On 11 June 2020, the UP College of Nursing (UPCN) received the good news that it was re-designated as a World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Leadership in Nursing Development from 2020 to 2024.
In the next four years, the College will work to assist the WHO Western Pacific Regional Office to provide technical assistance to Member States in building the leadership capacity of nursing and midwifery workforce, in strengthening training in nursing, and in developing e-learning resources in community health nursing and chronic care.
The College is the only institution in the Philippines and the first in the Western Pacific Region that has been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre in Nursing. It started as WHO Collaborating Centre for Leadership in Primary Health Care in 1989-2001, then as WHO Collaborating Centre for Leadership in Nursing Development from 2004 to present.
In the previous designation from 2016-2020, the College worked in an assessment of interprofessional education (IPE) practices among higher education institutions in the Western Pacific and provided capacity-building activities on IPE with partner institutions from Cambodia, Myanmar, Japan, and Viet Nam. It strengthened its partnership with the University of Health Sciences in Cambodia to assist in the development of professional nursing in the country.
The College has also been involved in other collaborative projects with other WHOCCs, such as the “Nurses in Advanced Practice Roles” led by the Yonsei University College of Nursing, “Capacity-building for Primary Health Care” by Fudan University School of Nursing, and the “Workforce development aimed at providing quality health and social care services for older adults in ASEAN countries” with Tokyo Medical and Dental University.
It also worked on projects with the WHO Western Pacific Region: (1) developed a training program on the use of the WHO WPRO’s Noncommunicable Disease Education Manual that was pilot tested in Marikina City, and (2) developed new materials on promoting nutrition, physical activity and community engagement for health promoting schools that were pilot tested in elementary schools and high schools in District V, Manila City. It was also engaged by the WHO Philippine Country Office in training health personnel from hospitals in Region 6 and 7 on team strategies for patient safety.
The UP College of Nursing is also part of four global nursing networks. It is an active member of the Southeast Asian Nursing Education and Research Network – a group of nursing professionals and key resource persons from ASEAN and East Asian countries that have joined together to help advance nursing education and research in the region. It is also an active member of the Asia-Pacific Emergency and Disaster Nursing Network which aims to advance a professional network to promote nursing’s ability to reduce the impact of disaster and emergencies on the health of communities. The College is also a member of the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centers for Nursing and Midwifery Development and the WHO Network for HIV and Health in the Western Pacific.
Author: Peter James Abad
(This was originally posted on the UP Manila website on September 19, 2020)