UTT, CARPHA team up to boost Caribbean public health

THE Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the University of TT (UTT) have announced a partnership, which both organisations say is intended to strengthen their respective capacities. This includes including the latter’s master’s degrees in health.

The agreement, described as a strategic collaboration, was signed recently by CARPHA’s executive director Dr Joy St John and UTT’s acting president Prof Prakash Persad.

The agency said the collaboration creates training and development opportunities, “with a strategic focus on strengthening the health sector systems.”

“It shall also seek to identify and prioritise capacity building for both parties as they fulfil their mandate, but equally will support the delivery and quality of the university’s Master’s degree(s) in health administration and public health,” the release read. The partnership, it said, presents an opportunity to support the Caribbean Regional Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Training Programme (CR-FELTP), which is facilitated by CARPHA.

The CR-FELTP provides a curriculum of competency-based classroom and online learning, along with on-the-job training, to develop field epidemiology tools used for responding to public health issues in the Caribbean.

The response follows surveillance, outbreak investigation, and operational research and analysis.

Persad said the signing being done amidst the pandemic was “opportune” as it “strengthens the university’s human resource and academic capacity to deliver viable long-term solutions to some of the challenges facing the health sector,” locally and regionally. The release said both institutions will leverage their respective strengths to enable training and research for health systems, throughout the region.

Dr St John said, “This memorandum is an important step in the demonstration of our deep commitment to building capacity in our 26 member states. This collaboration, which is aligned with CARPHA’s strategic priorities, will support the strengthening of the agency’s training expertise and delivery of programmes to member states.”

The release said the two parties agree that agreement is an excellent approach to knowledge sharing and capacity building in key areas for the health sector, “with the overarching intent to safeguard the health and well-being of the region.”