Virtual Campus for Public Health (VCPH/PAHO)

On days 1 and June 2, 2009, in the city of Buenos Aires met a group of experts to discuss the formulation of a course on the design and management of health benefit package.

The workshop, led by Dr. Ruben Torres, was the discussion of an initial draft of proposed course content and objectives; learning platform Virtual VCPH; Moodle tool and Elluminate as a tool indide Moodle.

(Enlarge image) From 26 to May 28, 2009, in the city of Buenos Aires, met a group of experts in medical education to discuss the broad outlines that would set a course for teachers of medical studies to help establish the change in orientation training to Primary Health Care (PHC).

(Enlarge image) On June 1, 2009, the group of tutors, together with the coordination of the course and the campus, met in the city of Buenos Aires to assess the course offered late last year and consider the necessary changes according to the needs, experience and results. The experience was rated positively, both in the number of participants enrolled and completed the course, for the results of design proposals submitted by participants.

The Virtual Campus of Public Health welcomes the news that one of its most active in Mexico, UNAM, has been recognized with the Prince of Asturias Award.

UNAM is the first public university to receive this prestigious award. Moreover, according to the latest survey by the Higher Council for Scientific Research, the university reached 44th place worldwide, making it the most prestigious educational institution in Latin America. Notably, the three mexican Nobel Prizes have been in UNAM: Octavio Paz, Arturo Garcia Robles and Mario Molina. The collective of Mexico Node CVSP warmly welcomes the colleagues from the university.

On June 9, 2009 was presented Node System of Social Protection in Health in the Federal District, creating the fourth node within its structure CNPSS training. The Ministry of Health of Mexico City joined the network in an effort to develop the skills of workers. In the words of Mr. Ignacio Villaseñor Ruiz, Assistant Secretary for Emergency Medical Services and the Ministry of Health of Mexico City, one of the major challenges for the installation of this node is "that we can gain knowledge at the service of the people" .

Launch of the Virtual Course II Capacity Development for the Renewal of Primary Health Care (PHC) was held last May 26 at 11 am Washington DC, with over 50 people, including focal points at country level, participants, tutors and course coordination. This launch was held by Announcing a meeting, which was moderated and led by Dr. Carlos Rosales Regional Adviser in Human Resources Area Health Strengthening Health Systems and Services (HSS) by (PAHO) and the  academic coordinator Dr.

Last May 21 was launched from the First Course Virtual Management of Labor, Health and Safety Health Workers, which had a participation of approximately 150 people from different parts of the Region of the Americas. This launch was led and organized by the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Ministry of Health of Brazil / Ministry of Labor and Management Education, the Federal University of Minas Gerais (FUMG) / NESCON and School of Public Health at the Universidad Nacional de Córdoba, through a Elluminate meeting

Last May 22 was the official launch of the Virtual Course Essential Functions of Public Health (EFPH). This release was presented by Dr. Joseph Ruales, Regional Adviser in Health Systems PAHO / WHO, Dr. Pedro Brito, Area Manager, Systems and Services Development, PAHO / WHO, Dr. Eduardo Levcovitz, Project Coordinator Health Systems and Social Protection, PAHO / WHO and Dr, Socorro Gross, Assistant Director, PAHO / WHO.

After the successful experience in Michoacan, between days 25 and May 29 were set up two other nodes of the State Commission for Social Protection in Health (CNPSS) in Tlaxcala and Veracruz, as part of the efforts of the Strategic Training Program is leading the Seguro Popular.

During the days 11 to May 22 this year, participants of the Leadership Program in International Health Edmundo Granda Ugalde were in the PAHO to participate in the stage presence of Module II of the course.

In these two weeks, PLSI 2009 participants had the opportunity to deepen the analysis of the conceptual model of health; advance the development of her country in international health in coordination with stakeholders at headquarters and other institutions in the area and to know in greater depth on technical cooperation, diplomacy and health in the subregional integration processes.

Argentina will host the "I World Fair on Municipalities and Health: Rights, Citizenship and  Integrated Local Management for Development", which takes place during days 18 to August 21 at Centro Costa Salguero, Buenos Aires.

On days 11,12 and 13 May this year, was held in Panama the 3rd Technical Meeting of Programming course "Diploma in Health and Local Development."

This course is the convergence of several initiatives from PAHO: Project Human Resources for Health Development, in particular, the training initiative and the technical health of the Virtual Campus of Public Health (VCPH) Project Social Determinants and the Millennium Development Goals Initiative Faces, Voices and Places initiative and the health and local development.

In the meeting chaired by Dr. Armando Luna Escalante, Secretary of Health of the State of Michoacan in Mexico, Dr. Manuel Vázquez Valdés, Director General of Health Services Management of CNPSS, Dr. Rafael Tinajero, director of the REPSS Michoacán and other personalities of these entities and the health services of the country, was formed the Node of the State of Michoacan, as being the first virtual training experience decentralized Mexico.

During the 21 to April 23, was held in Bogota, Colombia, the training workshop to tutors in preparation for the Virtual Course of Essential Public Health Functions, scheduled to start next May 18. This course will last for 180 hours and has been constructed from the results of the first experiment conducted in English with the World Bank Institute and PAHO.

On April 16 began the Virtual Course: "Fundamentals of social determinants of health." This course aims to contribute to the education of teachers of Public Health in the new approach to social determinants of health that allows reorient their teaching practice.

The opening words were made by Dr. Charles Godue, Coordinator of Human Resources for Health, Dr. Peter E. Brito, Manager, Health Systems and Services and Dr. Luis Galvao as a special guest.

With the aim of developing leadership and management capabilities of the Essencial Functions of the Public Health (EFPH) to help strengthen national health systems and improving the health conditions of the population, will run from May 18 to November 18, 2009, the virtual course essential public health functions.

On March 23 last began the Program in International Health Leaders 2009, starting this year will bear the name of Dr. Edmundo Granda Ugalde, great academic leader in health and health equity in his native country of Ecuador and throughout the Region.

On March 4, 2009, took place at the National Institute of Public Health in Cuernavaca, the first reunion of the Steering Committee of Node Mexico.

The objectives of this reunion were to organize work for the year 2009 and search criteria to enable greater functionality Node Mexico.

Minuta - Director Committee of the Node Mexico

In recent days the link was posted to the Portal Node Mexico.

This new image of Mexico portal is the result of hard work and dedication of Node mexico to provide their users with new tools that allow better interaction across the network while maintaining the active participation of all of them on campus.

On March 19, 2009 began the second version of the Course Tutor for Learning Network. This course has a duration of approximately 12 weeks and it is estimated that the participants have a commitment from an average of six hours a week in flexible schedules and distributed according to their means.

The course began with 61 students from 15 countries: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Peru, and Uruguay. It also has the participation of 6 teachers from Argentina and Cuba.

More than 40 social security officials from 17 countries gathered at the Inter-American Center for Social Security Studies (CIESS) for the start of the specialization "Management in Health for Older People"

This activity was conducted and sponsored by the Latin American Association for the Elderly (ALMA), the Pan American Health and Education (PAHEF), the Pan American Health and CIESS.

From 3 to March 6 took place in Panama, the Workshop of the Virtual Campus of Public Health, which brought together experts from Moodle to the Latin American Faculty of Social Sciences (FLACSO) and the Philosophy Faculty of Buenos Aires, Argentina; PANAFTOSA of Brazil, University of Informatic Science of Cuba, of the Andalusian School of Public Health of Spain, National Institute of Public Health of Mexico and the National Autonomous University (UNAM) in Mexico and the University of Panama.

From the last 26 to 27 February took place in Jamaica, at the University of the West Indies (UWI), a meeting between the authorities of that institution with the Virtual Campus of Public Health (VCPH) to analyze the incorporation of Jamaica as node campus. The meeting was attended by Dr. Dennis Edelmide, Head of the Department of Social Medicine and Psychiatry, and Dr. Charles Godue, Project Coordinator Human Resources Development of the Pan American Health Organization, with their respective teams.

From 17 to February 19 was held in Costa Rica, the workshop for assessment of educational Virtual Leadership Course in Human Resources in Health.

The course allows more information and the basis for reflection, generating new knowledge and intervention mechanisms to facilitate the transformation of problems.

Through access to multiple "managers" and academic institutions in their own area of work.

The program is designed based on the generation of networks to exchange experiences and promote discussion on topics of human resources.

This strategy is one of the mainstays for the development of the Regional Human Resources Goals set by the 2007-2015 Area Health Systems and Services of PAHO.

From 11 to February 13, held in Costa Rica, the workshop reviews the educational proposal on Primary Health Care and its development on the platform of the Virtual Campus. The main objective of this course is to foster the development of the renewal of Primary Health Care in the Americas, through strengthening the capacities of leaders and managers of health and is part of the technical strategy of strengthening the Health Systems and Services of PAHO.

The workshop tutors and students attended the course and agreed on a set of guidelines to consider and to strengthen further to propose the addition of new items as part of the educational proposal.

In the context of the celebration of the VII International Congress of Informatics in Health was held in Havana on February 12 to 10, the development of the Workshop of the Virtual Campus of Public Health, to discuss the participation of the priority countries of the region in the Virtual Campus of Public Health.

Dr. Roberto Gonzalez, Deputy Minister of Education and Research of Cuba, during the official closing of the workshop, specifically citing the importance of the contribution of Cuban institutions towards all countries, to enable and facilitate the training of human resources health of the region.

The Secretary of Health of Mexico, Dr. Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos, the Representative in Mexico of the Pan American Health Organization, Dr. Philippe Lamy, and the Dr. Mario Henry Rodriguez Lopez, Director General of the National Institute of Public Health handed, on January 23, 2009 at the Auditorio Miguel E. Bustamante of the Mexican Ministry of Health, the diplomas to the students in the course Seguro Popular, training for operation and medical care 2008. This was also one of the main promoters of this initiative, Mr. Daniel Karam Toumeh, Commissioner of Social Protection in Health in SSA Mexico.

The National Coordinating Node Mexico Virtual Campus of Public Health, the Regional Node and the Office of the PAHO in Mexico convened the First National Workshop of the VCPH, 21 to 23 January 2009, and held at the premises of the Faculty of Medicine, Universidad Nacional Autonoma de Mexico (UNAM)in Mexico City.

The World Bank and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) have committed to an unprecedented global effort to work towards the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). The challenge is to strengthen the health sector through better policies and institutions, service delivery, strengthening the core functions of public health and sustainable financing.

To that end, has designed the course, Strengthening the Essential Public Health Functions.

The course, to be conducted in English, will be held between January and May 2009. It is structured around the 11 core functions identified by PAHO and will be grouped into an introductory module and 3 areas covering fundamentals and Organization, Strategy and Policy and Access and Quality.