Boston UNIVERSITY-India Partnership for Public Health Training: The Teach the Teacher to Teach PROGRAM (T5)

Health leaders in India are building a new infrastructure for public health including new schools of public health. Boston University School of Public Health has been closely involved with the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI) building these new institutions.

BUSPH developed a two-year pilot program for developing faculty for the new Indian schools of public health, the Teach the Teacher to Teach Program (T5). In the first year 12 prospective PHFI and 6 current ICMR faculty attended a three-week course designed to explore public health curriculum design, delivery and the leadership skills essential for effecting systemic change in public health practice in India. Through a mixed format of practice teaching, didactic lectures, experiential learning opportunities and reflective writing participants worked in teams to produce curriculum modules and to identify leadership challenges and create action plans.

Participants explored a new paradigm of education which includes the traditional classroom roles, but also acknowledges the role of experiential, instructor facilitated learning in a more broadly conceived learning environment.

Pre and post surveys and 3-month follow-up surveys indicated high satisfaction with course content and skills developed. As a direct result ICMR used the modules developed in the program in the subsequent launch of their MPH program. In a national dissemination meeting T5 participants presented curriculum modules and approaches developed in T5. Schools in the ICMR network are adopting the modules and will send participants to join PHFI faculty for the second year of the program.