New management training for immunisation leaders kicks-off in Kigali

Media contacts:

• Gavi | Iryna Mazur | +41 22 909 2920 | Mob. +41 79 429 3671 | imazur@gavi.org
• Yale | Rosalind D'Eugenio | +1 203 737 2425 | rosalind.deugenio@yale.edu
• UGHE | Rebecca Gifford | +1 732 757 2966 | rgifford@ughe.org
• PATH | Kate Davidson | +1 206 302 4637 | media@path.org

KIGALI, May 7 2018—Yale's Global Health Leadership Initiative (GHLI), the Rwanda-based University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), PATH, and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance have joined forces to strengthen national leadership and management of immunisation programmes in Gavi-supported countries. The Expanded Program on Immunisation Leadership and Management Programme (EPI LAMP) is an innovative management training course for immunisation leaders in developing countries. The programme will improve the managerial capacity of governments to support Gavi's mission to ensure every child is protected with lifesaving vaccines.

"At Gavi, we know that the effective management of immunisation programmes is key to reaching all children with lifesaving vaccines," said Gavi Deputy CEO Anuradha Gupta. "EPI LAMP is one of many innovative investments in effective management that Gavi is rolling out. Designed jointly by US-based Yale Global Health Leadership Initiative, the Rwanda-based University of Global Health Equity, and PATH, this unique course will give our mission an important boost," she added.

From 2016 to 2020, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance aims to immunise 300 million children worldwide, saving 5 to 6 million lives. Achieving this goal requires effective planning, implementation, and monitoring of immunisation programmes. At the same time, ministries of health are often inadequately resourced and need support to improve their management practices. The first edition of EPI LAMP will address these challenges by providing management and leadership training for 24 participants in leadership roles in immunisation programmes in Gavi-supported countries, including the Gambia, India, Liberia, Rwanda, and Zambia.

"Management and leadership are fundamental to the achievement of global health targets," said Erika Linnander, Director of GHLI and Principal Investigator for EPI LAMP. "We are excited to provide a practical, high-impact education that is grounded in the latest science in organizational performance and tailored to the day-to-day realities of immunisation programme leadership."

EPI LAMP's team-based learning model combines e-learning modules, face-to-face sessions and a mentored "breakthrough project" to apply new ways of working and improve immunisation programme performance. This innovative blended learning approach creates an interactive and practical education experience for mid-to-senior officials. Upon completion of the nine-month course, immunisation teams will be better equipped to manage the increasingly complex immunisation systems in their home countries, with a focus on efficient operations, robust performance management, and effective political engagement and advocacy.

The face-to-face sessions will be hosted by UGHE in Rwinkwaku, Rwanda.

"Thoughtful leadership and effective management practices are necessary to strategically and equitably improve health systems, including making sure vaccines reach children in every corner of the world," said UGHE Vice Chancellor Dr. Agnes Binagwaho. "By hosting this forum in Rwanda, participants will train in an environment that prepares them to both address delivery challenges, as well as inspire them to improve access to high-quality care."

PATH will contribute their global technical expertise in immunisation, ensuring that the programme is tailored to the specific context of the national immunisation teams and providing technical mentorship to breakthrough project teams.

"Many of the challenges faced by EPI programs are affected by health system–related factors which require good management and leadership skills to be able to solve them in a timely manner," said Aziza Mwisongo, Senior Program Officer, PATH. "PATH brings our long technical expertise and experience within the area of immunisation, particularly our work with EPI programs in low and middle–income countries. This knowledge is fundamental in tailoring this course uniquely for leadership and management of EPI staff."

Taking advantage of the unique and complementary experience and expertise of these world-class partners, and building on the commitment to immunisation from the five participating countries, EPI LAMP will improve and sustain the EPI programme's performance in Gavi-supported countries.

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Yale's Global Health Leadership Initiative (GHLI) generates cutting-edge research and high-impact educational programmes in management, leadership and organizational performance. For over 10 years, GHLI has served as a leading academic partner, working in the United States and around the world to promote effective leadership capacity and efficient management systems at the national, sub-national, community, and health facility level. We bring diverse teams together, engaging faculty, students, and practitioners from across disciplines in pursuit of ambitious health care goals.

GHLI has established master's degree programmes in health care administration (in partnership with local universities) in Ethiopia and Rwanda, as well as innovative certificate programmes for teams of mid-career and senior officials from the United Kingdom, United States, Southeast Asia, China, and in diverse country settings across the African continent.

Grounded in the strengths of a leading research university, GHLI's training programmes are consistently refined and strengthened based on both the latest scientific evidence and results of robust programme evaluations. Our curricula are also informed by new research and approaches including efforts to understand and to develop leadership, management, and governance in diverse contexts, to study integration across sectors, and to develop and to evaluate interventions that improve the performance of complex health systems. Our leadership development programmes are guided by a model of experiential learning that enhances both individual and group problem-solving capacity, develops effective relationships and organizational cultures, promotes use of data for decision-making, and generates evidence-based solutions that can be scaled up. Learn more at ghli.yale.edu.

The University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is a new university based in Rwanda that is building the next generation of global health professionals—doctors, nurses, researchers, and public health and policy experts—into leaders and changemakers. An initiative of Partners In Health (PIH) and led by internationally recognized faculty and staff from around the world, UGHE is an independent, accredited university that builds on PIH's three decades of experience in delivering health services to some of the world's poorest communities. Launched in 2015 with the Master of Science in Global Health Delivery, UGHE has since added a portfolio of Global Health Delivery Certificate Courses and will soon be launching an undergraduate medical degree.

UGHE is bringing forth a new way of training leaders who will emerge ready to develop health care services and systems that connect neglected communities with essential--and ultimately life-saving--attention. The University's approach is grounded in experience and focused on delivery, and is guided by the belief that equity in education can be the catalyst for equity in health care. In all current and future offerings, UGHE prioritizes hands-on and practical field experience; focuses on "systems" rather than symptoms; and provides training in leadership and management. Students leave prepared to address the complexity of delivering care in all settings.

UGHE's vision is a world where every individual—no matter who they are or where they live—can lead a healthy and productive life. Learn more at www.ughe.org.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is a public-private partnership committed to saving children's lives and protecting people's health by increasing equitable use of vaccines in lower-income countries. The Vaccine Alliance brings together developing country and donor governments, the World Health Organization, UNICEF, the World Bank, the vaccine industry, technical agencies, civil society, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and other private sector partners. Gavi uses innovative finance mechanisms, including co-financing by recipient countries, to secure sustainable funding and adequate supply of quality vaccines. Since 2000, Gavi has contributed to the immunisation of nearly 640 million children and the prevention of more than 9 million future deaths. Learn more at www.gavi.org and connect with us on Facebook and Twitter.

Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance is supported by donor governments (Australia, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, India, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, the People's Republic of China, Republic of Korea, Russia, South Africa, Spain, the State of Qatar, the Sultanate of Oman, Sweden, United Kingdom, and United States), the European Commission, Alwaleed Philanthropies, the OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID), the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, as well as private and corporate partners (Absolute Return for Kids, Anglo American plc., The Children's Investment Fund Foundation, China Merchants Group, Comic Relief, Deutsche Post DHL, the ELMA Vaccines and Immunization Foundation, Girl Effect, The International Federation of Pharmaceutical Wholesalers (IFPW), the Gulf Youth Alliance, JP Morgan, "la Caixa" Foundation, LDS Charities, Lions Clubs International Foundation, Majid Al Futtaim, Orange, Philips, Reckitt Benckiser, Unilever, UPS and Vodafone). Learn more at www.gavi.org.