The WHO Collaborating Centre for Public Health Education and Training (WHOCC) had a busy few months supporting the World Health Organization (WHO) in its vital work towards improving public healthcare so that all people, everywhere, can have an equal chance at living a healthy life. In September, at the UN SDG Summit, a political declaration was made to realise a vision of a world with access to inclusive and equitable Universal Health Coverage (UHC). At the forefront of the WHOCC’s work is delivering and facilitating quality education and training in healthcare, crucial elements in achieving both UHC and SDG3.
In this Autumn Update we recap the highlights from the past few months….
HIGHLIGHTS
strengthening health workforce through education & training
August:
In August, the WHOCC welcomed a distinguished Professor of Virology. Our new Honorary Research Fellow spearheaded research efforts into Crimean-Congo Haemorrhagic Fever (CCHF). The collaboration between Imperial College London, Scripps Research Institute in the USA, and the University of Basrah in Iraq has produced four research papers for submission.
Our team of highly skilled academics and teachers also delivered lectures on public health research, communication, and leadership to our current Postgraduate Fellows.
September:
In a significant milestone, the WHOCC conducted two workshops for the first cohort of the Ministry of Health (MOH) in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA):
September brought another new face to the Postgraduate Fellowship Programme, a family medical doctor from Oman. Meanwhile, we had to say goodbye to our Postgraduate Fellow from KSA, who finished her Clinical Primary Care and Public Health programme. At the same time, we look forward to seeing her implement what she has learned to further public health development in her home country.
Capturing some of the WHOCC’s activities and achievements were two reports:
- The Master of Public Health Educational Trip to WHO HQ in Geneva
- The Annual Report for 2022-23 submitted to WHO HQ
October:
The webinar we hosted in collaboration with ArPHA (Arab Public Health Association) on the fascinating subject of AI’s implications on public health received great feedback from those who attended.
We continued with the training sessions in KSA and aim to train 270 RRT members over the next year. The end goal is the creation of a competent international RRT that responds to emergencies in different regions of the world.
In seeking to further the WHOCC’s efforts to improve healthcare education, a meeting with the Chairman of Deans of Medical Colleges in Iraq took place to discuss the proposal for developing medical education in Iraq. Further cementing our relationship in Iraq, our Honorary Research Fellow returned to the University of Basrah, where our ongoing collaboration on projects continues.
Rounding off the month, at the request of WHO HQ, an overview of Annual Reports showcasing the WHOCC’s commitment to enhancing public health and working collaboratively with international partners over the past 4 years was produced. The report will be sent to the British Government by the WHO.
Further highlighting the WHOCC’s contributions to global health, reports on the training packages and workshops for the MOH in KSA were produced. Additionally, as part of the WHOCC and NNedPro collaboration, preparations are underway for a Leadership course to be delivered in early 2024.
DIRECTOR’S DIARY
an insight into global engagement
The WHOCC Director’s engagements in September and October showcased the WHOCC’s active role in international health discussions. In September, the Director attended the WHO Guidance on Learning and Capacity Building in Health Emergencies External Expert Group Meeting in Switzerland. In October, he delivered the Dean’s Invitational Lecture at Sultan Qaboos University, Oman. The Director also participated in the Seventieth Session of the WHO Regional Committee for the EMRO in Egypt and the WHO European Region Primary Health Care Policy and Practice conference in Kazakhstan.
RESEARCH PAPERS PUBLISHED
strengthening health systems through quality research
- Ethnicity as a predictor of outcomes of psychological therapies for anxiety and depression: a retrospective cohort analysis,
- Large outbreak of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in Iraq, 2022,
- Effect of electronic health records on doctor-patient relationship in Arabian gulf countries: a systematic review
- From disease to people-centred pandemic management: health equity through community organization, health information systems & community oriented primary care,
- Post COVID-19 effect on medical staff and doctors’ productivity analysed by machine learning