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Strengthening Population Health Data Systems Course Series

Sound public health policy decisions require quality population health data. To identify policy priorities and design appropriate intervention programs for addressing local health challenges, decision-makers require key data sources such as birth and death records, disease surveillance information, and household demographic data. Digital health information systems and tools can make data collection, management, and analysis more efficient and accurate. 

Unfortunately, both digital- and paper-based systems that track these data in LMICs can often be incomplete and lack robustness. Moreover, many governments will benefit from improving how they translate these data into effective policy and program implementation. 

To develop these public health decision makers’ skills in collecting and using such population health data, CGDHI and the Data for Health Initiative offer a series of applied practice training through Coursera. Each online course features lectures from leading population health and digital health experts from across the globe. Numerous case study examples representing LMIC experiences provide real-world applications of course concepts.  

Ease of access features offered by the course series: 

  • Available online on Coursera to learners around the globe 
  • Free to enroll and take these courses, and only USD$49 to earn a certificate of course completion. 
  • Spanish- and French-language versions are available, complete with voiced-over and subtitled lectures as well as translated written materials 
  • Each course can be taken standalone and in any order 
  • No course prerequisites 

    Click on the course titles to learn more about specific learnings for each course and to enroll today! 

CGDHI developed this course series with support from Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Data for Health Initiative. We are grateful for the input and content expertise provided by multiple partners, including Vital Strategies, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation, the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, the World Health Organization, the Global Health Advocacy Initiative, and the CDC.

Lead Course Instructors:

Smisha Agarwal, MPH, MBA, PhD

Dr. Smisha Agarwal is an Assistant Professor in the Department of International Health and the Director of the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation. Her research primarily lies in the intersection of primary healthcare and digital health.  

Michelle Colder-Carras, PhD

Dr. Michelle Colder-Carras is an Associate in the Department of International Health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health. Her research focuses on digital health. 

shivani pandya, MPH

shivani pandya is a Research Associate at the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation, within the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  

Anushree Goel, BA

Anushree Goel is a Graduate Research Assistant at the Center for Global Digital Health Innovation, within the Department of International Health at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, where she is also a current MPH candidate.