Panama, August 1, 2024 (PAHO) – The Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), in partnership with the Instituto Universitario Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (IUHIBA) in Argentina, has launched a new tutorial-based training course aimed at strengthening leadership in educational management within health organizations. The course call was open for one month and received over 3,200 applications from 19 countries across the Region of the Americas.
During the launch session, James Fitzgerald, Director of Health Systems and Services at PAHO, emphasized the importance of strengthening human resources for health through training programs. "The ability to improve the response and resilience of health systems in the countries of the Region depends not only on financing and administrative processes but also on the strength of human resources for health and education”, he said.
The course covers key topics such as educational policies, organizational management in health education, styles and configurations of educational leadership, and leading change within the complex environment of education and health institutions. "This course is strategic for improving and transforming health systems in countries, with a particular focus on primary health care. It has been validated by regional experts and is taught by a team with an international track record," Fitzgerald added.
Gabriel Listovsky, chief of the Virtual Campus Special Program, highlighted and expressed his gratitude for the collaboration between PAHO and IUHIBA."I celebrate this work agreement, which has been built on several years of cooperation, especially during critical moments for health, such as the recent pandemic. This partnership has demonstrated the strategic importance of leadership, conflict management, and communication skills for all those responsible for coordinating educational initiatives within the framework of health systems.”
During the event, Gabriel Listovsky also commented about the selection process for applicants. "120 participants were chosen from over 3,200 candidates, which highlights the importance of training our teams in these competencies. We view this course as a crucial opportunity for enhancing management in health training institutions in the near future."
The course, which lasts four months, is led by a regional teaching team consisting of experts from IUHIBA and the PAHO Virtual Campus. It includes biweekly synchronous workshops and weekly asynchronous activities for individual and group work through the Virtual Campus platform, requiring a weekly commitment of 6 to 7 hours.
According to the academic program, the course aims to foster the development of a network of leaders in educational management within health and to strengthen collective capacities for educational-health leadership in the region.
