Global Health In Practice

The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the world's vulnerabilities to health and economic ruin from disease outbreaks. But the pandemic merely reveals fundamental weaknesses and contradictions in global health. What are the roots of discontents in global health? How do geo-politics, power dynamics, knowledge gaps, racism, and corruption affect global health? Is foreign aid for health due for a radical overhaul?This book is an incisive guide to the practice of global health in real life. Global health policy is at a crossroads. It is on trial at the interface between the Global North and the Global South. There has been remarkable progress in health outcomes over the past century. Yet, countries face a complex landscape of lofty ambitions in the form of political commitments to Universal Health Coverage, Human Capital, and Global Health Security. These ambitions are tempered by multiple constraints. Investors in global health must navigate a minefield of uneven progress, great expectations, and denials of scientific evidence by entrenched interests. That terrain is further complicated by the hegemonic suppression of innovation that threatens the status quo and by self-perpetuating cycles of dependency of the Global South on the Global North.This book is an unflinching scrutiny of concepts and cases by a veteran of global health policy and practice. It holds a mirror to the world and lays out pathways to a better future. The book is a must-have GPS for policy makers and practitioners as they navigate the maze of global health.

"The COVID-19 pandemic has laid bare the world's vulnerabilities to health and economic ruin from disease outbreaks. But the pandemic merely reveals fundamental weaknesses and contradictions in global health. What are the roots of discontents in global health? How do geo-politics, power dynamics, knowledge gaps, racism, and corruption affect global health? Is foreign aid for health due for a radical overhaul? This book is an incisive guide to the practice of global health in real life. Global health policy is at a crossroads. It is on trial at the interface between the Global North and the Global South. There has been remarkable progress in health outcomes over the past century. Yet, countries face a complex landscape of lofty ambitions in the form of political commitments to Universal Health Coverage, Human Capital, and Global Health Security. These ambitions are tempered by multiple constraints. Investors in global health must navigate a minefield of uneven progress, great expectations, and denials of scientific evidence by entrenched interests. That terrain is further complicated by the hegemonic suppression of innovation that threatens the status quo and by self-perpetuating cycles of dependency of the Global South on the Global North. This book is an unflinching scrutiny of concepts and cases by a veteran of global health policy and practice. It holds a mirror to the world and lays out pathways to a better future. The book is a must-have GPS for policy makers and practitioners as they navigate the maze of global health"--

This book presents best practices for ethical and safe international health elective experiences for trainees and the educational competencies and evaluation techniques that make them valuable. It includes commentaries, discussions and descriptions of new global health education guidelines, reviews of the literature, as well as research. Uniquely, it will include ground-breaking research on perspectives of partners in the Global South whose voices are often unheard, student perspectives and critical discussions of the historical foundations and power dynamics inherent in international medical work. Global Health Experiential Education is a timely book that will be of interest to academic directors of global health programmes and anyone involved in training and international exchanges across North America.

An essential introduction to global health in the modern world Foundations for Global Health Practice offers a comprehensive introduction to global health with a focus on ethical engagement and participatory approaches. With a multi-sectoral perspective grounded in Sustainable Development Goals, the text prepares students for engagement in health care and public health and goes beyond traditional global health texts to include chapters on mental health, agriculture and nutrition, water and sanitation, and climate change. In addition to presenting core concepts, the book outlines principles for practice that enable students and faculty to plan and prepare for fieldwork in global health. The book also offers perspectives from global health practitioners from a range of disciplinary and geographic perspectives. Exercises, readings, discussion guides and information about global health competencies and careers facilitate personal discernment and enable students to systematically develop their own professional goals and strategies for enriching, respectful, and ethical global health engagement. Understand the essential concepts, systems, and principles of global health Engage in up-to-date discussion of global health challenges and solutions Learn practical skills for engagement in health care and beyond Explore individual values and what it means to be an agent for change Prevention, cooperation, equity, and social justice are the central themes of global health, a field that emphasizes the interdisciplinary, cross-sector, and cross-boundary nature of health care on a global scale. As the world becomes ever smaller and society becomes more and more interconnected, the broad view becomes as critical as the granular nature of practice. Foundations for Global Health Practice provides a complete and highly relevant introduction to this rich and rewarding field.

"In 2019, a child born in Japan will live to the age of 84, whereas a child born in Sierra Leone will only live until the age of 54.1 Similar disparities exist between rich and poor communities within countries.2 These differences in life expectancy are not caused by genetics, biology, or culture. Health inequities are caused by poverty, racism, a lack of medical care, and other social forces that influence health. A critical analysis of the historical roots of this gross and systemic inequality and of the political economy that continues inequality is a fundamental part of the study of global health"--

This handbook compiles methods for gathering, organizing and disseminating data to inform policy and manage health systems worldwide. Contributing authors describe national and international structures for generating data and explain the relevance of ethics, policy, epidemiology, health economics, demography, statistics, geography and qualitative methods to describing population health. The reader, whether a student of global health, public health practitioner, programme manager, data analyst or policymaker, will appreciate the methods, context and importance of collecting and using global health data.

Bringing together the experience, perspective and expertise of Paul Farmer, Jim Yong Kim, and Arthur Kleinman, Reimagining Global Health provides an original, compelling introduction to the field of global health. Drawn from a Harvard course developed by their student Matthew Basilico, this work provides an accessible and engaging framework for the study of global health. Insisting on an approach that is historically deep and geographically broad, the authors underline the importance of a transdisciplinary approach, and offer a highly readable distillation of several historical and ethnographic perspectives of contemporary global health problems. The case studies presented throughout Reimagining Global Health bring together ethnographic, theoretical, and historical perspectives into a wholly new and exciting investigation of global health. The interdisciplinary approach outlined in this text should prove useful not only in schools of public health, nursing, and medicine, but also in undergraduate and graduate classes in anthropology, sociology, political economy, and history, among others.

The concept of global health has moved on from focusing on the problems of the developing world to encompass health problems with global impact. Global health issues impact daily on local healthcare delivery and professional practice. This illuminating guide for healthcare students and practitioners introduces the major themes, challenges and debates relevant to global health that will equip the reader with the knowledge and skills required to thrive in this multi-faceted area of practice. Key features Puts global health in context considering key issues including health inequalities, human health and the global environment and climate change. Ideal reading for international electives, voluntary work, and further qualifications in global health. Contains insights from leading experts in the field. Relevant to those working in a culturally diverse context whether domestic or international.