The Department of Community and Family Health in USF’s College of Public Health has been designated a Collaborating Center by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO).
COPH’s designation, called the PAHO/WHO Collaborating Center for Social Marketing and Social Change to Address Non-Communicable Diseases, is directed by Carol Bryant, PhD, USF Health Distinguished Professor, who for 20 years has directed social marketing research on a wide variety of public health projects, including breastfeeding promotion, breast and cervical cancer screening, prenatal care, immunizations, and early childhood intervention services.
“These are prestigious designations and we are honored to have been approved by the WHO as a collaborating center,” said Donna J. Petersen, ScD, MHS, CPH, professor of Global Health, senior associate vice president, USF Health, and dean of the USF College of Public Health.
“This is the result of years of work cultivating a strong and positive working partnership with PAHO around social marketing and chronic disease, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.”
PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers are designated by the WHO’s Director General and aim to provide collaborative opportunities at the national, regional, and global levels that support WHO initiatives. There are 180 Centers in 15 countries in the Americas that form inter-institutional a collaborative network of centers worldwide.