"Answering the Call": IAAH Aims to Advance the Professionalism of Adolescent Health Care Globally
IAAH’s recent policy statement on education and training of healthcare providers was featured in the March 2024 issue of the Journal of Adolescent Health (JAH). The JAH commentary, Answering the Call: International Policy Statement Provides the Framework for Adolescent Healthcare Professional Education Globally, highlights the relevance of the policy for the field of adolescent health.
The publication of the commentary was inspired by commitments made at the October 2023 PMNCH Global Forum for Adolescents (GFA) convening. IAAH considers the statement to be an invaluable resource for realizing these commitments, as it offers means to professionalize adolescent health care and ensure a workforce competent to provide that care.
Having the position statement reach the readership of JAH vastly improves the chances it will get into the hands of people who need it. “It’s critical that resources like this policy – resources that highlight global disparities, provide roadmaps for change, and lay out specific responsibilities of agencies – are disseminated by peer-reviewed journals,” says Risa Turetsky, RN, FNP, MPH, co-chair of the IAAH Education Committee. “We are grateful to the Journal of Adolescent Health for this publication and for so significantly broadening awareness.”
The commentary is authored by members of the IAAH Education Committee and Executive Team. Risa Turetsky, RN, MPH (United States), Preeti Galagali, MD (India), Daneille D.E.M.C. Jansen, PhD (The Netherlands), and Dick Churchill, MD (United Kingdom), are all founding members of the IAAH Education Committee and led the drafting of the policy. IAAH President Jonathan Klein, MD, MPH, and Past-President Susan Sawyer, MD, were pivotal not only in the development of the commentary and the policy, but also the formation of the Education Committee itself.
The IAAH Education Committee is currently planning the development of resources to help interested parties transform adolescent health care in their region using components of Education and Training of Healthcare Providers.
We encourage all members to read the full article. If you would like to discuss ideas about implementing components of the policy in your country or region, please send an email to the IAAH Education Committee at [email protected].
IAAH extends its collective appreciation to the authors for their time and effort in this endeavor as well as all the work they are doing to support the field of adolescent health globally.