Global health education: Two interdisciplinary training experiences around pandemic prevention and management

Abstract

In recent decades, events such as the climate crisis and the Covid-19 pandemic have highlighted the need to rethink health prevention, promotion and education practices in the context of pandemic prevention and management. With the support of the European University Alliance for Global Health, two e-learning courses were developed, each with 3 ECTS, focused on an interdisciplinary approach to these issues. Students from different academic backgrounds and nationalities were involved. In the first course, 15 students used the One Health approach to develop problem trees related to prevention, promotion and education practices during the pandemic, exploring topics such as personal protective equipment and resistance to vaccination. In the second course, 12 students discussed the challenges of pandemic prevention and management, developing community intervention projects involving, for example, the training of ambassadors to promote communication about prevention practices in critical areas. From a broad perspective, the interdisciplinary approach enriched the students, promoting the construction of scientifically mature projects and transferable ideas to the wider community and societal context. This article gives an account of the educational potential of these training practices in higher education, emphasizing the enriching potential of continuing education in academia.