Techne
We are a WHO network of architects, engineers, designers and public health practitioners from several institutions globally, that responds and prepares to acute public health events with urgent and customized support.
Who is Téchne?
Téchne, the technical science for health network includes:
- universities, institutions, humanitarian and international nongovernmental organization (NGO) partners; and
- academically and operationally trained experts in architecture, engineering, public health and social science disciplines; who serve as, rapid responders to country calls for assistance;
- frontline catalysts for community-based structural and system changes;
- trainers and educators;
- researchers and innovators; and,
- advocates and communicators.
Vision
The creation of safer, healthier, fairer and more sustainable health and care systems, settings and structures through integrated multidisciplinary community-based and informed approaches to problem solving.
technical science for health network
Model of work
Matching services to needs
Addressing country requests with network-based technical support.
Guidance
Translating knowledge into guidance and training
Developing WHO guidance and training based on practical network problem solving experience.
Research and design
Research and design
Implementing research Community-based experience, turned into research studies.
Innovation
Innovating
Discovering ways to be faster, smoother and smarter in identifying, responding to and recovering from new and recurrent health and environmental threats.
Téchne members
The Téchne community network now includes a diverse multidisciplinary group of health and other technical workers, students, professors and researchers from academic institutions, NGOs, WHO and other international agencies.
When WHO catalyzed the creation of Téchne during COVID-19 pandemic, one of its key objectives was to find ways to engage and activate greater involvement of technical experts, e.g., in architecture and engineering, in the public health response force. From its inception Téchne has understood that this community of experts can bring hitherto poorly represented but important, insights, knowledge and skills to addressing today’s and tomorrow’s public health and environmental challenges.
Téchne engage for change: Knowledge center
Publications
All →
14 July 2023
Téchne, WHO/AFRO and Politecnico de Torino win the International Innovative Health Design Award
The Technical Science for Health Network (Téchne), is a WHO network of architects, engineers, designers and public health practitioners from...
18 February 2022
“The hospital of tomorrow’’: a participative, holistic method to innovate health-care facilities during...
Italy was one of the first European countries to report COVID-19 cases, at the end of January 2020. In mid-February, the country reported community-based...
Understanding and controlling building ventilation can improve the quality of the air we breathe and reduce the risk of indoor health concerns including...
20 October 2020
Ensuring a safe environment for patients and staff in COVID-19 health-care facilities: a module from...
Use and contentCountries can use the Ensuring a safe environment for patients and staff in COVID‑19 health-care facilities assessment tool to assess and...
News and events
Videos
In June 2021, WHO and the World Food Programme (WFP) launched INITIATE², a 5-year initiative which brings together emergency response actors, as well, through Téchne, research and academic institutions, to develop innovative and standardized solutions and the related training in support of readiness and response capabilities in health emergencies. These solutions will include medical facilities, temporary medical installations, laboratory and disease-specific facilities and other innovative products to support readiness and response capabilities in health emergencies involving infectious diseases.
INITIATE², thanks to its partners and the Téchne members Politecnico di Torino, International Federation of Healthcare Engineers, Carlton University and Toronto University, is look at how to provide an Infectious Disease Treatment Module (IDTM) by:
- providing a rapid deployable, easily transportable, extendable, self-contained and self-sufficient treatment centre for infectious diseases that can be used as a standalone solution, but which can also integrate sustainably into on-site health services;
- reducing the time needed to open an infectious disease treatment centre in order to enhance the first containment phase and reduce possible outbreaks spreading;
- and ensuring standardization across emergency actors in order to offer to patients the same quality of care, comfort and IPC standards.
The ideas box
Here is your opportunity to share and engage for change. Are you a student, a teacher, a health care worker or just a brilliant
mind that is willing to share something useful for the others? Something you created during the lockdown to support your community?
Using our idea submission form, send us your idea along with any drawings or concepts.
Our team will review all of the ideas at our weekly meetings and share the top 10 to be used by our Téchne community.