The opening ceremony for the Edmundo Granda Ugalde Leaders in International Health Program (LIHP) 2016 will take place virtually on 18 May 2016 at 10:00am EST. The activity, directed from PAHO headquarters in Washington, D.C., will join PAHO/WHO staff from headquarters and country offices, current and former LIHP participants, and other partners and colleagues from ministries of health, cooperation agencies and other entities to commemorate the commencement of the LIHP 2016.
This year marks the thirty-first (31st) anniversary of PAHO’s International Health Program, celebrating over three decades of cooperation with the countries of the Region. To date, over 520 persons from 40 countries in the Americas have participated in the Program, either in its previous onsite version in Washington, D.C. or its current decentralized modality offered through the Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH). Graduates contribute to the advancement of health in the Region as leaders and change agents within ministries, universities, international organizations, sub-regional integration organisms, non-governmental organizations, among others.
The LIHP 2016 cohort includes 48 participants from 21 PAHO Member States, hailing from diverse institutions and fields of study, including health, international relations, law, economics, social sciences, administration, and engineering, among others. During the eight-month Program, participants engage in a series of virtual modules in which they analyze different topics from an international health perspective, applying frameworks and models facilitated by the LIHP academic team and which have been shown to assist in understanding and analyzing complex issues related to international health. Participants also develop an international health project on a priority health topic for their country or region which they present at the end of the Program. More information about the Program can be found on the website.