Cuba is world-renown for its excellent health indices. However, the economic hardships of the 1990s led to concerns about the infrastructure needed for good health. The Government therefore decided that decentralization in decision making was necessary to best meet local needs. This required comprehensive upgrading of skills across the country so that each region, province and community had the expertise needed to assess and manage environmental health risks. To build the capacity necessary to meet the growing challenges, a 5-year partnership was formed with a Canadian university consortium, with funds from the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The program consisted of train-the-trainer workshops in specific targeted areas including advanced biostatistics, economic evaluation, program evaluation and management, and a new approach to teaching environmental health using interactive teaching methods and a holistic approach. Teachers from across the country are attending these workshops and developing plans for teaching at their own institutions. A distance-learning component was also developed and is being piloted and evaluated. Some workshops include teachers from other countries in Latin America, promoting network building. Funds are also set aside for Cubans to come to Canada for a semester at a time to take selected courses to upgrade their skills. The workshops were highly successful from the point of view of the participants who attended, although ensuring participation of the right people has not been without difficulties. This paper will discuss some of the successes as well as constraints and lessons learned in the first 18 months of the program.
Learning Objectives: Describe the steps involved in building interdisciplinary capacity in environmental health risk assessment and risk management for health professionals in a developing country
Keywords: Health Education, Environmental Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.