GOARN Capacity Strengthening and Training Programme: ZIG hosting the first flagship course of GOARN Outbreak Response Leadership Capacity Strengthening

On 18 -22 September, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) hosted the first “GOARN Outbreak Response Leadership Training Programme” of the Global Outbreak Alert and Response Network (GOARN) in Berlin, in collaboration with GOARN Secretariat and the Geneva Center for Security Policy (GCSP). A total of 24 public health experts from a multidisciplinary array of GOARN partner institutions across WHO’s six regions – all of whom are highly experienced outbreak responders – participated in this flagship program.

The WHO and GOARN partner institutions have collaboratively developed a tailored 3-tiered training program over the past 15 years, enhancing the competencies of numerous outbreak responders globally. TIER 3, the advanced training, focuses on leadership development for senior leaders in public health, providing participants with the necessary competencies and expertise for leading effective outbreak and emergency responses under challenging circumstances.

GOARN Outbreak Response Leadership Training in Berlin, September 2023. Source: RKI

In partnership with WHO, the WHO Collaborating Centre for GOARN (WHO CC GOARN) at RKI designed and delivered the first series of the TIER3 training virtually between 2021 and 2022. This included six modules addressing priority leadership challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. About 160 participants from 60 countries engaged in topics around leadership such as Personal, Team and Organizational Resilience, Influential Communication, Crisis Response Decision Making and Strategic Foresight. These modules were followed by three special virtual seminars on “Breaking Barriers to an Inclusive Leadership Culture”, addressing tools and best practices for more inclusive and effective leadership during outbreak responses.

During the 5-day in-person course of the GOARN Outbreak Response Leadership training in RKI Seestraße in Berlin, participants embarked on a transformative journey to reflect, deepen and broaden their leadership strengths and identities. The training was designed to enhance leadership mindsets and practices, including advanced interpersonal and situational awareness, managing polarizing tensions, establishing trusted relationships with stakeholders, and influencing collective decision-making. Alongside expert facilitators and highly experienced mentors from various fields, participants engaged in open discussion, shared experiences and reflected on lessons from COVID-19 pandemic and recent outbreaks challenges. Moreover, this course provided an opportunity to hear from and engage with a panel of diverse, experienced and highly regarded leaders, sharing their views and personal experiences on what it means to practice leadership in health emergency response.

At the end, the event was not only an asset towards strengthening the leadership capacity in technical and human-centered competencies, but it also aimed to build network of diverse, well-trained and interconnected public health leaders, upholding the principles of diversity, equity and inclusion to ensure that our response efforts resonate with the communities we serve.

GOARN Outbreak Response Leadership Training in Berlin, September 2023. Source: RKI

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