Event highlights
28 October 2024
WHO/Europe invests in the public health leaders of tomorrow through one-of-a-kind European Public Health Leadership Course
Since 2022, WHO/Europe, through its Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Greece, has been delivering a tailor-made and unique series of public health leadership courses with the aim to build capacity in WHO/Europe Member States, strengthening public health professionals’ leadership competencies.
Countries and health systems worldwide, including in the WHO European Region, face numerous public health challenges, such as climate change, urbanization, economic instability, communicable and noncommunicable diseases (NCDs), mental health issues, misinformation, social inequalities and workforce disparities. Addressing these requires identifying root causes and using innovative tools alongside evidence-informed leadership. Public health leaders need to be collaborative, accountable, transparent and visible, fostering trust with the public, policy-makers, peers, organizations and other authorities.
Inspired by the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 and the WHO Regional Director for Europe’s vision of leaving no one behind, WHO/Europe established the European Public Health Leadership Course (EPHLC), designed for junior and mid-level professionals.
“A course on public health leadership is crucial for equipping public health professionals with the necessary competencies to become great leaders. This course will strengthen their communication and soft skills, equip them to combat mis- and disinformation, and prevent health and care workforce burnout. Additionally, it will provide tools to effectively manage public health emergencies, tackle challenges associated with noncommunicable diseases and climate change, and address the health impacts of conflicts and wars,” underlined Dr Joao Breda, Head of the WHO Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Special Adviser for the Regional Director, and Special Representative and Officer in Charge, WHO Country Office in Greece.
The inaugural EPHLC was launched in Rome in collaboration with the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) in 2022. The second EPHLC was held in 2023 and was co-developed with the University of Bordeaux School of Public Health (ISPED). Following the success of these 2 courses, 3 additional sessions have been scheduled for 2024, in Ukraine, Kazakhstan and Portugal.
Learning about public health leadership in disruptive times
From 24–28 June, 50 public health professionals from Ukraine participated in the EPHLC in Kyiv, supported by the Government of Canada and USAID. The course aimed to enhance their skills in key public health concepts, strengthen leadership abilities, improve communication and other essential skills, and help them identify innovative approaches to address public health challenges in disruptive times.
The course was conducted by WHO experts as well as international and national experts, with the engagement of the School of Public Health of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy in a blended format, combining online and in-person sessions. The programme was designed to address the competency development needs of the participants that were revealed through the 3-phase selection process within the Ukrainian Public Health Leadership Programme implemented by the Ministry of Health with the support of the WHO Country Office in Ukraine. The cases reflecting the specificities of the Ukrainian context were developed and applied for the problem-based learning sessions. Participants also had the opportunity to gain insights from a panel discussion involving public health leaders from the Ministry of Health of Ukraine, regional Centres of Diseases Control and Prevention of the Ministry of Health, the Centre of Nursing Development of the Ministry of Health, and WHO.
“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to attend the training, for the knowledge and motivation gained, for new friends, for the inspiring atmosphere. I am absolutely sure that the exchange of experience, contacts and opinions during the training united all participants in understanding the importance of public health issues in Ukraine,” shared Liudmyla from the Volyn Regional Centre of Disease Control and Prevention, Ministry of Health of Ukraine, who attended the course.
Developing the first course for the Central Asian republics and other eastern European countries
In June, for the first time, a special edition of the EPHLC was delivered in Kazakhstan and tailored to the needs of the Central Asian republics and other Russian-speaking countries.
Laura Utemissova, National Professional Officer, WHO Country Office in Kazakhstan, said, “This course is unique because it is oriented towards Russian-speaking countries. Firstly, we aim to cover a region that is eager for knowledge and experience. Secondly, we bring in excellent speakers, and we have received great feedback from participants. In particular, we place a significant focus on communication skills, which are essential for public health leaders. Additionally, the course covers important subject-specific topics, such as mental health, the need to focus on specific age groups, nutrition, big data, and artificial intelligence.”
Speakers adapted their presentations and delivery methods to resonate with diverse cultural contexts. They refined their skills to effectively communicate crucial messages and impart essential competencies within this new setting, ensuring the course’s relevance and impact across these communities.
Mariam Mnatsakanyan, Public Health Department, Ministry of Health, Armenia, stated, “The course is important because there are not many courses for public health leaders. The course covers many aspects – how to organize work and how to respond to emergencies. For me, the most important aspect is communication between public leaders from different countries, sharing experience, making connections. All the presentations were useful and exciting. The course is organized in such a way that you are not distracted for a minute. I work with NCDs, not directly with mental illnesses, but the session on mental health made me understand my role in how I can participate in changing the situation so clearly.”
What’s next
The next edition of the course is set to be held in Portugal from 4–15 November 2024, in collaboration with the NOVA National School of Public Health. This session is expected to welcome participants from the WHO European Region as well as from the WHO Regional Office for Africa (AFRO) and WHO Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO) regions.
Event notice
Building on the success of 2 prior WHO European Public Health Leadership Courses, WHO/Europe, through its Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety in Athens, Greece, launched 3 new courses this year in Ukraine, Kazakhstan, and Portugal. These courses are tailored to build capacity in WHO/Europe Member States, strengthening public health professionals' leadership competencies.
About the leadership courses
Inspired by the WHO European Programme of Work 2020–2025 – "United Action for Better Health in Europe", and the Regional Director's vision of leaving no one behind, WHO/Europe identified the need to support Member States to strengthen their public health leadership capacities.
In 2022, the Office on Quality of Care and Patient Safety partnered with the Italian National Institute of Health (ISS) to co-develop the first-ever European Public Health Leadership Course. The course was repeated in 2023 in Bordeaux in collaboration with the University of Bordeaux.
This year, three courses are scheduled in:
- Ukraine, from 17–28 June 2024, with the first week online and the second in-person, organized in partnership with the School of Public Health at the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy and conducted in Ukrainian. Participants were selected after a three-phase process conducted by the WHO Country Office in Ukraine.
- Kazakhstan, from 1–12 July 2024, starting with an online week followed by in-person sessions, in collaboration with Astana Medical University, Asfendiyarov Kazakh National Medical University, and the Kazakh School of Public Health. The course will be conducted in Russian and participants will be nominated by Member States participating in the course, including Kazakhstan, and collaborating institutions.
- Portugal, from 4–15 November 2024, with the first week online and the second in-person, in collaboration with NOVA National School of Public Health. Participants will be nominated by Member States participating in the course and collaborating institutions.
Throughout all of the courses, WHO/Europe is providing an online learning platform, offering participants access to initial modules, course materials, lectures, quizzes, and a discussion forum to foster the exchange of ideas and information. Each course will include public health experts from diverse backgrounds and perspectives, who will share their experiences, successful strategies, and innovative solutions to tackle public health challenges.
Why a course on public health leadership?
Globally, including in the WHO European Region, countries grapple with multifaceted public health challenges, such as climate change, urbanization, economic instability, noncommunicable diseases, mental health concerns, misinformation, social disparities, and health-care workforce pressures. At the same time, although COVID-19 is no longer an international public health emergency, it has strained health-care systems, highlighting the need for improved preparedness and resilience for future crises.
To tackle these public health challenges effectively and sustainably, countries must identify their root causes – from biological mechanisms to societal organization – and invest in informed public health leadership. This requires evidence-based decision-making and adherence to ethical standards.
These courses provide a deep dive into global, regional, and subregional public health challenges, emphasizing leadership concepts and innovative solutions rooted in values, ethics, and evidence-based policies.
Who are these courses for?
The courses are designed for and tailored to public health professionals and professionals working in public health organizations and public health-related fields, in the public sector or non-profit organizations.