Environmental Health

  

Introduction

Department of Environmental Health is under the Faculty of Environmental Health, Occupational Health and Safety – Hanoi School of Public Health, providing environmental health training for undergraduate and graduate students, undertaking environmental health research, involving in other research of public health field, and providing consultation on environmental health issues. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH is a multidisciplinary field, which includes the theory and practice of assessing, correcting, controlling, and preventing the physical, chemical, biological, social, and psychosocial factors in the environment, in order to promote the health of present and future generations, as well as the ecosystem. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH COURSES provide students with knowledge and skills on identifying environmental factors, assessing environmental health risks, and using these as tools for managing a healthy environment as well as developing strategies for ensuring sustainable development.

Address

Environmental Health Unit
Hanoi
School of Public Health
138 Giang Vo Street, Hanoi, Vietnam
Phone: 844 266 2322
Email: lth@hsph.edu.vn

 


 

 

Staff members

MSc. Le Thi Thanh Huong
Vice head, Department of Environmental Health

Master of Ecology – Natural Sciences University – Hanoi National University, 1998.
Bachelor of Biology – Hanoi National University, 1995

Email: lth@hsph.edu.vn

MSc. Tran Thi Minh Hang

Master of Environmental Management – Singapore National University, 2005
Bachelor of Chemistry – Singapore National University, 2003

Email: tmh@hsph.edu.vn

 

MSc. Nguyen Huu Thang

Master of Public Health, specialized in Environmental Health,
Occupational Health and Safety, University of Queensland, Australia, July 2005.
Bachelor of Environmental Sciences, Hanoi National University, 1998

Email: nht@hsph.edu.vn

Tran Thi Tuyet Hanh

Master of Public Health, specialized in Environmental Health, the University of Queensland,
Australia (expected to graduate on July 2007)
Bachelor of Environmental Health, the Flinders University of South Australia, 2001.

Email: tth2@hsph.edu.vn or trantuyethanh78@yahoo.com

Training


Bachelor of Public Health
Code : YCSM.4406
Number of certificate : 01
Number of credit : 05
Objectives
Once successfully completing this course, students should be able to:

1. Present some basic concepts of environment and environmental health.
2. Identify current environmental challenges in
Vietnam and worldwide as well as their impacts on human health
3. Present some environmental related diseases, their risk factors, and propose measures to control these diseases
4. Recommend appropriate management solutions for environmental health issues that
Vietnam is currently facing, such as water borne diseases, water related diseases, air pollution, vector control etc.

1. Full-time students: 75 hours for theory component, including 45 hours for lectures and 30 hours for tutorials, divided into 9 sessions (using scenarios for group discussion) to promote team-work and problem solving skills for students. After 9 tutorials, each group of approximately 8 students will submit a written report and an oral presentation on an environmental health topic selected from a given list of topics.
1.1 Course structure
Number of credit: Theory: 05
Contact hours: Lectures and tutorials: 75 Practice: 0
Number of examination: 01
Number of leading group discussion in tutorials: 02
Reports on group discussion: 02
Written report on an EH topic (in group): 01
Oral presentation (in group): 01
1.2. Assessment
Process assessment: = (T1 + T2 + T3)/3
note: Students being late in any tutorials will be deducted 0.5 mark from their process assessment grade

T1: mark for leading group discussion, T1 = leader for second group discussion +/- 1 mark (bonus mark for excellent leader in the first group discussion)
T2 : Mark for written report (in group)
T3: Mark for oral presentation (in group)
Final assessment = Progress assessment x 0.3 + Diligent mark x 0.2 + final examination x 0.5
2. Part-time students:
2.1 Course outline
Number of credit: Theory: 05
Number of hours: Theory: 75; Practice: 0
Number of examination: 1 final exam at the end of semester
Number of tests: 3 tests
2.2. Assessment
Process assessment: = (T1 + T2 + T3 + T4*2)/5
T1, T2, T3 are marks for 3 tests during the semester
T4 is mark for field work written report
Final assessment = process assessment x 0.3 + Diligent mark x 0.2 + final examination x 0.5

Master of Public Health and Public Health Specialist Level 1 (including distance training)

  Environmental health courses provide students basic knowledge on environmental health; discusses environmental health issues and challenges in Vietnam and worldwide; introduce practical approaches to assess environmental health risks, to deal with and to manage these risks to ensure good health for current and future generations.
File attached is the Environmental Health Curriculum for Master of Public Health and Public Health Specialist Level 1.

Master training program

Module

ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH
Learning objectives The students will be able to:

 

 1.       Inteprete the fundamental concepts of environmental health and assessment methodologies
2.       Identify current and future  environmental health problems in
Vietnam, regionally, and globally
3.       Describe the diseases related to environment (air born, water born, vector born, food born diseases, etc.) and apply preventive measures 4.       Analyze the tension between economic development and environmental health
5.       Critically evaluate the management tools for preventing and controlling environmental health problems

 
Duration  45 hours
Contents

 

 Part 1. General Principles of Environmental Health 1.       Introduction to environmental health
2.       Ecological basis of health and diseases
3.       Sustainable development

Part 2. Environmental Health and Exposure Pathways
4.       Air quality
5.       Food hygiene & food safety
6.       Management of solid wastes and medical wastes
7.       Vector-borne disease and vector control
8.       Water and Water hygiene
9.       Soil pollution
10.   Environmental safety
11.   Disaster responses

Part 3. Management and Assessment Strategies
12.   Environmental epidemiology
13.   Environmental health management

Methods Formal lectures, group work (case studies and exercises)
Lecturers

 

 Nguyen Van Man, Truong Viet Dzung, Bui Thanh Tam, Luu Duc Hai, Nguyen Huy Nga, Le Thi Thanh Huong
Facilitators Nguyen Huu Thang, Tran Thi Tuyet Hanh, Vu Thi Thu Nga
Materials used in class Handouts, case studies, scenarios, individual exercises, overhead transparencies, flip charts.

Research


 
Research and projects conducted by the department: 
  1. Environmental health changes as impacts of Son La Hydropower Resettlement Project, Vietnam 2006. 
  2. Developing community based model for safe pesticides uses at Dong Co commune, Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province, 
    2004 – 2006. 
  3. Water quality monitoring and some water borne/related disease surveillance in Tien Hai District, Thai Binh Province, 
    2005 – 2007. 
  4. Developing model for dengue prevention and control at Binh Thanh commune, Thanh Binh District, Dong Thap Province, 
    2006 – 2008. 
  5. Evaluating the sustainability of the Community Based Dengue Fever Control Project in Northern Vietnam, 2007 
  6. Impacts of air pollution on respiratory function of primary school pupils at a traditional trade commune in Hai Duong Province 
    2003 - 2004.     
Research and projects participated by the department 
  1. Developing community based model for pesticide safe use and storage in a plain and a mountainous communes in 
    northern Vietnam (1999-2001). 
  2. Developing community based model for dengue fever prevention in Dong Xa, Van Don, Quang Ninh (2004). 
  3. Improve KAP of farmers on safe pesticide use and storage in An Hoa, An Duong, Hai Phong (2004). 
  4. Assessing the capacity of safe motherhood service providers and customers’ needs at local level in some districts of Hatay, 
    Quang Tri and Kien Giang provinces, 2004. 
  5. Study the training needs to implement public health functions of health staff at different levels, 2006. Hanoi 
    School of Public Health. 
  6. Developing indicators for sustainable development in Vietnam (2002). 
Textbooks 
1- Environmental Health Manual (Post graduate training). Hanoi Medical Publishing House, 1999 
2- Environmental Health Manual (undergraduate training). Hanoi Medical Publishing House, 2006

Activities / Links