GlaxoSmithKline, DataLEADS launch Global Infodemic Management Course for Healthcare Workers

The course is aimed at empowering healthcare workers worldwide with tools and approaches to identify misleading and harmful information and aid them to run effective infodemic management interventions

New Delhi: DataLEADS, a leading Indian data and digital media company, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline, a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company have developed an online infodemic management course to equip healthcare workers worldwide with knowledge and tools to address infodemic.

The course is primarily aimed at doctors, public health workers, hospital administrators, pharmacists, nurses, vaccinators and medical researchers. However, it remains open for anyone who wants to join hands in fighting rising health misinformation. It is complementary and available in three languages: English, Portuguese and Spanish.

The course comprises six modules: the misinformation ecosystem, deciphering health misinformation, addressing health misinformation, understanding human biases, health information diet and infodemic intervention toolbox.

The curriculum advisory experts include veteran and renowned Indian microbiologist and virologist Dr Gagandeep Kang; a veteran South African journalist, Paula Fray; President of Global Health and Pharmaceuticals Consulting Inc (USA) Dr. Altaf Lal; former member of WHO’s Ethical Review Committee and visiting Fellow at the Centre for Global Health, University of Winchester, Chris Zielinski; Assistant Professor at the Michael Smith Laboratories and School of Biomedical Engineering at University of British Columbia (Canada) Dr Anna Blakney; a specialist in global health security with a focus on health security intelligence Gemma Bowsher of King’s College London.

Speaking at the launch, founder and CEO of DataLEADS Syed Nazakat said Global Infodemic Management Course for Healthcare workers course is a key initiative to empower healthcare workers worldwide with key tools and approaches to address health misinformation.

“The proliferation of too much health information including mis-and disinformation has led to confusion, chaos, risk-taking behaviour and mistrust in public healthcare systems across the globe,” said Syed Nazakat. “The course is designed to build skills and competencies such as critical thinking, comprehension of human biases and the ability to use fact checking tools to prebunk and debunk misinformation in the healthcare domain and equip healthcare workers to run effective infodemic management interventions.”

He emphasised that the course encompasses global and region-specific case studies and will be a useful resource base for healthcare workers to strengthen public health response and build resilience to health misinformation. “We’re delighted to partner with GlaxoSmithKline for this timely initiative and we look forward to learning from this effort,” Syed Nazakat added.

The course has been introduced at a very crucial time when the world is recovering from Covid-19 pandemic and fighting an infodemic. The phenomenon has escalated to a level that requires a robust and coordinated response and a whole-of-society approach. While misinformation is ubiquitous, health misinformation is of particular concern because of how it can lead to undesirable behaviours and jeopardize the public health response. With such dire consequences, the challenges for the medical fraternity have risen more than ever.

The course is aimed at empowering healthcare workers with tools and approaches to identify misleading information and aid them to running an effective infodemic management intervention to deal with public health emergencies. This is a self-paced, free training course. Interested applicants can register here