2024 PQMD Collaboration & Learning Forum

Executive Committee Members Only

For Member Representatives who joined since May 2024.

Today's Emcee: Kyle Guerin, Director, CSR at Henry Schein

Reunite and mingle with your fellow PQMD members over coffee and pastries.

The PQMD Collaboration and Learning Forum Opening Session kicks off with a warm welcome from PQMD's Executive Director, EJ Ashbourne, setting the stage for the event. Mercy Ships CEO, Gert van de Weerdhof, will then extend his greetings, introducing the collaborative spirit of the forum.

This panel will delve into how PQMD members are responding to the increasing frequency and severity of global disasters and crises without coinciding funding. Members will speak to escalating needs and discuss their strategic approach to how they prioritize response efforts and any implications on organizational bandwidth, partnerships, level of engagement, and relationships with donors. Additionally, members will share their experiences on shifts in effectiveness and articulating the impact of their work.

This critical conversation will explore the nuances and realities of how humanitarian work makes an impact. Organizations have always been keen to articulate their value proposition and the results of their work in general and that can quickly become customized. With the recognition that we are living through complex changes in how we work, we can further pursue deeper understanding about why our work is valuable, what we can measure, the assumptions we make and who should inform metrics decisions. ESG, the localization movement, expansion of partnerships and growing interest in wrap-around programming all influence organizational approaches to monitoring and evaluation. PQMD members will discuss “what is truly working – and how do we know?”

In this dynamic session, PQMD members will deliver rapid-fire "snapshots" of their programmatic successes that create impact for Regional Partnerships and Health Infrastructure. This is an opportunity for the membership to hear directly from their peers who have expertise in discreet programmatic areas. This session was directly requested from our members and built to inspire and provide opportunities for deeper understanding - leading to further collaboration and cross-pollination of ideas. After the presentations, participants will work together to share their own experiences around the topics.

Direct Relief: City Cancer Challenge
Direct Relief multi-year initiative with Amgen and the City Cancer Challenge (C/Can) to support breast cancer patients in Paraguay. The initiative aims to establish a standardized methodology for achieving in-country readiness to support equitable and quality access to breast cancer diagnostics and medicines. Through partnerships and collaboration with local stakeholders, the program reinforces ongoing efforts to strengthen local infrastructure and the healthcare workforce in Paraguay’s leading cancer treatment institutions for long term sustainability in provision of cancer services.

Save the Children: Regional COVID-19 Response to the Pandemic in Indonesia and Philippines - Minimizing Mental Health Consequences of COVID-19 
Save the Children sees regional partnerships as a strong lever to achieving its mission to inspire breakthroughs in the way the world treats children to deliver immediate and lasting change. By working with local organizations, governments, and communities, the organization ensures its programs are culturally relevant and sustainable, leveraging local expertise for tailored interventions. A prime example of this approach is Save the Children’s partnership in Indonesia and the Philippines during COVID-19, funded by Johnson & Johnson. Collaborating with health authorities, universities, and community members, the initiative provided mental health support to over 10,000 frontline health workers. The success stemmed from a deep partnership that combined the strengths of various stakeholders, enhancing the capacity to address complex challenges and creating lasting change for children and families.

Seeding Labs: Instrumental Access
Seeding Labs is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) organization that enhances access to scientific resources in the developing world. Its flagship program, Instrumental Access, builds an international network of partners to strengthen the scientific capacity of universities and research institutes in developing countries, which are vital for training the health workforce and generating research to inform healthcare policy.

By focusing on providing high-quality laboratory equipment and supplies, Instrumental Access addresses a critical gap that promotes growth and sustainability for these institutions. Access to these tools allows scientists and students to innovate and excel, ultimately fostering self-sustaining research environments. Over fifteen years, data from nearly 100 institutions has shown that this support leads to significant outcomes in workforce development and institutional sustainability, advancing equity in health and empowering local leadership in development.

MedShare: MedShare’s Biomedical Equipment Training & Repair Program
To address the dilemma of donated medical equipment sitting idle in healthcare facilities, MedShare invests significant time and resources in biomedical equipment training and repair services. This program focuses on providing quality, functional medical equipment, accompanied by biomedical engineering training to under-resourced communities around the world. MedShare’s biomedical engineers have traveled to dozens of countries to provide hands-on training to end-users, engineers, technicians and healthcare professionals, ensuring sustainability of critical diagnostic healthcare infrastructure, expanding available services, and improving quality of care.

Henry Schein: Jamaican Partnerships
For many decades, Henry Schein has worked to expand equitable access to quality, affordable health care for all by catalyzing impactful public-private partnerships focused on several key goals: advancing holistic and innovative models of care and wellness; delivering care to underserved and underrepresented communities; and preparing for and responding to emergencies. In order for us to deliver care to underserved and underrepresented communities, alignment is a must. Learn how Henry Schein Helps Health Happen by positioning partnerships and increasing access to oral health care in Jamaica.

Virtual Reality:
With the support of Dell Technologies and Link To VR, Mercy Ships created a digital twin of their hospital ship, the Global Mercy. They are using Mesh to facilitate tours, onboarding, and staff training, in order to easily scale unified understanding and connect its people to their culture and mission.

Since we can’t take you all to the Global Mercy, we brought the Global Mercy to you. During every break, please head over to the back of the room to take a tour of the largest hospital ship in the world, and learn more about Mercy Ships.

As climate change impacts health and shapes the changing scope and scale of humanitarian work, PQMD members are on the frontlines of action. This session will tap into PQMD member experiences as they adapt and mitigate their work. Participants will hear “take-home” messages and contextualized insight from partners working on climate action every day.

In this session, newly-joined PQMD member organizations will introduce themselves and share their unique missions and contributions to the network. This session offers a valuable opportunity to welcome and learn about the fresh perspectives and innovative approaches these new members bring to the PQMD family.

Since the implementation of PQMD’s Strategic Plan in 2020, the Executive Committee annually reconfirms PQMD’s goals as a Standards Setter, Network Builder & Convener, and Information & Knowledge Broker. These standards reflect PQMD’s ongoing commitment to sustainable development and global access to healthcare and well-being. We have made great progress toward these goals while evolving as a global thought-leader and dynamic organization. Earlier this year, PQMD recruited a cross-section of member representatives to volunteer and serve as a “core team” to engage in a Strategic Refresh process focused on examining PQMD’s organizational structure to ensure we continue to be fit for purpose and continue to accomplish our strategic goals. During this session, we will hear an update on the group’s progress and learn what’s next!

Virtual Reality:
With the support of Dell Technologies and Link To VR, Mercy Ships created a digital twin of their hospital ship, the Global Mercy. They are using Mesh to facilitate tours, onboarding, and staff training, in order to easily scale unified understanding and connect its people to their culture and mission.

Since we can’t take you all to the Global Mercy, we brought the Global Mercy to you. During every break, please head over to the back of the room to take a tour of the largest hospital ship in the world, and learn more about Mercy Ships.

Participants will enjoy a PQMD signature opportunity for trusted exchange in peer sector-distinguished meetings.

Today's Emcee: Trina Newcomb, Medical Teams International 

Program highlight and warehouse tour (closed-toed shoes required).

Explore Mercy Ships’ Warehouse Operations: Supporting Global Missions from Lindale, Texas
Mercy Ships operates two key warehouse facilities that are essential to supporting our two ships. Our Lindale, Texas facility serves as the primary hub for a majority of our medical supplies, while our Rotterdam, Netherlands facility handles food, general supplies, and marine operational needs. Together, these facilities manage around 125 container shipments annually, showcasing the agility of our supply chain in adapting to varying lead times, allocations, and surgical schedules. In addition to container shipments, we utilize DHL, air cargo, and couriers to ensure timely delivery and high-quality care for our staff and patients.

We invite you to join us for a tour of our Lindale warehouse to gain insight into how we support our two-ship operation. Please note that closed-toe shoes are mandatory for the tour to ensure safety. We look forward to sharing the intricate details of our supply chain and the vital role our warehouse plays in our global mission.

Day 2 of member showcases will highlight success in Maternal and Child Health (MCH), support for Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), Health Workforce development, and Access. In this engaging session, PQMD members will present rapid-fire “snapshots” of their innovative approaches and achievements in these vital areas. The session will conclude with breakout discussions, offering participants the opportunity to exchange experiences and strategies related to each topic.

Children International: Youth-Led Social Accountability 
Children International (CI) addresses pressing adolescent health issues such as early pregnancy, substance abuse, and sexually transmitted infections by ensuring that healthcare services are tailored to meet the needs of youth. Barriers like limited knowledge, distrust in providers, and unwelcoming healthcare environments prevent adolescents from accessing essential services. To combat these challenges, CI integrates demand generation and social accountability into its adolescent health initiatives, aligning with Sustainable Development Goal 3 to promote good health and well-being for young people.

Through youth-led Social Accountability, CI empowers adolescents to take an active role in evaluating and improving their health services. In projects like those in the Dominican Republic and Zambia, trained youth lead the entire social accountability process, fostering greater participation and addressing specific health issues in action plans. This approach has not only increased youth confidence and ownership but also resulted in tangible improvements in local health services, enabling young people to advocate for themselves and effect positive change in their communities.

Corus International: MOMENTUM Integrated Health Resilience (MIHR) 
MIHR is an initiative funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) that aims to enhance maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH), family planning (FP), and reproductive health (RH) services in fragile and conflict-affected settings, including South Sudan, Sudan, DRC, Niger, Burkina Fasso, Mali, Benin, Tanzania, and Yemen. The project fosters coordination between development and humanitarian partners to strengthen health resilience at the individual, family, community, and system levels. Key strategies involve implementing evidence-based interventions across the continuum of care, Age specific and life stages, collaborating with local institutions, and improving community participation to create a supportive environment for MNCH outcomes.

To date, MIHR has trained over 7,000 health providers across more than 1,000 facilities, resulting in over 600,000 supported deliveries and more than 1 million children receiving the third dose of DPT (Diphtheria, Tetanus, and Pertussis). The project is led by IMA World Health, in collaboration with partners such as JSI Research & Training Institute, Pathfinder International, and CARE. For further details, please visit the  MOMENTUM website or refer to the MIHR fact sheet.

World Vision

Edwards Lifesciences Foundation

Anera: Healthcare in a Displacement Crisis - Mobile Clinics in Gaza
Anera’s main program focuses on Product Donations, but with the onset of the Gaza crises, the organization has adapted its efforts to address critical care gaps. Access to medical services has been severely hindered by the limited number of functioning hospitals in southern Gaza, where approximately one million internally displaced persons (IDPs) have sought refuge. Swift distribution of medical aid has also proven challenging due to the dense population and widespread destruction of healthcare facilities. In response to these pressing needs, Anera has quickly implemented mobile clinics that provide essential care, including wound treatment, maternal and child health services, and management of non-communicable diseases, bringing vital healthcare directly to those who need it most.

During the recovery phase, Anera plans to transition this model to local health clinics, empowering them to take the lead in providing care. Additionally, Anera is exploring ways to scale up similar mobile clinics in Lebanon.

Requested by members and guided by Standard Co., PQMD has leveraged basic benchmarking data and developed a member-exclusive digital resource to help organizations learn, connect and collaborate with their follow members.

This session will provide an in-depth exploration of the complexities and rising costs associated with supply chain logistics. It will focus on procurement strategies, managing inventory constraints, and optimizing cost management while ensuring quality and sustainability. Following the panel discussion, participants will engage in a round robin of topic discussions sharing ideas to address these logistics challenges and identify effective strategies for improving efficiency and impact. Breakout groups include: Planning and Preparedness; Cost Management Strategies; Procurement Models; Infrastructure and Distribution; Quality Assurance and ROI; and Environmental Sustainability.

"Leaning into Sustainability and Resilience: What's Working and What's Driving Success" comes to a close, PQMD leadership will wrap-up of the CLF and deliver PQMD announcements for future meetings.

Fundamentals of Humanitarian Logistics (Facilitation by: Airlink)
This interactive session will offer participants an opportunity to learn about the requirements and key considerations for moving aid cargo by air to international programs. Looking at aid mobilization through the lens of an emergency scenario, participants engage directly with shipping documentation, cargo preparation, and arrangement of in-country receiving requirements in order to get donated goods onsite quickly following a disaster. This session is geared towards NGO members and Corporate members that routinely work in disaster response as a tool in building logistics capacity and assessing current or partner capabilities. Participants will walk away from this session with a deeper understanding of the documentation required to dispatch aid (whether procured or donated) to program sites using air freight, access to templates and guidance on preparing cargo for shipment by air, and a list of considerations for important consignee vetting to ensure shipments arrive where and when they are needed.

Mental Health & Resilience Training for Frontline Workers (Facilitation by: Project HOPE)
The Mental Health and Resilience Training program was originally designed for frontline healthcare workers and has been adapted to provide PQMD members knowledge, tools, techniques and practical guidance on building resilience, self-care and how to support themselves and others in times of crises. It will push participants to think about operationalizing mental wellbeing and advocating for organizational mental health practical initiatives. This training will provide insight into what humanitarian staff, emergency response volunteers, and frontline workers are faced with and provide helpful tools on how to support our own mental wellbeing and wellbeing of peers / personnel. The session will cover the continuum of stress; warning signs and responses to stress; common effects of stress on frontline workers; self-care techniques and skill building techniques to aid our teams through self care, support and assessments.

Operationalizing Climate Action – A Primer (Facilitation by: International Medical Corps)
The humanitarian sector is in the era of incorporating climate action into our programs and across our pursuits. In many of the geographic areas targeted by interventions led by PQMD’s members, larger numbers of people are likely to be severely affected by increases in water-borne and vector-borne diseases. The scientific consensus anticipates increases in the frequency and intensity of floods, extreme heat, wildfires and droughts, as well as increases in the intensity of tropical storms and the complexity and overlapping of disasters occurring simultaneously. Recognizing the profound threat that climate change poses to the communities with which our members work, this workshop will provide a high-level road map for how organizations, and the companies they partner with, can develop, implement and resource a multi-pronged approach to address the impacts of climate change – ultimately to better support the communities served as they adapt to changing healthcare needs in a hotter and more dangerous world. The session will cover areas such as: development of internal buy-in and working groups; measuring climate impact; program strategies for adaptation; capacity strengthening for local partners; and explore tools to measure the environmental impact of our own activities.