ASPHER Working Group on Innovation and Good-practice in Public Health Education

Vision: A harmonised education, continuing training and lifelong learning for public health in Europe in the framework of the Bologna process.

Mission: To propose public health performance standards (related to the European public health competencies) and to translate them into teaching/training modules for undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate education in public health.

Chair: Vesna Bjegovic-Mikanovic (SPH School of Medicine University of Belgrade)
Tel: +381 11 2643 830, mailto:bjegov@EUnet.rs

Co-chair: Helmut Brand (SPH Faculty of Health Medicine and Life Sciences University of Maastricht)
Tel: +31 646 70 50 61, mailto:helmut.brand@inthealth.unimaas.nl

Plan of Work:

STEP I:
1) Assessment of public health services in Europe (public health institutes, occupational health services, environmental health services and others) from the literature and consultation
2) Assessment of public health related NGOs (via EPHA?)
3) Define by teamwork the understanding (from literature) and draft European performance standards based on the assessments (1 & 2) and the list of formerly agreed European public health competences with reference to teaching standards.

STEP II:
4) Organise a survey in public health service institutions on the draft performance standards or interviews with key resource persons in Europe (especially EU and EUPHA), - possibly to be commissioned (financial support?)

STEP III:
5) Translate the refined European Performance Standards into public health curricula at all 3 Bologna levels paying attention to the principles of interdisciplinarity and multiprofessionality.
6) Test standardized teaching modules on public health performance in Summer/ Winter Schools.
7) Redefine requirements for the students in terms of field practice and international exchange (take this opportunity to revive the European Master linking this associated title to defined field practice and international exchange - maybe including acknowledgement of modules certified abroad in recognised schools of public health).

STEP IV:
8) Develop an easy guide for Problem Oriented Learning, POL (maybe in Maastricht)
9) Introduce supportive elements of Distance Learning, DL

Deliverables:

Convene a workshop on performance standards each year at the Annual Conference and:
ad 3) Draft European Performance Standards
ad 4) Survey publication
ad 5/6/7) Report (book publication)/Summer or Winter School
ad 8) POL guide (booklet)
ad 9) FDL programmes (Internet publication)

Timing:

2010: STEP I
2011: STEP II
2012: STEP III & IV

Membership and procedures:

The basic means of communication is by emailing. Timely and elaborated response (usually observing a deadline of 2 weeks) is conditional for maintaining membership.

The Supply and Demand of Public Health Courses in the Framework of Lifelong Learning in Europe
Bachelor thesis of Liane Rosa Mikeska prepared during the internship at ASPHER (February-July 2009)