PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre Spotlight Series
Reference Number: USA-401
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Medical Education and Primary Health Care
Institution: National Center for Rural Health Professions, University of Illinois at Rockford
Reference Number: USA-336
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Innovative Health Workers Education, Service and Research Models
Institution: Office of International Health, Health Sciences Center, University of New Mexico
Reference Number: CAN-56
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC on Health Science Education and Practice
Institution: Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Sherbrooke
Reference Number: BRA-66*
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC for Health Workforce Planning and Information
Institution: Department of Health Planning and Administration, Social Medicine Institute (ISM), University of the State of Rio de Janeiro
Reference Number: CAN-65*
Official Title: PAHO/WHO CC on Health Workforce Planning and Research
Institution: School of Nursing, Faculty of Health Professions, Dalhousie University
Category 4 (SP 14-19)
Outcome 7 (SP 20-25)
Dr. Jose Garcia Gutierrez, Regional Advisor, Human Resources in 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 of these Centres include: (1) mentoring medical school faculty; (2) participating in panel and poster presentations; (3) providing training workshops and technical expertise for reports and guidelines; and (4) developing and implementing measurement tools.
The Centre at the National Center for Rural Health Professions (NCRHP) hosts a rural medical education program for 50 medical school students. The Centre has mentored medical schools across the Region on how to implement similar medical education programs in Argentina, Brazil, Jamaica, and Nicaragua.
The Centre at the University of New Mexico developed guidelines for community health workers for WHO and has also provided technical advice on the PAHO Strategy on Human Resources for Universal Health and Plan of Action 2018-2023 and the PAHO Strategic Plan for the Transformation of Health Professions Education towards Universal Health (in process). The Centre has also participated in mentoring rural health programs in medical schools.
The Centre at the University of Sherbrooke has provided technical support for Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Cuba, Haiti, Peru, and Uruguay related to social accountability of medical education and primary health care. The Centre has also provided technical advice for the PAHO Strategy on Human Resources for Universal Health and Plan of Action 2018-2023 and the PAHO Strategic Plan (in process). The Centre has also participated in mentoring rural health programs in medical schools.
All three Centres are currently collaborating on providing training workshops on transforming health professions education, social accountability, interprofessional education and recruitment of medical students for rural area community health workers at international meetings and PAHO’s technical cooperation activities. The three Centres are working on developing and implementing the ISAT instrument (Indicators for Social Accountability Tool), with a follow up publication and trainings expected.
The Centre at the Social Medicine Institute (ISM) works with WHO to develop the Human Resources for Health Journal and updates the SIGRAS online database, a tool for technical cooperation on supporting the planning and management of the health workforce of health systems at the district, regional and national level. The Centre also works with WHO/Pakistan and the Ministry of Health in Pakistan to develop the Human Resources for Health (HRH) Profile 2018 and the HRH Strategic Framework for Punjab 2018-2030. In addition, the Centre has been requested by the World Customs Organization to develop a methodology for optimizing the training capacity of residents at the Hospital de Clínicas of the Universidad Nacional de Asunción according to quality standards.
The Centre at Dalhousie University supports PAHO’s work with CARICOM (Caribbean Community) to develop workshops on needs-based planning, capacity-building, evaluation and assisting with the completion of the “RoadMap for Strengthening HRH in the Caribbean.” The Centre is also working on developing HRH policy and action plans and train-the-trainer educational modules on integrating concepts and principles of interprofessional education (IPE) for collaborative practice into HRH curricula in Jamaica, Barbados, Guyana, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Grenada, Antigua & Barbuda, St. Kitts & Nevis, British Virgin Islands and Turks and Caicos. This Centre will be hosting a conference for all Canadian PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres with activities focused on HRH in 2020. On a global level, the Centre participates in multiple projects with WHO in Africa linked to HRH planning, maternal and childcare, and oral health.
Webnotes such as these serve to inform how Collaborating Centres are contributing to the Organization’s priorities and mandates.
*Subsequent to this Webnote, Ms. Karen Gladbach took over as Responsible Officer for the Centre.