Colombo, Sri Lanka, 13-16 July 2025 – The Global Public Health Summit (GPHS) 2025, hosted alongside the 30th Annual Academic Sessions of the College of Community Physicians of Sri Lanka (CCPSL), spotlighted the critical need for cohesive, high-quality public health training across diverse health systems. A particularly impactful session was Symposium 6: “Standardising Public Health Training in the Region,” which brought together educators and leaders from across the Asia-Pacific and beyond.

Symposium 6 – Hall C: A Regional Dialogue on Quality and Alignment

Co-chaired by Professor Indika Karunathilake and Professor Saroj Jayasinghe, this session explored strategic frameworks for enhancing public health education through regional cooperation, accreditation, and curriculum innovation.

Prof. Dr. Elahe Nezami, the Vice-President of Asia-Pacific Academic Consortium for Public Health (APACPH) and director of the Miller School’s online Master of Public Health, University of Maimi, drawing from the U.S. context, shared insights on “The American Experience in Accreditation and Standardisation.” Her talk emphasised how structured accreditation models in the United States ensure consistency, academic rigour, and accountability in public health training, factors that are increasingly vital amid global health uncertainties.

Prof. Low Wah Yun, former President of APACPH and a key figure in the Global Network for Academic Public Health (GNAPH), presented on “The Role of APACPH and GNAPH in Advancing Public Health Training.” She underscored how these networks foster shared learning, capacity building, and harmonisation of training standards across countries, particularly in low- and middle-income settings. Her contribution highlighted the importance of global academic alliances in amplifying regional capabilities.

Adding to the Malaysian perspective, Prof. Dr. Victor Hoe of Universiti Malaya presented “Ensuring Quality in Public Health Education,” outlining Malaysia’s transition to a unified, competency-based model under the National Postgraduate Medical Curriculum (NPMC). His talk detailed the evolution of the training system, the integration of emerging themes (digital health, environmental resilience), and the use of national accreditation standards to ensure graduate readiness.

Strategic Regional Implications

The session illustrated the value of cross-border collaboration in strengthening public health education. Discussions highlighted that while contexts may vary, the fundamental goal remains consistent: to produce a capable, adaptable, and ethically grounded public health workforce equipped to respond to evolving health challenges.

By drawing on experiences from the U.S., APACPH, and Malaysia, Symposium 6 exemplified how multi-level partnerships can inform national reforms and elevate regional training standards.