Why study global health?
Global health professionals are trained to analyse and tackle global health inequities. Students of the profession learn about common health challenges across the world and how economic, socio-cultural, gender and political systems intersect to shape health system capacities in varied settings.
Global health subjects are designed to enable students to develop advanced skills in partnering with global stakeholders and developing innovative solutions to address health inequities across low, middle and high-income countries.
Students can tailor subject selections to their specific interests while gaining practical and diverse workplace skills. They can focus on:
- The health of populations of interest i.e. women, children, adolescents, the elderly or people with disability
- Analytic and applied skill sets e.g. human rights, policy, primary health care, evaluation, violence prevention or health promotion, or
- Health issues, such as non-communicable diseases, communicable diseases or mental health.
Study options in global health
Why study global health at Melbourne?
- Nossal Institute of Global Health
- Burnet Institute
- Doherty Institute
Explore our industry-leading research outputs:
Gain the unique opportunity to learn from the hub of global health expertise – the Nossal Institute for Global Health – and to strengthen health systems across the Asia Pacific region.
At Nossal, help improve the public health futures of vulnerable communities through research, education, and practice in:
- Disability, Inclusion and Rehabilitation
- Health Systems Governance and Financing
- Education and Learning
- One Health (interactions between the wellbeing of humans, animals and the environment)
- Gender and Women's Health
- Emerging programs in Global Health and more.
- Network with the Burnet and the Doherty Institutes that house the most comprehensive infectious diseases capabilities in Australia, with researchers and clinicians responding to current and future global health issues.
- Dr Melanie Bannister-Tyrell
- Dr Naomi Francis
- Brigitte Tenni
- Alison Mcintyre
- Clare Strachan
- Dr Anna Barrett
- Professor Linda Rae Bennett
- Professor Linda Rae Bennett
Diverse careers
We are a global institution, and our qualifications enable you to progress in your career. The range of roles you can expect after completing a public health education include, but are not limited to:
- Government Health Officer
- Government Health Technical Advisor
- Officer for the design and implementation of global health programs
- Consultant Technical Advisor
- Global Health Researcher
- Community Development Officer
- Health Communication Officer
- Policy Development Officer
- Health Program Evaluation Officer
Global health sectors
Graduates from this elective stream often find themselves in roles within organisations such as:
- Ministries of Health and Foreign Affairs
- Non-government organisations (NGOs)
- United Nations agencies
- Development banks
- Development and research consulting firms
- Community-based organisations focused on health equity and development
Hear from our alumni
Recognising that global health is not simply ‘public health somewhere else’, the struggle to attain good health for all and to reduce health inequities is a common one. Our struggles for a healthier people and a healthier planet are interlinked, and we must work together with humility and mutual respect to overcome the immense challenges that face us.
Edwin Kwong, Master of Public Health (Global Health), 2019
In this video, Shantanu Sheshgir, Master of Public Health alum (2016) and Senior Evaluation Analyst, Australian Centre for Evaluation, shares his experience.