Washington DC, 16 October 2025 (PAHO) – The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) took part in the Health Workforce Canada Connects: Tackling System Complexity conference, held on October 15–16 in Vancouver. The event brought together international leaders, policymakers, researchers, and health professionals to discuss innovative solutions to the complex challenges facing health systems.
Representing PAHO, Benjamín Puertas, Unit Chief of the Human Resources for Health Unit, participated virtually in the opening ceremony “Exploring System Complexity in Health Workforce Planning, Policy and Action.” The session also featured Crispin Scotter, from the World Health Organization Regional Office for Europe (WHO/Europe), and Åsa Olsson, from Sweden’s Health Human Resources Planning Division.
The keynote explored the need to embrace complexity in health workforce planning, highlighting lessons in leadership, decision-making, data use, and network-building to support system transformation amid changing political and economic contexts.
During his intervention, Puertas presented PAHO’s advances and innovations in strengthening health workforce planning, promoting system transformation, and fostering collaboration among countries in the Region of the Americas.
“Health workforce challenges are global, but solutions must be contextual and collaborative,” said Benjamín Puertas. “PAHO works with countries across the Americas to strengthen governance, promote evidence-based planning, and support the transformation of health systems toward greater equity and resilience.”
PAHO’s participation in this conference marks the beginning of a strategic collaboration with Health Workforce Canada, focused on knowledge exchange, technical cooperation, and strengthening national capacities in health workforce planning and management across the Americas.
