Collaboration between PAHO and WHO Academy to Enhance Health Worker Training
The Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization Academy (WHO Academy) are collaborating to expand and improve training opportunities for health personnel in the Americas.
Overview of the Collaboration
The collaboration aims to ensure that health workers in the Americas benefit from WHO Academy’s educational offering, adapting its courses to the specific needs and contexts of the Region, and developing joint courses and initiatives. This partnership will leverage the experience and reach of the Virtual Campus, a learning mechanism that has been consolidated in the Region for over 20 years, designating it as its focal point in the Americas.
Objectives of the Collaboration
The collaboration will focus on the following areas:
- Expanding in-person and virtual training efforts of the health and care workforce in the Americas
- Developing projects and/or learning materials with regional academic institutions in Spanish and Portuguese
- Enabling multi-platform access to online courses and interoperable digital platforms across all regions
- Leveraging the technical expertise of both entities for tailored training programs and promotion of lifelong learning
- Mobilizing resources to promote WHO Academy standards, research, and large-scale regional collaboration
Benefits of the Collaboration
The collaboration will promote learning throughout the professional career of health workers, said Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, Assistant Director of PAHO. "The Virtual Campus has proven to be a key tool for technical cooperation by integrating education with the analysis of work problems in health services and encouraging reflection on the daily challenges faced by these professionals," she added.
About WHO Academy and PAHO Virtual Campus
WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, aims to improve access to learning through online, hybrid, and in-person courses. It will facilitate the adaptation of learning experiences to meet users’ needs and will award them digital credentials to verify their competencies and advance their careers.
The PAHO Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH) is the educational platform of PAHO. VCPH develops and offers a wide variety of courses through a strategy of permanent health education. With more than 3.5 million users, it offers continuing education in the Americas, and has the experience and capacity to support skills development in the Region’s health workers.
FAQs
Q: What is the goal of the collaboration between PAHO and WHO Academy?
A: The goal is to ensure that health workers in the Americas benefit from WHO Academy’s educational offering, adapting its courses to the specific needs and contexts of the Region, and developing joint courses and initiatives.
Q: What are the objectives of the collaboration?
A: The objectives include expanding in-person and virtual training efforts, developing projects and/or learning materials, enabling multi-platform access to online courses, leveraging technical expertise, and mobilizing resources to promote WHO Academy standards, research, and large-scale regional collaboration.
Q: What is WHO Academy?
A: WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, aims to improve access to learning through online, hybrid, and in-person courses. It will facilitate the adaptation of learning experiences to meet users’ needs and will award them digital credentials to verify their competencies and advance their careers.