Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness in Undergraduate Education through Curricular Reform: Post-COVID-19 Insights
Keywords:
Biomedical and health sciences, simulation-based learning, qualitative research, interdisciplinary collaboration, Georgia
Abstract
Aims and Scope: The COVID-19 pandemic exposed widespread educational gaps in preparing future healthcare professionals for public health emergencies. This study aimed to identify key curricular indicators for strengthening pandemic preparedness in undergraduate biomedical and health sciences education, with Georgia as a representative case study of a resource-constrained setting.
Methods: A qualitative study was conducted using semi-structured virtual interviews with 33 educators from the programs of medicine, public health, nursing, dentistry, and pharmacy - 30 based in Georgian institutions and three international experts contributing to triangulation. Data collected between May and August 2024 were analysed using inductive thematic analysis with MAXQDA.
Findings: Thematic analysis revealed three core areas for reform: (1) strengthening institutional readiness by embedding pandemic-focused content and simulation-based learning; (2) enhancing public health communication, including vaccine advocacy and crisis response messaging; and (3) expanding research and collaborative capacity through interdisciplinary and international engagement.
Conclusion: This study offers practical, curriculum-level strategies to close educational gaps and strengthen pandemic preparedness in undergraduate biomedical and health sciences education. Using Georgia as a case example, the findings present a scalable reform framework that can strengthen system resilience and better prepare future professionals for public health emergencies.
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References
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22. West, H. M., Flain, L., Davies, R. M., Shelley, B., & Edginton, O. T. (2024). Medical student wellbeing during COVID-19: a qualitative study of challenges, coping strategies, and sources of support. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01618-8
23. Zoidze, A., Gabunia, T., Ekberg, A., & WHO. (2021). GEORGIA FROM CRISIS TO OPPORTUNITY: ADVANCING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE REFORM AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. In WHO. https://www.who.int/docs/librariesprovider2/default-document-library/primary-health-care-georgia-eng.pdf?sfvrsn=3aa5efcd_6&download=true
2. Caruso, C. (2022, November 17). COVID-19’s Lessons for Future Pandemics. Harvard Medical School. Retrieved June 21, 2025, from https://hms.harvard.edu/news/covid-19s-lessons-future-pandemics
3. Chandratre, S., Knight, C., & Dodson, L. (2021). Supporting Medical Student Mental Health during COVID-19: Strategies Implemented for an Accelerated Curriculum Medical Campus. Journal of Medical Education and Curricular Development, 8. https://doi.org/10.1177/23821205211006392
4. Dalkiliç, S. (2023). Evaluation of Health Management Education Curriculum in terms of Disaster Management. Journal of International Health Sciences and Management, 9(18), 44–51. https://doi.org/10.48121/jihsam.1317458
5. Gardanova, Z., Belaia, O., Zuevskaya, S., Turkadze, K., & Strielkowski, W. (2023). Lessons for Medical and Health Education Learned from the COVID-19 Pandemic. Healthcare, 11(13), 1921. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11131921
6. Jordan, S. R., Connors, S. C., & Mastalerz, K. A. (2022). Frontline healthcare workers’ perspectives on interprofessional teamwork during COVID-19. Journal of Interprofessional Education & Practice, 29, 100550. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xjep.2022.100550
7. Kelekar, A. K., Lucia, V. C., Afonso, N. M., & Mascarenhas, A. K. (2021). COVID-19 vaccine acceptance and hesitancy among dental and medical students. The Journal of the American Dental Association, 152(8), 596–603. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adaj.2021.03.006
8. Khan, J. A., & Kiani, M. R. B. (2020). Impact of multi-professional simulation-based training on perceptions of safety and preparedness among health workers caring for coronavirus disease 2019 patients in Pakistan. Journal of Educational Evaluation for Health Professions, 17, 19. https://doi.org/10.3352/jeehp.2020.17.19
9. Martin, A., Blom, I. M., Whyatt, G., Shaunak, R., Viva, M. I. F., & Banerjee, L. (2020). A rapid systematic review exploring the involvement of medical students in pandemics and other global health emergencies. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 16(1), 360–372. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2020.315
10. Miller, S., St Onge, E., Buring, S., Allen, J., Patel, P., Pullo, J., Schmittgen, J., & Whalen, K. (2023). Curricular changes in times of crisis: Lessons learned. Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and Learning, 15(1), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cptl.2023.02.014
11. Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sports of Georgia. (2020). Pandemic and general education in Georgia. https://mes.gov.ge/mesgifs/1609844890_2020-Annual-report-ENG.pdf
12. Misztal-Okońska, P., Goniewicz, K., Hertelendy, A. J., Khorram-Manesh, A., Al-Wathinani, A., Alhazmi, R. A., & Goniewicz, M. (2020). How medical studies in Poland prepare future healthcare managers for crises and disasters: results of a pilot study. Healthcare, 8(3), 202. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8030202
13. O’Byrne, L., Gavin, B., & McNicholas, F. (2020). Medical students and COVID-19: the need for pandemic preparedness. Journal of Medical Ethics, 46(9), 623–626. https://doi.org/10.1136/medethics-2020-106353
14. Onello, E., Friedrichsen, S., Krafts, K., Simmons, G., & Diebel, K. (2019). First year allopathic medical student attitudes about vaccination and vaccine hesitancy. Vaccine, 38(4), 808–814. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.vaccine.2019.10.094
15. Pandemic Preparedness | Pandemic Preparedness | Summer School | Antwerp Summer University | University of Antwerp. (n.d.). https://www.uantwerpen.be/en/summer-winter-schools/pandemic-preparedness/
16. Richardson, E., Tvaliashvili, M., Gviniadze, K., Roubal, T., World Health Organization, & European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies. (2025). Health Systems in Action (HSIA) insights: Georgia. European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies, WHO Regional Office for Europe. https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/380264/9789289059770-eng.pdf?sequence=2
17. Shah, M. H., Roy, S., & Flari, E. (2024). The critical need for disaster medicine in modern medical education. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 18. https://doi.org/10.1017/dmp.2024.56
18. Shrivastava, S. R., Shrivastava, P. S., & Joshi, A. (2024). Role of medical education in pandemic preparedness. National Journal of Community Medicine, 15(03), 244–247. https://doi.org/10.55489/njcm.150320243584
19. Soemantri, D., Findyartini, A., Mustika, R., Felaza, E., Arsyaf, M. A., Alfandy, B. P., & Greviana, N. (2023). Looking beyond the COVID-19 pandemic: the recalibration of student-teacher relationships in teaching and learning process. Medical Education Online, 28(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/10872981.2023.2259162
20. Sojati, J., Murali, A., Rapsinski, G., & Williams, J. V. (2023). Do not throw away your shot: Pilot study in improving medical school curricula through focused vaccine education. AJPM Focus, 3(2), 100178. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.focus.2023.100178
21. Soklaridis, S., Zaheer, R., Scully, M., Shier, R., Williams, B., Dang, L., Daniel, S. J., Sockalingam, S., & Tremblay, M. (2023). ‘We are in for a culture change’: continuing professional development leaders’ perspectives on COVID-19, burn-out and structural inequities. BMJ Leader, 8(2), 142–146. https://doi.org/10.1136/leader-2023-000837
22. West, H. M., Flain, L., Davies, R. M., Shelley, B., & Edginton, O. T. (2024). Medical student wellbeing during COVID-19: a qualitative study of challenges, coping strategies, and sources of support. BMC Psychology, 12(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01618-8
23. Zoidze, A., Gabunia, T., Ekberg, A., & WHO. (2021). GEORGIA FROM CRISIS TO OPPORTUNITY: ADVANCING PRIMARY HEALTH CARE REFORM AMID THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. In WHO. https://www.who.int/docs/librariesprovider2/default-document-library/primary-health-care-georgia-eng.pdf?sfvrsn=3aa5efcd_6&download=true
Published
2025-06-24
How to Cite
Goderdzishvili, D., & Nikoleishvili, E. (2025). Strengthening Pandemic Preparedness in Undergraduate Education through Curricular Reform: Post-COVID-19 Insights. European Scientific Journal, ESJ, 42, 424. Retrieved from https://eujournal.org/index.php/esj/article/view/19673
Section
ESI Preprints
Copyright (c) 2025 Dea Goderdzishvili, Elza Nikoleishvili
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
