Boston University School of Public Health 

Department of Global Health 

The Global Health Lens

Fall Course Spotlight

GH801: How to License a New Vaccine

GH795: Global AIDS Epidemic: Social & Economic Determinants Impact & Responses

SPH GH 885: Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health

GH801: How to License a New Vaccine (4 credits)

T aught by: Dr. Chris Gill on Fridays from 10:00am-1:00pm

Spots are still open!!

Course Description: Alongside modern sanitation and the alleviation of poverty, vaccines have saved more lives than any other public health intervention. And yet the story behind how vaccines are developed is one that few people fully understand. It is a story that includes elements of basic science (immunology, microbiology), chemistry, epidemiology, and clinical research. And because vaccines are used in otherwise healthy populations and have side effects and sometimes real risks, their development is scrutinized by regulatory bodies like the FDA in ways that few other health products experience. The story of vaccines is complex, difficult and fascinating, and the best way to learn about it is to experience it. That’s what this class is all about. 

GH801 is a living simulation that puts the students in command of the process of the testing and exploration of a new candidate vaccine. In this course you will design studies, and your studies will yield results that you must interpret in the process of learning about the performance and safety of your vaccine. Through this course you will learn about the regulatory process that oversees new vaccine licensure and use, clinical trial design, elements of vaccinology, immunology, and microbiology while honing your presentations skills and learning how to work effectively in a competitive group setting.

**Update to Certificate Requirements: Students can now cross apply the credits from GH801 with the Epidemiology/Biostatistics certificate or indirectly with the Pharmaceutical certificate. Questions? Contact Rachel Pieciak or Chris Gill

GH795: Global AIDS Epidemic: Social & Economic Determinants Impact & Responses

(4 credits)

Taught by: Dr. Lisa Messersmith on Tuesdays from 10:00am-1:00pm

Course Description: AIDS is one of the most important pandemics and human development challenges of our time. This course explores the determinants and impacts of the AIDS pandemic and examines best practices in prevention, care and treatment and impact mitigation. Students will explore the relationship between human rights, gender and vulnerability to HIV; examine effective multi-sectoral responses; and evaluate the benefits and limitations of major multi- and bi-lateral AIDS initiatives. Students will also examine the major debates in the AIDS field and explore different, at times contradictory, perspectives.

Great for students in the SSG, ID, GH and PM certificates and those interested in discussing rights-based and multi-sectoral responses to the HIV pandemic.

SPH GH 885: Global Trade, Intellectual Property, and Public Health

Taught by: Warren Kaplan on Monday from 6:00pm-8:50pm

Whether one works in a district hospital in Zambia or as a policy person in the US, a better understanding of the impact of global trade rules on the public's health should be a necessary part of the public health practitioner's knowledge and expertise. As one example, in 1993, the US, Canada and Mexico ratified the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), with the ostensible purpose of improving trade relations and economic prosperity for all countries. The pharmaceutical and biotech industries, plus a coalition of doctors and hospitals, lobbied for strong intellectual property rights, arguing that research and development (R&D) required for pharmaceutical innovation involved high risks and costs and that weak patent rights (weak by their standards) undermined job creation by the industry. Since then, increasing drug prices have led to medication non compliance on the part of a growing number of persons in all three countries, with significant impact on the public’s health. Big pharma has requested changes in national laws to eliminate a system of compulsory licensing where such licensing allows competitors to produce drugs still under patent without the consent of the patent holder, if public interest, such as a public health emergency, warrants it. This, in principle, challenges drug monopolies and leads to lower prices, whereas intellectual property rights have the opposite effect – they lengthen patent protections, thus shielding patent holders from competition and leading to higher prices. 

What is the evidence for this? GH885 is designed to introduce the student (Pharm certificate or otherwise) to this ecosystem of trade, patents and public health but be prepared to question your assumptions about the role of patents in driving up prices. Be prepared to puzzle out the answers to these "big picture" questions: 1) Why is drug development treated as a market good rather than a public good or service? 2) Do provisions within global trade agreements deal with the tension between private corporate interests and public needs? 

Whether you are an alum of SPH, a SPH faculty/staff member, a student in the Global Health Certificate, a Global Health interested student in another certificate, or just a friend of the Department of Global Health, we hope the weekly GLOBAL HEALTH LENS can be a one-stop-shop for our Global Health Community here at Boston University School of Public Health.

Have something to contribute? Send an email to my contact information below.

Juliana Restivo   

Events & Communications Specialist, Department of Global Health

801 Massachusetts Ave. CT-372A Boston MA 02118

617-414-1258 | jrestivo@bu.edu

STAY CONNECTED: