This year’s edition of our innovative training course “PentaTr@ining: HIV & other Congenital Infections” finally drew to a close at the end of September, and we are delighted to report it was a wonderful success! Our freshly updated programme provided an opportunity for doctors, nurses, medical students, researchers and other healthcare workers to sharpen their professional skills and deepen their knowledge on the treatment and care of children, young people and pregnant women living with HIV and other infectious diseases.
While the online course component ran from April to July, with over 80 participants in total, the residential segment of the course took place on 28-30 September, 2022 at the historic venue of Pontificia Università Urbaniana in Rome, Italy. This was the first time we held the face-to-face workshop in hybrid mode, in a manner that allowed both online and in-person attendees to actively participate in the Q&A sessions, group quizzes and case discussions. A total of 45 delegates from all across the world were in attendance – 21 online and 24 in person. Over the three days, the participants shared experiences, learned key updates, and enjoyed invaluable engagement with our experienced faculty and tutors, all experts in their respective fields.
“I attended the PentaTr@ining course in 2021, but that time it was fully online. Now in a hybrid setting, the interaction was better, quizzes were smart and useful for our practice, and lastly, the lectures were even more informative. The way each topic was delivered was very entertaining, interesting, and truly excellent. Despite being an online attendee, I never felt bored or left out in any of the activities.” – Delegate
As well as expert lectures and interactive quiz sessions, this lively three-day training workshop incorporated a strong case-based learning ethos, as delegates were invited to bring with them their own clinical cases for discussion in smaller working groups. Theory was backed-up with real-life scenarios, providing a more holistic and patient-centred approach to the training.
“The virtual clinics were an excellent way to cement the learning with cases, whilst also making me feel more comfortable with bringing other cases to them for discussion in the future” – Delegate
As the course is specifically tailored to help develop the capacity of Paediatric Infectious Diseases healthcare workers, it would not be complete without the voices of young people. Indeed, one of the online course modules was co-authored by a young person living with HIV. Moreover, during the course in Rome we were fortunate to welcome a young person to share her own first-hand experiences with the delegates, including the specific challenges that are connected with growing up with HIV. The issues of stigma, disclosure, adherence and doctor-patient/family communication continue to be crucial learning topics, which further underlines the importance of meaningful engagement with young people in the design and delivery of all our training courses.
And of course, it goes without saying that we are thrilled to be getting back to face-to-face and hybrid training modes as we now emerge from the last few years of lockdowns and global travel restrictions. The 2022 edition of the course may have come to a close, but we are already gearing up for the next installment. We look forward to sharing the latest in paediatric HIV, congenital infections and other opportunistic infections in line with international guidelines, confident that our delegates will continue to be well equipped and able to provide the best care and health outcomes for children, young people and pregnant women.