Join us on Friday, September 26, 2025, at 11:00 am (EDT) for the webinar "Association of social determinants in NCDs and examples for their approach," the second webinar in a series of five certifiable webinars from the Better Care for NCDs Initiative.
Evidence confirms that the lack of integration of social determinants has limited the effectiveness of health outcomes, especially for those with the greatest need and in the greatest vulnerability. At the same time, limited social participation in health services remains one of the main gaps that contribute to the barriers to effective access, continuity, and quality in NCD management. The biomedical approach is insufficient to address the structural social conditions that determine the onset, course, and control of these diseases.
The webinar is primarily aimed at primary health care team members, including physicians, nurses, community health workers, decision-makers, and other key stakeholders involved in NCD prevention and management at the primary care level.
RECORDING
Webinar Objectives
- Analyze the role of Social Determinants of Health (SDH) in the development and management of NCDs, with an emphasis on PHC contexts
- Display national and local experiences that combine territorial intervention, community action, and intersectoral response in PHC services
- Introduce technical tools developed by PAHO to strengthen the integration of SDH in NCD care
- Identify lines of coordination between technical actors, policymakers, the community, and PHC teams
Certification
- Training activity certifiable by the Virtual Campus of Public Health (CVSP), with subsequent final evaluation.
How to Participate
- DAY: Friday, September 26, 2025
- TIME: 11:00 a.m. (Washington, D.C., time or EDT) [Check the bottom of the page for times in other cities]
- LANGUAGES: Spanish, English, and Portuguese, with simultaneous interpretation in those languages.
- REGISTRATION: https://paho-org.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_3uSM_cWrTiKLmXKV1dqOsw#/registration
Agenda
Moderator: Jonás Gonseth-García, Senior Advisor, Better Care Initiative for Noncommunicable Diseases, PAHO
11:00 a.m. Opening Remarks
- Gerry Eijkemans, Director of the Department of Social and Environmental Determinants for Health Equity (DHE), PAHO
11:10 a.m. Association between the social determinants of health and NCDs
- Hugo Vásquez, Regional Advisor on Social Determinants of Health, Health Promotion and Social Determinants Unit, PAHO
11:40 a.m. Country Experiences
Chile: Integrating social determinants into the cardiovascular program in Chile through program redesign using the Innov8 approach. Presented by: Verónica Olate, SS Araucanía Sur, Ministry of Health of Chile
Canada: Social prescribing as a tool to integrate SDH into the management of NCDs. Presented by: Sandra Allison. University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
12:10 p.m. Discussion
- Jonás Gonseth-García, Senior Advisor, Better Care for Noncommunicable Diseases Initiative, PAHO
12:20 p.m. Webinar Closing
- Orielle Solar Hormazabal, Chief of the Health Promotion and Social Determinants Unit at PAHO
Series of certifiable webinars - Better Care - 2025
Title: Expanding Quality NCD Services in the Community, from an Equity Perspective
Duration of each session: 90 minutes.
Total cycle duration: The seminars will be held from September to December 2025 and will be announced 15 days in advance through PAHO's social media channels and to the emails of those registered for the series.
Assessment and Certification: Each seminar will include an evaluation through a multiple-choice questionnaire, problem-based multiple-choice situations, or surveys. A specific bibliography will be provided for each session. Completion of all five evaluations will be mandatory in order to qualify for the final certification.
Participants who attend all five seminars and successfully complete the assessments will receive a Certificate of Completion of the 10-hour CVSP Seminar Program. The certificate will indicate the total duration of the sessions, the bibliographical references, and the assessment activities undertaken.
More information on the Series of certifiable webinars
Context
In 2023, PAHO launched the Better Care for NCDs Initiative, to accelerate the integration of noncommunicable disease (NCD) services into Primary Health Care (PHC). The initiative strengthens planning, implementation, and monitoring of comprehensive NCD services, ensuring equitable access, improving diagnosis and treatment, and enhancing data management across the Region.
To advance these goals, strengthening the capacities of interprofessional health teams is essential. What makes this new training offer distinctive is its modular package of thematic webinars, designed as a certifiable pathway. Rather than isolated sessions, the webinars are organized as a series that combines accessible, practice-oriented content with recognition of learning achievements, providing participants with both updated knowledge and formal certification.
- Webinar 1: Evidence-Informed Tools for Better NCD Care
Time in other cities
8:00 a.m. – Los Angeles, Vancouver
9:00 a.m. – Belmopan, Guatemala City, Mexico City, Managua, San José (CR), San Salvador, Tegucigalpa
10:00 a.m. – Bogotá, Panama City, Kingston, Lima, Quito
11:00 a.m. – Bridgetown, Caracas, Georgetown, Havana, La Paz, Nassau, Ottawa, Port of Spain, Port-au-Prince, San Juan, Santo Domingo, Washington, D.C.
12:00 p.m. – Asunción, Buenos Aires, Brasilia, Montevideo, Paramaribo, Santiago
5:00 p.m. – Geneva, Madrid
For other cities, check the local time at this link.