What it is ?

The Global Health & Humanitarian Medicine (GHHM) course is designed to give you the medical knowledge required to work in resource-limited settings and humanitarian crisis contexts.

Organised by Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), it is a part-time, online course.

The GHHM syllabus is taught by a diverse and international faculty of clinicians, experts, and academics and will cover:

  • Clinical infectious diseases
  • Global public health
  • Women’s and child health
  • Non-communicable diseases and mental health
  • Humanitarian medicine 

The course will prepare you to take the Diploma in Global Health, offered by the Royal College of Physicians in collaboration with MSF. On completion of GHHM, you will also be eligible to sit the Diploma in Tropical Medicine and Hygiene.

Who is it for?

You can apply to the GHHM course if you are a medical doctor who:

  • holds a primary medical qualification (MBBS, MB ChB or its equivalent) from a recognised medical school in any country 
  • and has a minimum of two years of post-internship work experience

While we welcome applications from qualified medical doctors from all countries, we prioritise applications from those who intend to work, or are already working in, resource-limited settings. Applications are especially welcomed from women doctors residing in low-income or lower middle-income countries.

The course is a nine-month, part-time commitment allowing you to fit your studies around your work.

We ask that you attend our weekly online seminars and complete additional work online in your own time.

Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for more information about the syllabus and completion criteria.

Course duration

GHHM 2026-2027 will run from the beginning of September 2026 to the end of May 2027

Course content

Our curriculum reflects the current challenges doctors face working in resource-constrained settings and is designed to give you the knowledge and resources to provide high-quality medical care in these contexts.

Teaching is delivered through online interactive seminars, case discussions and group work, creating an environment of collaboration and knowledge sharing.

On completion of GHHM you will have knowledge and understanding of:

  • The key global health challenges and emerging threats to populations worldwide
  • Evidence based decision making in clinical infectious diseases in resource challenged settings and humanitarian intervention contexts
  • The principles of programmatic interventions in resource-limited settings and how to apply this to real world scenarios
  • The inequities and inequalities faced by vulnerable groups accessing healthcare globally and strategies to address this

GHHM themes

  • Non communicable disease and mental health
  • Clinical infectious diseases
  • Global public health
  • Women’s and child health
  • Humanitarian medicine

Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.

Read the FAQs page for more details.

Flexible teaching approach

We teach the course using:

The GHHM course will run from September to May, with approximately 37 weeks of teaching.

The weekly seminars run from:

  • 18:00-20:00 GMT every Tuesday (for the GHHM UK cohort)
  • 16:00 to 18:00 IST every Thursday (for the GHHM SA cohort)

You will be required to dedicate approximately two-and-a half hours every week to the online seminar and a further 6-8 hours for self-directed learning and group work.

The minimum requirement for course completion is:

  1. 70% attendance in the weekly seminars
  2. contribution to 70% of the online group activities
  3. completion of GHHM’s final course assessment

More information

Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.

Read the FAQs page for more details.

Time commitment

The course, while part-time, is equivalent to a three-month full-time study commitment. It runs over a period of 10 months from September 2025 to June 2026, so you can fit studies around your work.
We ask that you attend our weekly live seminars and then complete additional work online in your own time. There are additional teaching days and 16 hours of Laboratory-based training sessions virtually.

Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.

We have worked hard to ensure that the GHHM course is accessible and affordable. The course is run by a small core team, and course fees cover a percentage of our overall course costs while the rest is covered by MSF.

We will supply an invoice and can provide letters to support funding applications.

GHHM course fees are informed by the World Bank income groups. The following amount should be paid as a one-time fee, either to MSF South Asia or to MSF UK, depending on your country of residence:

  • £2,760 for students whose country of residence is in the European Economic Area or a High-Income Country (HIC)
  • £750 for students whose country of residence is in an Upper Middle-Income Country (UMIC)
  • £650 for students whose country of residence is in a Lower Middle-Income Country (LMIC)
  • £550 for students whose country of residence is in a Low-Income Country (LIC)

Examination fees are paid directly to the examining body. GHHM offers a limited number of exam bursaries for the Diploma in Global Health to GHHM students residing in low-income and lower middle-income countries.

More information

Download the GHHM Course Prospectus for a full breakdown of the course.

Bursaries

GHHM offers around 5% of its places free of charge to applicants from low-income or lower middle-income countries.

Click here to apply for bursary.

Who can apply:

  • As with all GHHM places, applicants must be medical doctors
  • Nationals of low-income or lower middle-income countries who are currently residing in low-income or lower middle-income countries
  • Preference given to women bursary candidates (in case of equal qualification)
  • Preference given to bursary candidates who do not yet hold a postgraduate qualification
  • Bursaries are intended for doctors who have no possible way of paying the course fee. Flexible payment plans are available to doctors who can afford to pay but struggle to pay the full amount in one transaction.

What is included:

  • Waiver of GHHM course fee
  • Payment of your Diploma in Global Health exam fee if you complete the course (should you wish to attempt the exam – this is not compulsory)
  • Access to the GHHM Alumni Network on completion of the course
  • A GHHM bursary does not involve the award of any sum of money. GHHM course fees will be waived, and exam fees (where applicable) will be paid directly to the exam provider

How are bursaries awarded?

Award of GHHM bursaries is decided by a selection committee. The committee is formed of former GHHM students from low or middle-income countries and members of staff from MSF UK and MSF South Asia. Applications are anonymised, reviewed individually and then discussed as a group by the selection committee.

Since GHHM bursary place are limited, applicants are strongly encouraged to explore alternative funding opportunities.