Transforming Practitioners into Public Health Specialists

Empowering OMI alumni to be able to make genuine changes in their home countries’ healthcare systems is one of the OMI’s top priorities. The OMI leadership program, designed to enable physicians to become change agents, includes an annual course on Public Health Strategy, aiming to expose practicing clinicians to this highly relevant field.

Public health strategies are often developed without sufficient contributions from physicians, which creates a gap between policy and patient care. Without clinician input, decisions may lack practical insights, reduce the public’s trust, and hinder effective implementation. Bridging this divide is key to improving health outcomes and aligning public health goals with clinical realities.

At the OMI, clinicians are actively involved in the topic of public health policies. Since the launch of this specific course multiple years ago, the OMI is excited to not only host distinguished OMI alumni but also to nominate candidates from Maastricht University with different backgrounds.

The group of 35 eager participants from 28 countries, including Bulgaria, Ethiopia, Jordan, Mexico, Morocco, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, was thrilled to learn from real experts in the field. The course was spearheaded by Prof. Katarzyna Czabanowska from Maastricht University and Prof. Scott Burris from Temple University. The duo was joined by Prof. Suzanne M. Babich (Indiana University, USA), Prof. Timo Clemens (Maastricht University), Prof. Tony Smith (University of Birmingham), and last but not least, Dr. Farhang Tahzib (Public Health Ethics and Law Network, UK). The six specialists made a phenomenal team, working together to share their knowledge in the areas of law, medicine, public health, ethics, research, and education.

“The leadership course taught participants to be effective public health strategists. They learned to look at problems and solutions through five complementary lenses: Social Determinants of Health, Law, Ethics, Systems Strategy, and Leadership. Working in groups, participants developed a proposed legal reform in a chosen country to address a public health problem. By the end of the week, they improved their capacity to make good judgments in social problem solving and to execute good ideas in collaboration with others,” explained the co-course director.

The schedule was a dynamic blend of 18 didactic lectures, four group work sessions, an open question round, and participants’ strategy presentations. In the group work sessions, the participants were split into six groups where they developed a legal reform in a chosen country to address a public health problem, such as e-cigarettes, air pollution, or cervical cancer. Participants reflected on what they learned and integrated it into their collaborative work. They presented their findings on Friday and received constructive feedback from peers and faculty.

Prof. Suzanne M. Babich is the Associate Dean of Global Health and Professor of Community and Global Health at the Indiana University Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. This was her sixth time serving at one of our courses. She explained in an impactful statement why she continues to teach at the OMI pro-bono: “Teaching at the OMI seminars is a powerful opportunity to invest in the development of future global health leaders and improve well-being around the world. I am deeply inspired and encouraged by our fellows. These are highly motivated, talented, and compassionate professionals with the desire and potential to drive change. The close bonds and sense of community created during the week convinced me: OMI seminars and fellows make a difference. This is why I look forward to returning each year.”