El Campus Virtual de la OPS y la Academia de la OMS unen esfuerzos para ampliar la capacitación en salud en la región de las Américas – OPS/OMS

Washington DC, December 17, 2024 (PAHO) – The Virtual Public Health Campus of the Pan American Health Organization (CVSP/PAHO) and the Academy of the World Health Organization (WHO) will collaborate to expand and improve training opportunities for health personnel in the Americas. This initiative will allow the WHO Academy to take advantage of the experience and reach of the Virtual Campus, a learning mechanism consolidated in the region for more than 20 years, designating it as its focal point in the Americas.

“With the support of the WHO Academy, we hope to continue the expansion and growth of the PAHO Virtual Campus in the Americas, improve the training of our workers and, in this way, contribute to improving the health of people in the region,” said Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas, Deputy Director of PAHO, during the announcement of the agreement.

The collaboration between both institutions aims to ensure that countries and health workers in the Americas benefit from the educational offering of the WHO Academy, adapt its courses to the specific needs and contexts of the region, and develop courses . and joint initiatives.

Key areas of collaboration include:

• Expand in-person and virtual training efforts for health personnel in the Americas.
• Develop projects and/or learning materials with regional academic institutions in Spanish and Portuguese.
• Enable cross-platform access to online courses and interoperable digital platforms across regions.
• Take advantage of the technical experience of both entities for tailored training programs and promotion of lifelong learning.
• Mobilize resources to promote WHO Academy standards, research and large-scale regional collaboration.

«This agreement seeks to promote learning throughout the professional career of health workers,» said James Fitzgerald, Director of the Department of Health Systems and Services at 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,” he added.

The WHO Academy, based in Lyon, France, seeks to improve access to learning through online, hybrid and in-person courses. Likewise, it will facilitate the adaptation of learning experiences to the needs of users, granting digital credentials that will allow them to verify their skills and advance their careers.

The Virtual Public Health Campus is PAHO’s educational platform and develops a wide variety of courses through the permanent health education strategy. With more than 3.5 million users, it offers continuing education in the Americas region, with experience and capacity to support the development of competencies of health personnel in the region.