The World Health Organization Academy is a new state-of-the-art learning institution that aims to enhance access to lifelong learning for millions of health workers around the world. Based in Lyon, France, it will offer the latest innovation in adult training to the global health sector through online, blended and in-person courses, reaching millions of healthcare workers and others around the world. Using the latest technology, it will facilitate the adaptation of learning experiences to the needs of users. It will award them digital credentials that they can use to verify their competencies and advance their careers.
The PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health (PAHO/VCPH) is the educational platform of AMRO/PAHO and the technical area that provides guidelines and technological support for the development of courses in public health through the strategy of Permanent Health Education. The PAHO/VCPH has been designated as the focal point for the Region of the Americas of the WHO Academy. During the past 20 years, the PAHO/VCPH has been established as a leader in health education within the region of the Americas, with experience and capability to enhance learning among health workers. The PAHO/VCPH has over 3,400,000 users, and the capacity of the PAHO/VCPH was observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, with its ability to rapidly respond to the need for massive virtual education given the challenges of the pandemic.
- Present the framework agreement between PAHO VCPH and the WHO Academy
- Present the objectives and priorities of the WHO Academy
- Present an overview of the VCPH work in recent years and its main challenges
- Present outstanding experiences of VCPH partner institutions and country nodes
- Refer first joint actions WHOAcademy-PAHO VCPH
Moderator: Isabel Duré, PAHO International Consultant, Virtual Campus for Public Health
10:00 a.m.
Welcome and objectives
- James Fitzgerald, PAHO, Director of the Department of Health Systems and Services
10:05 a.m.
PAHO remarks on the agreement between PAHO and WHO Academy
- Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, PAHO Assistant Director
10:10 a.m.
WHO Academy: Leading lifelong learning for a healthier world
- David Atchoarena, WHO Academy Executive Director
10:20 a.m.
PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health: 20 years of work in the Americas Region
- Gabriel Listovsky, PAHO, Chief, Special Program Virtual Campus for Public Health
10:25 a.m.
Country networks experiences (5 minutes each)
- Colombia. Luis Alberto Martinez Saldarriaga. Deputy Minister of Social Protection, Ministry of Health and Social Protection
- Chile. Ministry of Health and PAHO/WHO Chile (Video presentation)
- El Salvador. Xóchitl Sandoval, Director, National Health Institute, El Salvador
10:40 a.m.
Partners institutions experiences (3 minutes each)
- Laura Magaña, CEO, Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH), USA
- Ricardo Valentin, Director, Laboratory for Technological Innovation in Health (LAIS), University Federal Rio Grande Do Norte, Brasil
- Diego Faingold, Principal, Universidad Hospital Italiano de Buenos Aires (IUHIBA), Argentina
10:50 a.m.
PAHO Virtual Campus / WHO Academy Joint Actions
- Gabriel Listovsky, PAHO, Chief, Special Program Virtual Campus for Public Health
- David Atchoarena, WHO Academy Executive Director
10:55 a.m.
Closing remarks
- James Fitzgerald, PAHO, Director of the Department of Health Systems and Services