TUFH Social Determinants of Health Curriculum
Social Determinants of Health — an iSTEP Course
Health equity requires that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be healthier, which means removing obstacles to health such as poverty, lack of access to good jobs with fair pay, and inadequate education, housing, safe environments, and health care. Achieving it demands both investment in the systems that shape social and economic conditions — housing, transportation, education, income and employment assistance, child and family supports, legal and criminal justice services — and the integration of those investments into medical and public health programmes that too often operate in isolation from them.
The TUFH Social Determinants of Health course is built on the World Health Organization’s framework. The social determinants of health are the conditions in which people are born, grow, live, work, and age. These circumstances are shaped by the distribution of money, power, and resources at global, national, and local levels, and they are largely responsible for health inequities — the unfair and avoidable differences in health status seen within and between countries.
Working through the WHO topic areas, learners come to understand what the social determinants of health actually are and how they interact in daily life to produce better or worse health outcomes.
Topics covered include:
1. Employment conditions
2. Social exclusion
3. Public health priorities
4. Women and gender equity
5. Early child development
6. Globalization
7. Health systems
8. Measurement and evidence
Course structure: an introductory session, six in-depth modules, and a capstone presentation. Each module includes pre-reading assignments, a reflection exercise posted to the TUFH.ORG platform, an assignment posted to the platform, and a two-hour live virtual session comprising a guest lecture, breakout exercises, a briefing on the upcoming assignment, and a networking session where students engage with peers across countries and sectors.
The course culminates in Capstone Presentations, which are open to all members of The Network: TUFH to attend. Presentations are evaluated and students receive a pass/fail certificate.
Academic credit: Upon successful completion of a course, students receive a certificate. Institutions have the option to integrate the iSTEP course into their curriculum and award students 3 academic credits.
| Curator | Synchronous or Asynchornous | Virtual / In-Person | Course Length | Costs | Targeted |
 | Synchronous | Virtual | 8 monthly sessions of 2 hours — 6 modules plus introduction and capstone | Students of TUFH Institutional Members: Free SNO members: Free Non-member institutions: Join TUFH with a 50% down payment on the institutional fee and pay the balance later | Students across all health and health-adjacent disciplines |
Partner Social Determinants of Health Courses
Global Health (NextGenU) is a comprehensive online course designed to equip participants for professional practice within the global health field by providing knowledge and skills pertinent to addressing the issues and health implications surrounding global health from various perspectives. The purpose of this course is to educate and inform participants about the major determinants of health and disease from a global perspective and to prepare learners for professional practice in global health.
| Curator | Synchromous or Asynchornous | Virtual / In-Person | Course Length | Costs | Targeted |
 | Asynchornous | Virtual | 190 hours – 6 Modules | Free | Students, Faculty, and Leadership |
Promotion and Prevention in Public Health (NextGenU)
To improve the health of populations, the rationale for the discipline of Public Health prevention is key. This course is designed to explore some of the theories and applications of prevention with a population focus.
The course is designed to help you:
-Outline the population approach to prevention.
-Define and describe the theme of Health Promotion.
-Understand that social and cultural determinants are important in disease causation and prevention.
-Understand how policy settings are crucial to the implementation of disease prevention.
-Understand how to apply a simple evaluation framework to any project or intervention, know how to identify and develop indicators that allow you to demonstrate the results of the project, and be able to identify “successes” and “lessons learned” for future projects
| Curator | Synchromous or Asynchornous | Virtual / In-Person | Course Length | Costs | Targeted |
| Asynchornous | Virtual | 4 hours – 5 Modules | Free | Students and Practitioners |
Social and Behavioral Health (NextGenU)
This Social and Behavioral Sciences course teaches about the basic theories, concepts, and models of social and behavioral sciences and provides an opportunity to develop practical skills and knowledge.
| Curator | Synchromous or Asynchornous | Virtual / In-Person | Course Length | Costs | Targeted |
| Asynchornous | Virtual | 87 hours – 5 Modules | Free | Students and Faculty |
Burden of Disease (NextGenU)
Learn about the major disease categories facing populations in Low- and Middle- Income Countries. You will explore the burden of disease within a population, which includes the epidemiology of the disease, the relevant social and cultural determinant of health, and the evidence base that allows for the discussion and study of treatment, prevention, and control measures that will reduce the burden of disease.
The course is designed to help you:
- Assess the global burden and patterns of diseases in different countries and how they change over time.
- Identify some of the challenges in the prevention and control of major communicable and non-communicable diseases in resource-limited settings.
| Curator | Synchromous or Asynchornous | Virtual / In-Person | Course Length | Costs | Targeted |
| Asynchornous | Virtual | 5 hours – 6 Modules | Free | Students and Faculty |
Resource Library
If you are interested in suggesting an additional resource for Social Determinants of Health, we welcome your contributions.
Recommending resources is one of the benefits of being a member of TUFH, helping us expand and strengthen our shared knowledge base. To submit a resource or learn more about membership, please contact secretariat@thenetworktufh.org.