Education collaborations
The Office for Global Health work with our international partners on a variety of education collaborations. These can be as diverse as practical one-off workshops, train-the-trainer and specially tailored programs.
Here are a few examples of the education collaborations we are currently working on with partners in:
Cambodia
The development and implementation of a postgraduate course in oral surgery and externship opportunities for local students in Cambodia
Since 2009, the Faculty of Dentistry has been working with the University of Health Sciences in Phnom Penh to develop sustainable & innovative postgraduate training in Cambodia. The postgraduate training of Cambodian dentists consists of a formal course in Cambodia combined with blended e-learning/clinical teaching. The blended course, with major component developed through e-learning resources, allows 24/7 access to the learning modules and intense clinical exposure in-country. The partnership also includes student externship opportunities for University of Sydney students to enhance their international experience.
The main aims of this education partnership are to: improve oral health and services in Cambodia (increased case mix and load, reduction in treatment complications and inappropriate treatment); build research collaborations and assist in internationalisation of our students.
Inquiries relating to this project can be directed to: or
China
Huo dao lao, xue dao lao - Lifelong learning at Shanghai Jiao Tong University Medical School - 活到老，学到老
The University of Sydney Medical Program and Shanghai Jiao Tong Medical School are working in partnership to explore how the educational principles of problem-based learning and curriculum integration can be translated to the Chinese medical education context.
In November 2007, we held a workshop at Renji Hospital, Shanghai introducing the concept of problem-based learning which was warmly received. In July 2008, fourteen basic science and clinical teachers spent three weeks in Sydney experiencing problem-based learning and beginning to develop cases for their home curriculum. In 2009, we will continue to work together to consider how the new curriculum might be implemented and evaluated. Joint teaching and exchanges are planned for the future. Inquiries relating to this project can be directed to .
Timor Leste
Building critical care workforce capacity via a professional development training collaboration
In 2008, the Office for Global Health (Sydney Medical School) established a health education collaboration with the Timorese Ministry of Health to build the critical care workforce capacity in Timor Leste. The program commenced in 2009 when a multidisciplinary team of University of Sydney affiliated doctors and nurses from Sydney Medical School, Northern Clinical School, Sydney Nursing School and ICU at Royal North Shore Hospital ran two skills workshops and a train-the-trainer session in Dili National Hospital Guido Valadares. The program was extended in May 2010 when a combined tutoring team of Australian and Timor Leste tutors ran a similar skills workshop in Maliana District Referral Hospital.
The program continues to expand as critical care clinical skills workshops are run in other district hospitals in Timor Leste.
Funding for establishing the collaboration and the development and implementation of the critical care capacity building program has been provided by AusAID's Public Sector Linkages Program (PSLP), Sydney Medical School, Sydney Nursing School and the University's International Program Development Fund (IPDF).
Inquiries on this project can be directed to .
Timor Leste Health Leadership Program
Through the support of the AusAID Australian Leadership Award (ALAF), the Office for Global Health is providing leadership training to Timor Leste’s health-related professionals. The main goal of the Health Leadership Program is to identify and train current and future health care, health management, health policy, and health education leaders from Timor Leste. It aims to build capacity providing short-term placements and training programs in Australia that will enable the delivery of evidence based health care, management, education and policy within the health care system of Timor Leste. Each Fellowship plan is individualised to suit the specific learning goals and expertise of the Fellow. Emphasis is placed on exposing Fellows, via various means such as practical placements and training courses, to methods, theories, techniques and approaches that they can implement as well as use to train and lead others when they return to Timor Leste.
The inaugural cohort of six Timorese health-related professionals participated as Fellows in the program in 2009, spending six to twelve weeks in Australia. The Fellows were selected from an outstanding pool of candidates.
With continuing support from AusAID in 2011, a new cohort of 12 Timorese Fellows will be participating in the health leadership program.
(Photo at right, L-R: Dr Dilhani Bandaranayake - Manager - International Relations, Maximiano Neno, Joaquim Soares, Professor Bruce Robinson - Dean of Medicine, Moises de Andrade, Lucio Babo Soares, Mr Abel Guterres - Timor Leste Ambassador in Australia. Full titles below.)
The participants are:
- Mr Joaquim F Soares - Director, Klibur Domin Tibar (Rehabilitation Centre)
- Dr Lucio F Babo Soares – Senior Dentist, Centro Community Health Centre
- Mr Maximiano Neno – Director, Oecusse Regional Hospital
- Ms Manuela M S Peirera - Chief of Staff for the Minister of Health, Ministry of Health
- Mr Augusto Joaquim Pinto - Head, Human Resources Department, Ministry of Health
- Mr Moises Andrade - Nursing Director, Maubisse Hospital
Inquiries on this project can be directed to .