PAJPH Special Issue - PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres: celebrating the achievement of our common goals

WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) are typically parts of institutions such as universities, hospitals, research institutes, academies or  ministries that have been designated by the WHO Director-General to carry out activities in support of the Organization's programs by providing information, services, and expertise; thereby strengthening their own national capacity for training, research, and collaboration for health development.

Currently, there are more than 800 CCs in over 80 Member States. Within the Region of the Americas, there are over 180 PAHO/WHO CCs* in 16 Member States. CCs work with PAHO/WHO in nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, and food safety, among others.

This special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health showcases some of the work carried out by CCs over a 4-year period, both one on one and through the various CC networks in existence.  CCs have historically been encouraged to develop working relations with other CCs by creating or joining collaborative networks.