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Context for the course
The purpose of the 2015 Global Routine Immunization Strategies and Practices (GRISP) guidelines is to reassert routine immunization as the foundation for sustained decreases in morbidity and mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases across the life cycle of all individuals. Its focus is on the GRISP transformative investments, i.e. on areas of intervention that will change an entire immunization programme when implemented.
Once challenges and barriers to the programme have been identified and the appropriate strategies to address these challenges have been found, activities have to be concretely planned within the annual operational EPI plan. This Level 1 certification course guides participants through the process of identifying the challenges, prioritizing the right transformative investment and strategies, and then developing activities suitable for incorporation into annual EPI planning.
What Scholars said about this course
“I found the whole concept of Transformative Investment valuable, novel and eye-opening, because it included concepts I never knew existed but which I found readily applicable to the immunization challenges in my country.”
Who should apply?
The course is most suitable for those directly supporting national immunization planning. We encourage National, sub-national, and district EPI management staff, WHO/UNICEF country and regional staff, in-country partner organization staff and consultants to apply. Women and staff new to immunization are also encouraged to apply.
What Scholars said about this course
“I was able to complete the course mainly due to the ever-helping attitude and very sincere approach of the facilitators. Another amazing part was the opportunity to share information from all corners of the earth!”
Learning objectives
Scholars who successfully complete the course are expected to be able to:
- Relate the recommendations and approach of the GRISP guidelines to your specific context.
- Select transformative investments and areas of action that are likely to transform your national immunization programme and the work of global partners.
- Define the problem and prioritize recommendations to select a suggested action that could have the greatest impact on the current state in your country.
- Identify best practices in the suggested action through literature review and dialogue with your peers.
- Adapt innovative ways to implement transformative investments in your country context.
- Compare and share best practices with practitioners from all over the world, drawing on global expertise from WHO.
Added value
- Accelerated learning on the use of WHO guidelines on routine immunization strengthening.
- The main course project is intended to be directly applicable to the development of an annual EPI plan.
- Participants will work both in small groups (peer review) and as a community to compare and share best practices in immunization planning with WHO EPI staff from country offices and global experts from WHO, increasing collaboration across the WHO levels and with Partners, to work toward country impact.
- WHO will issue a certificate of participation to those who successfully complete all the requirements of the course.
- Develop your digital skills to collaborate and learn remotely, as a member of the WHO Scholar Alumni Community for Impact.
Resources and prerequisites
- GRISP guidelines: Participants should download and familiarize themselves with these guidelines.
- Experience and expertise: As an immunization professional, you should be familiar with both global guidance and recommendations, including the Global Vaccine Action Plan 2011–2020 (GVAP) and your specific context (Region, Sub-Region or Country).
- Access to EPI data: For the country(ies) you support, you will be expected to have access to routine administrative coverage data, assessment reports for programme reviews, specialized assessments such as PIEs (Post-Introduction Evaluation), EVMs (Effective Vaccine Management) assessments and HW KAPs (Health Worker Knowledge Attitudes and Practices).
What Scholars said about this course
“Being able to apply the GRISP transformative investments to my country context was very useful, as I had to take time to think through how we can do things differently to achieve the results.”
What you will do
- Complete successive writing assignments to develop a set of transformative investment activities for inclusion in immunization planning.
- Peer review the drafts of other participants to learn from and provide constructive inputs.
- Revise your draft activities, drawing on what you learned from peer review, resources and ongoing dialogue in the course.
- Contribute at least once a week to community dialogue and live online sessions.
What Scholars said about this course
“All aspects of the course have been very valuable. However, I found the review and Thursday discussions outstandingly valuable.”
Workload
Participants should expect to:
- dedicate at least 6-8 hours per week to course work.
- participate remotely in the weekly, 60-minute group discussion that will take place online once a week. (Recordings of these sessions will be made available for those who are unable to attend for valid reasons.)
- complete activities that have been divided into short daily tasks intended to be completed in 30 minutes.
Each set of course activities must be completed within a given week. Participants may schedule their work at any time during the week, except for the weekly group session which is scheduled at a fixed day and time each week. (Those unable to attend for a legitimate reason will be asked to view the session recording to complete a catch-up task.)
In addition to these required activities, webinars on specific topics of immunization routine strategies and practices will be organized.
What Scholars said about this course
“This course is getting better every day.”
Certification
Upon successful completion of the course and following validation of your final project and assignments by the course team and subject matter experts at WHO headquarters and regional offices, you will receive a certificate of participation from the World Health Organization. Each certificate is valid for a duration of three years. Certificate holders agree to show upon request a portfolio of their work that includes the project(s) produced in Scholar.