International Institute for Primary Health Care-Ethiopia

The International Institute for Primary Health Care-Ethiopia (IPHC-E) was officially established on February 1, 2016. It was created to disseminate information to low- and middle-income countries about Ethiopia’s Health Extension Program (HEP) and Primary Health Care system and to share how these programs' remarkable successes in improving health enabled Ethiopia to meet the Millennium Development Goals for health. Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health faculty members have played a key role as technical assistants, collaborators, and advisers to the Institute with support from the Gates Foundation.  

IPHC-E was established to meet the demand from other African countries to learn about the achievements of the HEP in Ethiopia. The Institute’s aim is to become a Center of Excellence in PHC, serving as a knowledge hub and a learning platform at both the regional and global levels. Since its inception, the Institute has built a strong partnership with Ethiopia’s Ministry of Health and its directorates of PHC and the HEP, and Human Resources, as well as with local and international partners in the field of PHC.

IPHC-E’s Strategy

Over the last 10 years, the Institute’s core technical support activities have centered around the four thematic areas listed below. For many of these initiatives, the Institute works closely with colleagues at the Bloomberg School and engages with a range of partners in Ethiopia and around the world:

1. Global PHC program support

The Global Program is the outward facing section of the Institute that aims to share Ethiopia’s best practices in PHC with other LMIC, while using lessons learned from LMIC in Africa and beyond to strengthen PHC in Ethiopia. It provides fit-for-purpose and global-quality blended learning opportunities like courses and webinars for leaders in PHC across Africa and beyond. The program has delivered over four courses through more than 20 webinars, reaching nearly 10,000 participants from over 100 countries.

2. National PHC program support

The National PHC Program aims to support the Ethiopian PHC system to ensure it remains exemplary and evolves to meet the needs of the Ethiopian people. It strives to provide capacity building, design, and support to PHC improvement initiatives. The program has provided leadership training, PHC technical training, and technical support. 

3. Knowledge generation and management

The Knowledge Generation and Management aims to share PHC knowledge to improve PHC programs and enhance translation of evidence into policy. It conducts implementation research, shares documentation of best practices, and disseminates policy briefs and training materials through its PHC knowledge center.

4. Advocacy and Partnership

The Advocacy and Partnership aims to advocate for PHC as a tool for Universal Health Coverage and to develop and maintain partnerships with stakeholders that share the vision. It provides a six-module course on Public Health Advocacy, creates advocacy toolkits, and leverages platforms for PHC advocacy like its bi-annual conference and the Global PHC platform. 

Bloomberg School Faculty Involved with This Collaboration

The principal investigator is Svea Closser. The team currently providing the Institute with technical and programmatic support includes: Svea Closser, Youri Moleman, Abigail Neel, and Arman Majidulla. Several other Bloomberg School faculty members serve as advisers and have contributed to the work of the Institute over the past ten years. 

Learn more about the Institute and check out the Institute's online learning platform.