News Article
September 15, 2009
President Brodhead says demand for global health training has doubled
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Duke University President Richard H. Brodhead told a meeting of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) that student demand for global health training is skyrocketing, and programs are struggling to keep up.
A report released by the new consortium of 58 universities on Monday shows that the number of students enrolled in global health programs has doubled in the last three years. Brodhead was part of a panel discussion of university presidents that addressed the implications of this fast-growing field of study.
Since being founded in 2006, the Duke Global Health Institute (DGHI) has created numerous education, research and service initiatives and a global health certificate program that has become very popular among undergraduate students. President Brodhead said he's amazed by the institute's ability to meet student demand, but one of the challenges is its very success.
“Hundreds more students applied for our interdisciplinary freshman program this year, which was more than we could accommodate. It’s our second largest undergraduate minor, but even at that, we will probably have twice those numbers in two years,” said Brodhead. “We’ve aroused hopes and expectations in global health at Duke, and the trouble is balancing those hopes with the reality of what we are able to deliver.”
The presidents panel was one of the highlights of the CUGH meeting at the National Institutes of Health. It included Brodhead and his counterparts from Boston University, Emory University, The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Washington. The session was moderated by DGHI Director Michael Merson, and addressed questions from the audience and the social networking website, Twitter. The discussion was streamed live over the internet in an effort to reach out to the online community.
Consortium inspires new collaboration, support among universities
Member institutions gathered at this first meeting of CUGH to pool their research, education, policy and workforce training and bring new energy and approaches to address growing health disparities in low- and middle-income countries. It was the first global health event of its kind, signaling a widespread shift in philosophy and priority for universities and young adults.
“There is great enthusiasm for global health from this generation of students, who have a better understanding of their role as global citizens," said Emory University President James W. Wagner. "What we are discovering is that global health and global development are part of an expanded theater in which to pursue liberal learning and professional education. I am very optimistic that global health is not simply a short-term priority."
The presidents also discussed their responsibility to foreign community partners, the challenge to deliver innovation and new technologies to the developing world, and the need to send a clear message that global health includes domestic issues. They also talked about budget cuts as a result of the recession.
"We had to absorb pretty draconian budget cuts this past year. We lost 26% of our state general fund in one hit," said Mark A. Emmert, President of the University of Washington. Administrators there used a ranking system to determine how academic programs would be cut. "We rated global health very highly in that process. We are also blessed that the global health department has significant support outside of the university's state general fund dollars. So, global health was treated as fairly as any other part of the university, and maybe a little better than most."
At Duke, $30 million was appropriated to jumpstart global health programs in 2006, but Broadhead said those funds will have to be stretched out for a longer period of time than anticipated as the private university deals with a $125 million budget shortfall. He said university leaders are confident that outside support in the form of donations and grants will continue to help sustain their programs.
University leaders highlight need to transcend well-established academic boundaries
The panelists also emphasized the need for multiple disciplines within each university to work together to expand global health education, research, and fieldwork opportunities that will be meaningful for low resource communities. Brodhead said global health is unique because it can serve as a vehicle for a new interdisciplinary model of education, dissolving traditional boundaries.
"We look backward at an educational system that's based on the separation of schools, departments and disciplines," Brodhead said. "We look forward to a world where that won't be so interesting to people anymore. There will be problems that are so compelling to work on and students and researchers won't be able to address them if they work within the boundaries of one country or discipline."
While Boston University President Robert A. Brown agrees that global health requires many areas of expertise, he cautions that a fine line exists between too much and too little collaboration. "How do you respect disciplines and faculty who are very focused in their line of work and, at the same time, respect the desire by a large number of faculty and students within the university to reinvent yourself over time?"
The panelists said the true measure of success in global health will be the contributions that students make once they move on to become the next generation of global health leaders.
On Wednesday morning, DGHI's Michael Merson will be the headline speaker at a congressional briefing hosted by the CSIS Global Health Policy Center and the Congressional Global Health Caucus. The briefing will also include a presentation from Duke junior and public policy major Gregory Morrison, who worked on a maternal health project in Mbarara, Uganda this summer. Morrison is also pursuing DGHI's Global Health Certificate.
Additional details about the rise in global health programs on college campuses can be found in this CUGH News Release. Also, read a joint joint statement by eight university presidents, including President Brodhead, on the academic sector's role in addressing global disparities in health and development.