Sydney Faculty of Health Sciences designated as WHO Collaborating Centre

31 October 2014

The World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre (CC) in Health Workforce Development in Rehabilitation and Long Term Care was launched at an official function at the University of Sydney on Oct. 29.

University of Sydney Occupational Therapy School
Study OT and health sciences at the University of Sydney

The Sydney Faculty of Health Sciences has been designated as a WHO Collaborating Centre with Professor Gwynnyth Llewellyn at its head. This is only the second WHO CC to be established at the University of Sydney.
“Hosting this WHO Collaborating Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences is an excellent opportunity for the university to engage with the big issues and challenges in world health… Thought leadership is central to the university’s mission. Through the WHOCC, this leadership is transformed into research, policy and practice with global impact,” said Professor Llewellyn.
WHO collaborating centres are designated to bring expertise about local and global health challenges to the forefront of governments and society. There are currently approximately 700 WHO collaborating centres around the world, working with WHO on areas such as nursing, occupational health, communicable diseases, nutrition, mental health, chronic diseases and health technologies.
The role of the  centre at the Sydney Faculty of Health Sciences is to develop sustainable solutions to workforce challenges in rehabilitation and long-term care.
“The greatest challenge is designing health workforce models and effective interventions that meet the needs of the over 650 million persons with disabilities who live in Asia and the Pacific. Working with governments and civil society partners in countries in our region, the centre will build capacity in health workforce research, curricula, educators and practitioners in rehabilitation and long- term care. Importantly, the centre will also build capacity and expertise in health, disability and functioning data sets for administrative, clinical and research purposes,” said Professor Llewellyn.
The centre will work with staff across the faculty and the university to help solve health workforce challenges in rehabilitation and long-term care during its four-year term.
“Hosting this WHO Collaborating Centre in the Faculty of Health Sciences is an excellent opportunity for the university to engage with the big issues and challenges in world health. ”

University of Sydney Occupational Therapy School

The University of Sydney offers a two-year, graduate-entry Master of Occupational Therapy program. It is intended for students coming from an undergraduate degree in any field who wish to gain the requirements to become an occupational therapist.
As the course leads to eligibility to practice, students will be assisted in achieving prescribed professional competencies through practical and theoretical skill acquisition and clinical fieldwork placements. Clinical placements are undertaken in both the public and private sectors. Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of the career path they have chosen, and its place in contemporary health.
The university encourages applications from people from a range of backgrounds into its Master of Occupational Therapy program. The program is designed to accommodate all suitably qualified candidates regardless of their prior degree. Students who already have a background in health will be able to select their program electives, while those without such experience will be required to take prescribed electives.
Find out more about studying occupational therapy at Sydney!
*

Do you have questions about Sydney Occupational Therapy School? Please contact OzTREKK’s Australian Occupational Therapy Schools Officer Sarah Bridson at sarah@oztrekk.com, or phone toll free at 1-866-698-7355. Contact OzTREKK for more information about how you can study in Australia and about occupational therapy programs at Australian universities!

News