Master Of Public Health Research Articles

Innovations in public health education: promoting professional development and a culture of health.

As the field of public health advances toward addressing complex, systemic problems, future public health professionals must be equipped with leadership and interprofessional skills that support collaboration and a culture of health. The University of Memphis School of Public Health has infused innovative strategies into graduate education via experiential learning opportunities to enhance leadership, collaboration, and professional development. Novel training programs such as Day One, Public Health Interdisciplinary Case Competition, and Memphis Healthy U support Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health cross-cutting competencies and prepare Master of Public Health and Master of Health Administration graduates to function effectively at the outset of their careers and become catalysts for creating a culture of health.

Progress in the articulation of undergraduate and graduate public health?

Historically, in the absence of baccalaureate education in the public health, entry level education was offered at the graduate level in the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree. As MPH education was not preceded by baccalaureate education in the discipline, there are not typically prerequisite requirements for MPH admission, and introductory coursework in public health has always been offered at the graduate level. Other disciplines including business and nursing offer joint and dual degree programs; however, these programs are typically designed to accelerate completion of baccalaureate and graduate degrees (1–4) rather than supplement graduate with undergraduate education. While the developers of new undergraduate public health programs may look at the experience in other disciplines, public health presents the atypical characteristic that well-established graduate education preceded undergraduate education. In addition, review of a variety of accelerated programs at different universities demonstrates that they tend to be unique to individual universities rather than of a standard design.

Undergraduate public health education: is there an ideal curriculum?

This commentary speaks to the need to design a curriculum that best meets the needs of students who are enrolled in Bachelor of Science in Public Health (BSPH) degree programs. The past 10 years has witnessed a dramatic growth in the number and size of these programs. While several of these degrees are housed within schools and colleges of public health, many are located in colleges of arts and science, allied health, medicine, and many other academic homes. It is difficult to determine the actual number of BSPH programs (or similar type degrees but with different names) due to a lack of national accrediting standard. The number of students in these programs varies widely with as few as 25 to as many as 600. In addition to stand-alone BSPH degrees, there are a number of what is known in the field as three plus two programs where a student spends 3 years completing their undergraduate courses and then an additional 2 years of study that completes both their BS degree in addition to their Master of Public Health (MPH). The point here is that there is a significant demand for the BSPH degree on the part of students and universities are more than happy to meet that demand. A legitimate question that we have is what career or education paths do students pursue once they complete their BSPH degrees. Evidence suggests that the largest fraction of BSPH students use the degree as pre-professional preparation for entry into advanced clinical training including medicine, nursing, physical therapy, physician assistant, pharmacy, and other specialty areas. Given the implementation of the Affordable Care Act and the movement toward population health, it is critical that future clinicians know and can potentially apply core public health principles into their practices. A second path for BSPH graduates is into MPH degree programs. Once the spark is ignited during their undergraduate education, students see that they can make a profound difference in public health practice but know that the MPH is the degree of choice for a large number of employers. In our companion commentary (“Undergraduate Public Health, Lessons Learned from Undergraduate Health Administration Education”), we ask whether courses taken in the BSPH degree might have the capacity to either transfer into the MPH or perhaps students should be waived out of one or more of the core courses and instead be allowed to take additional electives. If this practice were to become commonplace, prospective MPH students might see an opportunity to better tailor their graduate education. In addition to preparation for clinical education or entry into an MPH program, current BSPH students sometimes move directly into Public Health related jobs at the entry level where they obtain important work experience before advancing to an MPH degree. There are also students who upon graduation go into a whole variety of other education or work related opportunities including Peace Corps or Teach for America. Given the four paths that BSPH graduates can potentially take, it is important to clearly understand where students go once they depart our programs and how our curricula can add value to the career options for graduates. Toward that end, does it make sense to craft a single unified BSPH curriculum that provides a rigorous preparation in public health and at the same time is flexible enough to accommodate the multiple career paths of graduates? Although various frameworks have been proposed (AAC&U, ASPPH, and CEPH), no model has been developed in sufficient detail to consider the challenges of implementing a truly well-articulated program. Do we as a field wish to develop a BSPH curriculum that mirrors the current CEPH requirement for accredited MPH degrees with a required core and multiple program tracks? If this is the option selected, what differentiates the BSPH from the MPH? As noted in our companion commentary, graduates from AUPHA certified undergraduate health administration programs compete successfully for entry level management jobs with graduates from CAHME accredited MHA programs. Regardless of how we design our BSPH curriculum, programs need to keep in mind what is in the best interest of their students. As programs think about either designing a BSPH curriculum de novo or modifying an existing curriculum, there are four important elements to keep in mind:

Teaching Note—Educating Public Health Social Work Professionals: Results From an MSW/MPH Program Outcomes Study

Dual-degree programs in public health and social work continue to proliferate, yet there has been little research on master’s of social work (MSW)/master’s of public health (MPH) graduates. The purpose of this study was to describe and better understand the self-reported professional experiences, identities, roles, and outcomes associated with 1 group of graduates from an established MSW/MPH program. A 57-question electronic survey was administered to 214 alumni in 2010; the response rate was 71.4% (n = 153). Findings provide a snapshot of public health social work alumni experiences, including diverse employment opportunities, high career satisfaction, and a strong sense of reported public health and social work integration in the workplace.

The link between routine diet, attention span and scholastic performance among grade 2 scholars in circuit one in Khomas Region, Namibia

A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master in Public Health.

Building capacity for public health and population policy-making: perspectives from Zambia

National and international attempts to improve health outcomes and reduce health inequalities have often been hampered by the limited capacity among public health personnel. This paper describes the role of universities in building capacity for public health in Africa, with particular reference to Zambia. It highlights factors affecting public health and the impetus for institutional inputs of population health knowledge and skill capacity in the development of a Master of Public Health (MPH) in Population Studies at the University of Zambia. The demand for this programme demonstrates its relevance and the need to strengthen national health systems and population policy-making.

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in Bolton, UK: a qualitative realist analysis

BackgroundThink Positive is a recently developed service in Bolton, UK, within the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme. With any national policy such as IAPT, local implementation is heavily shaped by the ideas and theories of stakeholders. Realist evaluation seeks to identify and articulate the theories that underpin programmes, so that they can be refined, tested, and used to guide programme development. Realist theories are presented as causal statements about the mechanisms by which a programme produces observed outcomes, dependent on their operational context. Realist evaluation goes beyond simply asking whether the programme works but rather seeks to explain what works, for whom, and in what circumstances. The first step in this process, and the focus of this research, involves eliciting and articulating stakeholders' programme theories. MethodsEight semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of key policy makers and practitioners to elicit and probe the programme theories underpinning their decisions. Interviews were transcribed and analysed within the realist framework, and a series of causal hypotheses were created. FindingsInterviews predominantly focused on the ways in which Think Positive is designed to facilitate access, by reducing barriers to presentation and raising awareness. There are several distinct mechanisms through which increased access can be achieved and several contexts in which these mechanisms can operate. For example, in communities with high levels of stigma around mental health problems (context), the provision of this service in a non-medical setting such as a community centre (mechanism) can facilitate increased access (outcome). Other hypothesised mechanisms involved: self-referral, workforce development, location of the service, and use of language, all of which could lead to increased access, depending on the physical and social context in which operate. Findings are presented with supporting quotations to clearly illustrate the source of the theory. InterpretationRealist evaluation begins with programme theory and ends with refined programme theory; its findings are always provisional. The theories presented here could be used by policy makers to shape their local programmes, thereby creating an opportunity to test these hypotheses. Evaluators could direct their data collection to finding evidence to support, refute, or adjudicate between them. These refined theories could help to guide policy makers implementing similar programmes, within their own unique and changing local contexts. They may also be transferrable beyond IAPT to a range of similar programmes. FundingThis work was undertaken as part of a Masters in Public Health at Liverpool University. Fees were covered by Mersey Deanery. There was no other funding source.

Building capacity through action research curricula reviews

In Australia, graduates of Master of Public Health (MPH) programmes are expected to achieve a set of core competencies, including a subset that is specifically related to Indigenous health. This paper reports on the methods utilised in a project which was designed using action research to strengthen Indigenous public health curricula within MPH programmes at Australian universities. This aim is achieved through the use of three interlinked ‘action–reflection’ cycles, involving individual Indigenous public health academics who, through their membership in a scholarly network, have undertaken a series of curriculum reviews, which have in turn influenced organisational change in universities. The project results demonstrated how action research can successfully strengthen Indigenous public health curricula.

Undergraduate education in public health in Europe: The positioning of bachelor programmes for public health

In response to the increased demand from the public health labour market, various bachelor and master programmes have been developed in recent years throughout Europe. As an example, in the European ASPHER survey 18 Schools and Departments of Public Health delivered 977 bachelor degrees per year (2011/12) with a median of 55 per institution. The expectations of – present and potential - employers of professionals, trained in public health, are largely unknown. However, in comparison to the attention paid and the knowledge generated around postgraduate/master education in public health, still relatively little is known about the provision of bachelor degrees. Furthermore, while real efforts have and are made to define professional and academic frameworks, including accreditation schemes for master programmes, the roles, practices and competences for bachelor programmes are somehow blur. This presentation will report on the work of the ASPHER's Working Group on Undergraduate Public Health Education in Europe aiming to promote collaboration initiatives on bachelor programmes across Europe among academic institutions, share best practices and generate knowledge on employability and career progression of public health bachelor graduates. In particular, the results of the survey carried out by ASPHER across over 100 schools of public health in early 2014 will be presented bringing up the current and full picture as regards the undergraduate education in Public Health in Europe.

Pioneers of congenital and structural heart disease

Ziyad M Hijazi is an interventional cardiologist who specializes in treating congenital and structural heart disease in both children and adults at Sidra Medical & Research Center. He is a pioneer in the non-surgical repair of congenital and structural heart defects. As Acting Chief Medical Officer, Chair – Pediatrics, and Medical Director – Sidra Cardiovascular Center of Excellence, Dr Hijazi drives the strategic direction of the Department of Pediatrics and integrates research and education priorities into a program of excellent clinical service delivery. He also holds the position of Chair of Pediatrics at Weill Cornell Medical College, Qatar – Sidra’s academic partner. After graduation from medical school and upon completion of his internship in Amman, Jordan, Dr Hijazi moved to the USA to begin postgraduate training in the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health at Yale University, School of Medicine where he was subsequently awarded a Masters of Public Health. He remained at Yale University where he completed a residency in pediatrics and a fellowship in pediatric cardiology. Upon completion of his fellowship training, he joined the faculty at Tufts University School of Medicine as an assistant professor. In 1997, he was promoted to Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, and in 1999 Dr Hijazi accepted a faculty appointment at the University of Chicago as Endowed Professor of Pediatrics and Medicine, and chief of the division of cardiology. He has been successful in building a pre-eminent pediatric cardiology program, which is nationally and internationally recognized for its outstanding clinical service and innovative technologies. In 2007, Dr Hijazi became the Director of the Rush Center for Congenital and Structural Heart Disease at Rush University Medical Center and in 2010 he became the James A Hunter MD University Chair

Developing a Peer-led Patient Safety Education Program for Pharmacy Students

Over the past decade, pharmacists have expanded their roles and responsibilities to contribute greatly to population-based healthcare. Over 21% of Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) programs offer a combined PharmD/ Master of Public Health (MPH) dual degree curriculum. MCPHS University aimed to investigate and implement a PharmD/MPH program. During the program development and implementation phases, the University assessed the feasibility of the dual degree, conducted a market assessment, developed a curriculum to ensure students would be able to complete both degrees within a set timeframe and initiated the joint offering in both the Boston and Worcester/Manchester campuses. Methods: A review of dual PharmD/MPH degree programs offered byU.S. schools of pharmacy was conducted to include curriculum design, number of students and whether the associated MPH program was accredited by the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH). A feasibility assessment was conducted to determine whether the University was able to support a dual degree based on the current number of faculty, students and staff. A proposed curriculum was developed and reviewed by the curriculum committees in the School of Pharmacy and MCPHS Online and the Academic Council. Results: The joint PharmD/MPH is in implementation phase. An application process has been initiated for the spring and the first cohort of students will begin taking classes this summer. Throughout this process, students, faculty and staff were supportive of the joint offering and the student interest was more than anticipated. In addition to awarding both degrees, this program offers students a unique opportunity to complete the required Public Health Practice Experience in a pharmacy setting. Conclusions: The first cohort of PharmD/MPH students will begin classes in summer, 2014. Future research includes evaluation of the joint degree offering and whether the joint offering contributes to interprofessional education initiatives at the University.

Public health specialist workforce training.

Uk PUblic HealtH SPecialiSt Workforce trainingthe adage that 'public health is everybody's business' can both be a help and a hindrance in developing the public health workforce. as everybody's business, teaching and development can be tucked into other people's business, for example, in medical student curricula or primary care. In the uK, the General Medical Council (GMC),1 the professional medical regulation authority, recommends that all medical students should be able to 'apply to medical practice the principles, method and knowledge of population health and the improvement of health and healthcare', going on to list 11 relevant areas of study. While this provides wide exposure, it does not, however, take away from the need for depth in specialist knowledge. across the world, attitudes to the importance of public health in medical training vary, as does support for its inclusion in the curriculum. It is common, however, among teachers for medical students to prefer the cut and thrust of genomic advances and individual patient care, seen to have more prestige and glamour, to that of the more complex problems of improving population health and reducing health inequalities. this prejudice is reinforced across medical systems, for instance, in research funding. But why does this matter? In the uK, the traditional route to specialist practice is through an adapted medical education model of specialist training, that is, that those wanting to practice public health as specialists first have general undergraduate training before specializing. this specialist public health model is adapted to be multidisciplinary - and specialists come from a wide variety of backgrounds to enter a common scheme of training which provides structured competency-based training over a period of years. While equivalent Specialist status is granted by the Faculty of Public Health (FPH),2 the public health arm of the professional system based on royal colleges, registration remains divided between those who are and who are not medically qualified - a source of continuing debate.tHe PUblic HealtH Workforce in aSiaSuch debate does not apply to the uS style-based training in which Schools of Public Health play a key role, and the association of Schools of Public Health3 set curriculum standards and define practice, with the Masters of Public Health playing a more prominent role.In asia, the systems are mixed and becoming more so. asia faces massive social, demographic and economic changes as countries transition to more affluent and urbanised societies. Infectious disease is no longer the primary burden as problems associated with increasing obesity rates, tobacco smoking and loneliness in old age continue to grow. Poorer communities in asia are those most likely to be affected by climate change, and pollution and environmental sustainability pose urgent population health challenges.to be fit for purpose, the public health workforce needs to be appropriately trained and supported. But are the models of training, particularly of specialists, appropriate? Workforce shortages, especially in rural areas, call for new ways of thinking and working.the uK model of clinically based training has left its legacy in asia, but former colonies have not necessarily moved away from the clinical model and followed the same trajectory of multidisciplinary change. For instance, in Hong Kong, the HK College of Community Medicine, the FPH equivalent, does not follow the FPH lead and bestow specialist status on fellows who are not doctors. at the same time, the universities have not only expanded their Masters in Public Health programmes but introduced Bachelors programmes and extended the option of general education courses.4So who is a specialist - the College fellows or the university trained Masters/ PhD students? and why is this important? the rationale for expanding the range of training in Hong Kong was based on the increasingly obvious analysis that not only were health needs growing but that health services needed to become more public health aware and focus on prevention rather than provision of care. …

Outcome and impact of Master of Public Health programs across six countries: education for change.

BackgroundThe human resources for health crisis has highlighted the need for high-level public health education to add specific capacities to the workforce. Recently, it was questioned whether Master of Public Health (MPH) training prepared graduates with competencies relevant to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This study aims to examine the influence of the MPH programs geared towards LMICs offered in Vietnam, China, South Africa, Mexico, Sudan, and the Netherlands on graduates’ careers, application of acquired competencies, performance at the workplace, and their professional contribution to society.MethodsA self-administered questionnaire was sent to graduates from six MPH programs. Frequency distributions of the answers were calculated, and a bivariate analysis and logistic regression of certain variables was performed.ResultsThe response rate was 37.5%. Graduates reported change in leadership (69%), in technical position (69%), acquiring new responsibilities (80%), and increased remuneration (63%); they asserted that MPH programs contributed significantly to this. Graduates’ attribution of their application of 7 key competencies ‘substantially to the MPH program’ ranged from 33% to 48%. Of the 26 impact variables, graduates attributed the effect they had on their workplace substantially to the MPH program; the highest rated variable ranged from 31% to 73% and the lowest ranged from 9% to 43%. Of the 10 impact variables on society, graduates attributed the effect they had on society substantially to the MPH program; for the highest rated variable (13% to 71%); for the lowest rated variable (4% to 42%). Candidates’ attribution of their application of acquired competencies as well as their impact at the workplace varied significantly according to institution of study and educational background.ConclusionsThis study concludes that these MPH programs contribute to improving graduates’ careers and to building leadership in public health. The MPH programs contribute to graduates’ application of competencies. MPH programs contribute substantially towards impact variables on the workplace, such as development of research proposals and reporting on population health needs, and less substantially to their impact on society, such as contributing equitable access to quality services. Differences reported between MPH programs merit further study. The results can be used for curriculum reform.

Blending Public Health into Dental Education: A.T. Still University's D.M.D./M.P.H. Program

As dental education across the United States undergoes growth and change in an effort to improve access to dental care, one dental school, the Arizona School of Dentistry & Oral Health, established in 2003, designed its initial curriculum with innovation in mind. One of those innovations was the introduction of an online certificate in public health that can be used as the foundation for a Master's in Public Health (M.P.H.) degree with a dental emphasis, which students may complete concurrent with their dental education. This article discusses the educational intersection between dentistry and public health and describes how this dental school uses an online public health curriculum to accomplish this integration. It also presents the potential advantages and disadvantages of obtaining the M.P.H. degree concurrent with the dental school training.

Integration of tobacco control in Masters of Public Health curricula of India.

Tobacco is the single largest cause of preventable death among adults globally, as it is in India. Despite this alarming situation, there is very minimal inclusion of tobacco in formal education systems, including the medical discipline, in India. The present study analyzed the extent of integration of tobacco control related content in Masters of Public Health (MPH) curricula of various institutes in India. This cross-sectional study was conducted during January 2011 to May 2011 in all colleges of the country offering a MPH course. The colleges were enlisted using various internet search engines (Google Scholar, Pubmed, Medline), other published literature and snowball technique. A 50 items semi-structured questionnaire was designed, posted and e-mailed (followed by hard copy) to the Person-In-Charge of the MPH program. Descriptive statistics were used to profile the tobacco control content in respective institutions. All data entry and analysis was conducted using SPSS (version 16) for windows. The duration of the MPH course was two years in all institutes and had accreditation with some affiliated body. Tobacco related diseases were covered under 'non communicable diseases' section by every institute. However, a mere 41.4% of institute's had faculty who had received specialized training in tobacco control. More coverage was given to health risks and effects of smoking as compared to cessation interventions (5 A's), symptoms of withdrawal and pharmacological treatments. Only 25% of institutes were in process of introducing tobacco courses into their curricula. Lack of expertise and administrative barriers were cited as perceived major problems in inclusion of tobacco control in MPH curricula. It can be concluded that tobacco control is not receiving adequate attention in public health curricula in India. There is a need for coordinated efforts in the area of tobacco control so as to reduce morbidity and mortality from tobacco induced diseases.

Hurricane Sandy: How Did We Do? Assessing a Manhattan Hospital's Response.

Hurricane Sandy: How Did We Do? Assessing a Manhattan Hospital's Response.

Data-based decision-making at all managerial levels in health care: an integral part of evidence-based practice

While the critical role of an evidence base for policy decision-making in health care is obvious and well documented, the same cannot be said for daily decision making by health care managers at all levels of the system. The relevance for heads of clinical departments, chief nurses, and specialist units became clear when directing a University Hospital and later being part of the management of a similar institution some years later. To be clear, this is not related to clinical decisions but to those in the managerial role. Two issues were immediately clear - there was the inherent principle of the “I know” method of decision making -”don’t confuse me with facts”, and secondly that most heads of service departments had not received training in decision-making. It was taken for granted that that they knew how to do it. An additional issue was the lack of relevant information on issues that required a manager’s decision. There was a need to plan studies, completed in relatively short time periods, in order to allow for “real-time” decision making. On the basis of the above analysis, a course was designed for students within the framework of studies for the Master of Public Health or Master of Health Administration. The syllabus includes both models for administrative decision- making (adapted to health care) as well as a series of case studies that had been performed over the years and provided a practical basis for the managerial decision-making process. These included, amongst others: • The performance of unnecessary laboratory tests in the community - reasons for ordering, use of the results, and effect of intervention • The implication of low reliability of interpretation of radiological tests and their possible improvement • Inappropriate use of hospitalization days • The use of routine computerized data for quality assessment in hospitals All students were required to present assignments on defined issues. This included epidemiological data, need for additional manpower and its training and financial implications. The defined tasks included: • The need for additional manpower • The introduction of a new test or a change in method of performance • Rise in infant mortality in a defined region In addition a final project required the preparation of a detailed plan relating to a question requiring a decision in a health service. The course has been very positively evaluated over the years especially in having provided a defined approach to health managerial decision making.

Contextualizing Indian Masters of Public Health (MPH) programs – challenges and the way forward

The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is the culmination of the SEARAME's vision to bring together medical educationists in the region to promote collaborative efforts toward uplifting the standards of medical education in the region and beyond through dissemination of knowledge. This journal will be the ideal platform to disseminate research findings and stimulate discussion among experts in the field. Open access policy of the journal will facilitate this ideal.From November 2019, The South-East Asian Journal of Medical Education (SEAJME) is indexed in EuroPub

Institutional capacity for health systems research in East and Central Africa schools of public health: enhancing capacity to design and implement teaching programs.

BackgroundThe role of health systems research (HSR) in informing and guiding national programs and policies has been increasingly recognized. Yet, many universities in sub-Saharan African countries have relatively limited capacity to teach HSR. Seven schools of public health (SPHs) in East and Central Africa undertook an HSR institutional capacity assessment, which included a review of current HSR teaching programs. This study determines the extent to which SPHs are engaged in teaching HSR-relevant courses and assessing their capacities to effectively design and implement HSR curricula whose graduates are equipped to address HSR needs while helping to strengthen public health policy.MethodsThis study used a cross-sectional study design employing both quantitative and qualitative approaches. An organizational profile tool was administered to senior staff across the seven SPHs to assess existing teaching programs. A self-assessment tool included nine questions relevant to teaching capacity for HSR curricula. The analysis triangulates the data, with reflections on the responses from within and across the seven SPHs. Proportions and average of values from the Likert scale are compared to determine strengths and weaknesses, while themes relevant to the objectives are identified and clustered to elicit in-depth interpretation.ResultsNone of the SPHs offer an HSR-specific degree program; however, all seven offer courses in the Master of Public Health (MPH) degree that are relevant to HSR. The general MPH curricula partially embrace principles of competency-based education. Different strengths in curricula design and staff interest in HSR at each SPH were exhibited but a number of common constraints were identified, including out-of-date curricula, face-to-face delivery approaches, inadequate staff competencies, and limited access to materials. Opportunities to align health system priorities to teaching programs include existing networks.ConclusionsEach SPH has key strengths that can be leveraged to design and implement HSR teaching curricula. We propose networking for standardizing HSR curricula competencies, institutionalizing sharing of teaching resources, creating an HSR eLearning platform to expand access, regularly reviewing HSR teaching content to infuse competency-based approaches, and strengthening staff capacity to deliver such curricula.

Building capacity to develop an African teaching platform on health workforce development: a collaborative initiative of universities from four sub Saharan countries.

IntroductionHealth systems in many low-income countries remain fragile, and the record of human resource planning and management in Ministries of Health very uneven. Public health training institutions face the dual challenge of building human resources capacity in ministries and health services while alleviating and improving their own capacity constraints. This paper reports on an initiative aimed at addressing this dual challenge through the development and implementation of a joint Masters in Public Health (MPH) programme with a focus on health workforce development by four academic institutions from East and Southern Africa and the building of a joint teaching platform.MethodsData were obtained through interviews and group discussions with stakeholders, direct and participant observations, and reviews of publications and project documents. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.Case descriptionThe institutions developed and collaboratively implemented a ‘Masters Degree programme with a focus on health workforce development’. It was geared towards strengthening the leadership capacity of Health ministries to develop expertise in health human resources (HRH) planning and management, and simultaneously build capacity of faculty in curriculum development and innovative educational practices to teach health workforce development. The initiative was configured to facilitate sharing of experience and resources.DiscussionThe implementation of this initiative has been complex, straddling multiple and changing contexts, actors and agendas. Some of these are common to postgraduate programmes with working learners, while others are unique to this particular partnership, such as weak institutional capacity to champion and embed new programmes and approaches to teaching.ConclusionsThe partnership, despite significant inherent challenges, has potential for providing real opportunities for building the field and community of practice, and strengthening the staff and organizational capacity of participant institutions. Key learning points of the paper are:• the need for long-term strategies and engagement;• the need for more investment and attention to developing the capacity of academic institutions;• the need to invest specifically in educational/teaching expertise for innovative approaches to teaching and capacity development more broadly; and• the importance of increasing access and support for students who are working adults in public health institutions throughout Africa.