WCEA is supporting the rollout of a comprehensive breast cancer early detection programme led by Sanofi, Global Health Partnerships, the Association of Breast Surgery (ABS), Blended Learning UK (BLUK), and the Ministries of Health and national cancer institutes in Uganda and Zambia. The initiative strengthens the capacity of Primary Health Workers and Community Health Workers to identify breast cancer earlier and guide women to timely care.

NutriPed – A WCEA and Nestlé Nutrition Institute Collaboration to Strengthen Pediatric Nutrition Education Across Africa

The World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) has partnered with the Nestlé Nutrition Institute (NNI)—a not-for-profit organization dedicated to advancing the science of nutrition by promoting, supporting, and sharing evidence-based knowledge with health professionals worldwide—to launch NutriPed, the Frontline Pediatric Nutrition Program, across Africa.

WCEA and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners® (AANP) have partnered to provide education on tobacco cessation for Nurse Practitioners (NPs). AANP is committed to delivering evidence-based, clinically rigorous education that empowers NPs to provide the highest quality of patient care.

Our Tobacco Cessation course exemplifies this standard by equipping nurse practitioners with the knowledge and skills to manage tobacco use disorder as the chronic, relapsing condition it is.

The World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) has partnered with Sanofi’s Global Health Unit (GHU) to train healthcare providers in the prevention, detection, screening, and management of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs), Diabetes, Hypertension, and other CVDs in Africa. 

Since 2023, nearly 6,000 front-line healthcare providers, including Doctors, Nurses & Midwives, Clinical Officers and Pharmacists, have been trained in 9 focal countries (Uganda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Sierra Leone, Gambia, Liberia, and Rwanda). 

Written by: Dr. Melonie Owusu, DNP, CRNP, FNP-BC, ACCRN, AAHIVS

As a first-generation Ghanaian American and a lead nurse practitioner based in Baltimore, my journey in healthcare has always felt like a bridge—between continents, cultures, and callings. When the Mpox outbreak emerged in 2022, I found myself on the frontlines of an evolving public health crisis, one that demanded not only clinical expertise but also acute cultural sensitivity, rapid adaptation, and a profound sense of responsibility. Being part of the response during that critical time shaped me deeply, reinforcing my commitment to strengthening that very bridge.

Globally, 1 in 10 babies are born premature—before 37 weeks of gestation—and many more are born with low birth weight (under 2500g). Complications from prematurity are now the leading cause of child death worldwide. However, strong new evidence shows that a simple technique—Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC)—can save hundreds of thousands of these babies each year when started soon after birth. This is known as immediate KMC (iKMC).

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), in partnership with Picturing Health and the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) and with support from the Gates Foundation, has developed an online course to strengthen neonatal providers’ knowledge and skills in iKMC. Offered as a global good and eligible for CME credit, the course aims to reach as many providers—and ultimately, benefit as many babies—as possible.

Disasters, natural or man-made, are increasingly common around the world. From climate change to armed conflict and refugee settings, emergency situations can greatly impact any health system. Children are especially vulnerable in these situations, and child health providers are often ill-equipped to provide care for children in these settings.

To address this need specifically in low-resource settings, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) developed a pilot virtual course to equip child health providers with an understanding of disasters, their impact on children and families, and how providers can better be prepared to address their needs during and after disaster events. This course is currently being piloted with a cohort of child health providers in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Nutrition for Health Professionals is a series of six Continuing Professional Development (CPD) on-line courses that focus on assessing, managing, and promoting child, adolescent, and maternal nutrition. The courses will be delivered through interactive, case based online learning and will integrate cross-cutting themes of gender, WASH and nutrition. Courses are being developed collaboratively by the Increase Gains in Nutrition by Integration, Education, Evaluation, Empowerment (IGNIT3) partners led by The Hospital for Sick Children in Canada and local implementing partners – Aga Khan University in Pakistan, the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives and Kamuzu University of Health Sciences in Malawi.

The two courses to be launched under the initiative are:

1. Sickle Cell Disease: This course provides a foundation on the genetics of SCD and covers topics including screening and diagnosis, clinical management and supporting patients and families through counselling and ongoing support.
2. Nutrition: This course covers foundational concepts in nutrition and provides practical instruction on assessing for and managing malnutrition. The course also examines nutritional concepts and care for adolescents and women of reproductive age, acknowledging the life-course relevance of nutrition.

Quality of care is the degree to which health services for individuals and populations increase the likelihood of desired health outcomes through effective, safe and people-centred care that responds to individual preferences, needs, and values.

To realize the benefits of quality in MNH, the quality of healthcare services ought to be timely, equitable, integrated, and efficient. Healthcare providers require competencies for integrating quality assessment for continuous improvement of the services they provide. As countries commit to achieving Health for All by the year 2030, it is necessary to consider the quality of care and health services provided to mothers and newborns throughout the continuum of pregnancy and childbirth.

WCEA is pleased to continue its partnership with New York University Rory Meyers College of Nursing, the Liberian Board for Nursing and Midwifery (LBNM), and the Liberian Ministry of Health in a new research project.

An Assessment of Knowledge, Attitude, and Readiness to Care for the Aging among Liberian Nurses and Midwives is a Global Health Pilot Grant funded by NYU Langone’s Section for Global Health in the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity.

In collaboration with Jhpiego, we are pleased to announce the arrival of the learning path “HIV Prevention Training for Pharmacy Providers in Kenya – Oral Pre-exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), Post Exposure Prophylaxis (PEP) and HIV Testing Services (HTS)”, which is available now on the WCEA learning platform.

In Kenya, private pharmacies fill an important gap in the healthcare system. Due to their convenience, privacy, and focus on customer satisfaction, private pharmacies may be desirable HIV prevention services access points for populations unwilling or unable to access services at public health facilities.

To date, 263 people have participated in the learning path from Kenya.

Sickle cell disease is one of the most common genetic diseases affecting millions of people worldwide. Healthcare professionals play an important role in providing support and care for patients and families with sickle cell disease, yet there is a gap in the availability of open-access education for healthcare professionals.

To address this gap, the Centre for Global Child Health at The Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) and the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCMN), as part of the SickKids-Ghana Paediatric Nursing Education Partnership, developed a suite of online courses hosted by the WCEA.

To date, over 26,720 people have participated in the three available courses under the initiative.

USAID-funded Breakthrough ACTION-Nigeria in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, National Primary Health Care Development Agency, Nigeria Centre for Disease Control and Prevention, National Agency for the Control of AIDS, National AIDS/STI Control Programme, and PEPFAR implementing partners developed the “Building Trust and Empathy Around COVID-19” training program.

The training program builds upon global and local evidence on the COVID-19 response and complements the National Interpersonal Communication and Counselling manual.

The 2-day in-person training program has been successfully adapted into a 2- to 3-hour online course that can be completed for continuing professional development (CPD) credits.

In a global first, Colgate has partnered with C3 Collaborating for Health (C3), the Commonwealth Nurses and Midwives Federation (CNMF), and the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) to raise awareness about the importance of oral health and elevate the need for oral health education
for nurses and midwives in practice.

The initiative is part of Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures Program and will combine an online survey with the development of an online continuing
professional development module on oral health.

To date, 840 learners have participated in Kenya, South Africa, and Tanzania.

The Global Business School Network (GBSN), with funding support from the Johnson & Johnson Foundation, launches the MDI training program that includes a curriculum of nine modules in a mobile format designed for frontline healthcare workers in Africa.

Mobile MDI provides access to content from GBSN’s previous experience delivering a one-week, face-to-face residential version of the program. It is intended as the foundation for healthcare professionals to continue their development as managers.

GBSN has partnered with the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) to provide the technology platform and related support.

Since the launch, more than 76,000 courses have been taken.

WCEA launches New Blended Learning Program in collaboration with the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine(LSTM).

The antenatal and postnatal program is being launched on a trial basis in 4 countries in Sub Saharian Africa i.e. Kenya, Nigeria, Tanzania, and Zanzibar.

The program is a mix of e-learning, virtual learning, and live clinical training.

The ANC & PNC courses are relevant not only for nurses and midwives, but also for all clinically trained persons providing antenatal and postnatal services including doctors, clinical officers, and medical assistants.

Following the launch of the Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis HIV module, Jhpiego in collaboration with the Ministry of Health, Botswana & The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana has developed a new approach to the E-learning component of the course, called Expanding on Oral Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis.

The blended learning course combines in-person and online learning and practice activities focused on building and strengthening the capacity of a health worker to provide clinical management of client selection and use of oral PrEP. The total amount of hours estimated for completion is 8 hours.
Practice activities focused on building and strengthening the capacity of a health worker to provide clinical management of client selection and use of oral PrEP

Module 1 – Explaining PrEP to a Client/Intake
Module 2 – Establish Client Understanding and Build Rapport Help the New Person
Module 3 – Understanding Eligibility (Sorting)
Module 4 – Addressing Continuation Issues/When to Stop

As part of Jhpiego’s partnership with the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA) & their combined commitment to reach health care providers worldwide with up-to-date skills and knowledge, the blended learning will be delivered through mandatory online learning on the World Continuing Education Alliance portal.

As part of the ‘AIME: Alliance to Improve Midwifery Education’ project, LSTM’s Quality of Care unit in collaboration with the UNFPA Midwifery branch, in collaboration with the Nursing Council of Kenya, and midwifery educators in Kenya, has developed the first blended learning midwifery educator CPD package for sustaining and improving the educators’ competencies in the delivery of their teaching, assessments, mentoring and feedback to students.

This CPD package is linked to the ICM essential competencies for midwifery practice and meets the requirements of Nursing and Midwifery Councils in low- and middle-income countries such as Kenya.

This package will be delivered through mandatory online learning on the World Continuing Education Alliance portal, optional webinars, and face-to-face sessions focusing on upskilling midwifery educators on practical aspects of teaching clinical skills.

Global Launch of CPD modules to keep providers up-to-date on the latest evidence on key maternal newborn health topics. These resources can be used to strengthen pre-service education and continue professional development (CPD). They are now available globally via the WCEA App.

Improving the quality of maternal and newborn care is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goal targets for maternal and newborn health. A key component of this is ensuring that the skilled health providers in place are competent and confident to provide such care. The Emergency Obstetric Care and Quality of Care unit at LSTM work with partners to improve the quality of pre-service midwifery and medical education and continuous professional education systems for skilled health providers, midwifery, and medical faculty.

To increase the reach of the educational opportunities we provide, we have partnered with the World Continuing Education Alliance (WCEA).

This program is in its 4th Year and it is part of a twinning project between the UNFPA and the Royal College of Midwives. WCEA is supporting the Bangladesh Midwifery Society with a technology platform to make training resources more accessible to midwives in Bangladesh.

The program is supported by training resources from the UN Agencies, Medical Aid Films, Global Health Media Projects, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and many others.