EuTEACH training courses in various countries

Madagascar currently faces political and economic challenges in the field of public health. There is there a high rate of unplanned pregnancies among adolescents, which is exacerbated by nutritional deficits jeopardizing the future of the new-born.

Under the auspices of UNICEF, three one-week courses on adolescent health were set-up, which took place in May 2010, 2011 and 2012. The courses were facilitated by Prof. Pierre-André Michaud in close collaboration with local health and education authorities. It is envisioned to set-up a formal collaboration in the field of adolescent health between the University Hospitals of Antananarivo and Lausanne. A protocol should be signed by the end of 2012 and an adolescent health care unit should open within the University Hospital of Antananarivo in 2013.

In 2009 and 2010, Kristina Berg-Kelly and Aidan Macfarlane were invited by the health authorities of Palestine to deliver a course on adolescent mental health. The two courses were attended by mental health professionals (nurses, doctors and social workers) and was visited by the Minister of Health of Palestine.

It was very well received and two Palestinian psychiatrists later participated in the EuTEACH Summer school in Lausanne. The course was financially supported by the non-governmental organization Juzoor, which works under the joint umbrella of the Agence Française de cooperation and the United Nations Development Program.

Prof. Assimina Galli-Tsinopoulou has a set-up a process which should lead to the creation of an Adolescent Unit within the Department of Pediatric Endocrinology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.

EuTEACH has been involved in the development of such a Unit which has not yet opened its doors. Two colleagues from Thessaloniki have taken part in the EuTEACH summer school in Lausanne, and Prof. Pierre-André Michaud was invited to attend a symposium on adolescent health in 2010.

Since 2007, a formal agreement of collaboration has been developed between the University of St. Petersburg and the University ofLausanne in the field of adolescent health. Several Russian colleagues have taken part in the Lausanne EuTEACH summer school, and since 2009, a Russian speaking course on adolescent health is organized each year in St. Petersburg.

In 2011, Raphaël Bonvin (Pedagogic Unit, Lausanne School of Medicine) and Pierre-André Michaud have facilitated a three and a half-day course in St. Petersburg, for health professionals involved in the teaching in adolescent health in Russia and other allied countries.

With the support of UNICEF and the Swiss administration, the Republic of Moldova has developed a network of youth friendly health services since several years. The professionals in charge of these units have decided to organize a Training-of-Trainers (TOT) course of around one week in duration. The course was facilitated by Prof. Alexander Kulikov (University of St. Petersburg and Russian branch of EuTEACH), Dr. Karina Vartanova (UNICEF Russia) and Prof. Pierre-André Michaud (EuTEACH Coordinator).

The course was attended by around 30 professionals from various backgrounds, and ended with a discussion with the head of several Departments of the university hospital, to discuss and foresee how to improve the level of knowledge, attitudes and skills of health professionals, particularly medical students and in training medical doctors in the field of adolescent health and health care.
 

During March 22-24 (2012) a meeting of Deans of Medical Schools & Chairpersons of Pediatrics Departments was organized by Dr. Mamdouh Wahba in Egypt. The theme of the meeting was “Adolescents Medicine: A Growing Discipline”.

The purpose of the meeting was to:

1. To explore the consensus for the introduction of adolescent medicine as a postgraduate subspecialty of pediatrics in Egypt.
2. Discuss the process and procedures for its endorsement and establish a national committee.
3. Develop a plan of action including a curriculum and syllabus.

Prof. Helena Fonseca of Portugal attended and facilitated the discussion. She delivered a presentation on the “Rationale and Components of Adolescents Medicine”. A list of recommendations were agreed upon from this important meeting:

• The recognition of adolescent medicine as an important and needed subspecialty.
• That it should be considered as a multidisciplinary domain encompassing pediatrics, obstetrics & gynecology, internal medicine, psychiatry, endocrinology, dermatology and orthopedics.
• The need to start allocating a special unit for adolescents within pediatric departments of university hospitals was recognized.
• The undergraduate curriculum in medical schools should contain adolescent medicine topics.
• Pediatric residents should be trained in adolescent medicine.
• Postgraduate students should be encouraged to include topics related to adolescent medicine in their theses.
• There is a need for assessing the employment opportunities for those willing to specialize in this field.
• A national task force will be implemented in order to develop a national curriculum and syllabus.