Virtual Campus for Public Health: Advancing the Biennial Strengthening of Country Nodes
Key objectives summary
The Campus for Public Health (VCPH) launched a biennial process to strengthen the network of country nodes, coordinated by the VCPH Regional Team. A technical cooperation program was planned and implemented, which included tailored advisory support to reinforce national teams and improve the governance of each country’s node. This program promoted actions to define training priorities, rebrand country portals, and identify and train webmasters responsible for the communication and dissemination of training activities.
The VCPH designed its interventions from the regional level, guided by key strategic pillars: addressing priority topics aligned with organizational mandates and emerging needs; supporting digital transformation processes in Central American countries and at subnational levels; fostering inter-country node collaboration to build capacity on shared topics and strengthen communities of practice; and exploring the use of the VCPH as a management tool.
The program’s defined objectives include:
- Guiding country teams in organizing node governance by incorporating key local stakeholders responsible for continuing education in health.
- Advising on the development of new agreements with educational institutions to foster synergies between teaching teams and technical cooperation, thereby enhancing the sustainability of node management teams.
- Supporting the development of national training and technical cooperation plans aligned with country priorities.
- Promoting information management related to VCPH usage, generating analyses to inform decision-making.
- Contributing to the development of dissemination strategies for training offerings through country portals and effective communication of public health-related activities.
As core activities of the program’s first phase, four in-person subregional meetings were held in 2022. These meetings helped consolidate management teams and establish work commitments based on identified needs for the following year.
Progress in 2023
In 2023, countries' prioritized needs, as identified during the subregional meetings, were systematically assessed, forming the basis for a series of meetings organized for Nodes’ managers of virtual education. Monthly webinars were conducted, featuring invited subject matter experts who addressed the seven most pertinent topics in education management. These sessions were further supported by a dedicated VCPH classroom, which provided participants with access to relevant materials and a collaborative space for discussion on the topics covered.
Given the variety of backgrounds in education management, training workshops were held to help country webmasters. A VCPH classroom established a Webmaster Network for sharing materials, consultations, and experiences with Drupal and Moodle. The initiative’s goals included improving activity dissemination, supporting teaching teams, strengthening help desks, and promoting use of VCPH data in each country.
Progress in 2024
In 2024, PAHO country offices enhanced their management of country nodes and increased VCPH use for technical cooperation. Progress differed by country, affected by the role of HSS advisors, sociopolitical factors, and changes in technical staff.
Overall, the 2024 work agenda reflects significant advances in consolidating technical teams, strengthening governance mechanisms, and expanding collaborative networks, including the signing of agreements in several countries. Nodes increased their offerings of locally developed courses and strategically leveraged regional courses aligned with national priorities and technical cooperation goals. The webmaster focal point training program continued, establishing an initial country-level response and technical support circuit, with regional escalation for cases requiring processes and configurations under the exclusive domain of the regional team.
The work agenda highlights progress in team consolidation, governance mechanisms strengthening, and collaboration through international agreements signed. Nodes increased their offerings of locally developed courses and strategically leveraged regional courses aligned with national priorities and technical cooperation goals. The webmaster focal point training program continued, establishing an initial country-level response and technical support circuit, with regional escalation for complex cases.