12.G. Workshop: Support4Global Health and SDGs in health workforce education: advocacy and action
Authors:   Organised by: EUPHA Health workforce research section, EUPHAnxt, ASPHER,   Chair persons: Ellen Kuhlmann - Germany, Monica Brinzac - Romania
Published: October 2020

Background

Global health has created new challenges for education and training of health professionals. Changing demand on humanitarian aid and infection control arising from the new corona virus outbreak, antimicrobial resistance, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), immunisation gaps and care needs of refugees meet with conditions that are only since recently considered as major health threats, including gender inequality, health workforce shortage, environmental risks and climate change as well as poor mental health. These developments have resulted in high-level meetings and new policy frameworks, such as the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). However, action on the ground has still to follow. Health professionals are poorly prepared to respond to new global health needs. Public health and healthcare systems face an urgent need to strengthen global health in the education and training of all groups of healthcare workers to create a future workforce, which is capable to implement the SDGs and serve the needs of the population both locally and globally.

Objectives

This workshop addresses these questions and fosters critical debate. It has three major Objectives: improve advocacy for global health and the SDGs, introduce different models to support and implement global health and the SDGs in health professional education, and strengthen the role of public health in global health. The workshop brings together knowledge and expertise from different countries/regions of the world, professional groups and educational institutions. It seeks to build bridges between disciplines and stakeholder groups, including giving stronger voice to students and young professionals. The workshop illustrates diversity of advocacy and action in global health education, and reveals strong demand for multidisciplinary approaches to respond to population needs. It begins with information on competencies currently valued by global health employers in relation to those developed in graduates of public health programs. This is followed by novel models of global health education, including an institutional collaboration model as West-East hub and a students' driven participatory trans-sectoral model. Further case studies illustrate the benefits of a transdisciplinary approach to respond to major health threats, such as vaccine resistance and Ebola, and the need for including the Global South in gender sensitive research and methodology. The workshop will improve networking of global health advocates. It will add value through knowledge exchange beyond the professional silos, as well as across the global North-South/ East-West. Finally, it will strengthen connections between global health and public health and build capacity for multi-professional, trans-sectoral leadership in global health education and research, which is sensitive to gender and cultural/ethnic diversity.

Key messages

Strengthening global health competencies in education is a key to respond effectively to new public health challenges and to implement the SGDs. There is growing demand and urgent need for multidisciplinary approaches and transnational collaboration in global health education.