The World Health Organization (WHO) has expanded the global community of practice of infodemic managers to more than 500 trainees from 120 countries following the completion of the 2nd WHO Global Infodemic Management training. The map shows the geographical range of infodemic managers, located across all of the 6 WHO regions.
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The 2nd training wrapped up in July 2021 after an
overwhelming response. WHO was proud to partner with United States
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US CDC) for technical
expertise, facilitation, and training support. WHO was delighted to also welcome the European Centre for Disease Prevention and
Control (ECDC) and UNICEF as training partners.
Over 700
applications from 114 countries were received, with 254 people selected
for the training. Trainees came from a wide range of disciplines and
organisations including universities, WHO and UN staff, youth networks,
media, health authorities, and ministries of health. Training was offered in both French and
English, with 56 participants in the French stream and 198 in the
English stream.
The training runs over four weeks and is an intensive introduction to a range of skills, theory and practice. It aims to give participants the tools they need to mitigate the effects of the infodemic. Participants were involved in over 24 hours of lectures and discussions. WHO convened technical mentors from 30 global organisations to host live SkillsLabs for the trainees to do problem-based learning in real-time, and for pre-recorded master classes to enable them to develop new skills at their own pace.
As part of a month-long infodemic simulation exercise, trainees developed social listening reports for their region trialing the new WHO EARS tool for identifying changing questions and concerns about COVID-19. This approach generates infodemic insights that can be translated into recommendations for action. A number of trainees from the 1st training cohort were involved in both the presentations and facilitation.
The fast-paced, comprehensive course has been highly valued by participants with 98% of respondents saying they would recommend it to other experts. Video reflections from past participants demonstrate how learnings from the training are being translated into practice.
Trust me if you get an opportunity to enroll in this course you will get one of the best learning [experiences] of your life.
Due to the overwhelming demand for training places and growing need for trained infodemic managers, WHO has recently announced the 3rd Global Infodemic Manager training. Application to the training will be extended through a wide range of partner organisations who will be asked to nominate experts to take part. WHO, US CDC, UNICEF, GAVI, Rockefeller Foundation, IFRC, Mercy Corps, USAID, the RCCE Collective Service and partners will nominate experienced professionals who are responding to COVID-19 and the accompanying infodemic at country-level.
This third training will enable the global community of practice to grow even more, enabling greater capacity in countries to respond to and manage the infodemic.