ASPHER 40th Anniversary publication

114 Pages·2014·0.77 MB·English

40

ASPHER

1966-2006

ANNIVERSARY BOOK

ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOLS OF PUBLIC HEALTH IN THE EUROPEAN REGION
ASPHER Series No. 1, 2006

Anniversary Book

Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region
ASPHER Series No. 1, 2006
© Copyright ASPHER, St Maurice, France, 2006.
Edited by Anders Foldspang, Thierry Louvet, Charles Normand and Stojgniew Sitko.
ASPHER 40th Anniversary Book

Contents

Foreword by Anders Foldspang, ASPHER President p. 5
Foreword by Markos Kyprianou, EU Commissioner
for Health and Consumer Protection
Foreword by Marc Danzon, Regional Director, WHO Europe

List of contributors p.9

Part One: 40 years of ASPHER history p.13
ASPHER history as mirrored by its Past Presidents –
C. Normand, R. Adany, J. M. Martin Moreno, R. Madeley, F. Cavallo,
U. Laaser, J. Levett, C. Rollet, I. Forgacs, L. Köhler, M. Davies, F. Doeleman
ASPHER history as mirrored by its Secretary General and its Executive Directors
– E. de Leeuw, J.A. Bury, T. Louvet
The Andrija Stampar Medal
The number of ASPHER members 1992-2005

Part Two: Development of training programs and their quality p.31
PH training program quality assessment and development: PEER Review -
R. Kalediene
PH training program accreditation - S. Sitko
Development of PH training programs in Central and Eastern Europe:
the OSI-ASPHER Programme – Book editorial committee T. Tulchinsky
Towards a cross-border master’s degree in PH: the EMPH - A. Foldspang and
T. Louvet

Part Three: The changing pattern of disciplines and their use
in Public Health p.41
PH research and training – U. Laaser
Epidemiology: still the basic science in PH? – R. Saracci
The social sciences in PH training – J. Siegrist
Health economics – C. Normand
Management in PH training – S. Sitko
Health promotion – J.K. Davies
Environmental Health – S. Kjaergaard
What are students being trained to do? The challenge of declaring
competencies – A. Foldspang
- 3 -
40th Anniversary Book ASPHER

Part Four: The cross-country variation over Europe:
variation in challenges – variation in programs p.61
Central Europe – R. Adany
Eastern Europe – H. Armenian
Northern Europe – G. Magnusson
Southern Europe – P. Frazzica
Western Europe – A. Meijer

Part Five: Public Health workforce capacity building in Europe
– and in the world: meeting future challenges. p.77
PH capacity building and WHO Headquarters– A. Petrakova
PH capacity building and EU PH policy development – B. Merkel
PH capacity building: a view from the Asia-Pacific Region (APACPH)
– B. Oldenburg
PH capacity building: a view from North America (ASPH)– H. Spencer
PH capacity building: a view from South America (ALAESP) – G. Solimano
Changing health challenges in Europe: future demands for professionalisation
– H. Noack
Health reform and health systems in Europe: future demands
for professionalisation – M. McKee

Appendices: p.100
List of ASPHER Members
List of all Presidents and Executive Board Members and their terms
List of Projects/Programs
List of ASPHER and ASPHER-related publications

- 4 -
ASPHER 40th Anniversary Book

Foreword

Anders Foldspang
Professor, ASPHER President since 2005

Population health varies considerably across European countries, and so do health
systems and systems for prevention and health promotion in- and outside the health
systems. Contrasts are evident between affluent and less affluent population groups and
countries, both as concerns socio-economic inequity, environmental exposure, and health
– and access to relevant health services. Large health challenges are emerging, and
health systems are under reform.
In order to be able to address present and future population health challenges and
to initiate necessary developments in the organisation and functioning of health systems
by use of rational, goal oriented strategies, large numbers of sufficiently trained Public
Health professionals are needed on all levels – international, national, regional,
community. The production of high quality graduates, trained on a scientific basis, is a
prerequisite for the development of the professional public health workforce and thus for
the development and implementation of cost-effective interventions.
Some important milestones in the professionalisation of this workforce are the
establishment of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1899, the Andrija
Stampar School of Public Health in Zagreb in 1926, the Nordic School of Public Health in
1953; the Braun Hebrew University - Hadassah School of Public Health and Community
Medicine officially created in 1980 and delivering an International Master of Public Health
since 1970; the upcoming of a number of MPH training programmes in- and outside
universities in Western Europe in the late 1980s and the 1990s, and the development of
similar programmes in Eastern and Central Europe preferably in the initial years of the new
millennium.
One more milestone constitutes the focus of the present book: The founding of the
Association of Schools of Public Health in the European Region, ASPHER, in 1966 - a
child of visionary personalities, their academic environments, and – not least - the WHO in
Europe.
An international organisation like ASPHER is a prerequisite for the development of
scientifically sound training programmes. The road to concerted, high-level, scientific and
evidence based Public Health professionalisation in the European region is however long.
We are not that far, and much has yet to be done to reach what might be considered an
acceptable level.
It is in itself an indication of a still only partially developed system that concrete
empirical documentation is lacking concerning the actual size of the professionally trained
Public Health workforce in European countries – but in general terms this workforce still
- 5 -
40th Anniversary Book ASPHER
seems to be quite unduly limited in numbers. Some countries have no or just one training
programme with a limited production, and some programmes are rooted in small and
unstable environments with scarce resources as concerns manpower, equipment and
finances. Some environments are embedded in cultures posing obstacles to the adequate
development of genuine Public Health scientific research and training and to the funding of
it. Some programmes have been subject to the strange and often negative scrutiny of
evaluation panels whose members did not represent professional Public Health expertise.
Striving to increase Public Health professionalisation denotes a composite,
multifaceted task. Public Health needs and management, research and training have to be
linked in a dynamic manner. The complex nature of this endeavour is reflected in the
concerted activities of ASPHER over the years: The development of a high-quality training
programme assessment tool like the PEER evaluation; the initiation of a likewise European
accreditation function; the establishment of a European Master of Public Health
programme with associated summer schools, aiming at increasing the mobility of the PH
workforce across borders; teaching-the-teachers activities; the development of lists of
Public Health competencies coordinated with Public Health needs as communicated also
by Public Health stakeholders; sustaining the development of a series of MPH training
programmes in Central and Eastern Europe; collaboration with other international
organisations like the WHO Europe, EU DG-SANCO, ASPH and APHA, APACPH and
ALAESP.
Besides supporting the development of strong training environments, future
perspectives to be considered could be, e.g., sustaining the development of bachelor
degrees and graduate master degrees; sustaining the formation of Faculties of Public
Health within universities; organising continuous European forums for Public Health
training, with strong Public Health scientific and Public Health stakeholder representation;
sustaining the publication of books and other material; etc. And monitoring the production
of graduates all over Europe and communicating it to health authorities and other
stakeholders.
Clearly, the substantial activity has not been possible without a whole-hearted
contribution by many brilliant members, who dedicated their minds and time to Public
Health training, or without the professional administrative support by the secretariat
headed by the General Secretary/Executive Director.
In respect for the magnificent work they have delivered and the goals they have
achieved, and in order to draw a realistic picture of the development over the 40 years, we
invited Past Presidents to write a short note on each their contribution. Furthermore, we
are proud that a series of excellent colleagues and representatives of collaborative
organisations accepted similar invitations. Each one has given her or his version, and the
book thus rends a comprehensive, multi-facetted picture – telling the story and
contemplating fruitfully over future trends and decisions.
Is this promising for the future? I think so.
- 6 -
ASPHER 40th Anniversary Book

Foreword

Markos Kyprianou
EU Commissioner for Health and Consumer Protection

Although health systems are primarily the responsibility of the Member States, they are
becoming more interconnected than ever in the past. This is driven by many different
factors including movement of patients and professionals, the impact of Community law on
health care, an increasingly shared culture creating common expectations, dissemination
of new medical technologies and techniques, and the enlargement of the Union. Moreover,
as more data comparing health systems becomes publicly available, the variations
between them are clearer. Bladder cancer is one example; five year survival rates range
from 78 % in Austria to 47 % in Poland and Estonia. This shows the potential to improve
outcomes across Europe by levelling up healthcare provisions to the standard of the best.
In response, the Commission convened a high level reflection process on patient
mobility and healthcare developments in the European Union. We notably issued a
communication on extending the “open method of coordination” to healthcare to support
national strategies to reform and develop health and long term care. The response to the
challenge of reducing health inequalities in the European Union lie on partnerships with
Member States and civil society in order to create synergies. There is a huge potential in
learning from each other, looking at the successes in one part of the Union and examining
how we can replicate this success elsewhere. Co operation is indeed the key to unlocking
the potential to share and promote best practice in health right across the European Union
The European Community is about fostering convergence to ensure a high level of
prosperity and well being across Europe. A high-level of health is an essential part of this. I
am confident that there is much we can do, all together, to bridge health inequalities and
aim at a healthier community.

- 7 -
40th Anniversary Book ASPHER
Foreword

Marc Danzon
Regional Director, WHO Regional Office for Europe

It gives me great pleasure to be given the opportunity to write a foreword to this publication
marking ASPHER’s 40th anniversary – an important milestone in its history.
The theme of The world health report 2006 – working together for health –
highlighted the central role of health workers in improving the performance of health
systems and in advancing the health of populations, including the attainment of the
Millennium Development Goals. A strong human infrastructure is the key to closing the
gap between health promises and health reality and anticipating the health challenges of
the 21st century.
At the WHO Regional Office for Europe, we see our cooperation with ASPHER as
making a significant contribution to helping our Member States strengthen their public
health workforce. Indeed, ASPHER provides a vital link between policy-making at the
international level and training of public health professionals in the countries of the WHO
European Region. However well-thought-out and relevant, a policy is of little use if it is not
understood and implemented by well educated and qualified professionals, as they face
old and new threats to public health, as illustrated by the recent threat of avian influenza to
people’s health.
We cannot underestimate the role public health professionals play; this is why close
cooperation with ASPHER is so valuable to the Regional Office. Our future goal is a
substantial increase in the professionalisation of public health analysis, intervention,
evaluation and research in all the countries of Europe, for the benefit of its entire
population.
I therefore hope that ASPHER and the WHO Regional Office will continue their
fruitful collaboration and see it grow over the coming years. Let me finish by wishing
ASPHER a happy 40th anniversary and success in the next 40 years!
- 8 -