Schools of public health should define their teaching, research, and technical cooperative programs on the basis of epidemiological, epistemological, and health care parameters, which are heavily affected by the socioeconomic context of their countries. Brazil's demographic and epidemiological transition has been characterized by an increasing prevalence of diseases and risk factors associated with life styles, thus requiring an extensive and in-depth change in the country's health care model, with a greater supply of evidence-based services and preventive and health promotion measures, including new initiatives in information, education, and communications. This article approaches the recent experience at the Brazilian National School of Public Health, which has added to its long-standing academic tradition with a strategic reorientation known as the School of Governance in Health, including distance education as one of its main teaching options. Given Brazil's prevailing social and health situation, we conclude by highlighting the importance of training health professionals and promoting research and technological development in the fields of health promotion and education within the context of the School of Governance in Health at the National School of Public Health.
Health Education; Graduate Education; Educational Technology; Health Personell; Public Health