COVID-19 has impacted psychiatric education at many levels from postgraduate training to Continuous Medical Education (CME). We invited participants at the European Union of Medical Specialists (UEMS) who are national representatives to share how COVID-19 has impacted postgraduate training and Continuous Professional Development (CPD) in their countries. They were asked to report the challenges but also the opportunities created by the pandemic and their answers were analysed. Several themes emerged. Challenges in postgraduate training have been absences caused by COVID, redeployment, reduced interactions and postponement of assessments. The mental health of trainees was affected, including burnout. Interestingly in some places, like Denmark, training was less impacted as psychiatry was designated as ‘critical’ and therefore no redeployment. Exams have moved online and there have been concerns about cheating in the new format. In countries where it is obligatory to be uptodate with CME/CPD to maintain medical registration, the usual requirements were waived. Conferences and live events have moved online and webinars became popular and widely accepted. Some positive developments included rapid adoption of technology, for consultations and training, increased relevance of CPD/CME, emphasis on team cohesion and recognition of the need for self-care and team support. The pandemic also fostered international collaboration, e.g. sharing guidelines for new ways of working. Some of the innovations described, mainly related to the adoption of technology and remote working will likely be taken in the future. However, the sentiment remains that live exchanges are valuable and should be resumed as soon as it is safe.

Background: Despite a clear call for greater input from health technology assessment (HTA) in the areas of clinical practice and policy making, there are currently very few formal training programs. The objectives of our Consortium were to (i) develop a master's level program in HTA, (ii) test its content with a group of Canadian and European students, and (iii) evaluate the Program's strengths and weaknesses.

Objectives: This study presents the results of our evaluation of the first edition of the Master's Program (2001–2003).

Methods: The evaluation relied on (i) a self-administered student questionnaire for each course (n = 142), (ii) interviews with students (n = 10), and (iii) interviews with internship supervisors (n = 5).

Results: A vast majority of students were satisfied with the course content and particularly appreciated the exercises and materials presented in an intensive format. However, they needed more systematic feedback from faculty members and recommended increasing the methodology content. The six key characteristics of the program are (i) flexible format adapted to the needs of skilled professionals, (ii) continuous interaction between HTA users and producers, (iii) international academic and professional collaboration, (iv) partnership with HTA agencies, (v) global approach to evidence-based methods and practices, and (vi) multidisciplinary approach.

Conclusions: Despite the numerous organizational barriers inherent to creating an international program and several areas for improvement in the Program itself, the Ulysses Project was successful in attaining its objectives. Because there is a growing need for human resources with special training in HTA, further efforts need to be devoted to strengthening the international research capacity in HTA.