Our Continued Commitment to Global Health Equity

To our faculty, staff, students and global partners, 

Over the past few weeks, we have seen many concerning signs that the U.S. is beginning to pull back from its decades-long leadership on programs that deliver healthand humanitarian aid to countries around the world. I know many of you are worried about the impact such a pivot wil have on the institute’s mission and the health of the communities we serve. 

I share those concerns. Having spent more than three decades working on HIV prevention and treatment, I can vividly recall the years before we had an effective and affordable treatment to protect people from life-threatening illness. We cannot afford to go backward, or fail to act in the face of preventable suffering and hardship.

In these extraordinary times, it is critical that we as global and public health scholars reaffirm our commitment to health equity for all. The Duke Global health Institute has carried out this mission for nearly 20 years, under four U.S. presidents and working collaboratively with partners of varying political affiliations and ideologies. We will not waver in our dedication to this mission, nor in our values. 

We will remain committed to working collaboratively and equitably with our global partners and stand alongside them as they work to address the new challenges of the current environment. We will continue to seek and train learners from across the globe, giving them the resources and skills they need to be difference-makers in our field. 

We will continue to uphold the highest standards of science, and we will not be deterred in the search for solutions to our most pressing health challenges, including new and emerging infectious diseases, the rise of chronic conditions like heart disease, the health impacts of climate change and the growing global crisis in mental health. And we will continue to seek policies and interventions that protect vulnerable and marginalized individuals and communities.

 Health is not political. It is a right of all people, no matter where they live, whether they are rich or poor, or how they identify. All of us have a role in ensuring that we do everything we can to deliver on this fundamental human right. We can continue to call out the actions that cause preventable death and disease, and we can fiercely advocate for the policies and interventions that have been shown to protect people from harm. The uncertainty of this moment only makes this work more urgent and necessary. 

— Chris Beyrer, MD, MPH

Director, Duke Global Health Institute