WiRED International
| Founded | 1997 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Gary Selnow |
| Type | Nonprofit |
| Focus | Health education, community health worker training, continuing medical education |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Website | www |
WiRED International is a United States–based nonprofit organization founded in 1997 that develops and distributes health education programs for underserved communities. The organization focuses on community health worker training, continuing medical education, and mobile technologies that provide access to health information in low-resource settings.
History
WiRED International was founded in 1997 by scholar Gary Selnow, Ph.D., initially to provide computer-based learning resources in Vukovar, Croatia, during the post-war recovery period.[1]
In the early 2000s the organization worked in Iraq, establishing Medical Information Centers in collaboration with the U.S. Department of State.[2]
By 2005, WiRED reported reaching more than one million people in 11 countries across four continents.[3]
In 2009, the UC Berkeley School of Public Health recognized WiRED as an “Organizational Public Health Hero” for its use of information technology in public health education in low-resource regions.[4]
Programs
WiRED International develops and distributes health training programs for underserved populations, with an emphasis on community health worker training, continuing medical education, and mobile technologies for delivering health information in low-resource settings.[5]
Community Health Worker Training
WiRED developed a Basic Community Health Worker (CHW) curriculum based on World Health Organization guidelines. The program covers infectious diseases (such as HIV/AIDS, malaria, tuberculosis, and cholera), maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, non-communicable diseases, and mental health. The training is modular and peer-reviewed, enabling adaptation to local conditions and health priorities. WiRED has also developed an Advanced Community Health Worker curriculum that offers higher-level training enabling CHWs to provide greater health care in communities where access to professional medical systems is limited.
HealthMAP
WiRED distributes its educational materials through HealthMAP (Health Mobile Access Platform), a mobile application that allows offline use of training modules. HealthMAP also enables health professionals and CHWs to track their progress and provides rapid deployment of materials during public health emergencies, including Ebola, Zika, and COVID-19.[6]
Continuing Medical Education
WiRED offers a Continuing Medical Education (CME) program for community health workers, nurses, and other health professionals. The CME library contains hundreds of modules, covering both communicable and non-communicable diseases, diagnostic and treatment protocols, and preventive medicine.[7] Modules are peer-reviewed and updated by volunteer medical experts, and in some countries they qualify for professional certification requirements.
Organization and Volunteers
WiRED’s programs are developed and maintained largely by volunteers, including physicians, nursing professors, public health educators, tech experts, and former senior officials from the U.S. government. This model enables the organization to devote the majority of its funding directly to educational programs, with minimal overhead.[8]
Impact
WiRED has operated in regions of Africa, Latin America, Eastern Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. According to WiRED’s reports, CHW teams in Kenya reached more than 110,000 people with health education and services in 2024. The organization has also produced urgent-response training materials for emerging health crises, including COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika.
Recognition
- 2007 – Featured on CNN’s Anderson Cooper 360°, which covered the group’s health education programs in Iraq.[9]
- 2009 – Named an “Organizational Public Health Hero” by the UC Berkeley School of Public Health.[10]
- 2022 – Published a digital magazine marking its 25th anniversary, documenting its programs and international activities.
See also
References
- ↑ Selnow, Gary (2003-08-08). "Paradox Amid the Rubble". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
- ↑ "U.S. Global Technology Corps Brings IT to Iraqi Medical Students" (Press release). U.S. Department of State. 2003-06-26.
- ↑ Othman, Miriam; Selnow, Gary; Crano, S.; Petrović, Juraj (2014). "Collaborations in health education for low-resource regions" (PDF). The Medical Journal of Southern California Clinicians. 8 (1): 64–69. ISSN 2471-5131.
- ↑ "Public Health Heroes Honored by UC Berkeley School of Public Health". Berkeley News. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
- ↑ Othman, Maryam; Selnow, Gary W. (2025-04-11). "Community health workers: a narrative review of a curriculum and training program for low-income communities facing limited access to healthcare". Frontiers in Public Health. 13. Bibcode:2025FrPH...1304490O. doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1504490. PMC 12022841 Check
|pmc=value (help). PMID 40290510 Check|pmid=value (help). Unknown parameter|article-number=ignored (help) - ↑ "HealthMAP". WiRED International.
- ↑ "Continuing Medical Education (CME) Tracker". WiRED International.
- ↑ "WiRED International". GuideStar.
- ↑ "WiRED Featured on Anderson Cooper 360°". WiRED International. 2007-07-21.
- ↑ "Public Health Heroes Honored by UC Berkeley School of Public Health". Berkeley News. 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2025-08-27.
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