Health Sciences

In this course, students investigate how the brain is organized to produce actions that serve particular purposes, focusing primarily on voluntary actions. Such actions involve a motivational component, but also cognitive considerations, attention choices, and motor options. For each of these components, decisions must be made. Students explore the different parts of the brain involved in these decisions, in close collaboration with subcortical structures such as basal ganglia. The corresponding practical for this course is Neuronal Basis of Decision Making where students gain hands-on experience with and reflect critically on (a) the selection and administration of tasks that are used to measure these cognitive processes and (b) the analyses of data sets obtained by using neuroimaging techniques (like EEG). During the practical, students are provided with tests and EEG data sets and work in small groups to analyze the EEG data. Questions raised during the practical are: Which steps are needed while analyzing neuroimaging data? Do different brain states induce different decision-making behaviors? How are differences in neuroimaging data or test performance examined? Students also perform statistical analyzes on EEG data sets and write a brief report.

This course introduces the concept of global public health program development and explains how Global Citizenship Education (GCED) can serve as a critical aspect in developing public health programs and the public health workforce.

Epidemiology is the study of the patterns, causes, and effects of health and disease conditions in defined human populations. It is the cornerstone of public health, and provides evidence that impact on both personal decisions about our lives and public policy for preventing and controlling diseases in the population. This module course covers key concepts in epidemiology, including how we measure disease burden, how we study risk factors for disease, how we evaluate interventions like new vaccines and therapies, and how to critically appraise research evidence to inform public health policy.

The course introduces students to the political economy of global health. It evaluates the underlying social, political, and economic causes of ill health and the role of various policies in responding. An emphasis is placed on analyzing the role of institutions, aid flows, corporations, and macroeconomic changes in global health. The course gives students an understanding of core concepts, issues, and debates in global health. Students apply social and political science perspectives to the analysis of health problems and identify research questions and designs on global health topics. The course requires students to have completed an elementary statistics course as a prerequisite. The course is split into three parts. Part I offers an introduction to Global Health topics. The first two sessions introduce the main debates in global health: the global burden of disease project, Primary versus Selective Health Care, horizontal versus vertical health systems, Universal Health Coverage, DALYs, and the theory of epidemiological transition. The next six sessions evaluate in more specific detail the history, epidemiology, and economics of leading sources of death and disability worldwide. Part II focuses on better understanding the wider causes of ill health and potential modifying factors. It covers different methods for measuring and mapping the scale of health inequalities across countries and over time. It also reviews the ongoing debates about whether inequality is a causative factor in health outcomes. This component of the course reviews evidence on the impacts of financial crises on health, from the Great Depression through to the recent economic downturns in Europe and North America, as well as implications for health of radical populism and fascist political movements. Finally, it evaluates the roles of health and social security systems in responding to these health determinants. Part III maps key players and actors in global health. This part of the course evaluates the political economy of global health. It assesses who holds power, covering the role of the World Health Organization, Private Philanthropic Foundations and other non-state actors, International Financial Institutions, and Multi-National Corporations. It reviews debates on alternative forms of redistribution, from charity to aid to lending programs. Finally, this section evaluates the histories of engaging with commercial determinants of health and alternative regulatory systems.

This course aims to discuss the meaning of food and meals in various social situations. Based on a cultural analytical perspective, this course focuses on what and how we eat, how different products are incorporated into or excluded from daily meal practices, as well as how food habits are constantly influenced by new circumstances. The course also includes discussions on a variety of defining factors concerning food culture such as production and processes, trade and economy, migration, and housing. Based on traditions, both new and old, the cultural and social significance of food is discussed in different contexts: in everyday life and in festivities, at home, and in public. The historical development of food traditions and innovations, as well as contemporary change and possible future scenarios, are studied. A central perspective of this course is that food culture is a process that is constantly changing.

This course introduces the chemical, physical, and nutritional properties of food science. It explores food components, ingredients and techniques of food preparation, positive nutritional practices, and health promotion goals. 

This course introduces students to the changing nature of modern medicine. It offers insights into the emergence and evolution of modern medicine, its key actors and institutions, as well as discourses and practices. Health and disease are more than medical matters. They are shaped by social, cultural, political, and technological forces. Questions of health and disease are inextricably linked with questions of science, technology, modernity, religion, colonialism, capitalism, racism, globalization, humanitarianism, and the state.

This course is part of the Laurea Magistrale program and is intended for advanced level students. Enrolment is by consent of the instructor. The course introduces fundamentals in economic evaluation theory and modeling methodology in healthcare. Students learn how to structure a medical decision model and how to estimate the incremental cost-effectiveness (ICER) and cost-effectiveness acceptability curves (CEACs), how to interpret results, and how to draw policy implications. Students are trained in critically reviewing HTA-studies, in order to judge their validity and applicability. The course discusses topics including CEA/CBA analysis; uncertainty and decision-making in healthcare; fundamental concepts of economic evaluation theory; theoretical foundation of modeling; types of models; development of decision trees and Markov models; an sensitivity analysis and the interpretation of the results. The course consists of ten classes. Classes are lectures which last three hours, with breaks where necessary. At least three classes are Excel workshops carried out in the computer lab. The course requires a reasonable level of understanding of basic mathematical concepts and basic probability theory. Students should also be comfortable with the basics of spreadsheet software such as MS Excel.

This course examines the culture and philosophy of traditional Chinese medicine. It covers the development of Chinese medicine from the social, cultural, ideological and technological perspectives, including the safety of Chinese medicine, modernization of Traditional Chinese medicine, and internationalization. Topics include its origin and culture, historical evolution and development, modern development and humanistic background, strategy of modernization and internationalization, and basic concepts of Chinese medicinal base plants, classification, preparation, Taodi herbs, etc.