'How to Build a New Global Health Framework': Gostin & Friedman in The Lancet

http://us5.campaign-archive1.com/?u=5556647df8c0be7cf0da07db2&id=2fa83f37fc&e=2b5ede61fe

http://www.law.georgetown.edu

May 7, 2015 - Can a true, robust global health framework be created to help prevent tragedies like Ebola while at the same time allow countries to meet everyday health needs?

Georgetown University global health and law experts say it can be done, and in a special issue of “The Lancet” focusing on global health security, they propose specific priorities to transform a fragmented health system into a “purposeful, organized” framework with national health systems at its foundation and an empowered World Health Organization at its apex.

“The Ebola epidemic in west Africa raised the critical question of who is in charge,” says Lawrence O. Gostin, JD (http://www.law.georgetown.edu/oneillinstitute/faculty/Lawrence-Gostin.cfm) , faculty director of the O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law (...) at Georgetown University Law Center (http://www.law.georgetown.edu/) . He and his O’Neill Institute colleague, Eric A. Friedman, JD (...) , published an analysis of global health security today in The Lancet (“A retrospective and prospective analysis of the west African Ebola virus disease epidemic: robust national health systems at the foundation and an empowered WHO at the apex.” (https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)60644-4/fulltext) )

“The world is ill-prepared for the next epidemic,” Gostin says. “The need for advance funding, planning and coordination from the national health system up to WHO is at the heart of preparedness, not only for epidemic disease, but also naturally occurring disasters such as the crisis precipitated by the Nepal earthquake.”

In their review, Gostin and Friedman offer a retrospective analysis of the recent Ebola outbreak and the “profound harms posed by fragile national health systems.”

In creating a new framework, the authors say, “The scope of the reforms should address failures in the Ebola response, and entrenched weaknesses that enabled the epidemic to reach its heights.”

They propose a new global health framework that has national health systems as its foundation and an empowered WHO as the “global health leader envisaged at its creation.”

To reach the goal of having an empowered WHO to lead a global health framework, Gostin and Friedman outline priorities for reform:

• Funding: commensurate with global mandate under WHO Director-General’s control,
• Technical excellence: diverse staff with multisectoral capabilities,
• Operational capacities: rapid deployment of economic and human resources,
• Normative standards: setting priorities and ensuring compliance,
• Regional offices: regional knowledge and consistency with headquarters, and
• Engaging non-state parties: harnessing the potential of civil society.

Gostin and Friedman say another critical component to a global health framework are key stakeholders such as the United Nations, The World Bank and NGOs. “In a well functioning global health system, all parties would perform functions suited to their mandate, working cooperatively, and supporting national ownership.”

In addition, the authors point out the need for a strong legal framework to enforce international health regulations: “International law and national implementing legislation can be powerful means for a more effective global health system,” Gostin and Friedman write.

Another key component to a global health framework is to shore up the national health capacities in preparation for a crisis that would better ensure health security, regionally and globally.

“Planning for rapid mobilization should be combined with strengthening health systems to build country capacity,” they say and propose reforms including a global health workforce reserve, and emergency contingency fund, a pandemic emergency facility (like that suggested by The World Bank) and an international health system fund.

“Action now on WHO and other reforms to the global health system is crucial, before the political moment passes,” Gostin and Friedman conclude.  “These reforms would not only keep populations secure against pandemic threats, but would also ensure health and safety for all needs through rights-based universal health coverage.  This is a global health framework that is achievable in the aftermath of a tragic epidemic that needlessly took 10,000 lives in one of the world’s poorest regions.”

About the O’Neill Institute for National & Global Health Law

The generous philanthropy of Linda and Timothy O’Neill established the O’Neill Institute in 2007 to respond to the need for innovative new solutions to the most pressing national and international health concerns. Housed at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington D.C., the O’Neill Institute reflects the importance of public and private law in health policy analysis. The O’Neill Institute draws upon the University’s considerable intellectual resources, including the School of Nursing & Health Studies, the School of Medicine, the McCourt School of Public Policy, and the Kennedy Institute of Ethics.

http://www.oneillinstituteblog.org/ 

http://www.twitter.com/oneillinstitute 

====

Copyright © 2015 The O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University. All rights reserved.


My source: O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law via HIFA2015

Below I have related the above to Hodges' model:

individual

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

group

Concepts - Understanding Global Health Conceptual Framework, Beliefs, Belief systems, Education, Individual Action Critical Thinking Access to Health Information Impact of disease/disaster on survivors Psychological health needs	Pre-vent Ebola..., Epidemic - Pandemic, Natural disasters Emergency response, Critical Action Timeliness - Surveillance, Readiness, (National-) capacity, Physical health needs, Health systems, (Infra)Structures, Technical, Operational, Processes, Coordination, Mobilisation Scales: Local, Regional, National, Global
Social Empowerment, Engagement Poverty Communities Critical Communications Concordance Local Leadership, Cooperation Behaviour of groups amid Fear / Uncertainty Socio-Technical Community-Social-Urban... Informatics	Pre-empt UN, World Bank, WHO, NGOs, Reform, Policy, Standards Rights-Based Universal Health Global Health Framework Funding, Law, Legislation Priorities, Compliance, 'HQ' Critical Governance & Assurance Civil Society, Citizenry

Second Latin American and Caribbean Global Health Conference “Transcending borders for health equity” Santiago, Chile January 9-11, 2013

From PAHO (Ana Luisa!)

Santiago, Chile January 9-11, 2013 - http://www.congresosaludglobal.uchile.cl/

Abstracts should be submitted through the Conference website and received before November 26, 2012 at 12:00pm (Chilean time)
....


Conveners:

The Latin American Alliance for Global Health (ALASAG)
The School of Public Health “Dr. Salvador Allende G.” of the University of Chile
The Latin American Association of Schools of Public Health (ALAESP)

The objective is to share knowledge and strengthen partnerships for education, research and advocacy in Global Health in Latin America and The Caribbean. The conference also seeks to contribute a Latin American outlook to the most pressing issues in the global health and development agenda, such as the impact of the economic crisis, social movements and conflicts and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

The Conference is intended as a forum for discussion and proposal for progress toward achieving greater equity and social justice within and among all countries.

The program is organized under the following thematic areas:

• Migration, violence and population displacements
• Education and Human Resource Development in Global Health
• Health law and human rights
• Nutrition and food security
• Challenges of social movements and social media networks
• Development cooperation and global health, peace, and diplomacy
• Universal coverage and social protection
• Research, innovation and implementation in global health
• Working towards the post Millennium Development Sustainable Goals
• The economic crisis and its impact on public health
• Climate Change, Challenges and Opportunities for Global Health

Speakers

The following speakers have confirmed their attendance
- Sr. Ricardo Lagos Escobar, former President of Chile and Commissioner of the WHO Social Determinants of Health Commission,
- Dr. Jaime Mañalich, Minister of Health, Chile,
- Dr. Ginés Gonzalez, President Emeritus ISalud University, Buenos Aires, Argentina Ambassador to Chile and ex- Minister of Health, Argentina,
- A representative of Dr. Mirta Roses, Regional Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO / WHO),
- Sir Michael Marmot, UCL International Institute for Society and Health;
- Prof. Ronald Labonte, University of Ottawa,
- Dr. Paulo Buss, Fiocruz Foundation,
- Dr. Anvar Velji, Consortium of Universities for Global Health (GHEC-CUGH),
- Prof. Oscar Cabrera, O'Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law at Georgetown University,
- Dr. Pierre Beukens, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine and CUGH,
- Dr. Haile Debas, University of California San Francisco, and CUGH,
- Dr. Wolfgang Munar-Angulo, Gates Foundation,
- Dr. Roger Glass, Fogarty International Center,
- Dr. Jeannette Vega, Rockefeller Foundation,
- Dr. Ilona Kickbusch, The Graduate Institute, Switzerland.

Partners

Many individuals and organizations in Chile, Latin America, the Caribbean, North America and Europe have contributed significant resources to ensure that this second Conference is as successful as the first one. The School of Public Health at the University of Chile, as host of the event, has generously contributed its own resources and from other Chilean funding sources to ensure the success of the Congress. The members of ALASAG in 10 LAC nations are working to promote the conference in their own countries. At the time of this announcement, the following organizations have agreed to partner with ALASAG and the University of Chile to co-sponsor the conference: the Ministry of Health of the Chilean Government, the Pan American Health Organization, Consortium of Universities for Global Health, Columbia University Global Center in Latin America (Santiago), the Fogarty International Center, the O´Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University, Canadian Society for International Health, Chilean Occupational Health Safety Association (ACHS), Aguas Andinas Corporation, Clínica Las Condes and Pfizer Chile, S.A.

Giorgio Solimano Cantuarias President 2nd Latinamerican and Carribean Global Health Conference
School of Public Health Universidad de Chile
V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder Technical Secretariat Alianza Latinoamericana de Salud Global (ALASAG)
National Institute of Public Health Cuernavaca, México

Spanish:

2º CONGRESO LATINOAMERICANO Y DEL CARIBE SOBRE SALUD GLOBAL
Transcendiendo fronteras para la equidad en salud
Santiago de Chile 9-11 de enero, 2013

Instituciones convocantes:

La Alianza Latinoamericana de Salud Global (ALASAG),

La Escuela de Salud Pública “Dr. Salvador Allende G.” de la Universidad de Chile

Website: http://www.congresosaludglobal.uchile.cl/

Objetivos

Compartir conocimientos y fortalecer alianzas para la educación, investigación y abogacía a favor de la Salud Global en la Región de América Latina y El Caribe.
Aportar la mirada latinoamericana a los temas más candentes de la agenda mundial sobre salud y desarrollo, tales como el impacto de la crisis económica, los movimientos y conflictos sociales y los Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio (ODM).
Establecer un Foro de discusión y propuesta para avanzar hacia el logro de mayores niveles de equidad y justicia social dentro y entre todos los países del mundo.

Resúmenes deberan ser enviados a través de la página web del Congreso hasta el día 26 DE NOVIEMBRE A LAS 12:00h

Ejes de trabajo:

- Migración, violencia y desplazamientos poblacionales
- Colaboración internacional para el manejo integral de desastres y epidemias
- Desafíos de los movimientos y las redes sociales
- Mecanismos de cooperación y diplomacia para la salud global
- Cobertura universal y protección social
- Investigación, innovación e implementación en salud global
- Hacia los nuevos Objetivos de Desarrollo del Milenio
- Crisis económica y su impacto en la salud pública
- Cambio climático, desafíos y oportunidades para la Salud Global
- Cooperación para el desarrollo y diplomacia en Salud Global

Giorgio Solimano Cantuarias -Presidente 2º Congreso Latinoamericano y del Caribe sobre Salud Global
Escuela de Salud Pública Universidad de Chile
V. Nelly Salgado de Snyder - Secretaría Técnica Alianza Latinoamericana de Salud Global (ALASAG)
Instituto Nacional de Salud Pública - Cuernavaca, México

Please visit the GANM webpage at: http://knowledge-gateway.org/ganm/

My source: GANM c/o Patricia Abbott.

The Global Health Research Process Map

As a conceptual ready reckoner Hodges' model helps us locate, isolate and contextualise the commonly cited 4Ps. In the h2cm matrix below I have related the 4Ps, as before, to the four care domains:

individual
INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

group

PURPOSE	PROCESS
PRACTICE	POLICY

I raise this learning of a new process oriented resource for global research produced by The Global Health Network.

Processes are critical.  

Think of the relationship of purpose, practice and policy in relation to triage and emergency care? When I reflect on a situation even if the priority, context is process driven I am mindful of the bigger picture.

+++++++++++++++

The Global Health Network has launched a brand new, interactive Global Health Research Process Map, the first digital toolkit designed to enable researchers anywhere in the world to initiate rigorous global health research studies.

As the HIFA community know all too well, health research is often lacking in the regions where evidence to improve health is needed most. Crucial evidence is not being generated because doctors and nurses lack access to training, information, and support. Effort is also regularly duplicated or conducted using different criteria in different territories and studies, and sometimes it falls by the wayside from lack of simple resources and guidance on best practice. The Global Health Research Process Map (http://processmap.org/) is set to change this. It’s an open-access internationally-available online resource that guides every process and method needed to initiate a health research study. For each step researchers and their staff are provided with the information, support and training that they need to successfully run a health study. Researchers will also gain the opportunity to engage with their peers along the way, aiding collaboration and the spread of ideas.

The Process Map was released just over one week ago, and has already generated nearly 2,500 views from around the world. It is the product of four years of best practice gathered and refined by the research community who use the pioneering Global Health Network to guide and support their effort to conduct research in challenging settings. The Global Health Network works like an online science park for exchanging knowledge, sharing research methods and facilitating collaboration among global health professionals to fuel faster and better evidence to improve health. The Global Health Network facilitates global partnerships between researchers ­ allowing researchers in low-resource settings and those with more support to learn from each other ­ and conduct research studies in places where this is difficult and unusual.

The Process Map is a pioneering research tool that centralises the information and resources that researchers anywhere in the world need to develop and initiate rigorous and effective global health studies. It has the potential to revolutionise the current process, speeding the development of new drugs and vaccines, and improving how diseases are managed. With this toolkit, researchers can access the guidance, training and support that they need in order to run their own studies. This is important because there is much evidence that shows that locally-led research rarely happens in low-income settings because health workers lack research skills and any access to training and support. Therefore the Global Health Network is meeting that gap and the Global Health Research Process Map will take them through the process of conducting accurate research, step-by-step. 

Visit the tool today, and click on each node to access formally written information, links to eLearning courses, guidance articles, discussions, blogs, up-to-date news, and all sorts of tools and templates which will help you complete each step. As with everything else on the Global Health Network, it’s completely free and open-access, and always will be. Your feedback is always greatly appreciated, so feel free to have a look and leave comments, either here* or on the map itself.

Thank you!
Tamzin

Tamzin Furtado
Project Manager
The Global Health Network

*My source: HIFA2015
 

Book: iii "Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights"

When you've several books to get to, a steady stream of figures and tables can help give the illusion of a speed-read. There could be many such breaks in this book, but what there are are focused, informative and fit the COVID situation in being prime for take-away purposes. It is here that the educational, learning and teaching utility of the book is found, and in the references.

Reading this book I thought about the way healthcare is situated and how care-of global politics health is local, national, international and glocal. The global health workforce are joined in the books they read. Then they apply their learning in their respective corners of the world, seeking to put the patient, the person, the public at the center. As such Section 1 is essential reading for all health and social care professionals:

Introduction: Global Health & Human Rights

Lawrence O. Gostin & Benjamin Mason Meier
I. The Human Rights Movement: International Norms and Principles 

Chapter 1. The Birth and Development of Human Rights for Health
Benjamin Mason Meier, Thérèse Murphy & Lawrence O. Gostin

Chapter 2. Global Health Law: Legal Foundations for Social Justice in Public Health
Lawrence O. Gostin, Matiangai V. S. Sirleaf & Eric A. Friedman

Chapter 3. The Right to Health and Health-Related Human Rights
John Tobin & Damon Barrett

Chapter 4. The Rights-Based Approach to Health
Flavia Bustreo & Curtis F.J. Doebbler

individual
|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

"Given the integral link between global health and human rights, global health law necessarily works in synergy with human rights. Accordingly, global health law includes not only the scope of law for global health, but also a normative perspective, with global health law seeking to enable all people to realize the right to health (Magnusson, et al. 2017). This normative perspective is not uncommon in law: environmental law is concerned with protecting the environment, trade law is concerned with a free and fair system of trade, and human rights law is concerned with protecting and promoting rights. The particular force of global health law's normative perspective comes in how it is not confirmed to laws directly related to health, but rather has significant implications for a wide range of laws in other legal regimes, requiring a focus on health in all policies." p.59. Chapter 3. The Right to Health and Health-Related Human Rights John Tobin & Damon Barrett

 

More to follow...

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights. (2020) Lawrence O. Gostin and Benjamin Mason Meier (Eds.), Oxford: OUP. ISBN: 9780197528303.

 

Global health is ... c/o King & Koski (2020)

Use of the word 'global' in health care is common: from global assessment; global as in a pandemic, as per Covid which for a time closed down most human activity across the world; the global health workforce; and global health crises, that must include the climate crisis and pollution. Universal health coverage, allied with universal healthcare access, refers to (national and aspirational ...) global access to quality health services. 

Above, 'global health' has itself already occurred several times. I've posted about global health on a great many occasions on behalf of other parties.

Defining global health in the context of public health, King and Koski (2020) write:

'We propose the following definition:
global health is public health somewhere else.'

More specifically, they add: 

'Global health as a field is not distinguished by its aspirations, methods of research and practice, intervention strategies or even geographical area per se, but rather by a particular relationship between its practitioners and its recipients: a person engages in global health when they practise public health somewhere—a community, a political entity, a geographical space—that they do not call home.'

To apply Hodges' model to global health, there must be another definition.

King NB, Koski A. Defining global health as public health somewhere else. BMJ Global Health
2020;5:e002172. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2019-002172

63rd World Health Assembly unanimously adopts the WHO global Code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel

Dear HIFA2015 colleagues,

Please find below a press release from the Global Health Workforce Alliance. In the words of Dr Mubashar Sheikh, GHWA Executive Director: "The world is now a significant step closer to ensuring health workers are available and accessible to all".

PRESS RELEASE: 'Sixty-third World Health Assembly unanimously adopts the WHO global Code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel. Alliance members and partners applaud Member States. The Alliance 21/05/2010.

[Photo: WHO/Jess Hoffman. Dr Pierre François Unger, State Councillor of the Canton of Geneva, addresses delegates at the opening of the Sixty-third World Health Assembly.]

'Geneva, 21 May 2010 - In a historic move today, the Sixty-third World Health Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to adopt the voluntary WHO global Code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel. With this step, the world's nations acknowledge the global dimension and complexities of the health workforce crisis and the interconnected nature of both the problems and the solutions.

'With this resolution, Member States commit themselves to the voluntary principles and practices for the ethical international recruitment of health personnel taking into account the responsibilities and rights of source and destination countries, other stakeholders, and those of the migrant health personnel themselves. The Code provides ethical principles applicable to the international recruitment of health personnel in a manner that strengthen the health systems of developing countries.

'A drafting committee was established on the first day of the Assembly and after three days of negotiations, stayed up till 4:30 am on Thursday, 20 May 2010 to seek consensus on a draft resolution that retained the principles and spirit of the Code while also representing a way forward for all countries.

'The draft was unanimously accepted at the tenth session of Committee A late evening on 20 May 2010 and brought long awaited joy and celebration to the many organizations and individuals, campaigners and professionals, institutions and Member States who had been working tirelessly since the last three years to see a meaningful and equitable resolution on the Code be adopted at the World Health Assembly.

'"The process was not always easy, but there was commitment from all Member States to see a resolution adopted. This helped to keep the process moving and the results are there to see" says Alliance Board member, Bjarne Garden, Assistant Director, Global Health and AIDS Department, NORAD, a member of the Norwegian delegation.

'"This brings to fruition the pioneering work seeded by the Alliance three years ago with the creation of the Health Worker Migration Initiative bringing together the Health Worker Migration Global Policy Advisory Council and WHO led team of technical experts. It is the result of the work of multiple stakeholders who have effectively rallied around together. The world is now a significant step closer to ensuring health workers are available and accessible to all", says Dr Mubashar Sheikh, Executive Director, Global Health Workforce Alliance.

'World Health Organization (WHO) has played a key role in coordinating the process. "The Code sets out a roadmap for implementation. Within 2 years WHO will provide guidance to countries on monitoring implementation of the Code, and then report to the Assembly on the progress against implementation. The Code is voluntary, but progress on implementation will be monitored and reviewed" explained Dr Manuel Dayrit, Director, WHO department of Human Resources for Health.

'Health personnel migration has been a clearly identified priority for the Alliance since its inception. During the First Global Forum on Human Resources for Health in March 2008, the Alliance endorsed the Kampala Declaration and Agenda for Global Action, which sparked broad interest in the creation of the Code.

'Progress on the code has been achieved as a result of consultations and discussions, particularly at all six WHO Regional Committees and national consultations, involving participation by a wide range of stakeholder groups. The UN ECOSOC meeting and the G8 Summit in July 2009, and the UN General Assembly in December 2009 had strongly supported and encouraged WHO to move forward in finalizing the draft code of practice. The 126th Session of the WHO Executive Board, January 2010, had discussed a revised draft of the Code and recommended that it be submitted to the 63rd World Health Assembly.

'At this momentous milestone, the Alliance and WHO call upon Member States and all its partners to reinforce its spirit of working together as they now gear up to implementing the code. The Alliance remains committed to facilitating the process and supporting sharing of information among Member States and all stakeholders.'

The Draft Resolution, dated 20 May 2010, is available here:
http://www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/themes/migration/wha_A63_A_Confpaper_11.pdf

Key elements of the draft code (as described in The Lancet, 15 May) are:

• Establishment of voluntary global standards for ethical international recruitment of health personnel, balancing rights and obligations of source states, destination states, and health personnel.
• Promotion of coordination of national policies and international cooperation among states and their partners in health professions and civil society.
• Recommendation that states strive to meet their domestic needs for health services with their own human resources through planning, education, and training for health workforce.
• Recommendation that states ensure that international migration should have net positive effect on developing countries through technical assistance, support for health personnel training and retention, twinning of health facilities, and specialised technology and skills transfers.
• Recommendation that states establish voluntary financial mechanisms to support efforts of developing countries to strengthen health systems.
• Recommendation that states protect rights of migrant health workers through fair labour practices. In all terms of employment and conditions of work, migrant health personnel should enjoy same legal rights and responsibilities as domestically trained health workforce, without discrimination.
• Recognition that health personnel have ethical responsibilities to cooperate with local authorities in interests of patients, health systems, and society.
• Recommendation for national data collection and information exchange on health personnel migration, including establishment of national centre for information exchange, expansion and coordination of national research, and periodic reporting to WHO.
• Promotion of compliance through periodic state reporting to WHA of measures taken to implement the code; and recommendation that WHA periodically reviews the code's implementation with input from non-governmental sources.

Allyn L Taylor & Lawrence O Gostin. International recruitment of health personnel. The Lancet, 375(9727)1673-1675, 15 May 2010
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736%2810%2960596-X/fulltext?_eventId=login&&version=printerFriendly
(free access after free registration)

My source: HIFA2015 with photo addition

Book launch: Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights (OUP, 2020)

 On Tuesday, 24 November 2020, 14:05:39 GMT, Benjamin Meier <benjaminmasonmeier AT gmail.com> wrote:

We hope that you will join us on Human Rights Day for the launch of:

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights (Oxford University Press 2020)

Thursday, December 10th

9:00 - 10:30 EST

Register on Zoom (https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_Ti7k95HbTl2qPbvWBWdzRw)

This foundational text seeks to provide a systematic understanding of the evolving relationship between global health and human rights, laying a human rights foundation for the advancement of transformative health policies, programs, and practices.

Bringing together the WHO Director-General and leading academics in the field of health & human rights, this book launch will:

(1) explain the norms and principles that define the field,
(2) examine the methods and tools for implementing human rights to promote health,
(3) apply essential human rights to leading public health threats, and
(4) analyze rising human rights challenges in a rapidly globalizing world.

We look to this textbook in providing a foundation for public health students, and as we respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we see this book as more necessary than ever before — preparing the next generation for the global health and human rights challenges ahead. This foundational text shows why interdisciplinary scholarship and action are essential for advancing health-related human rights, placing human rights at the center of public health and securing a future of global health with justice. We hope you will join us for this book launch, drawing on this foundational text in your teaching, research, and advocacy in the years to come.

Human Rights in Global Health: Rights-Based Governance for a Globalizing World (2018)
available from Oxford University Press

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights (2020)
available from Oxford University Press

Benjamin Mason Meier, JD, LLM, PhD
Associate Professor of Global Health Policy
Department of Public Policy
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
bmeier AT unc.edu
https://www.benjaminmasonmeier.com/
Twitter @BenjaminMMeier

 

<>

 

My review will follow 2021 ...

 individual 

|

INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

|

group

	Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights

 

My source:

The Spirit of 1848 - A Network Linking Politics, Passion, & Public Health 

c/o HIFA - Publications re. primary health care & community health

Dear [HIFA] friends and colleagues with an interest in primary health care and community health:

Since my last communication with you more than 6 months ago, the entire field of global health has continued to be upended by our US government, with unconscionable effects on millions of people around the world, on advancements in global health research and its ethical foundations, and on the careers of thousands and thousands of people working around the world in the field of global health. As I said before, and I repeat now the obvious, it will take decades to build back what has been destroyed and to regain respect from the rest of the world for the United States and the values that most of us hold dear.

William Foege, eminent global health leader and former Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention wrote this biting editorial <https://www.statnews.com/2025/08/18/rfk-jr-public-health-threats-william-foege-smallpox/> in which he said, among other things, 

"We will live through this drought of values, principles and facts and again apply our talents to improving global health and happiness. Do not back down.”

Atul Gwande, now one of the foremost champions of primary health care and community health of our time (even though he is, like me, an erstwhile surgeon!) and former Director of the USAID Bureau of Global Health during the Biden administration, gave an eloquent presentation of his perspective on the aftermath of the destruction of USAID on 28 April 2025 at the Harvard School of Public Health.

You can watch this here:
<https://www.bing.com/videos/riverview/relatedvideo?q=Atul+Gwande+presentation+at+Harvard+School+of+Public+Health+April+28%2c+2025&mid=26DA144398CF1F613D0A26DA144398CF1F613D0A&FORM=VIRE>.

Here are a few items of possible interest:

The Fourth International Symposium on CHWs will be held virtually next week.

I was most fortunate to be able to attend the second International Conference on Primary Health Care was held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, from October 6-10. It was a glorious event, with 750 attendees, mostly from Africa but with strong representation from UNICEF, WHO, Africa CDC, and other international organizations. 

The conference was sponsored by the International Institute for Primary Health Care – Ethiopia. <https://iphce.org/> Directors of PHC from 45 different African countries were present along with at least 50 community health workers from across Africa. There was palpable enthusiasm for the growing momentum for PHC across Africa.

Abhay and Rani Bang are world-renowned champions of community-based primary health care through their work with SEARCH <https://www.searchforhealth.ngo/> (Society for Education, Action, and Research) in Gadchiroli, India, with tribal people. Their seminal publications on the effectiveness of community-based primary health care and community health workers as well as their contributions to India’s national program for reducing neonatal mortality through home-based neonatal care, among others, have gained for them global recognition. Attached is an English translation of an article about their life’s work that was published in April Der Spiegel in the leading German magazine, Der Spiegel.

Nicholas Kristof has continued to share with the world some of the heart wrenching effects of the collapse of the United States Agency for International Development. The New York Times opinion columnist wrote <https://www.nytimes.com/2025/09/20/opinion/trump-usaid-cuts.html> on 20 September 2025 on the human dimension of the shutdown of USAID, citing estimates that 690,000 will die in 2025 and 829,00 will die in 2026 as a result of cutbacks in USAID funding, and 3.1 million children will die during Trump’s second term from these cuts (a PDF is attached if the link doesn’t work for you [mod: HIFA does not carry attachments]).

Two recent publications on novel approaches to reducing child mortality have gained widespread attention.

One study <https://www.nber.org/system/files/working_papers/w34152/w34152.pdf> in Kenya provided a one-time transfer of $1,000 to poor families and observed a decline of nearly half in under-5 mortality as well as in infant mortality. Another study reported that wrapping

A recently reported study <https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12462887/> from Uganda found that giving mothers fabric treated with permethrin, a long-acting insecticide to protect against mosquito-born illnesses, as a baby wrap dramatically reduced malaria infections in the infants carried in them. There were 66 percent fewer cases among those children compared with babies in the untreated wraps. By the end of the six-month study, only 16 percent of children in the treated wrap group had been sick with malaria, compared with 34 percent in the untreated wrap group, many of whom had multiple malaria episodes.

Now available for purchase on Amazon.com are several important publications related to community-based primary health care and community workers.

Feel free to share this email and these resources with anyone else or with any relevant listserve you may have access to.

You are receiving this email because of your interest in primary health care and community health.

If you know of anyone that you think would like to be included in the listserv, just send me the person’s name and email address.

Warm regards, Henry

Henry B. Perry, MD, PhD, MPH Senior Associate, Health Systems Program Department of International Health Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Baltimore, MD, USA 21205 Hperry2 AT jhu.edu

HIFA profile: Henry Perry is a Senior Scientist at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, USA. Professional interests: Community health and primary health care. hperry2 AT jhu.edu

NTU Public Health Conference: Reverse knowledge innovation in global health and development

This conference examines the potential for reversing knowledge transfer and innovation and explore notions of challenging traditional assumptions about the production and flow of knowledge within global health and development studies.

The concept of ‘reverse innovation’ has been gaining traction in global public health and development over the last few years. Increasingly it is an interdisciplinary and multi-contextual concept which deals with knowledge(s) transfer to potentially foster mutual learning between different actors, stakeholders and communities, what Crisp (2010) called ‘Turning the world upside down’. We seek to critically interrogate this emerging concept and its link to knowledge(s) innovation and flows and the cross-cutting social, economic and cultural spaces and practices it inhabits.

We will consider the contribution and role of social sciences in global health and development issues, how partnership models operate this concept and whether this potentially increases sustainability, what new knowledge/perspectives in global health and development are emerging and how these interface with traditional knowledge(s) and practice(s).

We are now accepting Calls for abstracts. Registration for the Conference will open before the end of June 2018.

The objectives of the Conference

• Extend understanding within social science, emerging perspectives on reverse innovation and knowledge transfer within the context of global health and development.
• Highlight the research profile and experience of developing countries and their potential contribution to knowledge and practice innovation in developed countries.
• Showcase the work of students and early career researchers within the sociology of global health and development.
• Create opportunities for identifying potential international collaborations and networks.

Theme

• Reverse knowledge innovation in global health and development

Sub-themes

• Role of social science in global health and development (social theories, political economy).
• Partnership models: sustainability
• Emerging knowledge/perspectives in global health and development: methods, commercial determinants of health
• Traditional knowledge(s) and practice(s)
• Knowledge translation to practice: (Barriers: lack of preventive measures, funding, prevention vs treatment etc.)

See conference page for more...
https://www.ntu.ac.uk/about-us/events/events/2018/10/public-health-conference

My source: @PublicHealthNTU

Are concepts of adolescence from the Global North appropriate for Africa? A debate

'The proponents for the motion argued that adolescence is indeed a distinct developmental phase when puberty is achieved and the neurocognitive development that occurs shapes behaviours that impact health outcomes. This occurs universally, is marked by cultural rites, and recognised in legal frameworks and therefore geographical distinctions in understanding are unnecessary.'

'The opponents argued that adolescence is more than a biological or legally recognised transition to adulthood: instead, concepts, including that of adolescence, are shaped by beliefs, values and expectations founded within a cultural milieu. The concept is dissonant to Africa as it prioritises individualism over communalism, and attributes gender and social roles as accepted in the Global North.'

'Thus, many interventions targeted at adolescents in Africa have remained ineffective. The notion that the concept of adolescence, which originated in the Global North but is universally applied, is a consequence of colonialism giving less value to the lived realities and understandings of peoples from the Global South.

For achieving both epistemic justice and effective health policy and programmes in global health, acknowledgement and centralisation of context are critical. However, in a more interlinked and open world, there is a massive potential for cross-learning and collaboration across geographies to develop a concerted approach to improve the health of adolescents and for a more equitable global health practice.

However, adolescence is also a social entity shaped by beliefs and values within different cultural contexts. A move away from universal, often western-defined concepts of adolescence, to centring the distinct sociocultural factors that shape adolescence in different societies will enable more effective policies and programming.' (Summary box) 

INDIVIDUAL

|

   INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES              

humanistic ------------------------------- mechanistic

 SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL   

|

GROUP

debate (argumentation) mental space, mindset my beliefs values expectations ENCULTURATION Not just NORTH - SOUTH  but WEST - EAST philosophy of mind belief systems "I DID IT MY WAY" individualism

[Hodges' model] 'Health career' - 'life chances'  2018 - scientific symposium Mwanza, Tanzania 'Adolescence is widely defined as a distinct phase in the life-course during which an individual completes their biological development and transitions from childhood to adulthood.' Appropriate for Africa - health interventions and global health policy that are shaped by such concepts can be universally applicable and relevant? geographical distinctions physical place, space, locale biology - neurocognitive - puberty

communalism universal - cultural rites adolescence - global north culture but applied universally 'adolescence is also a social entity shaped by beliefs and values within different cultural contexts' ETHNOLOGY - SOCIO-CULTURAL Gender - social roles The rise of POPULAR CULTURE: Arts - music, film, drama, literature ... media, technology "WE DO IT OUR WAY"?! "Comme d'habitude"

legal - policy Is there a universal conceptual model to critique*: UNIVERSALITY 'GLOBAL HEALTH' UNIVERSAL HEALTH COVERAGE HEALTH FOR ALL HEALTH INFORMATION FOR ALL 'COLLECTIVE EMPATHY' EQUITY - EQUALITY ...? In policy can you ignore LONG-LAT? epistemic justice  effective health policy programmes in global health - aimed at adolescents acknowledgement centralisation of context  glocal/global - WHO - national/local

Many thanks to the authors:

Nothando Ngwenya, Chido Dziva Chikwari, Janet Seeley, Rashida Abbas Ferrand - Are concepts of adolescence from the Global North appropriate for Africa? A debate: BMJ Global Health 2023;8:e012614. https://gh.bmj.com/content/8/12/e012614

My source:
https://x.com/chidodc/status/1735564926423277571?s=20

Reminded of 'My Way' :: 'American Graffiti'

*I have long wondered what models of care, models of nursing, nursing and care theories may be found in Africa, across Europe, Asia, South America, Native North America, Australasia and Oceania?  

Is Hodges' model truly global and universal - is it (can a model of care be) culturally neutral? Perhaps, this is another conference debate, or might constitute a special journal issue?

‘Life & health’: overview of global health, climate crises, SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030

26 December, 2025 

Afrihealth Optonet Association (AHOA) proudly announces its Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium, a landmark convening designed to inspire dialogue, innovation, and collective action around one of the most pressing issues of our time: “Overview of Global Health, Climate Crises, SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030.” This inaugural symposium represents AHOA’s commitment to shaping forward-looking conversations that connect health, environment, and sustainable development across Africa and beyond.

The world is experiencing an unprecedented convergence of health challenges and climate-related crises. Rising temperatures, extreme weather events, environmental degradation, and biodiversity loss are reshaping disease patterns, food systems, water security, and livelihoods. These realities disproportionately affect low- and middle-income countries, particularly in Africa, where fragile health systems and socioeconomic inequalities amplify vulnerability. The ‘Life & Health’ Symposium seeks to interrogate these realities and offer integrated, actionable pathways aligned with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Africa Agenda 2030.

At the heart of the symposium is a bold premise: health is both a driver and an outcome of sustainable development. Achieving good health and well-being (SDG 3) is inseparable from progress on climate action (SDG 13), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), zero hunger (SDG 2), sustainable cities (SDG 11), and reduced inequalities (SDG 10). By convening experts across disciplines, the symposium will explore how these interconnected goals can be pursued through coordinated policies, resilient systems, and inclusive partnerships.

The Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium is designed as a multi-stakeholder platform, bringing together policymakers, health professionals, climate experts, development practitioners, civil society leaders, academics, youth advocates, and the private sector. Participants will engage in high-level discussions, evidence-based presentations, and solution-oriented exchanges that bridge science, policy, and practice. The symposium will also provide a space for emerging voices and community perspectives, ensuring that local realities inform global ambitions.

A key focus of the symposium is Africa’s Agenda 2030, which contextualizes global commitments within the continent’s development aspirations. Africa stands at a pivotal moment: with a rapidly growing youth population, expanding urban centres, and increasing climate exposure, the choices made today will define health and development outcomes for decades. The symposium will highlight opportunities to harness Africa’s demographic dividend, promote climate-resilient health systems, and foster innovation that aligns with the continent’s priorities.

Participants can expect rich thematic sessions addressing:

I. Global health trends and emerging risks in a changing climate;

II. Climate-sensitive diseases and the future of prevention and preparedness;

III. Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the context of climate resilience;

IV. Policy coherence and governance for integrated SDG implementation;

V. Financing and partnerships for sustainable health and climate action; and

VI. Youth leadership and community engagement as catalysts for Agenda 2030.

Beyond knowledge exchange, the symposium is action-oriented. It aims to catalyze policy-relevant recommendations, foster cross-sector partnerships, and inspire practical initiatives that can be scaled across regions. Afrihealth Optonet Association envisions the symposium as a springboard for sustained collaboration, research, advocacy, and capacity-building that advance health equity and climate justice.

The ‘Life & Health’ Symposium also reflects AHOA’s broader mission to promote evidence-informed decision-making and civil society leadership in health and development. By creating a recurring platform for dialogue and learning through the 52 Sessions in the 2026 ‘Life & Health’ Dialogue Series, AHOA seeks to strengthen the role of civil society in shaping inclusive policies, amplifying marginalized voices, and holding stakeholders accountable to shared commitments.

As the world accelerates toward 2030, time is of the essence. The interlinked crises of health and climate demand urgency, innovation, and solidarity. AHOA’s Maiden ‘Life & Health’ Symposium offers a timely opportunity to rethink silos, align strategies, and recommit to a future where people and planet thrive together, a future that will always seek to ‘Leave No One Behind’.

Afrihealth Optonet Association warmly invites policymakers, practitioners, scholars, development partners, youth leaders, and all stakeholders committed to sustainable development to be part of this historic inaugural symposium, as well as partner with AHOA through the 2026 Dialogue Series. Together, we can deepen understanding, strengthen partnerships, and chart a resilient pathway toward better health outcomes, climate resilience, and the realization of the SDGs and Africa Agenda 2030.

Continued - with links (and my source):

https://www.hifa.org/dgroups-rss/%E2%80%98life-health%E2%80%99-overview-global-health-climate-crises-sdgs-and-africa-agenda-2030

And - Happy New Year to All!

Global Health Literacy Summit 2020

SAVE THE DATE: 26 - 28 October 2020

Where: Kaohsiung Taiwan

Why: To unite people all over the world, foster knowledge exchange, and promote action to advance health literacy

How:  IHLA Interest Group call for abstracts open now.  General call for abstracts opens soon.

Dear HIFA,

The International Health Literacy Association (IHLA) is a non-profit, member-based organization dedicated to the professional development of its members and the continued growth and development of the health literacy field. IHLA was formed in 2016, incorporated in 2017, launched a website and published its first member newsletter in 2018. IHLA now has more than 1,000 members in 80+ countries. Membership is FREE!

To become a member go to http://www.i-hla.org

In spring 2019, the IHLA Executive Board issued a call for proposals to co-host the first
 IHLA Global Health Literacy Summit 2020
http://www.i-hla.org/summit-2020

After a careful review of five EXCELLENT proposals, E-DA Healthcare Group, I-Shou University in Kaohsiung Taiwan earned the honor to host the meeting. In 10 months, IHLA members from around the world will meet in person, share their work, and learn from others locally and globally.

An immediate way to tailor the association to meet your needs is to join an IHLA Interest Group. Interest groups are run by and for members; they emerge and dissolve as health literacy topics and pursuits become relevant. In this way, IHLA Interest Groups keep the organization enduring and relevant. Interest groups (as described in IHLA's Constitution and Bylaw) have programming rights at the Global Health Literacy Summit and play a vital role in shaping the organization at large.

Here are the next steps for IHLA Interest Groups and the Global Health Literacy Summit 2020.

• Encourage Interest Group members to plan and submit research, practice, policy-oriented panels or workshop proposals for the 2020 Global Health Literacy Summit
• Interest Group Chairs and Co-chairs create a peer review process/subcommittee to screen proposals
• Interest Groups select proposals to forward to the Global Health Literacy Summit 2020 Program Committee by February 27, 2020
• Starting in March, the Summit Program Committee conducts a peer review process and either accepts proposals as submitted, or suggests changes
• The IHLA Program Committee has an open call for other proposals, which may lead to an opportunity to supplement interest group sessions - if needed.

For more information, please view this video:  https://youtu.be/RLKlkGPdhHo

Or contact Interest Group Chairs directly via email:  See list of Interest Groups, Chairs/Co-chairs, and email addresses<http://www.i-hla.org/about/interest-groups/

Also, please see below the Global Health Literacy Summit 2020 Principles of Participation, which apply to all IHLA Interest Groups and Members.

1. Interest group proposals must be peer reviewed by a subcommittee of 2-4 interest group members appointed by interest group chairs.
2. All interest group members should have an opportunity to be considered as a reviewer.
3. Reviewer names must be disclosed to interest group members.
4. Presenters in selected sessions must commit to attend the IHLA Global Health Literacy Summit 2020 prior to submission to the Summit Program Committee.
5. Each interest group is encouraged to use a template developed by the IHLA Summit Program Committee to review submission abstracts.
6. It is unethical to charge or receive money as well as in-kind contributions for abstract submissions and peer review.
7. It is unethical to lobby or influence the members of peer review subcommittees regarding the status of any abstract submission.
8. Research submissions must be original research. In addition, accepted submissions will be retracted if found to be plagiarized.
9. Discrimination is prohibited based on national origin, religion, ethnicity, gender, or any other socio-demographic variable.
10. Interest group sessions are open to all attendees.  As such, interest group sessions should be as welcoming as possible to all IHLA Global Health Literacy Summit 2020 attendees.

Sincerely,

Teresa Wagner  Teresa.wagner AT unthc.edu
Rob Logan  logrob AT gmail.com
Sabrina Kurtz-Rossi  sabrina.kurtz_rossi AT tufts.edu

c/o [hifa2015] Stop the .health!

Hi everyone,

Some of you may know about the research I and colleagues around the world have been pursuing on the new health-related domains published in the Lancet, JMIR, Globalization and Health, and featured by news outlets such as NPR, Kaiser Health News, the CBC, and others.  Right now we have the unique opportunity to make an impact by demanding that that public health interests are a priority in the future of the Internet.

Background
Currently, about a dozen health-related generic top level domains (gTLDs) are being added to the Internet.  They include domains such as .healthcare, .med, .doctor, .clinic and MOST IMPORTANTLY a new .health.  Unfortunately, ICANN is now in the process of awarding this hugely important domain space that could shape the very future of health information online to a company that has no interest nor expertise in public health.  Basically, ICANN has ignored key stakeholders including the World Health Organization, World Medical Association, Save the Children, IMIA, France, Mali, and others who have expressed great concern about ICANN’s treatment of the .health.  This recently ended in a secret and private settlement to award the .health that was scheduled to go to a public bidding process.

This decision is important as it will impact global public health and the health of individual consumers.  As people increasingly use the Internet for health information and use that information to make crucial treatment decisions, the quality and trustworthiness of health information online has never been more important.  A .health that was properly governed, had sufficient participation from the medical and public health community, and that was structured as a global public good for the broader community, could have been a game changer for ensuing the reliability of health information online and improving health outcomes.  This has not happened, as ICANN has focused on economic and commercial interests over public health.

What you can do
We are now engaged in a last ditch push to make a real difference here and we have an opportunity to do so.  Right now ICANN is having their annual meeting in Los Angeles. After discussions with friends at WHO, other academics, and even those sympathetic to our cause within ICANN, we’ve learned that only the broader public health and medical community can make a difference.  For this reason, I am hoping you will join our coalition in letting ICANN know that the concerns of the public health community for the .health need to be addressed immediately.

You can make a difference by directly engaging in ICANN’s policy processes via an online public forum this THURSDAY, OCTOBER 16 - 14:00-17:00PM PDT.  Participation is easy and will not take much of your time:

All you have to do is visit the following URL (http://la51.icann.org/en/schedule/thu-public-forum), and then click the “Virtual Meeting Room Stream Live” link, click the option to participate as a guest, and you will be entered into an adobe connect chat room where you can participate and voice your concerns.  Some of the concerns that could be addressed are:

- why has ICANN ignored calls by the WHO, World Medical Association, France, Mali, and others about the .health
- why did ICANN award the .health with no transparency through a secret settlement?
- why has ICANN not responded to multiple letters sent to their board about the .health asking for a moratorium/suspension of the process?
- why does ICANN treat other domains such as .wtf, .sucks, with better safeguards than the .health?
- why has ICANN not listened to the public health community about the .health and other health-related domains?
- health is such an important issue, shouldn’t we have a place on the Internet where we can trust our health information?

I will be personally attending the ICANN meeting in LA and meeting with certain key ICANN officials to try to make an impact.  Please join us so that we can ensure the .health is a place to improve your health, not harm it.

If you have any questions feel free to contact me at anytime attmackey AT ucsd.edu.  Only with your help can we hope to make a difference.

Thanks!

References and Sources

Published articles:

• Mackey TK, Liang BA, Kohler J, Attaran A. The Fight over dot-health: Ensuring the Future of Health Information Online.<http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(13)62215-1/fulltext?rss=yes> The Lancet. 2013; 382:1404.
• Mackey TK, Liang BA, Kohler JC, Attaran A. Health Domains for Sale: The Need for Global Health Internet Governance<http://www.jmir.org/2014/3/e62/. J Med Internet Res. 2014;16(3):e62.
• Mackey TK, Eysenbach G, Liang BA, Kohler JC, Geissbuhler A, Attaran A. A Call for a Moratorium on the .health Generic Top-Level Domain: Preventing the Commercialization and Exclusive Control of Online Health Information<http://www.globalizationandhealth.com/content/10/1/62. Global Health: 2014; 10:62.

News articles:

• National Public Radio: (http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/09/26/351416992/will-dot-health-make-it-more-likely-that-youll-get-scammed)
• Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (http://www.cbc.ca/news/health/health-websites-could-be-overrun-by-commercial-interests-experts-fear-1.2779128)
• TechDirt (https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20140926/08041428649/health-experts-issue-call-to-prevent-icanns-commercialization-new-health-domain-leading-to-exclusive-control-online-health.shtml)
• Medical News Today (http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/283165.php)
• Kaiser Health News (http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Daily-Reports/2014/September/29/health-IT.aspx)
• Medpage (http://www.medpagetoday.com/PracticeManagement/InformationTechnology/44766)

My source: HIFA: Healthcare Information For All: www.hifa2015.org

Geneva Health Forum and AXA Launch €50,000 Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award to Address Pollution's Impact on Human Health

Since 2006, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) has been uniting stakeholders to address critical global health issues every two years. By amplifying the voices of field experts and facilitating connections with influential policymakers, the forum provides a platform for showcasing innovative, accessible, and sustainable practices, as well as significant initiatives. Through its editions, the GHF has emerged as a pivotal event in addressing global health challenges.

For its 10th edition, from May 27 – 29, 2024, the GHF will address crucial issues for our future under the theme “Health, A Common Good!” The GHF transcends the boundaries of the healthcare system, considering the social and environmental determinants of health, with a specific focus on how environmental degradation is profoundly impacting human health.

As part of its mission to advance academic research on key societal challenges and contribute to human progress, the AXA Research Fund (https://axa-research.org/) AXA Group’s global science philanthropy launched in 2008, is teaming up with the GHF in this endeavor.

In light of this collaboration, the Geneva Health Forum (GHF) is introducing a new call for the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award, in partnership with the AXA Research Fund: Health & medical solutions to address the adverse effects of pollution on humans.

The World Health Organization estimates that exposure to air pollution is responsible for about 7 million premature deaths worldwide each year. Addressing pollution-related health issues is crucial, as underscored on May 24, 2023, by the World Health Assembly's resolution “WHA76.17 - The impacts of chemicals, waste, and pollution on human health.” The resolution calls upon Member States to work on human health impacts associated with plastics, act on linkages between chemicals, waste, pollution and other health priorities, as well as to prepare a proposal for a science-policy panel to contribute to the sound management of chemicals and waste.

Pollution is a major global health issue, affecting human health by causing respiratory diseases, heart problems, and cancer due to exposure to pollutants in the air, water, and soil. Specific attention has been given to pollutants such as per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), which are linked to cancer, thyroid disease, and developmental issues. Other pollutants such as heavy metals, volatile organic compounds (VOCs), particulate matter, persistent organic pollutants (POPs), and indoor air pollutants, present serious health risks, including neurological damage, reproductive disorders, and respiratory illnesses, highlighting the broad impact of pollution on human wellbeing.

Building on this international momentum, the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève 2024 will focus on the nexus of pollution and its health impacts.

The objective of the Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award is to support an research team engaged in researching or implementing research-based projects with a focus on health treatment, measurements, use of data, and community involvement in addressing pollution-related health issues. The proposed projects must demonstrate their potential to change health practices and improve health outcomes in relation to pollution of air, water and soil, including but not limited to PFAS. Multidisciplinary teams exploring innovative practices or tools will be favoured.

The projects should not only focus on preventive measures to reduce pollution in the environment, but also encompass a broader scope, including assessing existing pollution, removing pollutants from the body and environment, developing medical solutions for pollution-related diseases, and finding ways to enhance health despite existing pollution.

The call will be open from March 11 to April 21, 2024, midnight (CET). Applications must be submitted online in English.

The Scientific Committee will select the top seven applications, which will then be submitted to the Programme Committee for the final selection of the winner. The award- winning research group will be announced on Tuesday, May 27, 2024, after the first day of the Geneva Health Forum, in the presence of the winning team.

The Grand Jet d’Or de Genève Award carries a prize of €50,000, awarded by the AXA Research Fund.

To prepare your proposal, you can view the complete proposal form:
https://grandjetdor2024form.genevahealthforum.com

If you need more information: contact AT genevahealthforum.com

HIFA* Profile: Eric Comte is Executive Director, Geneva Health Forum, External Affairs Directorate, Geneva University Hospitals. Email: eric.comte AT unige.ch

*My source.

"What's in a (blog) name?"

As regulars here will be aware I've been wondering what Hodges' model might learn from other conceptual frameworks produced around the world. ...

When I first read the following blog title - 'World Health Care Blog'

I thought - 'World Health Care' - now this sounds really interesting.

Unfortunately, upon investigation the world health contextual cupboard was bare.

I looked again at the label.

I looked in the tin.

I'm sorry, but from the top-down this blog proved a disappointment.

It's not that I was expecting a paper on world health care models or frameworks.

Don't get me wrong the business (economic, industry) world of health care is essential (reading) for those who want to stride - not step - from today into the future. Health care has been commodified for ages, for all ages. To be fair the 'subtitle' and 'about' statement makes the focus of the blog very clear. From the bottom-up there is clearly content to satisfy the ardent business-info-addict with posts and contributions from leading players.

Maybe it's me and my digital preoccupation has regressed to hairs; but this title IS imho very misleading. How so? Well from the perspective of world health care business-industry insiders all seems well with the-ir world. Meanwhile, non-'business' visitors like this one, may spend their visit exercising ruined expectations. (If the target audience is specific then somebody had better go sort the stage and the sights: there's still a debate to had.)

'Stuck' (and essentially 'skint') as I am here in Lancashire, UK I can't exactly throw stones. Hodges' model is a small - very tasty - fruit (when ripe!) with four (or five) kernels possessed of global - world health aspirations. We need global conceptual frameworks for health and social care and education.

Browsing the 'World health Care Blog' and searching for 'world health' revealed posts totally unrelated to what many people would consider the real issues surrounding 'world health'. There are posts on global health funding and global health program, India, Mexico, Thailand.

At the time of writing 'World Health Care' is not even listed as a category. Try 'poverty'...?

Perhaps 'world health' is implied in the content, but is this sufficient given the title?

Noting the sponsor perhaps there's a risk of confusing or conflating 'World Health Care - Congress' with 'World Health Care'?

The World Health Care Blog is not listed on the main Corante site, so perhaps this blog is off the beaten track?

All this makes we wonder about Google-SEO ranking and semantic web weighting? [Actually, where does (will) the weight of blog, website, and Web 2.0-3.0 application purposes and titles feature on the semantic web?]

'Corante' may have been the world's first English language newspaper, but *global health care* comprises a multitude of languages that must be given a voice. Especially as many of those languages are threatened species (including Danish).

There - was - an interesting brief video clip by Dr Anil Kumar

I realise of course that many contributors and agencies at the World Health Care Blog and Congress will be greatly involved in major world-wide humanitarian and philanthropic projects. The concern is one of impressions.... Reflecting on the meaning of 'world health' and the inclusion of these term(s) might pay great dividends in terms of publicity, balance, governance, corporate and social responsibility.

So, come on Corante if you - as blog managers - insist on this title, on this stage then pick up the theme of 'World Health Care' holistically - you know you want to.... since after all

Corante = Enactor

'To act (something) out, as on a stage: enacted the part of the parent.' http://www.answers.com/enactor&r=67

Lead the way...

All trademarks acknowledged.

Developing NIHR guiding principles for Community Engagement and Involvement - have your say!

Dear HIFA colleagues,

Today we launch a public consultation on our guiding principles for community engagement and involvement in health research (CEI). We are aiming to build consensus by seeking feedback on the principles, their descriptions and how they could be implemented in diverse local contexts.

Here's the link to the survey: - now closed.

It should take around 15 - 20 minutes to complete, and it closes on 1 December.

The survey is open to everyone with an interest in CEI, and all HIFA members are welcome to participate. Please do share widely with colleagues, networks, and friends. If you have any questions, email ceiglobalhealth AT nihr.ac.uk.

** Rationale and more detail:

The NIHR expects Community Engagement and Involvement (CEI) to be integrated in the full spectrum of the research it supports. NIHR has both a vision and goals for CEI. However, we wanted to bring together wider work on the foundations of good CEI in research and present these key attributes in an accessible way. These new guiding principles aim to help clarify the expectations of CEI by: - providing stronger guidance for the global health research community in developing CEI plans that are robust, appropriate, and effective for both the local context and for the study design. - being useful to research funding committee members, providing them with a framework and criteria to carry out more robust assessments of research proposals.

The principles are not a set of rules but more conceptual and will be realised in practice in many ways, reflecting the huge contextual variation in global health research.

To date, we have carried out a rapid scoping review of literature, which, along with previous development work, aimed to identify CEI principles related to how researchers and communities interact within the global health research context. Earlier feedback on the emerging principles was sought from a group of CEI Leads across NIHR awards and from an independent group of CEI experts formed to advise on the work.

**

Best regards, Patrick Patrick Wilson Head of Global Health Communications & Stakeholder Engagement National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)  📨 patrick.wilson AT nihr.ac.uk🌐 www.nihr.ac.uk/globalhealth Subscribe to our NIHR Global Health Research monthly newsletter 📝 https://www.nihr.ac.uk/about-us/stay-up-to-date.htm#six

HIFA profile: Patrick Wilson is Head of Global Health Communications & Stakeholder Engagement at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), UK . Professional interest: Global health research. @NIHRglobal 

My source: HIFA

Book: "Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights" i

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights

This book would have been a timely and great read back in 1998 when my online career began. Of course, back then the global health and human rights environment we know today was incomplete; even as core challenges and barriers were a known and frustrating presence. In nursing theory, practice and management there was much policy and politics to also run its course. As policy and law continue to play out over the past two decades, the relevance of Hodges' model is also continually affirmed.

"Foundations .." is a dense read, but it is meant to be. There are two clues, one is on the cover especially if your work is in health, in a developed nation, but you have no experience of working in humanitarian crisis situations. Thankfully, or not, that is the case for the vast majority of us, but this text could persuade many to get involved. Many who might think of nursing, medicine, public health and other more obvious clinical pathways may realise there is another way

The other clue is how each chapter has a series of questions to check your reading and attention. I could not answer them all but I will hide behind the excuse that in providing the foundations I am busy laying bricks, timber, whatever materials are to hand. The book was published last year and COVID-19 is ongoing and recognised as a global event, but its full impact is not yet apparent. Whether this could justify a revised edition I'm not sure. There is much to add, but the same can be said of so many books now.

Nonetheless the book delivers, organised in four sections:

I. The Human Rights Movement: International Norms and Principles
II. Bringing Rights Home: Tools for Human Rights Implementation and Accountability
III. Contemporary Applications: Healthy People, Healthy Populations
IV. New Challenges: Human Rights to Advance Public Health in a Globalizing Era

From OUP, the quality [pb] is high as expected, with clear type and an appealing, if conventional layout. The book is pretty heavy, 254x178mm and over more than 467 pages. In the car the steering wheel is a welcome support (wanting the book placed higher).

A foreword by Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus [@DrTedros] Director-General of the World Health Organization acknowledges the arrival of COVID and WHO's role as a catalyst in the global response. Dr Tedros concludes:

"'Health is a human right' must be more than just a slogan - it must be embedded in international law, national legislation, and health policies, a commitment to protecting and promoting the right to health for all people, in all countries, through global solidarity." p.xiv

individual

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INTERPERSONAL : SCIENCES

humanistic ----------------------------------------------- mechanistic

SOCIOLOGY : POLITICAL

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group

QUALITY, SUBJECTIVE	OBJECTIVE, QUANTITY
"Health is a human right"	"Health is a human right"

From the introduction and throughout the explanation of history is very welcome. The book readily qualifies as a foundational teaching text. The preface's intent to provide a holistic perspective on the field, is well achieved. There is a developmental pathway in the sections and chapters with references back to what was covered previously. This is helpful and in my reading drew attention to what still must be resolved.

More to follow ...

Foundations of Global Health & Human Rights. (2020) Lawrence O. Gostin and Benjamin Mason Meier (Eds.), Oxford: OUP. ISBN: 9780197528303.