Supercourse: Translation from Research to the Classroom

During the past decade, a new model of health research and care has taken hold, that of translational research. However, translational research has many different nuances and it is difficult to have an umbrella definition. Our focus has been the translation of research to the classroom. The focus of translational research has been little investigated, but is fundamental to all of science and health. At the University of Pittsburgh, we have been developing systems to translate science into the classroom using a model called the Supercourse. Supercourse is a library of over 4100 lectures on public health and medicine shared for free by more than 65,000 members of the Global Health Network from over 170 countries. Translation of knowledge into the classrooms is done via the transfer of PowerPoint modules around the world. We have been particularly concerned with the lack of training of medical, public health and nursing schools for global health and prevention. The Library of Alexandria, the World Health Organization in Geneva, and our WHO Collaborating Center at the University of Pittsburgh have been distributing Supercourse DVDs to address the lack of preventive training in both developed and developing countries.