Key facts

Types	Online and Distance Learning Oxford Qualification - Part-time Professional Development
Start date	Sep 2012
Subject area(s)	Health
Fees	Please see payment section for more information
Application status	Applications being accepted
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email pid@conted.ox.ac.uk.

Overview

Download our 2010-11 Newsletter .

Our Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Infectious Diseases, directed by Professor Andrew Pollard of Oxford University Department of Paediatrics, is designed to provide a variety of different teaching methods (face-to-face and online) directing students through the syllabus required in the EU for clinical training in the subspecialty. The Programme will also be appropriate for those outside the EU.

Description

The Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Infectious Diseases is supported by the European Society for Paediatric Infectious Diseases (ESPID) the Paediatric European Network for Treatment of AIDS (PENTA), and the IIC Course: Oxford.

Worldwide, two thirds of the deaths in children under five years of age are caused by infectious diseases, and the prevention and treatment of infections in children is the number one priority for global health. Reflecting this imperative, we recognise that investment in research and intervention programmes related to leading causes of childhood morbidity and mortality, including acute respiratory infections, measles, infectious diarrhoea, malaria, HIV, and TB is vitally important. We believe that professionally-oriented education in paediatric infectious diseases is essential in the training of clinicians and clinical academics who will provide the future leadership in this key area for global health.

The Postgraduate Diploma also places the practice of paediatric infectious diseases in the broader context of applied sciences, such as pathogenesis, population biology and epidemiology. The Programme focuses on clinical (applied) aspects, underpinned by basic science to provide both breadth and depth.

Programme details

Download the Course Structure .

The Postgraduate Diploma in Paediatric Infectious Diseases is a part-time two-year programme taught via a blend of online and residential components.

Syllabus

• Infectious Syndromes
• Therapeutics and Infection Control
• Epidemiology, Immunity and Immunization
• Bacterial Infections
• Important Viral Infections and Prions
• Imported and Tropical Diseases and Mycobacterial Infection
• Congenital and Neonatal Infection, Sexually Transmitted Disease, and Parasitic Disease
• The Immuno-compromised Host
• Fungal Infection

Dates

The 2012 Paediatric Infectious Diseases Programme starts in September 2012. The next PENTA-ESPID HIV course online component beings in May 2012, with the residential component taking place in October 2012. The Infection and Immunity in Children: Oxford residential course take place in June/July each year.

The Postgraduate Diploma is normally completed within two years.

The following course components can be taken before applying for the Postgraduate Diploma and if successfully completed and if taken within two years of starting the Postgraduate Diploma, then these elements of the Programme requirements will normally be dispensed: The Infection and Immunity in Children course, which runs each summer in Oxford, and the PENTA-ESPID online and residential HIV course. For example, the online PENTA-ESPID paediatric HIV Medicine course starts in May each year culminating in the residential course in October. Whether undertaken before registration for the Postgraduate Diploma or within the two-year duration of the Postgraduate Diploma, all components must be completed in order to satisfy the requirements of the Postgraduate Diploma. See the course structure above for further details.

Staff

Course aims

The Programme will provide students with:

• Knowledge and critical understanding of the well-established principles of paediatric infectious diseases, and of the way in which those principles have developed
• An ability to apply underlying concepts and principles outside the context in which they were first studied, including, where appropriate, the application of those principles the real world of paediatrics
• Knowledge of the main methods of enquiry in the paediatric infectious diseases and ability to evaluate critically the appropriateness of different approaches to solving problems
• An understanding of the limits of your knowledge, and how this influences analyses and interpretations based on that knowledge

At the end of the Programme students will know and understand how to:

• Use your broad knowledge of paediatric infectious disease in your practice and have learnt where to find the necessary resources when you have reached your limit of knowledge
• Understand how to find evidence-based information to facilitate rational decision making in diagnosis and management of children with infection
• Effectively communicate information, arguments, and analysis about paediatric infection, in a variety of forms, to specialist and non-specialist audiences
• Undertake further training, develop existing skills, and acquire new competences that will enable you to assume significant responsibility within organisations
• Qualities and transferable skills necessary for your future career in paediatrics and infectious diseases

Assessment methods

Assessment is via "formative elements" (online case rounds and discussions and multiple choice sessions) and "summative elements" (including assignments, a dissertation, and examination).

Formative elements:

• Online Case Rounds: at least seven ESPID case rounds over two years.
• Online Case Discussions in paediatric HIV medicine (Tr@inforPedHIV): actively participate in one four-week session over two years.
• Online multiple choice sessions: at least six sessions over two years.

Summative elements:

Year 1: A written assignment consisting of either:

• An audit of clinical practice in paediatric infectious disease of no more than 4000 words; or
• A case study and literature review of no more than 4000 words; and
• A short oral presentation.

Year 2: A written assignment consisting of either:

• A dissertation in an area of special interest of no more than 8000 words; or
• A project report describing a research study in the field of paediatric infectious diseases undertaken by the candidate of no more than 8000 words written in the style of a scientific paper with abstract, introduction/background, methods, results and conclusions; and
• An examination consisting of multiple choice questions in paediatric infectious diseases.

Level and demands

Download the Course Brochure .

This Programme is usually oversubscribed, so early application is advised. It is likely that a short list will be made in early May 2012. The following criteria will be used when short-listing applicants:

• Applicants must have passed the final part of the MRCPCH. For applicants outside the UK then an equivalent specialist qualification or experience is essential
• In general UK paediatric trainees should be ST4 and above, though applications from lower level students will be considered
• Priority will be given to trainees with clinical experience in paediatrics. Applications from more experienced paediatricians will be considered if places are available
• For applicants whose first language is not English, an English language qualification at the higher level is required. (Please see the University International students page for details.) In exceptional circumstances this requirement may be waived, but applicants should be aware that unless English is the working language a waiver is unlikely to be given.

Applicants will also need to have basic knowledge of computers, as the Programme is predominantly online.

Recommended reading

The core textbook for the Programme are:

• Principles and Practice of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Eds: Long, S., Pickering, LK., and Prober, CG. 3rd Edition. 2008. Churchill Livingstone.


• Evidence-Based Pediatric Infectious Diseases. Isaacs, D. 1st Edition. 2007. WileyBlackwell.

Teaching methods

There are three main teaching elements to the Programme:

• An online course in Paediatric Infectious Diseases which runs for two terms each year covering the full syllabus outlined above with online tutor support and student discussion forums
• Two residential courses in Oxford: Infection and Immunity in Children.
• A PENTA_ESPID online course (information about 2010): Training for Paediatric HIV in Europe (paediatric HIV medicine) followed by a PENTA_ESPID residential course in Rome: Training for Paediatric HIV in Europe (paediatric HIV medicine).

Accommodation

Accommodation is available at the Rewley House Residential Centre, within the Department for Continuing Education, in central Oxford. The comfortable, en-suite, study-bedrooms are rated 3-star, and come with free high-speed internet access and TV. Guests can take advantage of the excellent dining facilities and common room bar, where they may relax and network with others on the programme.

Payment

The fees for 2012/13 are:

• Home/EU Student = £8,050 (£4,025 pa)
• Overseas Students = £13,200 (£6,600 pa)

Note that these are the total fees, but all successful Home/EU applicants are awarded a bursary towards their attendance at the Oxford Residential Course and the PENTA-ESPID HIV course of £3,500 (£1,750 pa), which means that the fees we charge to Home/EU students are £4,550 (£2,275 pa). Students are then required to pay separately for attendance at the Oxford Residential Course and the PENTA-ESPID HIV course directly to those course organisers.

We also encourage students to become members of ESPID.

All fees are subject to change.

Apply for this course