Making Money Work: Global Advisory Board to Strengthen Health Professional Schools

Amanda PuckettRecently, CapacityPlus announced the launch of the Global Advisory Board on Strengthening Medical, Nursing, and Public Health Schools in Developing Countries. The board—as part of our work to strengthen preservice education and training—will help to address management issues in health professional schools.

“The global health community needs to urgently support the strengthening of not only the curricula development of medical schools, schools of public health, and nursing schools, but even more so their management capacity and the ability of their deans and other senior leaders to play a prominent role in the health sector and HRH [human resources for health] reforms of their countries,” says Chairperson Dr. Ok Pannenborg.

Developing a framework
In addition to Dr. Pannenborg, the board is comprised of 16 members from distinguished school management, business, entrepreneurship, accreditation, and economics backgrounds. Dr. Kate Tulenko will represent CapacityPlus.

The board will assist CapacityPlus in the development of an analytical framework to assess major managerial challenges in health professional schools in developing countries.

Nursing studentThis framework will consider essential school management functions including admissions, student affairs, human resources, faculty development, course scheduling, curriculum tracking, accreditation, strategic planning, financing and budgeting, fundraising, clinical access, facility and space management, and alumni relations.

Providing guidance
The board’s advice on the content of the framework and the approach to be followed in its application will be of exceptional value to CapacityPlus as it pursues its broader in-depth program in health professional education. For example, the board will guide CapacityPlus on the development of a free, Open Source school management software program. Work developed by the board and the CapacityPlus school management program will be shared regularly with members of the developing-country health community.

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Photo 1 by Jennifer Solomon. Photo 2 by Trevor Snapp. (Student at Gao Nursing School, Gao, Mali)