WHO Collaborating Centres (CCs) are typically parts of institutions such as universities, hospitals, research institutes, academies or ministries that have been designated by the WHO Director-General to carry out activities in support of the Organization's programs by providing information, services, and expertise; thereby strengthening their own national capacity for training, research, and collaboration for health development.
Currently, there are more than 800 CCs in over 80 Member States. Within the Region of the Americas, there are over 180 PAHO/WHO CCs* in 16 Member States. CCs work with PAHO/WHO in nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, and food safety, among others.
This special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health showcases some of the work carried out by CCs over a 4-year period, both one on one and through the various CC networks in existence. CCs have historically been encouraged to develop working relations with other CCs by creating or joining collaborative networks.
We wish to thank PAHO/WHO CCs for their support of the Organization in the pursuit and achievement of its mandates and goals, and we look forward to continuing in the future.
We would also like to thank the Editorial Board for their input in the selection of manuscripts: Mr. Ary Silva (Communication Department); Dr. Freddy Perez (Department of Communicable Diseases and Environmental Determinants of Health); Mr. Marcelo D’Agostino (Department of Evidence and Intelligence for Action in Health); Dr. Patricia Morsch (Department of Family, Health Promotion and Life Course); Dr. Silvia Cassiani (Department of Health Systems and Services); Dr. Claudina Cayetano (Department of Noncommunicable Diseases and Mental Health); Dr. Alex Camacho (Health Emergencies Department); Dr. Alejandro Morlachetti (Office of the Legal Counsel).
*For historical reasons specific to the Pan American Sanitary Bureau (PASB), WHO CCs located in the Region of the Americas are known as PAHO/WHO CCs, including two that are outside of the Region.
General information on PAHO/WHO CCs: What are PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centres?