Despite growing interest in global health and proliferation of global health education programs worldwide, there’s little agreement on what constitutes appropriate competencies and training in the field.
At a 2014 Association of Pacific Rim Universities Global Health Program conference, participants identified wide variations in training and teaching in global health and the need to identify and share guidance on how competency-based training could be implemented and supported across institutions with varying resources.
APRU researchers set out to get clarity from globally diverse stakeholders and economies. Their study, published in the Annals of Global Health Mar. 26, aims to advance consistent, comparable global health competencies and training best practices in masters’ education.
The APRU Global Health Program facilitates information, knowledge and experiences exchange in global health education and research among 50 member universities. After convening faculty, university administrators, students and non-governmental organization workers representing both the Global North and South, co-authors identified 19 competencies categorized across five domains:
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- Knowledge of trends and determinants of global disease patterns
- Cultural competency
- Global health governance, diplomacy and leadership
- Project management
- Ethics and human rights
In addition, they developed a plan for how academic institutions can ensure these competencies are effectively taught and outlined five key opportunities:
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- Coursework
- Practicums
- Research opportunities
- Mentorship
- Evaluation
Details:
Authors: Mellissa Withers, Hsien-Ho Lin, Terry Schmidt, John Paul Caesar Robles delos Trinos, Shubha Kumar
Published By: Annals of Global Health
Date: March 26, 2019
Publication Link: https://www.annalsofglobalhealth.org/articles/10.5334/aogh.32/
