Participate in DH:PNS
DH:PNS is primarily delivered through institutions and country cohorts.
If you’re already enrolled, look below find your cohort. If not, register your interest to enroll.
How to enroll
Self-paced
A self-paced version of DH:PNS is always available for open enrollment. In this model, you can complete the modules at your own pace for free. However, completion does not confer certification or access to the Community of Practice.
Sponsor a cohort
With sponsorship, the course delivery partner TechChange can offer facilitated learning cohorts, in either blended and synchronous modalities. You can sponsor a cohort for open enrollment, or for a particular organization, region, or network.
Register for the next cohort’s waitlist
In a cohort, learners progress through modules together, resulting in opportunities for connection and collaboration. All who complete certification requirements may join the Alumni Community of Practice.
Request country participation
DH:PNS is primarily delivered through country cohorts and institutional partners. If you represent a government agency or ministry and would like to have DH:PNS delivered in your country, let us know.
I’m already enrolled
If you are already enrolled in DH:PNS - whether through a private cohort organized by your institution, government or the WHO; or in an open-enrollment cohort delivered annually, open to anyone in the public and the waitlist - find your course here.
Who should take the course
The primary audience for Digital Health: Planning National Systems are ministry officials who serve as national planners of digital health; for example, professionals at entities such as Ministries of Health, ICT, or Finance.
Other national planners of global digital health systems, as well as investors and implementers of national digital health interventions, such as funders and multilateral organizations, will also benefit from participation.
Why you should take the course
DH:PNS will help you to develop a holistic, enterprise planning approach to digital health. You’ll gain access to specialized toolkits and applications on the TechChange platform, and have the opportunity to learn and demonstrate a range of technical skills related to digital health systems.
In DH:PNS, you’ll learn by doing— with the opportunity to design a plan to support a robust digital health enterprise architecture and practice the concepts taught throughout the course.
“The enterprise planning approach presented in the course would be very useful for the future development of our health information system and will provide better interoperability and scalability of the system.”
Natasa
Institute of Public Health of Montenegro
Curriculum overview
The course’s content is scaffolded, where each module builds on the one previous to it.
DH:PNS begins with establishing a foundational understanding of digital health, including examples of what it comprises and key terms and concepts. The next module defines health systems and how digital health can optimize healthcare delivery and outcomes connected to health system challenges.
The course then dives into the national digital health planning process which is framed around a national digital strategy that leverages the “enterprise planning approach”.
Some key topics explored in the national planning process include examining the technical architecture of an enterprise and how to implement one to support a country’s digital health interventions. Since DH:PNS is firmly grounded within the real world, we also cover how to develop a budget for the enterprise and how this assists with sustainable planning.
The final module in the national planning process of the course emphasizes the importance of governance, and reviews stakeholder coordination, policy and regulation, as well as how to prepare a capable workforce.
Following the national planning process modules, we cap off our course with an overview of emerging technologies and how to plan for these in your enterprise and health system.
Completion benefits
Blended and synchronous cohort graduates will be awarded a WHO-endorsed Certificate.
Part of the benefits of participating in a cohort delivery of the course is receiving an official Certificate with WHO and ITU logos upon completion. Self-paced course completers are not eligible for a certificate, but they may participate in the Alumni Community of Practice if they successfully finish the entire course.
Completers of the of DH:PNS cohort course deliveries are eligible to participate in a Training of Trainers if selected.
Common Roles that Graduates Play
Graduates of DH:PNS often work as capacity builders/ trainers who share knowledge and train others; technical consultants who advise their teams on best practices; and advocates who influence key stakeholders to adopt the enterprise-planning approach.
Architects of Digital Health board game
Architects of Digital Health is a collaborative game that serves as a capstone activity for the course to put DH:PNS concepts into practice, but it can also be played on its own outside of the course.
This rapid scenario planning exercise lets you and your team weigh the tradeoffs in investments and opportunities when implementing digital health interventions in a fictional country across four priority disease areas.
In this board game YOU take on the role of Minister of Health and:
1) Invest in digital health tools that will strengthen your health system
2) Collaborate with teammates to plan out how your country’s digital health interventions can work together to improve health outcomes
3) Tackle complex health system challenges at different scales
4) Anticipate how to work with new, potentially disruptive investments. Just like in real life, unexpected events like new investments and health shocks cause problems for your country and your team must decide how to handle it as a coordinated governance body.
These challenges impact your chance of ‘winning’ as they affect how your interventions unfold and whether they are resilient enough to withstand, adapt and respond to any health system challenge thrown your way.