To help reduce community spread of COVID-19, the University of Houston College of Medicine has launched an online contact tracing certificate program for anyone around the world interested in becoming a “disease detective.”
“Population Health During a Pandemic: Contact Tracing and Beyond” is available to the public for free on Coursera until July 31, after which there will be a fee to receive a certificate upon completion.
“We were thrilled with the level of interest our contact tracing course had within our own UH community, but as a public institution committed to serving the broader world – especially during this crisis – it is important to offer an expanded class to the general public,” said LeChauncy Woodard, course co-organizer and professor at the College of Medicine.
Contact tracing – along with social distancing, stay-at-home mandates, wearing masks and good hygiene practices – is a core public health strategy being used by public health systems across the country to combat COVID-19.
“Contact tracing is a tried-and-true approach to dealing with public health crises and this will help get us through the crisis until a vaccine is ready,” said Bettina Beech, course co-organizer and professor and associate dean for research at the College of Medicine.
