Conference Re-energizes University Commitment to Global Health

Merson keynote

Merson delivered a keynote on the interdisciplinary power of universities to transform global health.

Published September 21, 2010, last updated on March 20, 2013 under Education News

Because it takes trained and motivated leaders to make changes in global health, it is paramount to invest in students. This idea was reinforced at the 2010 annual meeting of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH) in Seattle, which attracted a record of more than 900 university leaders, global health faculty and students.

At a time when demand for global health academic programs is exploding, the three-day CUGH conference addressed the powerful role of universities in the advancement of global health as a field of study, research and service. Currently, only 2% of money spent on health worldwide is spent on education. But with one voice, global health units at universities across the US and the world are energized to work together to change that with their influential role in promoting research and innovation, disseminating knowledge and advocating for increased funding.

The Consortium consists of 60 member universities, including Duke through DGHI, and conference attendees learned that in addition to its members, there are more than 260 universities in North America with some level of global health activity on campus.

The conference’s interactive sessions focused on a diverse set of issues and challenges with regard to the role of universities in global health, including access to state-of-the-art medicines and technologies, climate change on human health, global health policy and diplomacy, injury and violence prevention and women and children’s health.

For a comprehensive recap of the conference, visit the CUGH 2010 Annual Meeting Blog – where global health leaders, session speakers and students provide insight on these topics and much more.

Video from the conference will be available on the CUGH website soon.

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