Our Education Philosophy

Education is essential for good healthcare and helps people with chronic disease, those who care for them, and the organizations who advocate for better patient outcomes. 

When patients and their families learn about health, they can make better choices in partnership with their clinicians, understand and follow their treatment plans, and take steps to better overall health and improved quality of life.

For healthcare organizations, educating patients and their caregivers builds trust and improves patient satisfaction. It also reduces mistakes and creates a caring environment where patients feel understood, respected, and appreciated.

Education tools can help patient advocacy organizations to expand their skills and better serve their patient, caregiving, and provider communities. GAAPP educators are committed to support member and collaborating organizations by using our respective resources more efficiently, freeing up time and essential funding for mission-based work.

Effective communication and understanding – no matter the type of delivery – are particularly important in a diverse world. Education helps ensure that everyone gets care that respects their cultural needs. Through education, healthcare organizations can reduce knowledge gaps and create a more equitable and effective healthcare experience. GAAPP member organizations (MOs) who receive translated materials reviewed for cultural relevance can more readily access helpful information and apply it to their everyday work; our evidence-based patient and provider education also equips them with off-the-shelf resources to offer their communities.

Education Capabilities

GAAPP regularly publishes education through our newsletter and social media channels. Our team follows a monthly educational calendar with two tracks:

  1. Topics for MOs. Each month, we share tools and tips to help MOs build capacity and better support their communities. Topics include strategic planning, using GAAPP resources, and measuring success.
  2. Topics for patients and providers. GAAPP educates about issues important to patients, caregivers, and healthcare providers. This includes managing chronic illnesses, attending to mental health issues, the importance of vaccines, and understanding clinical trials.

GAAPP also participates in, hosts, and develops the following, enlisting the expertise of its broad professional and patient networks. We also provide translations that best serve our member organizations.

  • Continuing medical education (CME) content for global healthcare providers 
  • Educational modules 
  • Infographics and educational flyers
  • Pilot programs 
  • Podcasts 
  • Printed and electronic educational materials 
  • Quizzes 
  • Support and working groups 
  • Toolkits 
  • Videos 
  • Webinars, such as our GAAPP Academy capacity building events. In 2023, six new GAAPP Academy events were added to the library of resources for our member organizations. These free educational sessions on engaging in research, amplifying your messaging, advancing your advocacy efforts, and more have garnered more than 21,000 views.

Our Commitment to Learners

This education is created and disseminated with an eye to the following considerations, to ensure content is accessible, understandable, and relevant across different cultural and linguistic contexts:

  • Scientific Rigor: content will be evidence-based and up to date.
  • Cultural Sensitivity: the team attends to different health beliefs and attitudes toward healthcare; uses text that is easily translatable and digestible across cultures; and employs appropriate images and symbols.
  • Language: we translate materials into several languages; aim for a middle school reading level; and target content toward those with functional or interactive health literacy levels.
  • Accessibility: we believe in meeting the learner where they are; we therefore create materials in different formats to be delivered via a variety of modalities, including digital media and paper formats.
  • Storytelling: we employ culturally relevant patient stories to engage the learner; people with chronic conditions such as COPD, bronchiectasis, asthma, allergy, skin disorders or chronic cough telling their stories do so under informed consent.
  • Applicability: the team strives to engage with local residents or clinical experts to ensure the content is relevant and appropriate for a particular region and its culture.

To discuss or inquire about GAAPP education, please email us at info@gaapp.org.