The ALPHA Programme took place in 2022 and trained 20 early career professionals from Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Vietnam and Thailand. It included a mix of online and in-person sessions. At present (2024), there are no plans to run this programme again.
Building Alliances for Pandemic Response (Public Health) Asia [ALPHA]
About ALPHA
The Covid-19 crisis has highlighted the need for robust health systems as well as for collaboration across regions of the world. In line with the need for greater ASEAN cooperation, public health leadership, and digital governance, the ALPHA programme aims to train the best and the brightest young public health leaders from ASEAN in precision public health, pandemic preparedness, digital health, and technological innovation. Structured as a fellowship programme, ALPHA hopes to foster effective cross-country collaboration and build synergistic and strong partnerships among the ALPHA cohort in order to promote the co-development of future capabilities and enhance mutual support in times of new disease threats.
The programme will run from April to December 2022 and is structured to include monthly online, in-person, or blended sessions, subject to prevailing travel restrictions. Sessions will adopt a participatory learning approach with a mix of learnings from international industry players, site visits, practical case studies, globally renowned guest speakers, and other collaborative activities. The ALPHA cohort will consist of 20 selected fellows in total from Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia, and Singapore and they will have the opportunity to gain knowledge about each of these ASEAN countries. The ALPHA programme will serve as a unique capacity-building platform to create a cohort with a shared vision for health in the region enabled by the use of technology and data, leading to an innovative outlook on global health.
ALPHA Programme Schedule
| Date | Event | Sample Topics (TBC) |
| April 22, 2022 | Orientation – Virtual | |
| April 29, 2022 | Session 1 – Blended | Problem Solving Approaches in Public Health; Pandemic Preparedness |
| May 27, 2022 | Session 2 – Virtual | Responsible Data Sharing |
| June 25 – 27, 2022 | Session 3 – In Person (Singapore) | Precision Public Health; Communication in Crisis; Technology and Policy in Pandemics; Site visits |
| August 26, 2022 | Session 4 – Virtual | Public-Private Partnerships for Pandemic Preparedness & Response; Priority Setting and UHC |
| September 28, 2022 | Session 5 – Blended | Genomics for Pandemics; Data Science for Health Equity |
| October 20, 2022 | Session 6 – Virtual | Vaccination; Case Studies on Data |
| November 30 – December 2, 2022 | Session 7 & Graduation – In Person (Singapore) |
Participants
- 2-4 years public health experience/role related to public health (civil service, NGO, academia)
- Based in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia or Singapore
- Analytical, logical, system thinking
- Must be comfortable interpreting data, working knowledge of information technology and AI/ML, IoT
- Passion for making things better
- Good command of English
- Participants will have to commit to attend the whole programme
Learning Outcomes
As a participant in this programme you will:
- Strengthen your skills and knowledge of the relationship between information technology and public health
- Gain knowledge of other participating ASEAN countries (Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Malaysia and Singapore)
- Be part of a cohort of like-minded fellows in leadership position, leading to region-wide collaboration and mutual support
- Be part of a group with a shared vision for health in the region enabled by use of technology and data, leading to an innovative outlook and approach to health issues, including future pandemic threats
- Have access to public health experts from NUS School of Public Health and partners, including international industry players; the in-person sessions of the programme will be complemented by site visits.
Costs
Participation is free of charge. Accommodation in Singapore will be provided. Participants will need to cover (or find sponsorship) for travel to and from Singapore.
