Health Systems Development: A Focus on Health Service Delivery and Human Resources for Health (Coursera)

Health Systems Development: A Focus on Health Service Delivery and Human Resources for Health (Coursera)

This specialization is intended for people interested in health systems and how they function. Participants will learn about the global health systems landscape and the challenges and opportunities to achieve better health outcomes. This specialisation is divided into three courses which are offered as massive online open access courses (Courses 1-3), and a fourth course which is offered as part of the Online MPH degree (capstone). The Health Systems Development specialisation is geared toward learners who have no prior knowledge of health systems or those who are starting to explore this area of study.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

Overall, sessions in this specialisation span 16 week with approximately 96 hours of viewing learning materials per week. Formative assessments in the form of quizzes and activities are incorporated throughout the weeks to help learners gauge their level of depth of understanding and to prepare them for their summative assessments.
Participants will have the opportunity to explore a range of areas within health systems.
The first course will introduce the main building blocks of health systems and shed some light on key components of well-functioning health systems including how health system performance is assessed.
In course two, students will learn how to conduct a health impact assessment and how to assess the impacts of policies, plans and projects, as well as how that support decision-makers make choices regarding alternatives and improvements to prevent disease or injury and to actively promote health.
The third course explores human resources for health and service delivery. In this course, students will learn about and analyse country experiences in transforming health services delivery, and interventions and to address human resources for health challenges at a global level.
By the end of this specialisation, learners should be able to identify key components of, and critically compare, different health systems; analyse country experiences in transforming services; and apply theoretical framework for assessing the health impacts of policies, plans and projects.

What You Will Learn

  • Apply a root cause analysis approach in order to diagnose service delivery specific bottlenecks.
  • Critique strategies to mitigate global human-resources-for-health challenges to support evidence informed decision making for health system reform.

Course 3 of 3 in the Health Systems Development Specialization.

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Health Service Delivery
This week you will learn about health service delivery, explore how to deconstruct the relationships between health service delivery and other aspects of the health system, as well as distinguish between strengths and limitations for different approaches used to transform health services

WEEK 2
Health Service Transformations
This week you will learn about various approaches used globally to transform health service delivery to respond to population need as well as how to use root cause analysis techniques to identify and diagnose health service delivery bottlenecks and analyse country experiences in transforming health services delivery.

WEEK 3
Human Resources for Health
This week you will learn about human-resources-for-health and familiarise yourselves with concepts such as supply, demand and need in the context of health workforce. You will also get a chance to explore the opportunities and challenges global human-resources-for-health face globally in the era of Sustainable Development Goals.

WEEK 4
Mitigating Global Human-Resources-for-Health Challenges
This week you will explore various frameworks, tools and approaches to address human-resources-for-health challenges globally, and you will have the opportunity to critique strategies to mitigate global human-resources-for-health challenges in order to support evidence informed decision making for health system reform.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Administrative/IT Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. No additional hardware or software are required for this course. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Diagnosing Health Behaviors for Global Health Programs (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Diagnosing Health Behaviors for Global Health Programs (Coursera)

Health behavior lies at the core of any successful public health intervention. While we will examine the behavior of individual in depth in this course, we also recognize by way of the Ecological Model that individual behavior is encouraged or constrained by the behavior of families, social groups, communities, organizations and policy makers. We recognize that behavior change is not a simplistic process but requires an understanding of dimensions like frequency, complexity and cultural congruity. Such behavioral analysis is strengthened through the use of a toolkit of theoretical models and practical frameworks.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
An Introduction to Global Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

An Introduction to Global Health (Coursera)

This course will provide you with an overview of the most important health challenges facing the world today. You will gain insight into how challenges have changed over time, we will discuss the likely determinants of such changes and examine future projections. Successful international strategies and programs promoting human health will be highlighted and global health governance structures will be mapped and the role of the key actors explored.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications (Coursera) Coursera
Johns Hopkins University

Toxicology 21: Scientific Applications (Coursera)

This course familiarizes students with the novel concepts being used to revamp regulatory toxicology in response to a breakthrough National Research Council Report “Toxicity Testing in the 21st Century: A Vision and a Strategy.” We present the latest developments in the field of toxicology—the shift from animal testing toward human relevant, high content, high-throughput integrative testing strategies. Active programs from EPA, NIH, and the global scientific community illustrate the dynamics of safety sciences.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Palliative Care Capstone Projects (Coursera) Coursera
University of Colorado System

Palliative Care Capstone Projects (Coursera)

In the Capstone Course you have the opportunity to put what you have been learning about in the Palliative Care Specialization into practice. Our team has created five activities that directly relate to what you have been learning in the course. You will need to talk with someone you know, perhaps a friend or family member, about their experiences living with serious and life limiting illness. You may want to engage several people as you go through the 5 assignments as they each will have unique experiences.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera) Coursera
University of Copenhagen

The New Nordic Diet - from Gastronomy to Health (Coursera)

The New Nordic Diet is a new food culture developed in 2009-13 with key emphasis on gastronomy, health, and environment. Major research in its effect on acceptability, behaviour and learning skills, and disease prevention have been conducted by the OPUS centre at the University of Copenhagen and the people behind the award-winning restaurant Noma in Copenhagen. This course will give the participants the opportunity to experience a healthy and palatable new food and eating concept diet “The New Nordic Diet” and an understanding of how food and diets can affect mental and physical health and ensure the foundation for a healthier life style for future generations with a regional based diet and food culture.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Reproduction (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Introduction to Reproduction (Coursera)

Do you have questions about sex hormones or menstrual cycles? This is a crash-course in human reproductive health through fact and biology-based information on a variety of topics. "Sex 101" will cover reproductive anatomy, key biological changes during puberty, sexual biology and contraceptive methods, reproductive disorders, and a special introduction to the exciting field of Oncofertility. Specific lecture titles are as follows: 1) Reproductive Anatomy & Hormones, 2) Menstrual Cycle, Oocyte Maturation, & Sperm Activation, 3) Sexual Biology, Fertilization, & Contraception, and 4) Reproductive Health & Disorders.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 3: How Does It All End? (Coursera) Coursera
Rutgers University

Soul Beliefs: Causes and Consequences - Unit 3: How Does It All End? (Coursera)

Throughout history, the vast majority of people around the globe have believed they have, however defined, a “soul.” While the question of whether the soul exists cannot be answered by science, what we can study are the causes and consequences of various beliefs about the soul and its prospects of surviving the death of the body. Why are soul and afterlife beliefs so common in human history? Are there adaptive advantages to assuming souls exist?

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective) (Coursera) Coursera
Columbia University

HI-FIVE: Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment (Social/Peer Perspective) (Coursera)

HI-FIVE (Health Informatics For Innovation, Value & Enrichment) Training is an approximately 10-hour online course designed by Columbia University in 2016, with sponsorship from the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC). The training is role-based and uses case scenarios. Our nation’s healthcare system is changing at a rapid pace. Transformative health care delivery programs depend heavily on health information technology to improve and coordinate care, maintain patient registries, support patient engagement, develop and sustain data infrastructure necessary for multi-payer value-based payment, and enable analytical capacities to inform decision making and streamline reporting.

Nov 23rd 2026
4 Weeks
Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics (Coursera) Coursera
University of Cape Town

Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics (Coursera)

If you’ve ever skipped over`the results section of a medical paper because terms like “confidence interval” or “p-value” go over your head, then you’re in the right place. You may be a clinical practitioner reading research articles to keep up-to-date with developments in your field or a medical student wondering how to approach your own research. Greater confidence in understanding statistical analysis and the results can benefit both working professionals and those undertaking research themselves.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Service Transformed: Lessons in U.S. Veteran Centered Care (Coursera)

Improving health care for veterans has become a matter of national attention and has gained increasing attention from the medical community. With the current surge of veterans reintegrating into civilian society it is critical to improve the training of the next cadre of providers who will provide care for our veterans. It is widely known that veterans receive care in all aspects of the health system, thus providers in veteran focused care facilities, military health serves and civilian locals must be aware of the unique needs of veterans. It is perhaps even more important to educate civilian providers who may be unfamiliar with the unique physical, mental and emotional needs related to military service.

Nov 23rd 2026
5-12 Weeks