CVEN 5119: Introduction to Global Health for Engineers & CVEN 5149: Applied Global Health for Engineers

8:45-11:15, Wednesdays, SEEC 265, Spring 2026, 5-Week Sessions 1 & 2

Global Health for Engineers CVEN 5119-001 (5-Week Session 1)

Global Health, a multidisciplinary academic and professional discipline, works to address the unequal distribution of disease determinants and burden in low income communities. In this course, engineering students engaged in Global Engineering, poverty reduction efforts, technology and intervention design will be introduced to the conditions, context, and professional activities and standards of global health practice. Recommended restrictions of enrollment in Mortenson Center graduate program or instructor approval.

Applied Global Health for Engineers CVEN 5149-001 (5-Week Session 2)

Global Health, a multidisciplinary academic and professional discipline, works to address the unequal distribution of disease determinants and burden in low income communities. In this course, engineering students engaged in Global Engineering, poverty reduction efforts, technology and intervention design will be introduced to the conditions, context, and professional activities and standards of global health practice. This course is a 5-week, 1 credit module is designed to follow, Introduction to Global Health for Engineers. Recommended prerequisite: enrollment in Mortenson Center graduate program or instructor approval.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

  1. Explain the major global health challenges and the role of engineering in addressing them.
  2. Analyze global health data and metrics, and use them to inform engineering design.
  3. Assess how environmental, social, and technological determinants interact to shape health outcomes.
  4. Critically evaluate case studies of engineering interventions in low-resource settings.
  5. Propose an innovative engineering solution to a pressing global health problem.

Course Requirements

  • Participation and weekly discussion contributions(20%)
  • Short reflection papers(5 × 2 pages; 25%)
  • Case study presentation (group)(20%)
  • Final project proposal (individual)(35%)

Weekly Schedule

Session 1 – Foundations of Global Health for Engineers

  • Topics: History of global health; burden of disease; role of engineers in shaping health outcomes.
  • Case study: Water supply, sanitation, and cholera.
  • Readings:
    • Farmer, P.Pathologies of Power(selected chapters).
    • WHO. “What is Global Health?” (overview).
  • Assignment:Reflection paper: How should engineers define their role in global health?

Session 2 – Global Burden of Disease and Health Metrics

  • Topics: DALYs, QALYs, mortality/morbidity indicators; IHME and WHO datasets.
  • Hands-on: Critique a Global Burden of Disease visualization.
  • Readings:
    • Murray CJL et al., “Global Burden of Disease 2019.”The Lancet(DZ).
    • IHME Data Portal (students explore data).
  • Assignment:Short analysis of a health metric relevant to an engineering challenge.

Session 3 – Environmental Determinants of Health

  • Topics: WASH, air quality, household energy, climate change impacts.
  • Case study: Tubeho Neza Rwanda
  • Readings:
    • Prüss-Ustün A. et al., “Preventing disease through healthy environments.” WHO.
    • Case study handout (provided).
  • Assignment:2-page memo: Propose an engineering intervention targeting an environmental health determinant.

Session 4 – Health Systems and Technology in Low-Resource Settings

  • Topics: Health system structures; frugal innovation; biomedical engineering challenges.
  • Guest discussion: Designing technologies for constraints.
  • Readings:
    • ±᰿.Primary Health Care Systems Framework.
    • ѳҹ.Global Grand Challenges in Health Technologies.
  • Assignment:Group discussion prep: Identify a failed health technology and analyze why.

Session 5 – Infectious Diseases and Engineering Responses

  • Topics: Malaria, TB, HIV, diarrheal diseases; diagnostics; cold chain and vaccines.
  • Case study: Ebola outbreak response.
  • Readings:
    • Piot, P.No Time to Lose(selected chapters).
    • Médecins Sans Frontières. “Ebola: Pushed to the Limit.”
  • Assignment:Reflection: How can engineers design resilient health technologies for epidemics?

Session 6 – Non-Communicable Diseases and Urban Health

  • Topics: CVD, diabetes, cancers, mental health; built environment; urbanization.
  • Group activity: Engineering solutions for NCD risk reduction.
  • Readings:
    • Beaglehole R. et al., “Priority actions for NCDs.”The Lancet.
    • -Ჹٲ.Urbanization and Health.
  • Assignment:Short paper: Propose an engineering solution to reduce an urban health risk.

Session 7 – Data, Sensors, and Remote Sensing in Global Health

  • Topics: IoT health monitoring, environmental sensors, satellite data for outbreak prediction.
  • Hands-on: Explore Sentinel-2 imagery for water quality and vector habitats.
  • Readings:
    • Thomas, E. et al., “Sensor-informed models for water quality and health.”
    • NASA Earth Science Applied Sciences case study.
  • Assignment:Data exercise: Use remote sensing data to analyze a health-related environmental trend.

Session 8 – Humanitarian Engineering and Global Health Emergencies

  • Topics: Disaster and conflict settings; rapid deployment infrastructure; refugee health.
  • Workshop: Design a rapid-deployment WASH system for emergencies.
  • Readings:
    • Sphere Handbook (selected standards).
    • Harvard Humanitarian Initiative.Engineering in Emergencies.
  • Assignment:Group design exercise write-up (2–3 pages).

Session 9 – Global Health Financing, Policy, and Ethics

  • Topics: WHO, World Bank, Global Fund, Gavi; donor vs. local ownership; equity and ethics.
  • Debate: “Scalable solutions vs. high-integrity pilots.”
  • Readings:
    • Ooms, G. et al., “Global health financing: Past, present, and future.”
    • Ethical case studies (provided).
  • Assignment:Policy memo: Ethical considerations in deploying a new health technology.

Session 10 – Integration, Innovation, and Future Directions

  • Topics: Climate-health-engineering nexus; AI and predictive modeling.
  • Student presentations: Final project proposals.
  • Wrap-up: Careers at the nexus of engineering and global health.
  • Readings:
    • Kickbusch, I. & Szabo, M. “Global health diplomacy.”
    • Recent papers on AI and digital health in LMICs (provided).
  • Assignment:Final project proposal due (8–10 pages).