The Yale Institute for Global Health has publicly launched its certificate course, Digital Media for Health Outcomes, to train public health professionals on comprehensive, evidence-based tactics to develop, implement, and evaluate successful social media campaigns online that can impact health behaviors offline.
With over half the global population using social platforms, the average person spends two hours scrolling through them every day. Public health professionals can leverage social media for health behavior change and utilize these platforms to combat health misinformation.
“The course is responsive to participants' input,” said Dr. Saad B. Omer, Former Director, Yale Institute for Global Health, and Lead Instructor of the course. “Public health professionals know what is needed to create behavioral change in their target audiences. This course teaches them how to convert what they know into digital tactics.”
Developed in partnership with the Ad Council, African Union | Africa CDC, Population Services International (PSI), and UNICEF, the course teaches public health professionals on how social media can benefit individual health by increasing access to health information and enhancing health promotion efforts.
Our inaugural cohort, piloted in November 2022, included participants from across the globe, representing 42 countries and 55 organizations. With this public launch, the course is now accessible to all in English, French, Spanish and Arabic.
“Practical and thought-provoking. I recommend it to everyone interested in using digital media to promote health interventions," sa Iddi Iddrisu, Social Behavior Change Officer for UNICEF Ghana and course alum.
Available on the Coursera platform, the Yale Digital Media for Health Outcomes course empowers health communication professionals to leverage social media for health behavior change and improve real-world health outcomes.
The course is comprised of five modules. For each module, you will spend approximately 2-4 hours reviewing the course material, including video presentations from Dr. Saad Omer and partner experts. There are no costs or requirements to register. If you’d like to earn a certificate, you can either pay a fee or can apply for financial aid when you first enroll.