Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry

The intercalated BSc in global public health will provide students with a comprehensive public health perspective on some of the most pressing challenges that society faces. The interdisciplinary programme is taught by academics who are leaders in their field – in public health, epidemiology, law, sociology, anthropology, politicis, economics, social policy, and clinical medicine – and influential in policy developments in the UK and internationally.

As a degree with a global and population-based perspective, your learning will be underpinned by a commitment to principles of inclusion, diversity and social justice. While technology and medical science create many promises for the improvement of human health, whether in post-genomic medicine or rapid vaccine production, most of today’s global health crises – not least covid-19 – remind us that the root causes of good health lie in political, social, legal, and economic systems. This is a time of growing inequalities and of threats to sustainable development, and the issue of inequality is becoming more important in public, political, and academic debate.

All doctors, regardless of their specialty, should have a sound public health understanding. By taking a year away from your clinical studies, you step back to see the bigger picture of global health and get a better sense of the contributions you can go on to make in medicine. You will equip yourself with the tools both to analyse the causes of ill health and social determinants of disease, as well as using first principles to consider better policy options. Through the knowledge and analytic skills you develop, you gain the critical insights and an evidence base from which to advocate on behalf of your patients and communities.

Based in Whitechapel in the heart of London’s East End, the Centre for Global Public Health, which is part of the Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, brings together leading researchers and teachers in public health policy all of whom share a commitment to reducing health inequalities and promoting universal health care in and beyond the UK. It leads global health teaching in Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, the first UK medical school to include global health in the undergraduate medical curriculum.

Entry requirements

Completion of 2, 3 or 4 years of the MBBS course (1 or 2 years of a graduate entry programme).
Passes in Parts 1, 2 and 3 MBBS (as relevant to the year of intercalation).

Closing date

Please contact the course provider.