WHO Academy

The WHO Academy strives to enhance the lifelong learning capacity of the global health workforce and was established to respond to critical gaps in health worker education. Health and care workers need better access to learning throughout their careers to adapt to evolving healthcare practices and to continually acquire the new skills needed to deliver programmes and services for essential public health functions. These needs are greatest in low- and middle-income countries, and the Academy’s priority is to reach learners in these countries. Whilst WHO has been providing health guidance based on scientific evidence for the last 75 years, uptake remains too slow. At the same time, rapid scientific and technological advances have sped up the rate at which WHO issues new guidance. This has made it even more challenging for health and care workers and policy-makers to keep pace and put WHO normative standards and guidelines into practice. By launching the Academy in 2024, and optimizing the Organization’s expertise in capacity building, WHO is now better positioned to become a global leader in lifelong learning in health. The Academy has the first international, quality-assured and multilingual learning platform that supports the continuous learning needs of the global health workforce at no cost. New courses are regularly added to the learning platform, covering the latest standards, scientific advances and technologies. These learning opportunities help health professionals stay current, adapt to change and grow throughout their careers. When these skills are applied in practice, they lead to stronger health systems and better health outcomes.