Health Education

The Pan American Health and Education Foundation (PAHEF) works to build public health expertise leading to innovative development of healthier generations in the Americas by partnering with the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the private sector, and major public health research, policy, and development groups.

In line with this mission, PAHEF has been committed to enhancing the training of medical professionals and health workers through the Expanded Textbook and Instructional Materials Program (PALTEX), a joint technical cooperation program with PAHO for more than 40 years.

PAHEF also supports health training through grants. For example, in Bolivia, PAHEF provided funding to the Pediatrics Center and School of Medicine, University del Valle in Cochabamba to create a course on infection control in health facilities. Course facilitators lecture medical students in appropriate antimicrobial use, especially optimum clinical efficacy in treating infections while avoiding adverse events and antimicrobial resistance and minimizing costs.

Further, PAHEF encourages excellence in specific areas of health education through the Awards for Excellence in Inter-American Public Health Program.

• PAHEF accepts nominations of a young scholar in bioethics residing in Latin America or the Caribbean from official representatives of academic institutions for the Manuel Velasco-Suárez Award in Bioethics. This award recognizes bioethics scholars in the development of their capacities for bioethical analysis.
• PAHEF invites deans or directors of Latin American and Caribbean schools of veterinary medicine and animal sciences to nominate an undergraduate student who has prepared a scientific paper within the veterinary public health field for the Pedro N. Acha Award for Veterinary Public Health. This award recognizes outstanding research by an undergraduate student and encourages dedication to the highest standards of veterinary public health education, training, and professionalism.