Quality of Medical Products and Public Health

Paul Newton, D.Phil, MRCP, DTM&H, Professor of Tropical Medicine, Oxford University

Veronika Wirtz, PhD, MSc, Associate Professor, Global Health, BUSPH

On Campus 40 Hours Registration closed

Course Description

Poor quality of medicines affects all countries but in particular vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries. There is increasing interest in poor quality medical products, their epidemiology, detection, and impact and how to intervene to reduce their frequency. The number of research groups and international organizations working in this field has seen a modest increase over the past decade, accompanied by the growing engagement of medicines regulatory agencies and the pharmaceutical industry.

In spite of some progress there are many remaining challenges, from legal issues to the lack of funding, and more evidence is needed to help inform policy and build research capacity. This course will address the need to build capacity in quality assurance of medical products, and stimulate more research and action in this neglected field. Hosted at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in 2015 and 2016, this short course on Quality of Medical Products and Public Health will be hosted by Boston University School of Public Health in July 2017.

Competencies

Participants will learn to understand and discuss issues related to:

  • medicine quality definitions;
  • the epidemiology of poor quality medicines and the data gaps that need to be filled;
  • the basics of medicine regulation, GMP and laws as they relate to medicines quality;
  • the basics of chemical & packaging analysis and rapid tests;
  • the steps needed to improve the global supply of quality assured medicines and how advocate for them.

International Teaching Faculty

  • Dr. Céline Caillet
    Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), University of Oxford, UK
  • Mr. Mick Deats
    WHO, Switzerland
  • Prof. Marya Lieberman
    University of Notre Dame
  • Dr. Raffaella Ravinetto
    Institute of Tropical Medicine, Belgium
  • Mr. Tim Muntinga
    Oxford University, UK
  • Mr. Jude Nwokike
    United States Pharmacopeial Convention
  • Prof. Muhammad Zaman
    Boston University
  • Nicola Ranieri
    US FDA Forensic Chemistry Center
  • Dr. David Gaul
    Georgia Institute of Technology

Intended Audience

The course is aimed at professionals who work in regulatory bodies; health policy and funding agencies; international health organizations; academia and pharmaceutical industries and who are involved and/or interested in quality of medical products (e.g. medicines, diagnostics, vaccines).

Course Dates

Monday, July 10 – Friday, July 14, 2017

Special Program Notes

Participants from low and middle income countries are provided with a 25 percent discount on the cost of the program. Please indicate this in the discount section when registering.

The application for this program is closed.

Instructor

Paul Newton

is Head of the Medicine Quality Group at the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO). He is an infectious disease physician based from the Centre of Tropical Medicine & Global Health at the University of Oxford and directs the Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit in Vientiane, Laos. He works on the epidemiology, diagnosis and management of fevers in Asia and on the global issue of medicine quality. He is Professor of Tropical Medicine at Oxford and a Honorary Professor at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and at the National University of Laos.

Instructor

Veronika J. Wirtz

is Associate Professor of Global Health at Boston University School of Public Health where she teaches courses in health systems, pharmaceuticals in public health, and non-communicable diseases. She is a Visiting Professor of the National Institute of Public Health (INSP) in Mexico where she worked as a researcher from 2004-2012. Her main research focus is on health system strengthening and program evaluations of medicines access and utilization.

Program Details

On Campus 40 Hours Registration Closed

- Monday, 9:00am-5:00pm
- Tuesday, 9:00am-5:00pm
- Wednesday, 9:00am-5:00pm
- Thursday, 9:00am-5:00pm
- Friday, 9:00am-5:00pm

BU is happy to provide a low cost housing option for all Quality of Medical Products and Public Health program participants. To learn more about these accommodations, please send a message to PHX@bu.edu, and we will provide you with all of the needed information.

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