World Health Organization

In 1988, Penn Nursing earned the prestigious designation of being named a World Health Organization Collaborating Center (WHOCC) for Nursing and Midwifery Leadership, and we’ve been working with the WHO ever since.

We are a member of a global network of WHOCCs supporting WHO global health priorities.  

Our WHOCC is an active member of the Pan American Nursing and Midwifery Collaborating Centers (PANMCC) and the Global Network of WHO Collaborating Centers (GNWHOCCNM).

Our work is focused on the goal of “health for all through nursing and midwifery.” As a collaborating center, we commit to a certain number of projects with the WHO during each four-year cycle of work. For 2022-2026, we are supporting the WHO and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) in the Latin American and Caribbean region via three Terms of Reference (TOR). These TORs focus on 1) the increase in knowledge and understanding of maternal health and mortality, 2) the building of capacity in nursing education, and 3) strengthening nursing research.  

A Model for Ukraine Support

Michael (Misho) Stawnychy, PhD, CRNP, Assistant Professor at Penn Nursing, has contributed to the humanitarian efforts of the Ukrainian Federation of America (UFA) since 2022 and became a Board member in 2024. He was inspired to help because of personal ties to Ukraine and a desire to use his nursing training and experience for constructive action.

Read the StoryA Model for Ukraine Support
plastic bags with medical supplies

How Penn Nursing Supports WHOCC

WHOCC Webinars

View recordings from live webinars showcasing Penn Nursing’s WHOCC work.

Training & Education

Resources

  • Cover of LINKS magazine, June 2022

    LINKS magazine | June 2022

    This edition of LINKS includes a special 12-page report by Drs. Lake, Perez, Vargas, and Villarruel on the Penn Nursing-hosted “Summit to Advance PhD Nursing Programs in Latin America & the Caribbean.”
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  • Cover of LINKS magazine, June 2021

    LINKS magazine | June 2021

    This edition of LINKS covers a few of the many experiences and accomplishments of nurses, midwives, students, and educators world-wide, during a critical COVID-19 period and features three Penn Nursing entries.
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  • Cover of PAHO Nursing and Midwifery magazine

    Contributions of Nursing and Midwifery Professionals to Women’s Health

    This PAHO publication contains reports from countries throughout the Americas, highlighting the initiatives of health professionals who work to ensure equity in health in order to achieve universal access to health and universal health coverage.
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