Syllabus
Building upon the lessons below, learners will also critique assigned articles, participate in discussion boards, compose a comprehensive essay on the subject “How shall my nation better prepare against pandemic threats?” and participate in a comprehensive emergency pandemic control simulation.
Week 1: The Power of Seven and Lessons from the Bush
Lessons learned from Spanish flu, AIDS, Ebola, SARS, and Zika
Dangers posed by fear, denial, complacency, and self-interest
Week 2: Lessons from the Barn and The Triple Threat
Threats posed by the global animal food industry
Perennial influenza and mad cow: the first man-made epidemic
Bioterrorism, bio-error, and unethical science
Week 3: The Costs of Complacency
Ricochet effect: scattered risks and amplified costs
Aversion behavior and epidemic cascade
The hit to education
Week 4: Lead Like the House Is on Fire, AND Resilient Systems and Global Security
DA Henderson and the end of smallpox
Pivotal leadership against AIDS, SARS, and Ebola
Nigeria’s response to Ebola
Ethiopia’s fight against aids
Governmental, NGO, and faith-based health leadership
Week 5: Active Prevention and Constant Readiness, AND Fatal Fictions and Timely Truths
Preventing mosquito-borne diseases
Vaccines: our most powerful protection
Early detection, rapid response, and protecting primary healthcare
The psychology of fear and distrust
The leadership-during-crisis tight rope
How mainstream media can help
Analysis and response to vaccine skepticism
Week 6: Disruptive Innovation and Collaborative Transformation
The proud history of innovation
Vaccines, mosquito control, rapid tests, early warning systems
Collaboration for critical innovations
Week 7: Invest Wisely and Save Lives
How “recency bias” trips us up
The political case for action
The business case for investments
Week 8: Ring the Alarm and Rouse the Leaders
Fighting ignorance at the top
AIDS denialism and the battle for HIV treatment
From local campaigns to a global movement to end epidemics
