The Global Health Curriculum Launch at No. 6 Kildare Street

A new Global Health Curriculum was officially launched this week at the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland, No. 6 Kildare Street. 

The curriculum was developed by the Global Health Committee of the Forum of Postgraduate Medical Training Bodies to introduce core global health competencies into postgraduate training programmes. 

Providing insight into the curriculum's development, Prof David Weakliam, Director of the HSE Global Health Programme, said:  "Following a consultation process and looking at experiences from other countries, the Committee developed a framework of core competencies to enable all doctors in Ireland to undertake comprehensive medical practice in a professional manner in our globalised health context. This was designed to be applicable across the continuum of training in all specialties, and to be mapped onto the current curricula of the different training bodies.” 

At the event, Prof Diarmuid O'Donovan, Director of National Health Improvement, HSE, gave an overview of the significance of global health education and training for doctors working in Ireland. 

Attendees also had the opportunity to engage in a fireside chat, chaired by Dr Brendan O’Shea, where trainees in different specialties shared first hand insights into why global health is crucial to their work in Ireland. 

Trainee Fireside Chat and Q&A, chaired by Dr Brendan O’Shea ICGP, featuring Dr Ciara Conlan, Dr Roy McKenna and Dr Sara Mohan 

The five core competencies that make up the curriculum were introduced by five expert speakers, including: 

• Global Health Governance: Dr Peter Naughton, Specialist Registrar in Public Health Medicine 

• Global Epidemiology of Health and Disease: Dr John Morris, Clinical Fellow in Global Health by ICGP and GP Clinical Lead, Community Healthcare Network, HSE 

• Planetary Health and Sustainability: Dr Oisin Brady Bates, General Practice Registrar, Trinity College Dublin 

• Culture Society and Determinants of Health: Dr Méabh Ní Bhuinneáin, Obstetrician, Gynaecologist and Educator with Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) 

• Health Systems : Dr Geraldine McDarby, Consultant in Public Health Medicine, Health Systems Resilience and Essential Public Health Functions, WHO 

Dr Brian Kinirons, Consultant Anaesthesist and Director of HSE National Doctors Training and Planning, facilitated a panel discussion with the speakers.    

Prof Jean O'Sullivan, Consultant in Emergency Medicine, Tallaght University Hospital and Senior Lecturer, Trinity College Dublin, concluded the event by introducing and demonstrating a new e-learning module developed by the Forum Committee that can be used to deliver the curriculum to trainees through their postgraduate training bodies.