Yesterday I posted a picture of my latest certificate on my whatsapp status. This one was for a Leadership and Management in Health course I did with the University of Washington a few months ago. I did this through the Caribbean Training and Education Centre for Health (C-TECH) on a fully funded scholarship. Immediately after posting I got several persons asking me for more information on the course. This happens each time I post a certificate or promote a course- I think it’s finally time I sit down and make a list of learning resources that exist for Healthcare Workers and persons who work in Public Health and are interested in continued learning… don’t you?
Below are some of the resources I have used, this list is in no way exhaustive. These are a mixture of paid and non paid resources. If I have missed any that you’re aware of comment below or send me a DM on twitter or instagram or an email at samantha@thelaymansdoctor.com.
Note: All prices quoted in USD
Coursera
Coursera is one of the first resources I ever used for continuing education. While Coursera isn’t specific to public health and health care there are several opportunities that exist. From free and short certifications to full on paid degrees. These are from several schools and faculties and gives you free to cheap access to education opportunities.
On Coursera I did Health Across the Gender Spectrum through the Stanford University to increase my capacity in treating and interfacing with persons with varying gender identities.
Open World Health Organisation
Open WHO is an excellent resource for Public Health education particularly around the interests and the work done by WHO. It was at the start of the Covid-19 Pandemic that I discovered this resource, after wanting to learn more about Infection Prevention Control and how to protect myself and others during this Pandemic. They have a plethora of free courses, many are very short and easy to understand. I encourage anyone interested in learning more but not sure what they want to learn about, or want a low barrier to entry to start here.
Courses I have completed through Open WHO are: Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) core components and multimodal strategies, Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) for Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) and Severe Acute Respiratory Infection (SARI) Treatment Facility Design.
Virtual Campus for Public Health
PAHO also offers free courses in Public Health – I only recently found this out so I haven’t done any (yet!) it is very similar to Open WHO and have a high variety of courses that I think should pique anyones interest.
Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research
I found out about GFMER through another doctor and public health practitioner actually, they emailed me the course information. That has since been how I’ve been promoting their courses. The courses offered mostly span sexual reproductive health rights (SRHR) and research and are all paid costing on average $200 per course. They don’t always have courses available as each spans over a few months and require you to do writing assignments that are graded. I enjoyed my experience with them, and it is very much akin to doing a short distant learning course with modules and assignments. You get feedback and assistance as needed.
Courses I’ve completed with them are: Meeting the needs and fulfilling the rights of adolescents’ sexual and reproductive health for WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region, Online Training Course in Research Methodology and Protocol Development.
Caribbean Vulnerable Communities Coalitions
CVC has a few free courses that align well with persons interested in health advocacy. I believe most are free, you can either get a certificate for them- if you complete it within the timeframe and achieve the grades needed or just do them on your own time for knowledge. I think CVC is great for persons who want to learn more about planning and executing advocacy projects, learning about financing projects, advocacy groups and social enterprises and learning about SRHR and gender.
I have completed one course called Sex and Sexuality Training for Healthcare Providers, Policy Makers and Community Leaders.
C-TECH
C- TECH doesn’t teach, but rather funds various Global Health courses. This is largely through an application process. Most of the courses are through the University of Washington Global Health department. I have done two funded courses by them but overall four courses through the University of Washington where I paid with a site.
Courses I have completed through C-TECH are Leadership and Management in Health and Clinical Management of HIV.
University of Washington
The University of Washington has a Global Health E- Learning Program. These are paid courses that require you to do assignments and go to site meetings. The courses are cyclical with varying entry dates, there are several payment options. I have paid between $0 and $40 for these course by getting scholarships from C-TECH or going through a learning site. Alternatively you could simply pay the full fee of around $200+.
Courses I’ve completed are: Project Management in Global Health and Fundamentals of Global Health Research.
And that is it! Those are all the resources I use and are aware of- but I’m certain more are out there! So please feel free to let me know and I can add to this list for others to see.
This article was a long time coming, and it was really the push of persons like you reading this now that made me realise this is something I need to write NOW!
Happy Learning,
Dr. Samantha Johnson
