Indiana University School of Public Health-Bloomington (SPH-B) faculty across a range of disciplines are presenting a series of webinars for the United Nations Medical Workforce. Two sessions, welcoming a total of 200 participants, have taken place so far in 2025—and three more are scheduled for March through June.
Conducted in partnership with United Nations Department of Operational Support (UNOPS) headquartered in New York, the webinars take place via Microsoft Teams with an invitation sent to participants (including doctors, nurses, and paramedics) about a week prior. Clinical Professor Kevin Slates, Ed.D. in the Department of Applied Health Science has already kicked off the series, presenting in January and February on two important topics: "Healthcare Worker Risks: Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) Usage and Training" and "Occupational Risk Factors for Healthcare Worker in the Field Work."
"The global webinar series is designed to educate and promote best practices for reducing occupational exposures to hazards in the healthcare fields,” says Dr. Slates. "This training will empower UN medical staff and public health practitioners with foundational tools to improve public health practice in their duty station, prepare them to respond to a range of occupational safety hazards, public health emergencies, and build effective management skills within the UN public health community."
Slates adds that according to the World Health Organization (WHO), 63 percent of international health workers in developing countries report experiencing violence at the workplace, and about 70 percent do not have insurance coverage for diseases and injuries resulting from their work. Moreover, 54 percent of health workers suffer from latent tuberculosis due to occupational exposure in low-and middle-income countries.
"United Nations’ research has demonstrated that workplace health initiatives such as training and conducting a job hazard analysis can reduce employee exposure, help reduce sick leave absenteeism by 27 percent, and health care costs for companies by 26 percent," he elaborates.
Grace Sembajwe, Ph.D.—whose department colleague André Wilke, Ph.D. will lead the next webinar entitled "Zika Virus Outbreak Preparedness and Response"—says that these training sessions have been "vital" to frontline medical personnel who often find themselves serving remote, high-conflict geographical areas of the globe.
Dr. Sembajwe adds, "Often the content is focused on refreshers in public health and worksite safety, for instance. Other times, the workshops disseminate new information, as with details on emerging diseases and pathogens, or novel surgical techniques in the field."
Upcoming talks include Michelle Del Rio, Ph.D.’s May presentation, "Lead Exposure Prevention From Work to Home." In June, Dr. Slates will return to present "Caring for Healthcare Workers: Emergency Response and Preparedness Strategies."
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