VCPH technical meeting of public health education

In Lima, Peru, public health experts meet to analyze trends and identify the challenges of public health education and production priorities of learning resources. The Pan American Health Organization is organizing this meeting through Project Human Resource for Health and PAHO Office in Peru. The meeting was held from 19 to 21 November 2012 at the premises of a downtown hotel in the city.

The training of health professionals has acquired in recent years a major relevance in the world, proposing and discussing political and technical guidelines for renewal, its adaptation to changing health priorities and the era of knowledge and information. The main vision of this global movement is the need to transform basic education and post-graduate health and generating a path of relevance and social responsibility.
 
PAHO has historically addressed the issue in the area of ​​human resource development for health and has recently recreated a line of work aims to support the reorientation of education in health sciences to the values, concepts and practices of PHC and public health. Meetings were held on educational trends, new horizons and proposals including the issue of the renewal of learning resources and access to health knowledge.
 
At the same time, the PALTEX Program of PAHO technical cooperation aimed at providing education in health sciences through the distribution of textbooks and learning resources, is renewed every year based on changes in health and education and updates its collection as Member States indicate new directions in health, the pace of technological upgrading.
 
This time, PAHO / WHO promotes the realization of this meeting in order to analyze trends in graduate education in public health as a basis to help your orientation to universal access to health. Also, the meeting intends to contribute to the enrichment of PALTEX and Public Health Virtual Campus, in line with the educational priorities and technological renewal of production and dissemination of health knowledge.
 
It established the following objectives:
 
  1. Analyze trends in graduate education in public health and make recommendations to contribute to the renewal of PHC.
  2. Discuss the value and necessity of development and production of learning resources to support renewed post-graduate education in public health.
  3. Strengthen and expand learning networking between schools and public health programs through VCPH under the new guidelines.
Health professionals and educators from Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, United States, Mexico, Peru, Puerto Rico and Uruguay, along with advisers Pan American Health Organization in the area of ​​health and human resources for health including VCPH and government officials from Peru, participated in the official opening of the meeting on November 19, an act that was chaired by Dr. Norma Rodriguez, Health Advisory Office of the President of the Government of Peru, Dr. Benjamin Gates, on behalf of PAHO Representative in Peru and Dr. Silvina Malvarez representing the Human Resources Coordinator for Health of PAHO / WHO Washington.
 
Officials stressed the importance of reflecting on public health education at a time when global trends to promote universal access to health law.
 
Doctors Jose Baudilio Gardens, Manager of Public Health Virtual Campus and Rosa Maria Borrell, medical education adviser of PAHO / WHO, Cristina and Carlos Merino Arosquipa, human resource consultants PAHO Ecuador and Peru participate in the conduct of deliberations. Yesterday discussed the challenges of public health education to contribute to the renewal of PHC in the context of the debate on the direction of public health in the Region of the Americas.
 
Also, it has given special consideration to the issue of areas of public health education and learning resources as a cornerstone for social relevance of education. It has highlighted the need to incorporate and leverage digital resources to enhance access to training health personnel in remote areas. Similarly discussed the need to train teachers of public health in the use of technologies for this purpose.
 
On November 21, the group was dedicated to contribute and discuss priorities and contributions to the renewal of heritage and technological PALTEX Expanded Textbook and Instructional Materials. In the afternoon coordinators Nodes Virtual Campus of Public Health analyzed VCPH progress in their countries and the major challenges they face.
 
The expert group will produce a report with recommendations will be disseminated widely and among which include the generation of a virtual seminar series to achieve and expand the discussions.