PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series
Reference Number: USA-420*
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC to Advance the Policy on Research for Health
Institution: Center for World Health, Arizona State University (ASU)
Category 4 (SP 14-19)
Outcome 21 (SP 20-25)
Dr. Luis Gabriel Cuervo, Senior Advisor, Research for Health, is the PAHO staff member who acts as the Region’s focal point to coordinate the collaboration between the institution and the Organization.
The main activities for this Centre include: (1) creating mechanisms and working groups to integrate scientific evidence into health care, prevention and policy; (2) increasing the awareness and implementation of PAHO’s Policy for Research for Health; (3) building capacity and training of human resources for knowledge management in health policies; and (4) developing cadres of experts in knowledge translation.
The Collaborating Centre at ASU convened a working group to develop tools and activities geared towards systematically integrating scientific evidence into health care, prevention, and policy. The Centre also developed presentations with the purpose of creating awareness and to advocate for health professionals on the importance of developing evidence summaries relevant to health policy and systems. These presentation topics include: The Impact of Cochrane on Research for Health; Evidence in Decision-Making for Health Interventions and Policies: An introduction to the generalities of policy briefs designed according to the STP method (SUPPORT Tools for evidence-informed health Policymaking); and Complex Systems: An Introduction to the Relevant Concepts for Investigations in Health.
Lastly, the Centre participated in the Consejo de Ministros de Salud de Centroamérica y República Dominicana (COMISCA) sub-regional meeting for the training of human resources and knowledge management in health policies and their support towards public policies for universal health. The meeting was an opportunity to discuss and build foundations towards the development of expert groups for Central America and provided inputs for funding proposals.
Webnotes such as these serve to inform how Collaborating Centres are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.
*CC expired.