From remote island clinics to high-containment laboratories, a powerful network powers public health progress across the Western Pacific: the World Health Organization collaborating centres (WHO CCs). Designated by WHO to advance research, training and implementation, these centres connect local expertise to regional priorities, turning collaboration into concrete action for health.
The Fifth Regional Forum of WHO Collaborating Centres in the Western Pacific reflects how collective action and shared purpose are transforming health systems and communities across the Region. Below are five snapshots of real impact, each grounded in work already under way across the Region.
Pacific leadership for a resilient nursing and midwifery workforce
WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development, University of Technology Sydney
In the Pacific, nurses and midwives are part of the backbone of health systems, often serving on the front lines, where few other health workers can reach. The WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development at the University of Technology Sydney is helping to build their leadership and regulatory foundations through the Strengthening the Health Workforce in the Pacific (Nursing & Midwifery) programme. The programme is jointly led by the South Pacific Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers Alliance and the Collaborating Centre for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Development, with support from the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s Partnerships for a Healthy Region initiative.
Thirteen Pacific island countries are working together to enhance leadership, regulation, education, and gender equity in nursing and midwifery, through an Advisory Board of Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officers and newly formed national taskforces. As part of the efforts, a Pacific Leadership Program convened 26 fellows and 14 mentors from 13 countries for a two-week course in Sydney in April 2025. Fellows are now back home leading practical projects tied to national priorities and assisting in coordinating in-country activities to strengthen the health workforce in the Pacific.
To strengthen quality and safety, the programme to strengthen the health workforce in the Pacific also supports professional regulation. A series of regional webinars introduced the core components of nursing and midwifery regulation, and country workshops, piloted in Vanuatu in July 2025 and since delivered in Fiji, Kiribati, Palau, Tonga and Tuvalu, use an interactive “World Café” format to identify context-specific reforms to the country’s regulation priority area. These workshops are organized locally by Pacific Leadership fellows, reinforcing national ownership and the emphasis on culturally safe, partnership-based action.
By empowering a new generation of Pacific health leaders, the programme strengthens not only the nursing and midwifery professions but also the social fabric of health systems across the islands.
Building nursing leadership and life-course care in China
WHO Collaborating Centre for Nursing Policy-Making and Leadership, School of Nursing, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC)
At the School of Nursing, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), leadership development is also at the heart of the work. Established in 1920 as China’s first higher nursing education institution and a WHO collaborating centre since 2010, PUMC has spent decades preparing nurses and midwives to shape the future of health care.
From 2023 to 2025, the Centre convened nursing forums with experts from China, Finland, the Republic of Korea and the United States of America on topics including AI in nursing, healthy ageing and noncommunicable disease prevention and management. It also delivered capacity-building programmes in maternal and child health (July/November 2024; July 2025), translating WHO recommendations – such as Early Essential Newborn Care, skin-to-skin contact, kangaroo mother care, breastfeeding counselling, growth monitoring and family-centred care – into front-line clinical practice through evidence-based modules and skills workshops.
By nurturing nursing leadership and advancing evidence-based care, PUMC’s work contributes directly to WHO regional priorities. Developing nurse leadership and embedding WHO guidance in routine care strengthens primary health systems across the life-course, from pregnancy and the newborn period to healthy ageing.
Closing the health knowledge gap: a regional research bridge
WHO Collaborating Centre for Health and Biomedical Information, Institute of Medical Information, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences (IMICAMS)
Access to reliable, evidence-based information is a cornerstone of effective health systems. Yet, in many low- and middle-income countries, access to medical literature remains limited. Since 1991, IMICAMS, designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre for Health and Biomedical Information, has worked with WHO to narrow that gap.
Its flagship initiative, the Western Pacific Region Index Medicus (WPRIM), is a digital bridge connecting researchers, policy-makers and practitioners across the Region. The database hosts more than 700 biomedical journals and more than one million records across the Region. WPRIM contributes nearly one third of entries to the Global Index Medicus, and received more than 34 million visits over the past year, with the COVID-19 collection accessed more than 310 000 times.
The platform’s success lies in collaboration: editors, librarians and national committees across 13 countries working together to make regional knowledge global. Capacity-building – through on-site courses in China, Fiji and Mongolia, and four database workshops with support from the WHO Regional Office – has equipped more than 100 contributors who now anchor the platform’s data network.
A redesigned WPRIM platform to be launched this year will feature improved access, multilingual capabilities and modernized tools: another leap forward in democratizing health information.
Watching the vectors: research, diagnostics and community action
WHO Collaborating Centre for Arbovirus Reference and Research, Universiti Malaya, Tropical Infectious Diseases Research & Education Centre (TIDREC)
In Malaysia, scientists are on the front lines of the battle against vector-borne diseases, such as dengue, chikungunya and Zika. Initially focused on dengue surveillance and diagnostic evaluations, the Centre’s scope expanded with re-designation to TIDREC in 2019. Today it integrates One Health surveillance of mosquitoes, ticks, animals, environmental samples and humans.
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A search for head lice. TIDREC engaged with communities to raise awareness and educate about vectors and vector-borne diseases. A team member examines for head lice, aiming to identify the prevalent clade infesting a population and to screen for any potential pathogens carried by the lice. © Universiti Malaya
Through fieldwork in forests and plantations, TIDREC teams track pathogens in peri-domesticated and wild animals. Rodents and monkeys have been screened to inform early warning for zoonotic spillover. Laboratory capacity continues to grow, including the Tick-Cell Biobank Asia Outpost, which trains regional scientists in tick-cell methods. TIDREC has developed in-house diagnostic assays for priority arboviruses to support rapid, cost-effective detection in endemic settings and collaborates on vaccine research and development for locally circulating animal vector-borne viruses (for example, Getah and Tembusu).
But TIDREC’s mission goes beyond the lab. The Centre’s outreach initiatives bring science into the community. In one project, schoolchildren learnt about dengue prevention through games and interactive lessons, while another outreach programme brought health education to low-income urban communities, mixing fun with life-saving lessons on hygiene and disease prevention.
TIDREC’s One Health approach, integrating human, animal and environmental surveillance, helps identify new threats before they spread.
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Proper handwashing in action. TIDREC team members demonstrate and explain effective handwashing techniques in a community. © Universiti Malaya
Preparing for Disease X: advanced containment and applied learning
WHO Collaborating Centre for Reference and Research on Tropical and Emerging Viral Diseases
Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University
At the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Nagasaki University, decades of research and global collaboration are helping the world prepare for the next outbreak. As a WHO Collaborating Centre for Tropical and Emerging Viruses of Human Interest since 1993 (re-designated in 2006 to reflect an expanded mandate), the Institute has played a vital role in responding to diseases such as Zika, Japanese encephalitis, West Nile virus, Severe Fever with Thrombocytopenia Syndrome and tick-borne encephalitis, as well as emerging pathogens such as Nipah and coronaviruses.
The Centre has contributed to multiple international responses, including SARS (2002), Zika (2015, confirming Asia’s first Zika-associated microcephaly case in partnership with Viet Nam and WHO) and COVID-19 (as a reference laboratory providing diagnostics and training). Today, the University’s new BSL-4 facility (the highest biosafety level) stands ready to respond to Disease X, a term used to describe unknown pathogens that could cause the next pandemic.
Beyond the lab, Nagasaki University is also home to the Tropical Medicine Museum, which transforms complex science into public education. Its interactive exhibits and annual Tropical Medicine Training Course attract professionals and visitors alike, promoting awareness and preparedness among the next generation of scientists and citizens.
One network, shared outcomes
Across these five centres and many others in the Region, the lesson is clear: partnerships translate into practice. Leadership programmes are producing system-level reforms. WHO guidelines are becoming everyday clinical routines. Regional evidence is easier to find and use. Surveillance and diagnostics are faster and more connected to communities. High-containment science is paired with education and capacity-building.
Together, the WHO Western Pacific Region and its 190 collaborating centres are weaving innovation and unity, aligning expertise with country priorities and turning collaboration into tangible improvements in health for the Region’s 2.2 billion people.