Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública

Consistent with INSP's strategic objectives, the development and continuing education of health personnel in different institutions and at various levels (upper and middle management and operational staff) has been a constant effort. At the INSP, continuing education is considered to be an ongoing, comprehensive, dynamic and participatory process for health professionals responding to population health needs; thus, the Department of Continuing Education within the INSP's Office of Academic Affairs designs and offers a broad range of educational options.

The extensive continuing education program, offers courses grouped into three categories: diploma programs, standard courses and videoconferences, given on INSP campuses or other sites throughout Mexico, online, and with blended formats ranging from 40-hour courses to 160-hour programs for health professionals working in diverse institutions.

Diploma programs consist of four 40-hour courses within a specific topic area. Standard or independent courses are also offered that also generally include a total of 40 hours each of learning activities depending on the academic needs of the audience. Videoconferences usually last 3 hours and address diverse public health topics by INSP specialists. Their audience is primarily INSP graduates who are working within public health.

The Department of Continuing Education currently uses four strategies to train the public health workforce:

1. On-site training,
2. Summer continuing education program
3. Online courses
4. Videoconferences

On-site training

Every year formal agreements are signed to train health personnel in different states. Both the federal and state governments hire the INSP to develop training programs in different topics such as epidemiology, health promotion, prevention of chronic diseases and nutrition, among others. INSP faculty participates actively in providing on-site training, usually over the weekend.

Summer continuing education program

Every year a successful summer program called Continuing Education Program in Public Health and Epidemiology is offered at the INSP's three campuses. This program began 14 years ago as a joint initiative with Johns Hopkins University and has become widely recognized as an important strategy for educating an extremely diverse population. Students and professors from a wide variety of Mexican and international institutions participate in the program. Each year the INSP hosts more than 1,000 students who choose from among more than 50 course offerings.

Online courses

Since 2005 when the first online course was developed, the INSP's online program has grown significantly. More than 4,000 students participate annually in at least one course. The courses are developed through formal agreements with the federal government, state governments and private health sector entities. The INSP uses both synchronous (Webex) and asynchronous (Blackboard) platforms to operate the courses. The technical staff for e-learning education consists of 3 technical design specialists, 3 multimedia specialists, 2 platforms experts and 2 quality control managers. For each program, academic and operational coordinators are appointed. There is a complete specialized team to develop and operate the courses. Virtual INSP 2.0 has e-learning resources and courses that are offered free to the public. As an example, for the influenza outbreak emergency in 2009, the INSP develop an online course for which 45,000 people registered.

Videoconferences

The INSP offers health professionals a series of videoconferences on public health research to broaden its scientific dissemination and continuing education activities. Videoconferences are presented by the Institute's researchers and experts from other health and scientific research institutions. They are transmitted using the INSalud Network to sites with videoconference rooms or by using Webex for sites that do not have such rooms.

INSP offers as a strategy to cover distance professionals, videoconferences for continuing education in specific topics of public health. Recent topics have included:

• Influenza in Mexico: Challenges and opportunities
• Dangerous pedestrians' path: getting run over a public health problem
• Decision making and management of the Seguro Popular
• Natural and anthropic phenomena: What are they? How do they affect us?
• Leadership services for better health
• Implementation of new technologies for cervical cancer prevention in Mexico
• Dengue in Mexico: three decades of experience
• The use of educational and behavioral theories to develop and/or change health behaviors
• Control, elimination or eradication of vaccine-preventable diseases
• Hepatitis C: A hidden public health problem
• Institutional determinants of effective coverage of first-level health services in Mexico
• Diet and risks of Type 2 Diabetes
• Health care model for seniors in indigenous areas
• Complications of pulmonary tuberculosis and challenges for its control
• Transnational health system of migrants
• Beyond the classroom: innovative teaching and learning strategies
• Health in correctional facilities from a public health perspective

Continuing Education Diploma Programs

Each diploma program consists of 4 courses of 40 hours each, all related to a specific topic, for a total of 160 hours. Topics range from administration and management to epidemiology.

Continuing Education Standard Courses
INSP also offers, in all formats, an extensive list of courses for continuing education. These courses are generally taken by health professionals as part of specific agreements with federal and state governments for their personnel training or by particular individuals or alumni. They are offered around the year but particularly in the summer. These include:

• General Public Health
• Epidemiology
• Environmental Health
• Infectious Diseases
• Administration and Management
• Health Promotion
• Reproductive Health
• Biostatistics
• Nutrition