Certificate Programme on Public Health Fundamentals: Perspectives and Practice
Building perspectives to nurture public health practice
Introduction
The fact that ‘health matters to all of us’ is well accepted. Yet, a society where all sections of the population can achieve good standards of health, is far from reality. Although India has made significant public health gains through eradicating health concerns such as Polio and reducing infant mortality, we are grappling with several enduring and emerging challenges. These include a high burden of tuberculosis-related deaths, significant out-of-pocket expenditure in accessing healthcare, an explosion in the prevalence of non-communicable diseases including mental health challenges, and environmental health risks. They are of concern to the entire population but pose disproportionate threats to persons from marginalised communities. Making sense of where we are, understanding the ways of improving health at a population level, and learning from practices that have worked, requires a foundational understanding of the domain of public health. This entails learning public health perspectives and practice in a cohesive rather than a fragmented manner through specific topics. We address this need by offering this certificate programme titled ‘Public Health Fundamentals: Perspectives and Practice’ for those professionals who wish to engage with the public health domain or are already working in specific health and related themes, without necessarily being exposed to formal public health training.
Key features
- Developing public health perspectives embedded in the values of equity, rights and social justice
- Critically analysing contemporary public health challenges in India
- Examining approaches and strategies of diverse public health interventions
- Offering a blended mode — 6 days in-person, followed by 9 Saturday online sessions- creating an opportunity for deeper engagement of the participants with University.
Who will benefit from the programme?
The Certificate programme offered in a blended mode will benefit the following cohort of participants:
- those interested in engaging/ initiating public health action
- those already working in health and related domains
- medical and allied health professionals
- those working in health grant-making institutions/ organisations
This is a 6‑credit Certificate Programme comprising of three courses. Each course carries 2 credits each. It will be transacted through a blended mode; 90 hours of instruction time — 36 hours through in-person, and 54 hours through online sessions.
1) Public health perspectives (2 credits)
This course seeks to help participants gain key perspectives on public health. It has three interrelated core messages.
a. it elucidates the ‘publicness’ of public health by decoding the population orientation of health (contrasted with individualised focus in clinical medicine);
b. role of the state and collective action that are obligatory than voluntary, and
c. why public health necessarily focuses on factors that prevent diseases and promote health, hence, explaining and addressing the social, economic, environmental factors that give rise persistent health inequalities. Public health, hence, inevitably is embedded in the values of equity, social justice and rights
2) Public health systems, policies, and programmes in India (2 credits)
The course will seek to situate the public health landscape in India. This will include discussions on current health challenges including the triple burden of malnutrition, communicable and noncommunicable diseases, along with emerging health concerns such as those due to climate change. Participants will understand and analyse the changing disease burden and unequal patterns in health outcomes among different populations. They will learn basic epidemiological tools and concepts to understand, map distribution and causes of diseases. There will be a specific focus on learning basic epidemiological tools and concepts in understanding disease burden. The course will then help students situate these concerns in a historical context of the evolution of health policies and programmes in India.
3) Public health interventions (2 Credits)
Following the other two courses which have laid bare what public health indeed is, and what have been the challenges in India, this course provides examples of different ways in which key concerns of public health around equity, access, and quality have been addressed. This will involve interventions designed and implemented by both state and non-state actors individually and in a collaborative way. In this course, interventions that are responding to a few priority health conditions (e.g., Tuberculosis, Malnutrition, Maternal and Child health, Mental Health, etc.) will be covered. The focus will be to introduce participants to a range of possibilities in terms of kinds of interventions including at community level, system strengthening as well as larger policy advocacy levels. These interventions will be discussed by situating them in relevant historical and social context. The need and the idea of intersectoral nature of some of these interventions will also be highlighted.
Timeline
Last date to apply: 31 July 2026
Selection of participants: 1 — 10 August 2026
Commencement Classes: 24 August 2026 (In-person)
In-person sessions: 24 to 29 August 2026
Online sessions (on Saturdays): 5 Sept to 31 Oct 2026
Eligibility
•Participants with at least 2 years of work experience.
•The participants also need working knowledge of English.
Do I need to have a previous degree in Biology, Medical or Paramedical sciences, or AYUSH to enrol in this programme?
Having a previous degree in Biology, Medical or Paramedical Sciences or AYUSH is not a prerequisite for this certificate programme. However, those with these backgrounds too are welcome to apply.
What is the requirement to complete a Certificate?
Participants must meet the minimum attendance requirements, complete assessments with a minimum pass grade in accordance with the University guidelines for the same.
Will this be an intensive programme?
While the courses have been designed keeping working professionals and their needs in mind, the programme will require regular attendance, assignment submissions and class participation.
How many days will I need to be away from work?
The certificate will require participants to attend in-person classes for 6 days at the Bengaluru campus. The remaining nine sessions will be online.
What is the timing of the online classes on Saturdays?
The online classes on Saturdays will run for 6 hours with breaks in between. Hence, please keep the entire day free for the online classes.
Is attending offline sessions mandatory?
Yes, attending the in-person sessions at our Bangalore campus is mandatory.
I understand English but am less familiar with communicating verbally and in written form. Can I still enrol?
The courses have been designed to be delivered in English to cater to participants from all geographical regions. While you may orally communicate in Hindi, you will be required to submit your assignments in English.
I am working in an NGO specifically for education, will this programme benefit me?
Yes, the programme is theme agnostic and hence, participants from any thematic area will benefit. In fact, the university encourages diversity of thematic experience in the classroom.
I am working for a Government project; can I join and how will it help?
Yes, if your role is related to the learnings of this programme, it will be helpful.
I am a freelancer working in the development sector, can I join this programme?
The eligibility criteria includes a minimum of 24 months of work experience. Admission for applicants with freelance work experience will be on a case-by-case basis.
I am currently not working but have experience, can I join?
Yes, the eligibility criteria includes a minimum of 24 months of work experience. If the candidate is not working currently, it is fine as long as the applicant fulfils this criterion.
Is the campus accessible for differently abled people?
Yes, the University campus and some of our student residences are wheelchair access friendly.
I have a young child; is there any facility for childcare?
The University has a crèche facility on the campus. However, we would suggest that specific requirements are discussed with us on a case-to-case basis.
Will there be placement assistance?
There is no placement assistance envisaged after the programme.
Will financial assistance be provided?
Financial assistance is provided on a case-by-case basis.