How can health informatics training be made more accessible to women in South Sudan?

Barriers to women participation in health informatics training include: family and caregiving responsibilities that make it difficult to attend full-time training; cultural norms that may discourage women from pursuing technical careers; lack of female role models in health informatics; financial barriers (women are often paid less than men and may have less access to training funds); and safety concerns about travelling to training venues. Addressing these barriers requires: flexible training schedules (evenings, weekends, online); childcare support at training venues; targeted outreach to women; mentorship from senior women in health informatics; and financial support for women trainees.

SSHIA has a Women in Health Informatics initiative that provides targeted support for women in training and professional development. This includes a women-only mentorship track, a women leadership development programme, and a network of women health informatics professionals who support each other. SSHIA has set a target of 40% women participation in all its training programmes.