Arctic Health
Do you wish to learn about human health in Arctic areas? Join the international summer course in Arctic Health.
Traditionally, health patterns in human populations in the circumpolar Arctic are characterized by high rates of communicable (infectious) diseases and low rates of non-communicable (chronic) diseases such as e.g. coronary heart disease and diabetes.
However, these health patterns are changing following the transition of Arctic societies from those of hunting societies to those of western societies, and the significant social transitions impacted upon Arctic communities over the past decades. Furthermore, climate changes may affect Arctic populations to a larger extent than many other populations.
In this course, you will learn about health patterns in Arctic populations in light of these changes. The course addresses living conditions and vital statistics for Arctic populations. It addresses determinants and risk factors for health, including genetic susceptibility, environment, social factors, diet and nutrition, smoking, and alcohol and substance use.
Furthermore, the course looks into health consequences in terms of the particular patterns of diseases observed in these populations including infectious, cardiovascular and genetic diseases, cancer, diabetes, obesity, injuries and violence, mental health and suicide, and maternal and child health.
The COVID-19 pandemic has had major impacts globally. Arctic populations are particularly vulnerable to such a pandemic. Yet, travel restrictions and other public health measures may have substantial impact on the course of the epidemic in such areas. In the course, emphasis will be placed on the course of the COVID-19 epidemic in the Arctic given the specific regional conditions and opportunities for control.
The course explores health systems, challenges and solutions to delivering of health care to small populations in remote areas with limited health care facilities. Special emphasis will be placed on new research results, in particular on the interplay between genes and environment.
Finally, the course includes elements of how to work with and among indigenous populations in the Arctic, both when working within health delivery and within research.
| Online module | 2 - 6 August 2021 |
| On-campus module | 9 - 20 August 2021 |
| Exam | 20 August 2021 |
Credit points: 5 ECTS
The course is primarily intended for MSc students in Medicine and other health science related study programmes, PhD students and health professionals who want an insight into health patterns and health conditions in Arctic areas. Students, health professionals, or researchers who wish to work or carry out research in Arctic areas may take course as a preparatory course.
Medical students from the University of Copenhagen (UCPH), who have completed the 3rd semester of their master's degree, can apply for the summer course as part of the 5th semester perspective.
The course is also relevant for you, if you are:
- a public health science student
- a nursing and midwifery student
- another academic, studying a degree in an area relevant to the Arctic
- a health professional or other professionals from an academic area relevant to the Arctic
The summer course is composed of a 1 week online module and 2 weeks on-campus in Copenhagen.
Teachers will be researchers and professionals working with/in the Arctic health systems. Teaching and learning is research-based, and will highlight areas, which the academic staff, their collaborators, and the health professionals, are actively engaged in. The teaching methods include formal lectures, problem-related group work and a final project.
Lecturers: Teachers from the University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, and teachers from outside of the University of Copenhagen with vast work experience from Arctic health systems.
For more details, please read the course description in UCPH's course database
The application deadline was 1 April 23:59 2021 (CEST).
We do not accept late applications.
You are exempted from payment, if:
You are enrolled at a Danish university and the course is part of your master's programme. Danish students must provide a pre-approval of credit transfer from their home institution upon application.
You are a student at UCPH enrolled in one of the following programmes, you do not need to apply for pre-approval of credit transfer:
- MSc in Medicine (elective for 5th semester perspective: Research/Specialist)
- MSc in Global Health
- MSc in Public Health Science
You are an exchange student and attend the course as part of the autumn exchange semester (min. 3 months stay).
You are an exchange student nominated through Nordplus express or Nordlys.
Fee-paying participants:
All other participants (students, working professionals, etc.) must pay tuition fee according to the information below.
| EU/EEA citizens | 5,000 DKK |
| Non-EU/EEA citizens | 9,000 DKK |
The fee covers participation in the course. It does not cover course materials, travel, accommodation and living expenses during the course.
Full payment of course fees must be transferred in May. Payment details will be forwarded upon acceptance.
Refund policy
You can only get a refund of your tuition fee, if you cancel at least two month prior to the beginning of the course including e-learning modules.
Unfortunately, the University of Copenhagen does not offer any scholarships or tuition fee reductions.
Currently, we hope to carry out the course as planned.
However, if the situation prevent us from hosting the course as planned, the course will be cancelled.
If you have questions about the course content, please write to ArcticHealth@sund.ku.dk
Course Responsible: Anders Koch
Accommodation: Please note that the summer courses are non-residential. Participants are responsible for finding and funding accommodation during their stay in Copenhagen.
You can use different online portals to search for accommodation, such as:
- Airbnb
- Danhostel
- Hostel World
- UCPH Housing Foundation (acceptance letter from UCPH required)
Copenhagen has an international airport, and the city centre can be reached within 30 minutes. If you want additional information read Arriving in Copenhagen.
Please study our websites for more information about Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences and the University of Copenhagen.
You can find many answers to frequently asked questions about the faculty's summer courses, such as:
- deadlines
- tuition fee payments
- visa
- arrival and departure
- certificates
If you need specific academic information about the individual courses, you must contact the relevant course responsible directly.