World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Gerontologic Nursing Education

NYU Rory Meyers College of Nursing was first designated as a World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Center (CC) in Gerontologic Nursing Education in 2004 and has since been renewed every four years. It is one of more than 800 WHO CCs worldwide and 47 WHO CCs based on schools of nursing. It is a member of the Pan American Network of Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centers and the Global Network of Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centers. It is based on NYU Meyers Global Initiatives.

The work of the Center is guided by the WHO designated Terms of Reference(TORs) which are to:

  1. Validate a Competencies Training Guide in Geriatric Education for content validity review by a PAHO expert panel.
  2. Use the Competencies Training Guide to build Human Resources for Health in English speaking countries of the Caribbean and designated Spanish-speaking countries in the Caribbean and North, Central and Latin America.
  3. Continue collaboration with NYU CN NICHE (Nurses Improving Care in Health Systems for Elders) and the John A. Hartford Center for Geriatric Nursing and other WHOCCs in the Pan American region.

Projects focus on building capacity for education and research on healthy aging and care of older adults in the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region. These projects are interdisciplinary with focused efforts to strengthen the roles of nurses and other health professionals in the Latin American and Caribbean regions while partnering with governments and health professional groups. Mandated to work within the WHO Pan American Health Organization region, the Center partners with 18 other nursing collaborating centers in the Americas and a large network of nursing organizations, geriatric institutes, and schools of nursing, medicine, dentistry, and public health. NYU Meyers faculty serve on project-specific teams to support education, research, and scholarly exchange.

 

Current Projects

The WHO CC faculty team is currently partnering with nursing Collaborating Centers in the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) region and with the Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing to:

  1. Plan, implement and evaluate Train-the-Trainer education and consultation, using the online Competencies Resource Guide for the promotion of primary care and healthy aging and geriatric care.
  2. Use workshops, seminars, and webinars to support schools and institutions in Mexico, Cuba, and Brazil, working with us to evaluate training programs based on evidence-based, competency-focused practices, and contribute to their adaptation for cultures and regional health professional practices.
  3.  Achieve participation by nursing colleagues within the LAC, in the identification and endorsement of areas for competency development and learning strategies that will guide education and practice.

Our current ongoing collaborations include professional and governmental agencies and educational institutions in Cuba, Jamaica, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Chile, and Colombia.