will protect your privacy as much as possible, but faculty and staff are required to officially report information for some cases (e.g. sexual harassment).

Course Auditing

When a student enrolls in an EP course with “audit” status, the student must reach an understanding with the instructor as to what is required to earn the “audit.” If the student does not meet those expectations, the instructor must notify the EP Registration Team [EP-Registration@exchange.johnshopkins.edu] in order for the student to be retroactively dropped or withdrawn from the course (depending on when the "audit" was requested and in accordance with EP registration deadlines). All lecture content will remain accessible to auditing students, but access to all other course material is left to the discretion of the instructor.