1. Global Health overview

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Headshot of Joanna Breems, MD, FACP · Clinical Assistant Professor
Joanna Breems
MD, FACP · Clinical Assistant Professor
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The term global health may mean different things to different people and in different contexts, and so it becomes harder to say what is and what is not global health. This module will explore the discipline of global health and help learners with basic vocabulary in the field global health. And while students may be familiar with the key institutions in the U.S. healthcare system, this module will explore the roles of international institutions in global health, so that students are more familiar with the “who’s who” around the world.

Learning objectives

Pre-module baseline assessment

Take a minute to reflect on your responses to each of the following photos. What about the image or concept represented is or is not global health?

What is Global Health?
Take a minute to reflect on your responses to each of the following photos. What about the image or concept represented is or is not global health?
Tropical Diseases?
Yes? No?
Why?
image credit: CDC.gov.
Common causes of mortality and morbidity?
Yes? No?
Why?
Image credit: CDC.gov.
Humanitarian aid?
Yes? No?
Why?
Image credit: Omar Haj Kadour/Agence France-Presse—Getty Images.
Disaster Response?
Yes? No?
Why?
Image credit: BBC NEWS Getty Images.
Traditional Practices and Community Partnerships?
Yes? No?
Why?
Image credit: SeGoPu2019, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Health Information Systems?
Yes? No?
Why?
Introducing New Technology?
Yes? No?
Why?
Medical Missions?
Yes? No?
Why?
Image credit: IAM Media Office, GFDL 1.3.
How do you define
global health?
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Adapted from  Patrick Lee et al.

Introduction to global health

Used with permission from Elizabeth Rose.

On the Slack discussion board:

    1. Describe various sources of funding for global programs. Include the following:
      • Governmental
      • Private foundation
      • NGO (non-governmental organizations)
    2. Describe the role of non-governmental organizations in global health. How does their involvement affect and/or complicate global health development and sustainability?

Locate the websites for, and research, the following major entities influencing global health and development (listed below by acronym). Describe the focus areas and relationship between these organizations.

    • For students planning an immersive international clinical/non-clinical elective, identify the role and activities (if any) these entities are involved in the country you will travel to.
    • For students without a planned international elective, identify a country of interest to you, and identify the role and activities (if any) these entities are involved in the country of interest.
      1. World Bank
      2. WHO
      3. UN
      4. UNAIDS
      5. CDC
      6. UNICEF
      7. Global Fund
      8. Gates Foundation

Decolonizing global health

Now that you’ve spent some time in the basics of who/what of global health, it should be obvious that funding streams often go from affluent institutions and countries to impoverished countries and populations. As you can imagine, those institutions and persons working within them usually have more control to decide priorities, decide who gets the funding, and who gets the credit. With the growth of large global health institutions, there has been more recognition of this systemic inequality built into the structures that whose goal is precisely to address inequalities. This has led to a new commitment in “decolonization” within global health.

On the Slack discussion board:

    • After completing the materials in this module, review your working definition of global health. Have you revised it? In what ways?
    • In considering the decolonization in global health, what (if any) role do you see for medical students towards this effort?