Rethinking the global health system

The COVID-19 pandemic revealed how very unprepared the world was to handle a global health crisis effectively and equitably. Far from bolstering support for global health efforts, the sudden emergence of a new, deadly and fast-moving virus spotlighted the shortcomings and amplified criticism of the global health system that had been constructed in the aftermath of the second world war.

With priorities shifting in the post-pandemic era, major funders such as the United States and the United Kingdom have pulled back on their support for global health institutions, research and programs — even as it becomes increasingly clear that complex global problems such as pandemics, antimicrobial resistance, noncommunicable diseases and environmental change cannot be solved by any country or region acting alone. 

At this inflection point, WashU School of Public Health will bring together thought leaders and noted researchers to consider how new approaches to global health can create a healthier world for all. On April 14, WashU Public Health will host a convening titled, “Building for a New Era of Global Health.” The event will take place from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. CT in the Clark-Fox Forum in Hillman Hall on WashU’s Danforth Campus. Programming will run until 12:30 p.m., and all attendees and panelists are invited to continue the conversation at a networking lunch from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public, in person or via Zoom. Registration is required. 

“If we’re thinking about a new approach to global health in a changing world, I think it benefits us to start in a place that is changing itself, where people are willing to think outside of the box,” said Salma Abdalla, MBBS, MPH, DrPH, an assistant professor at WashU School of Public Health. “At WashU, and especially at the School of Public Health, there is a collective willingness to move beyond traditional borders and outdated frameworks. There is a lot of space here to do something new.”

The event is the inaugural convening of WashU Public Health’s Global Health Futures research network, which is co-directed by Abdalla along with WashU Medicine’s Mark Huffman, MD, MPH, the William Bowen Endowed Professor of Medicine, and Victor Davila-Roman, MD, a professor of medicine, both secondary faculty members at the School of Public Health. One of the school’s six research networks, Global Health Futures aims to create a research and learning environment that addresses critical global public health needs to achieve healthier and more equitable global communities. 

The event will open with remarks by Sandro Galea, MD, DrPH, the Margaret C. Ryan Dean of the School of Public Health, the Eugene S. and Constance Kahn Distinguished Professor in Public Health and vice provost for interdisciplinary initiatives at Washington University. The opening remarks will be followed by two sessions, each anchored by a keynote speaker and followed by a panel discussion. 

The first session will explore how international governance structures can continue to promote global health. Benjamin Meier, JD, LLM, PhD, a professor of global health policy in the departments of Public Policy and of Health Policy and Management at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, will give a talk titled, “Global health governance amid declining American leadership.” After his talk, Abdalla will moderate a panel discussion on designing global health governance to solve tomorrow’s health challenges.

“Over the past 75 years, there have been greater gains in life expectancy than any other time in human history,” Huffman said. “Incredible! But it didn’t just happen. There were institutions and funding mechanisms that made that progress possible. And now the post-war order has completely changed. We have an opportunity to think about how to build future institutions that will better address the problems that face us today.”

The second session will open with a keynote address by Gbenga Ogedegbe, MD, MPH, director of the Institute for Excellence in Health Equity at NYU Langone Health, and the Dr. Adolph & Margaret Berger Professor of Medicine and Population Health at NYU Grossman School of Medicine, titled, “Global lessons for local health.” Following the talk, Huffman will lead a panel discussion on how lessons learned globally can be applied to improve health locally.