Graduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

The Graduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (DTM&H) will provide doctors, and nurses experienced in tropical health, requisite knowledge, high-standard skills, confidence and the motivation to meet the contemporary health challenges of tropical settings.

The DTM&H, housed at the University of Melbourne, is delivered by means of the complementary strengths of the Faculty of Tropical Medicine at Mahidol University (Thailand), the Burnet Institute and the Nossal Institute for Global Health (University of Melbourne).

The curriculum includes a foundational online subject, and four weeks on campus in Melbourne covering the pathology, diagnosis and treatment of tropical disease, addressing underlying determinants of health, travel medicine and global health approaches. Special attention is given to health in resource-constrained settings. In addition, students will spend four weeks in Thailand gaining vital hands-on laboratory, clinical and field experience. The capstone subject will ensure students consolidate their new knowledge and skills in a real workplace setting relevant to tropical disease.

By the conclusion of this course, students should be able to:

• recognise and manage a range of diseases common to tropical settings.
• engage in clinical practice relevant to travel to and from tropical settings.
• apply understanding of the determinants of global health to clinical and public health practice, as well as policy development relevant to tropical health.
• demonstrate proficiency in the use of a range of tropical health diagnostic methods including light microscopy.
• conduct field surveys on tropical disease.
• work effectively in tropical and resource-constrained settings.

The course is divided into four components, each building on one another consecutively, comprising a total of six subjects. All subjects are compulsory to the course and of AQF Level 8 standard. The components and their chronological order are:

1. Foundations of Tropical Health (online)

• Foundations of Tropical & Global Health (12.5 points)

2. Tropical Health Studies (Melbourne)

• Global Health (12.5 points)
• Management of Tropical Disease (25 points)
• Health in Resource-Constrained Settings (12.5 points)

3. Tropical Health Practice (Thailand)

• Practice of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (25 points)

4. Tropical Health Capstone (workplace relevant to tropical health in Australia or overseas)

• Professional Practice in Tropical Health (12.5 points)

Core subjects

• Medical Degree, e.g. MB,BS or MD (verified by endorsed academic transcript), or
• Nursing Degree (verified by endorsed academic transcript) and at least 5 years relevant experience in clinical tropical health (supported by written professional reference)

International students may be required to complete and produce endorsed proof of:

• an overall band score of 6.5 or more in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) Academic Test with no band less than 6.0, or
• one of the following for the American Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL),
• 577 or more the paper based test, with 4.5 or more in the Test of Written English (TWE),
• 233 in the computer based test, including an Essay rating score of 4.5,
• 90 or more in the internet based test, with no band less than 21,

These requirements are consistent with the University of Melbourne’s principles of:

• a commitment to maintaining high international academic standards in its courses; and
• selecting from among applicants those likely to succeed in its courses.

Advanced standing of 25 points will be granted to students who have previously completed the Specialist Certificate in Travel Medicine within three years prior to commencement of the DTM&H.

The Selection Committee may seek further information to clarify any aspect of an application in accordance with the Academic Board rules on the use of selection instruments.

The course contains a four-week compulsory overseas component (1 x 25 credit point subject). Students must be able to attend this component and cover the additional costs relating to travel and accommodation.

Graduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene welcomes applications from students with disabilities. It is University and degree policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student’s participation in the degree.

For the purposes of considering requests for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Commonwealth 2005), and Students Experiencing Academic Disadvantage Policy, academic requirements for this course are articulated in the Course Overview, Objectives and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this course are encouraged to discuss this matter with the Student Equity and Disability Support Team : http://www.services.unimelb.edu.au/disability/

The Melbourne Experience, reinforced in this instance through the three-way collaboration with the Burnet Institute and Mahidol University (Faculty of Topical Medicine) enables our graduates to become:

• Academically excellent: have a strong sense of intellectual integrity and the ethics of scholarship; have in-depth knowledge of tropical medicine and hygiene; reach a high level of achievement in writing, generic research activities, problem-solving and communication; be critical and creative thinkers, with an aptitude for continued self-directed learning; be adept at learning in a range of ways, including through information and communication technologies.
• Knowledgeable across disciplines relevant to tropical and global health (including: global health; parasitology; travel medicine; working in resource-constrained settings; and laboratory, clinical and field practice); to develop ability to examine critically, synthesise and evaluate knowledge across these disciplines; expand their analytical and cognitive skills through learning experiences in various relevant subjects and settings; have the capacity to participate fully in collaborative learning and to confront unfamiliar problems; have a set of flexible and transferable skills for different types of employment.
• Leaders in communities: initiate and implement constructive change in communities, including professions and workplaces; have excellent interpersonal and decision-making skills, including an awareness of personal strengths and limitations; mentor future generations of learners; engage in meaningful public discourse, with a profound awareness of community needs
• Attuned to cultural diversity: value different cultures; be well-informed citizens able to contribute to their communities wherever they choose to live and work; have an understanding of the social and cultural diversity in our community; respect indigenous knowledge, cultures and values;
• Active global citizens: accept social and civic responsibilities; be advocates for improving the sustainability of the environment.

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The Postgraduate Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene will allow students to develop skills in:

• Critical thinking and analysis
• Working with others and in teams
• Initiative, autonomy and organisation
• Problem-solving
• Oral communication
• Finding, evaluating and using relevant information
• Written communication
• Decision-making
• Leadership
• Persuasion and argumentation
• Using computers and relevant software