CCPH Director Ronald Deprez meets with WHO administrators

Ronald Deprez, Ph.D., the executive director of the University of New England’s Center for Community and Public Health, recently traveled to the World Health Organization’s (WHO) International Headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland to participate in a series of meetings with key administrators to discuss the UNE-sponsored Ghana Health Partnership (GHP).

As a former adviser to Rafael Bengoa, Ph.D., the WHO director of the Evidence and Information Policy Office, Dr. Deprez focused on the assessment and design of noncommunicable disease programs in low resources countries.

The meetings took place on March 1-2, 2012 and focused on how GHP’s mission of chronic disease prevention and management can be aligned with the objectives of the WHO chronic disease and health promotion strategic plans.  Faculty members from UNE and in Ghana have been working on several projects designed to improve the delivery of health information and care coordination services to people at risk for, or already diagnosed with, a chronic health conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma, and other cardiovascular conditions.

The discussions covered the history and successes of the GHP focusing on the research activities and priorities surrounding noncommunicable diseases, and created an action plan to further establish a WHO/ UNE-GHP collaboration.

A follow-up meeting is scheduled for June 2012 after the WHO action plan for Chronic Disease Prevention and Management is complete.  Ghana will provide a place to implement one or more of the WHO noncommunicable disease initiatives.

About the University of New England

The University of New England is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of flexible, accredited online degrees. In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.