BRACSPH was co-founded by BRAC, iccdr,b and BRAC University in 2004, realizing that the unmet public health needs in Asia and Africa require immersive, community-based teaching and learning to provide
locally innovated research and sustainable health solutions. Drawing from Bangladesh’s Public Health (PH) achievements, BRAC Health services, BRAC International’s programmes, and icddr,b, BRACSPH’s
Master in Public Health (MPH) features 457 graduates from 29 countries across South and Southeast Asia, Africa, Europe, North America; with 33 international and national faculty.
At present, Bangladesh’s Public Health Sector faces skilled workforce shortages due to the mismatch between Public Health Education and Employer demands. BRACSPH recognizes that to effectively tackle
the current and emerging 21st century public health challenges, students must equip themselves with the precise technical, management and soft skills required. BRACSPH therefore initiated a curriculum reform strategy in 2017 and began piloting two competency-based courses, to improve graduates’ professional employability in the Public Health sector. BRACSPH also facilitated Curriculum reform workshops in 2015 and 2016 with national Schools of PH, where content, faculty and teaching methodologies were identified as systemic constraints.
However transformative competency-based education requires long-term integrative designing, technical standardization, assessment and quality assurance systems to genuinely develop graduates’ job
capabilities for their respective labor markets. Therefore, this collaborative European and Bangladesh capacity-building partnership becomes essential to introducing and expanding sustainable competency based Public Health Higher education nationally.
IDS is responsible for training in Competency-based Learner-centric PH Learning Methodologies and Faculty Facilitator development for this capacity building in higher education project. It will maintain oversight of the pedagogical development and learning aims as curriculum are re-drafted, re-designed, and edited. IDS will also play a particular role in reviewing (both face-to-face and through remote coaching) the quality of all the PH course materials and Faculty Facilitator development manual produced by the 3 national institutes. IDS will tailor its staffing contribution according to the particular PH courses under review each year. The IDS work will be led by Linda Waldman, IDS’ Director of Teaching and Learning, to provide continuity and ensure maximum learning for all institutions.
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