The School of Public Health (SPH), through the Africa Health Collaborative, has shared insights on academic organisation, staffing models and language training with AMREF International University in Kenya, as the two institutions explore collaboration in public health innovation.

During a visit by the AMREF delegation, the Dean of SPH, Prof. Peter Agyei-Baffour, outlined the school’s structure and academic offerings. He said the school has six departments and runs 17 programmes, including postgraduate degrees and a PhD, with plans to expand.

AMREF International University’s Chief Strategy and Operations Officer, Beatrice Mukusa, also briefed participants on AMREF’s institutional structure, detailing its departments, faculties and range of programmes.

Addressing questions on staffing, Prof. Agyei-Baffour said the School of Public Health has about 32 full-time teaching staff, supported by adjunct lecturers drawn from industry, other academic institutions and within the university. He added that some teaching support is sourced through partnerships linked to student–industry engagement.

He explained that student placements serve not only as training opportunities but also as a channel for identifying potential lecturers from industry.

“Every year, we send our students to our industry partners to interact with them, and we use that opportunity to identify professionals who can come in to teach some of our courses,” he said.

The discussions also highlighted the university’s language centre, which offers multiple languages to support pharmacy and other programmes. Sign language, Prof. Agyei-Baffour noted, is a core requirement for all students in the College of Health Sciences, while other languages are offered as electives.

He underscored the importance of language training, citing data showing that although English is the main language of instruction, only a small proportion of nurses pass the international English proficiency tests required for work in the United Kingdom and the United States.

“From such statistics, it becomes imperative to strengthen and supplement the language education we provide to our students,” he said.

By: Edith Asravor