The University of South Florida College of Public Health (COPH) is collaborating with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean to standardize the competencies for training of public health professionals.
Salud Latina USF is currently working with the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPPH) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) to review the public health training competencies for Latin America and the Caribbean, as well as Brazil. To reach as many people as possible, the competencies have been translated into English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Dr. Tricia Penniecook, COPH vice dean of faculty affairs and development, and Dr. Arlene Calvo, COPH associate professor and director of the Salud Latina USF initiative, participated in a two-day workshop in April at the University of Panama.
“This process provides an opportunity to contribute to the growth and development of the public health field in Latin America and the Caribbean, and to highlight opportunities for regional collaborations for our USF Health students and faculty,’’ Calvo said.
Drs. Arlene Calvo and Tricia Penniecook at the University of Panama. (Photo courtesy of Calvo)
Regional participants included faculty from University of Panama, University of Antioquia in Colombia, Cayetano Heredia University in Peru, Fiocruz in Brazil, University of Puerto Rico, National University of Cordoba in Argentina, Juarez University in Mexico, among others. Overall, there was comprehensive representation from different countries and schools of public health in Latin America. The only representative from a United States ASPPH member school was USF.
The overall goal of the workshop was to finalize the revision of the international competencies on public health training, curriculum and evaluation for Latin America. The COPH’s Salud Latina faculty has played an important role in this revision since 2023.
Specifically, the group was able to define the final knowledge evaluative questions based on each of the 40 competencies that make up the Regional Framework of Teaching Competencies in Public Health. Participants also reviewed translations into English, Spanish and Portuguese of the teaching competencies. Finally, a network of institutions in the Region of the Americas was conformed under the PAHO and ASPPH umbrella for education in health.
Drs. Tricia Penniecook and Arlene Calvo participating in a workshop lead by the Association of Schools of Public Health and the PanAmerican Health Organization-PAHO to review the public health training competencies for the Latina American and Caribbean regions. (Photo courtesy of Calvo)
Salud Latina USF was established in 2021 by the COPH with a focus on health issues and misinformation stemmed out of the COVID-19 pandemic. Since then, it has expanded to address all health issues affecting Spanish-speaking populations in the U.S. and the rest of the world. Its four pillars include:
- Community engagement, education and outreach
- Academic scholarly exchange
- Research on health issues
- Student support and mentorship
Faculty and student at members of Salud Latina also conduct health research and regular webinars to provide evidence-based information in Spanish. Salud Latina USF allows for these students to execute the knowledge and skills gained and advance their development in public health research and practice.
Some of the public health topics include vaccine hesitancy, misinformation, social impact, familial stress, domestic violence, substance abuse, mental health, non-communicable diseases such as cancer, migration, women’s health issues, neglected infectious diseases and economic impact of health problems affecting communities.
An upcoming symposium that will be conducted in Panama at City of Knowledge, September 9 and 10, will focus on aspects of regional migration and health.
PAHO is the specialized international health agency for the Americas. It works with countries throughout the region to improve and protect people's health. PAHO engages in technical cooperation with its member countries to fight communicable and noncommunicable diseases and their causes, to strengthen health systems and to respond to emergencies and disasters.
The ASPPH represents more than 150 accredited schools and programs of public health, including a community of more than 103,000 deans, faculty, staff and students. Per their website, “ASPPH is the voice of academic public health – we train the next generation of public health professionals, convene leaders, generate evidence, and advocate for policies that improve the health and well-being of everyone, everywhere.”
The participation of Penniecook and Calvo in this workshop helps solidify the presence of the COPH, Salud Latina (@SaludLatinaUSF), and the COPH’s Panama Program in Latin America to conduct collaborations, academic exchange and research initiatives.
For more information on or involvement in these initiatives, please contact Calvo at calvoae@usf.edu.