Greetings colleagues, this is my first communication to members of the Global Network for Academic Public Health and our constituents- over 500 schools of public health worldwide.
I took over the presidency from Laura Magana at the Deans and Directors meeting of the European Schools in Berlin in June this year. We were able to celebrate 5 years with Laura at the helm of GNAPH in its formative period. Ideas for a global network of schools were appearing when I first met Laura in Erice, Sicily at the ASPHER Deans’ meeting in 2019. My predecessor as ASPHER President, Kasia Czabanovska, had also shared this vision. With the arrival of pandemic, solidarity and global action for public health teaching and research became an imperative.
Laura has been an outstanding advocate, spokesperson and leader for GNAPH, alongside her work as chief executive and President of the US Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). I would add my personal thanks to Laura for her support over the difficult pandemic years, and through the turbulent times since our formal constitution at the World congress of Public Health in Rome, in May 2023. Thank you, Laura, you bring compassion and a willingness to listen, you seek partnership and consensus, and your humanity, your professionalism and your expertise are immense. I count it a privilege to be your friend and colleague. Your final President’s report is testimony to the work you have led over the last five years.
The final act of Laura’s presidency and the first of mine, was to sign GNAPH’s Memorandum of Understanding with the World Health Organisation. In the Berlin meeting, we received a video address from Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General of the World Health Organisation (available here) and were joined online by James Campbell, WHO Head of Health workforce. We are extremely grateful to Jim, and his colleague Siobhan Pope for enabling this memorandum to be concluded. The memorandum is recognition by WHO of the importance of public health education and training; it is a first step for us on route to becoming a recognised non state actor (NSA) able to contribute statements to the World Health Assembly. It is also recognition of the work we have been doing with WHO as leading partners in the road map for developing the Public Health and Emergency Workforce.
My main priority as president for the next 2 years will be to grow and support the membership in our seven associations in the 6 WHO regions. We need to support our members to recruit new member schools, and to assist the ones they have in developing capacity in education and training, in workforce development, in professionalisation and in restating and rebuilding ethical public health practice. We will also be seeking to involve schools in the Eastern Mediterranean region and Canada. I am co-chair of the implementation group for the competency and outcomes framework of the WHO Public Health workforce roadmap. This remains a vital area for me and colleagues in GNAPH. Major documents in support of the roadmap were approved at the 2024 World Health Assembly. The 2025 WHA gave a further boost to public health workforce development with a detailed resolution to prioritise public health and emergency workforce training.
I will also roll forward GNAPH’s existing priorities: workforce development, climate and health education, and ethics and law. A new area of curriculum and educational development is coming soon on AI and digital public health. This is being taken forward for us with the leadership of Asia Pacific. We are moving forward work on faculty development and on health diplomacy. We will also continue the immensely successful Riegelman This is Public Health global program. Over 50 schools have now been involved as the program commences its third wave.
I hope to see further developments through GNAPH in the next 2 years. We must strengthen our governance and our global partnerships. I also wish to see the development of a young professional or early career professional network. The GNAPH members meeting in September will consider these proposals and subject to their approval, the strategy and action plan will be available on the GNAPH website. We will welcome your comments, your support and involvement. In the current global health and geopolitical climate, it is essential that we are united and stand together in solidarity and common professional purpose. The people we serve, and the planet we must care for, require nothing less.
The opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of GNAPH or its members.
