The first ever edition of our brand-new online training course ‘Fungal Infections in Paediatrics’ came to a close on 15th December 2022. We are delighted to report we had an impressive turnout, with more than 150 delegates from over 40 different nations across the world participating in the training.
There has been a paucity of teaching and training in medical mycology in general, and more specifically in paediatric medical curricula. With the delivery of this exciting and timely new online course, our goal was to address this need for a global audience.
The course faculty lead, Prof. Adilia Warris (University of Exeter) had the following words:
“It has been a huge pleasure to engage with so many of you and to see your enthusiasm for this training programme. It is hard to believe that we have already reached the end of the first edition of the ‘Fungal Infections in Paediatrics’ online course. I really hope the course has brought you what you expected it would bring you, and that it will positively impact your clinical practice.”
This innovative and widely accessible training programme has aimed to build the professional capacity of healthcare workers of different levels of experience who manage children with invasive fungal infections, even among those working in some of the most remote corners of the world. Our immersive course was facilitated and supported by an expert teaching faculty of senior frontline clinicians currently working in the field of paediatric fungal infections, many of whom are also members of the Penta Fungal Infections Working Group and European Paediatric Mycology Network (EPMyN).
Participants received access to six in-depth and interactive modules, lively virtual discussion forums with ongoing questions and comments, dedicated online tutoring, as well as live “Ask the Expert” Q&A webinars. Our ever popular live sessions nicely complemented the case-based online training of each module, giving delegates the ability to interact with our team of leading experts, ask any additional burning questions and get advice from them directly in real-time.
Dr. Laura Ferreras-Antolín (Course Faculty Lead – St. George’s University Hospital, London) had this to say:
“This course has been an extraordinary experience! From the outset, through the course preparation, working together with our excellent faculty and the invaluable support from Penta – and also once the course started, with all our students who have been active and easy to engage with. I hope the course has met your expectations, helped to create new networks, and ultimately raised awareness and improved the future care of children affected by fungal infections.”
We extend our warmest thanks to all participants for their active engagement throughout the course, which has helped make this PentaTr@ining programme a success. Moreover, we are immensely grateful to the passion and commitment of our panel of faculty leads who have all worked together to make this training ‘idea’ a ‘reality’. We are already looking forward to the next edition of the course in 2023!
Photo by DDurrich from Getty Images