| The course runs from 16 to 27 June 2025. |
This course provides the knowledge, conceptual frameworks and tools necessary to strengthen health sector policies and programmes for adolescent health and development.
Investing in the health and development of adolescents is essential for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), promoting public health and ensuring economic development. Not only do adolescents suffer significant mortality and morbidity, but most adult health problems, from HIV to lung cancer and heart disease, have their roots in attitudes and behaviours that start during the second decade of life.
There is increasing evidence for effective interventions to improve adolescents’ health and development, and growing consensus about priorities for action, in terms of what needs to be done and how. However, there is an urgent need to develop the capacity to do what needs to be done, particularly in countries where the needs are greatest and the resources most limited.
The course is organised and taught by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and the World Health Organization (WHO), in collaboration with the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, the Public Health Foundation of India, UNFPA, and UNICEF.
Who is this course for?
The course has been designed for mid-career professionals with experience in adolescent health and responsibilities for health sector interventions, including health professionals, programme implementers, policymakers and researchers. The course will have a public health rather than a clinical medicine orientation. Applicants should have a good command of English.
Additional information
Aims & objectives
The course aims to equip participants with the knowledge, conceptual frameworks and tools necessary to strengthen health sector policies and programmes for adolescent health. Specifically, the course will:
- Provide grounding in the epidemiology, evidence-based interventions and strategies for responding to adolescents' priority health problems
- Equip participants to evaluate evidence and apply it to their work with adolescents
- Guide participants through the steps necessary for the development and integration of adolescent health interventions into national policies, programmes and plans
- Outline key challenges and solutions in developing and implementing interventions for adolescent health
- Equip participants to critically analyse and improve policies and strategies for adolescent health in countries where they work
Course content
- Adolescence and adolescent development
- Theories of risk, vulnerability, resilience and behaviour change
- Epidemiological methods and data specific to adolescent health
- Frameworks for understanding and prioritizing health sector interventions for adolescent health
- Steps to develop and improve health sector policies and plans for adolescent health: situation analysis, surveillance, monitoring, evaluation and adolescent participation
- Approaches to reviewing evidence and carrying out research on adolescent health and development
- Challenges in adolescent health: including sexual and reproductive health, drugs and alcohol, mental health, nutrition, injuries, violence, infectious and non-communicable diseases
- Current focus and priorities of international agencies.
Intended learning outcomes
- Critically evaluate the measures of burden of adolescent conditions and their application from monitoring to policy evaluation
- Evaluate evidence relating to adolescent health and apply it to the development of policy and programming approaches to improve adolescent health
- Evaluate health system requirements and capacity for addressing adolescent health
- Analyse the policy process and the effectiveness of policy opportunities at different levels from system-wide changes to disease management
Session content
Sessions will be split into the following themes:
- Setting the scene/Epidemiology of adolescent health and well-being
- Programming for adolescent well-being and the importance of intersectional perspectives
- Adolescent's rights, vulnerability, diversity
- Youth engagement and participation
- Adolescent health and well-being in the digital age
- Evidence for action
Teaching methods and course materials
Faculty for the course will include staff who have extensive expertise in health sector programming for adolescent health and development from the School, WHO, the Obafemi Awolowo University (Ile-Ife, Nigeria), Institute of Child Health, University of Ibadan, the Public Health Foundation of India, UNICEF and UNFPA, as well as staff from other institutions.
The course will be delivered as a hybrid course, with students choosing to participate either in person or online. Teaching will be conducted synchronously and will include pre-recorded case studies. Participants will also have the opportunity to participate in a group project task. The course materials, including PowerPoint presentations and key references, will be provided electronically.
“Taking part in this course is the best way to launch into programming for adolescent health.” Tochie Odele working for UNFPA in Nigeria.
“The course provided the opportunity to explore various theories and concepts related to adolescent health in a very participatory way." Elaine King working for UNICEF in Barbados.
“A very good investment, and I will never forget or regret doing this course. I will recommend this course to colleagues as well as to my ministry.” Hannah Taylor Abdulai, School Health Education Programme, Ghana Education Service.
“If you need to understand or confirm why adolescent health should be defined as a priority then this short course will help achieve this.” Sarah Godfree working for an International NGO based in UK.
“A wonderful experience and a good balance between research findings and their application.” Elsona Agolli working for UNFPA in Albania.
"This course was great! The mix of teaching on concepts and frameworks for thinking about adolescent health, and up-to-date information on evidence-based interventions for adolescent health programming will be extremely useful for my future work." Lissa Kaarto, UNFPA Regional Office for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Istanbul, Turkey.
"I had wanted to reach out to adolescents in my community and just didn't know how. Coming to this course gave me a great head start!" Amole Taiwo, Public Health Physician, BUK/AKTH, Nigeria.
"This short course was very participatory with lively discussions." Anadita Philipose, UNESCO Headquarters, France.
Fees
£1,840
Funding
100% fee discount with a limited number reserved for attendees from LMICs.
50% discounts with a limited number reserved for WHO staff.
Please complete this link before 31 March 2025 (UK time) for the fee discount application.
Applying for this course
Applications for 2025 are now open and can be made via our online application form.
Please read LSHTM's Admissions policies prior to submitting your application.
Application deadline
30 April 2025 (UK time).
Visas
The student is responsible for obtaining any visa or other permissions to attend the course, and is encouraged to start the application process as early as possible as obtaining a visa for the UK can sometimes take a long time. The Short Courses team can provide supporting documentation if requested.
Accommodation
A list of hotels located in the vicinity of LSHTM, along with further resources for short term accommodation, can be found on our accommodation pages.
Important information
Please note:
- Students will be required to bring their own laptops. The Stata package will be available for the duration of the course.
- If you have been offered a place on the course you will not be able to register without bringing a formal ID (Passport) and without having obtained the correct visa if required.
- It is essential that you read the current visa requirements for short course students.
- LSHTM may cancel courses two weeks before the first day of the course if numbers prove insufficient. In those circumstances, course fees will be refunded.
- LSHTM cannot accept responsibility for accommodation, travel and other losses incurred as a result of the course being cancelled.