221.638.01
Health Systems Research and Evaluation in Developing Countries
Location
East Baltimore
Term
3rd Term
Department
International Health
Credit(s)
4
Academic Year
2025 - 2026
Instruction Method
In-Person
Tu, Th, 1:30 - 3:20pm
Auditors Allowed
Yes, with instructor consent
Available to Undergraduate
No
Grading Restriction
Letter Grade or Pass/Fail
Course Instructor(s)
Contact Name
Frequency Schedule
Every Year
Resources
Prerequisite
221.646.01 Health Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries
Enrollment Restriction
This course is not restricted.
Builds an understanding of the purpose and nature of health systems research and evaluation (HSRE) as a multi-disciplinary endeavor with scope for diverse inferences. Provides a landscape of the range of research questions and associated methodological approaches and study designs available for HSRE within health system building blocks and at various levels of the health system (macro, meso, micro). Explores cross-cutting issues of equity and social justice, digital health applications and scientific rigor. Fosters the ability to develop different research strategies depending on the research question at hand and to read health systems research (HSR) critically.
Learning Objectives
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
- Formulate HSRE questions and translate them into feasible research or evaluation designs by selecting and justifying appropriate quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods approaches based on the context, stakeholder needs, and type of inference required
- Identify, compare, and operationalize diverse HSRE data sources, including understanding the types of evidence they generate, the stakeholders involved, and their strengths and limitations for answering applied HSRE questions
- Describe a range of approaches used for HSR, and how to ensure rigor in the various approaches (quasi-experimental methods, use of administrative data, facility surveys, case studies, participatory/action research, ethnography, and mixed methods)
Upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to:
Methods of Assessment
This course is evaluated as follows:
- 15% Participation
- 20% Written Assignment(s)
- 20% Written Assignment(s)
- 25% Written Assignment(s)
- 20% Presentation(s)