Education for health care professionals equips them with essential clinical skills and knowledge; however, there are areas that need to be expanded. Personal and leadership development and/or assisting in understanding infrastructure, system design, policy and procedure development, effective change management, and project management skills are critical to the efficient operation of an organization. World Services, through its many resources, can meet this need.

An example of this approach was recently implemented at Kipshidze Central University Hospital in the Republic of Georgia. In 2009, World Services sent a team of professionals experienced in hospital administration, physician leadership development, human resources and credentialing to Kipshidze where they:

• Established the foundation for a credentialing system for physicians including organizational structure with staff by-laws and management committees
• Enhanced the current administrative structure to support credentialing and quality improvement
• Assisted in the adoption of policies and procedures reflecting best practice in the United States and United Kingdom
• Provided training for medical department heads to provide leadership in implementing the credentialing system

Program design for each of these areas has included in-country technical assistance and consultation, and/or professional exchanges to locations throughout the United States. World Services has received funding support from the U.S. Agency for International Development, the American International Health Alliance, the Foundation for Russian American Economic Cooperation, International Research Exchange (IREX), the U.S. Department of Commerce, World Learning, the Open World Program and other sources. For those organizations seeking contracts that require women-owned businesses, World Services has a separate woman-owned business called World Services Management and Consulting which meets federal guidelines for a woman-owned, small business.