History of development of undergraduate public health education in Bulgaria.

OBJECTIVE: The study aims to present a historical review and analysis of the establishment and development of undergraduate public health (PH) education in Bulgaria from 1878 until 2019. METHODS: А search and selection of historical documents was performed, including laws, rules, regulations, government plans, programmes, scientific publications from periodical medical press, journals, specialized monographs, and books. A retrospective analysis of the normative documents related to the organization of the sanitation and public health activities, and to the provision of professional undergraduate education of the public health workforce in Bulgaria has been carried out. The required competences and tasks of the specialists exercising public health control services were extracted. RESULTS: The development in the public health educational activities were followed in three consecutive periods: the newly independent state (1878-1944); the socialist state (1945-1990); the democratizing state (1990-2019). The development of organized PH activities began after the liberation of Bulgaria in 1878. The historical analysis reveals a direct link between the major socioeconomic changes in the country and the organization of PH undergraduate education which passed through dynamic transformations. The professional education in the sphere of PH started with the training of feldshers, followed by sanitary feldsher and sanitary health inspectors performed in secondary vocational medical schools during the socialist period, reaching the stage of undergraduate university PH education provided by medical colleges associated with universities in the third period. CONCLUSION: Despite the continuous development in the organization of undergraduate PH education in Bulgaria, its content is still not fully compatible with the basic European PH services and actions. There is a growing need for wider standardization and integration of undergraduate PH education in the EU so that the specialty can reach the status of a regulated health profession similar to medicine, nursing, and others.

Infiltrating history into the public health curriculum.

The insertion of history into the medical school curriculum has been discussed over a long period of time. But the role of history in the public health curriculum has not been the subject of much discussion, despite the changes in UK public health training and the advent of multidisciplinary public health. This article reviews the history of inserting history into the curriculum in a leading public health postgraduate institution. It discusses the strategies used to secure acceptance for history; the positioning of history within the curriculum both as a core and a special subject; and the different curriculum content and learning approaches which have been used over time. It reviews recent developments in distance learning and the launch of a history Massive Open On line Course. It concludes that no one approach can be recommended for inserting history and that flexibility, persistence, alliances and the willingness to adapt to local circumstances are important. Students themselves are now more receptive to historical approaches and can appreciate the value of a discipline which teaches critical skills of analysis and assessment of evidence. It remains to be discussed how the discipline and such approaches can be transferred into wider professional public health training and at the undergraduate level.

Documenting 15 Years (2000-2015) of SOPHE Achievements.

For over six decades, the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) has been a leading professional organization for the field of health education (HE). This historical research extends the work of Cissell and Bloom by investigating the recent history of SOPHE. The aims of this historical study were to (1) identify key SOPHE and HE events from 2000 to 2015, (2) describe key contributions of SOPHE to the HE field during this time period, and (3) identify potential future directions for SOPHE. Johnson and Christensen's five steps for historical research were followed to conduct an eDelphi study and one-on-one interviews. During the three-round eDelphi study, SOPHE officers ( n = 16) and senior staff ( n = 5), who served between 2000 and 2015, identified significant SOPHE's leaders and rated the importance of SOPHE's recent events. Key leaders ( n = 25) participated in semistructured interviews to describe their involvement in SOPHE, specific SOPHE activities, and future directions for SOPHE. Brief, structured intercept interviews were also conducted with student ( n = 10) and professional SOPHE members ( n = 11). Data collected during the eDelphi study were analyzed to determine central tendency statistics and percent agreement on each event evaluated in the second- and third-round surveys. Qualitative interview data were analyzed with NVivo using thematic analysis. Data from the eDelphi study revealed 29 SOPHE and 17 HE events that occurred between 2000 and 2015 as being "important" or "very important." Results from the thematic analysis revealed several themes in three areas: SOPHE accomplishments, benefits of SOPHE membership, and possible future directions for SOPHE to explore.

Walter Patrick's contribution toward public health education in Sri Lanka.

Professor Walter Patrick entered the Colombo Medical Faculty in Sri Lanka in 1957 and completed MBBS in 1962. In 1975, Walter obtained his MPH from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor and was posted to the Health Education Bureau (HEB) in Sri Lanka's Ministry of Health where he was placed in charge of the Education and Training Subunit. Walter Patrick's achievements as the head of the Education and Training Subunit are discussed under various sections of this article. It was mainly the achievements and untiring efforts of Walter Patrick that made HEB Director Dr Munasinghe's stupendous task in building up the HEB and the discipline of health education that much easier. In his personal life, Walter was married to Viji, herself a doctor. Apart from Walter's professional talents, he was a fine human being.

A implementação do curso de graduação em saúde coletiva do Instituto de Saúde Coletiva da Universidade Federal da Bahia: da criação até a formatura da primeira turma / The implementation of the Undergraduate Course in Collective Health at the Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia, Brazil: from its opening up to the graduation of the first class / La implementación del Curso de Graduación en Salud Colectiva del Instituto de Salud Colectiva de la Universidad Federal de Bahía: de su inauguración hasta la graduación de la primera clase

Introdução: A criação dos Cursos de Graduação em Saúde Coletiva (CGSC), com uma configuração interdisciplinar e fortemente compromissada com o Sistema Único de Saúde (SUS), inaugurou uma nova maneira de ensinar Saúde Coletiva e ampliou substancialmente a capacidade brasileira para formar sanitaristas para atuar no SUS. Objetivo: Este artigo tem como objetivo descrever e refletir sobre o processo de implementação do CGSC no ISC/UFBA, sob a perspectiva de um grupo de docentes e discentes que participou do Colegiado do Curso, desde a sua criação até a conclusão da primeira turma. Material e método: O Instituto de Saúde Coletiva da Universidade Federal da Bahia (ISC-UFBa) foi pioneiro na defesa da criação desta modalidade formativa e abriu, em 2009, o seu CGSC. Em 2013, a primeira turma de alunos do CGSC/ISC/UFBa recebeu o grau de Bacharel em Saúde Coletiva. A consolidação desta nova modalidade formativa no ISC-UFBA e em outras Universidades do Brasil traz a necessidade de refletirmos sobre a experiência obtida na implementação destes cursos. Conclusão: Espera-se que este relato seja útil como meio de troca de experiência com outros Cursos semelhantes, ao identificar desafios tanto para a consolidação desta nova modalidade formativa em Saúde Coletiva

Introduction: The creation of undergraduate courses in Collective Health (CGSC) with an interdisciplinary configuration and strongly committed to the Brazilian Health System (SUS), inaugurated a novel way of teaching collective health and substantially expanded the Brazilian capacity to train health workers to work in SUS. Objective: This article aims to describe and reflect on the implementation process of CGSC at UFBa, under the perspective of a group of teachers and students who participated in the Collegiate Comittee, from the course's beginning up to the graduation of the first class. Material an methods: The Institute of Collective Health of the Federal University of Bahia (ISC-UFBa) pioneered the defense of this training modality and opened its Course in 2009. In 2013, the first class of students received the Bachelor's degree in Collective Health. The consolidation of this new course at ISC-UFBa and at other university schools in Brazil brings the need to reflect on the experience in implementing these courses. Results: It is hoped that this article be helpful in exchanging experiences with other similar Courses, and to identify challenges for both the consolidation of this new training modality in Collective Health.

Introducción: La creación de Cursos de Pregrado em Salud Colectiva (CPSC) con un ambiente interdisciplinario y fuertemente comprometido con el Sistema Único de Salud (SUS), inauguró una nueva modalidad de enseñanza en Salud Colectiva y amplió considerablemente la capacidad brasileña para formar sanitaristas para actuar en el SUS. Objetivo: Este artículo tiene como objetivo describir y reflexionar sobre el proceso de implementación del CPSC/ISC/UFBa a partir de la perspectiva de un grupo de profesores y estudiantes que participaron de su Colegiado Gestor, desde su inicio hasta la finalización de la primera clase. Materiales y métodos: El Instituto de Salud Colectiva de la Universidad Federal de Bahia (ISC-UFBa) fue pionero en la defensa de la creación de esta modalidad de formación y inauguró su CPSC en 2009. En 2013, la primera clase de alumnos matriculados en CPSC/ISC/UFBa recibió su Licenciatura em Salud Colectiva. La consolidación de esta nueva modalidad de formación en ISC-UFBa y otras universidades de Brasil trae consigo La necesidad de reflexionar sobre la experiência adquirida en el proceso de implementación de estos cursos. conclusión: Se espera que este informe pueda ser útil como medio de intercambio de experiencias con otros Cursos similares, em la medida que identifique los desafíos para la consolidación de esta nueva modalidad formativas en Salud Colectiva.

History and evolution of public health education in India.

In order to respond to the changing paradigm of public health challenges, India needs adequately trained public health professionals. Public health education is a tool to create public health professionals. Public health education in India is at cross-roads on several fronts. Traditionally, public health education in India was offered through medical schools and was open for medical graduates only. However, recently the country has witnessed an emergence of institutions offering public health programs to nonmedical background graduates. An examination of the history and current status of public health education can provide us with an insight into the evolution of the discipline in the country. This is important as in order to respond to the public health education challenges in the present time, we need to understand the historical directions taken by the discipline in the past. This review captures how the public health education efforts in the country have been aided by concerted actions within the discipline and by an enabling environment and a positive intent at the national level, whereby we can better understand the context for the recent developments in Indian public health.

Historical development of health professions' education in the Arab world.

This paper reviews the historical development of health professions' education in the Arab countries and highlights the role that the World Health Organization has played in the support of the health workforce. Challenges such as the migration of health professionals, the need for additional educational opportunities in public health and in the management of health services and the need to adapt education to address the needs of society are discussed. Efforts are needed to develop further the quality and relevance of education and to address the needs of the health systems and the welfare of communities. The production of research in cooperation with policy-makers to enhance decisions and policies based on evidence needs increased attention.

A brief history and overview of CDC's Centers for Public Health Preparedness Cooperative Agreement Program.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funded the Centers for Public Health Preparedness (CPHP) Cooperative Agreement program from 2004 through 2010. CDC gave approximately $134 million to 27 CPHPs within accredited schools of public health to enhance the relationship between academia and state and local health agencies to strengthen public health preparedness. Over the course of the program, CPHPs provided education and training services that met public health preparedness and response needs throughout the United States. The passage of the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act in 2006 has had broad implications for the Department of Health and Human Services' future preparedness and response activities. Guidelines were established giving accredited schools of public health eligibility to receive federal grants to carry out the continual development and delivery of core curricula and training that responds to the needs of state, local, and tribal public health authorities.

Graduate public health education--Singapore's contribution to strengthening capacity in the region and beyond.

The year 2008 marks the 55th anniversary of the graduate public health programme in Singapore. This article traces the evolution of the programme-from the Diploma in Public Health in 1953 to the Master of Public Health in 2007--in response to changing challenges and needs. It also discusses the role Singapore can continue to play in addressing global inequities in access to public health education and in strengthening public health capacity in the region and beyond.

The schism between medical and public health education: a historical perspective.

The separation of "medicine" and "public health" in academic institutions limits the potential synergies that an integrated educational model could offer. The roots of this separation are deeply imbedded in history. During the past two centuries, there have been repeated efforts to integrate public health education into the core training of physicians, usually in response to a perceived short-term crisis, and without widespread, lasting success. The cost of additional public health instruction and the "overcrowding" of the medical curriculum have been cited as obstacles for creating an integrated medical/public health curriculum for more than a century. Several thoughtful and prescient proposals for integration were developed at a conference convened by the Rockefeller Foundation in the early 20th century, but not all were implemented. Today, there is growing recognition of the considerable value afforded by the integration of medicine and public health education. Many schools have responded to a national call for a renewed relationship between medicine and public health by increasing the availability of MD/MPH programs and/or by incorporating one or more public health courses into the basic medical curriculum. A few schools have created more substantial and innovative changes. Review and consideration of the history and politics of past efforts may serve as a guide for the development of successful new approaches to creating a clinical workforce that incorporates the principles of both clinical medicine and public health.

A short history of the Multidisciplinary Public Health Forum.

The Multidisciplinary Public Health Forum (MPHF) was a 'network of networks' that was formed through grass roots public conferences held during the mid 1990s. It championed the development of a trained, developed and accredited multidisciplinary public health workforce in the UK. This paper draws on documentary evidence and from a series of semi-formal interviews held with individuals who were involved in the development and work of the Forum, to explore why the Forum was influential, the key milestones of the journey and the lessons that we might learn for the continued development of the public health function.