Global Health in Times of Crises

Disclaimer: this is not a course about healthcare during humanitarian crises! 

Why: The history of global health is linked with the history of globalisation in the broad sense of the term. Rooted in the movement of people, goods and services, global health today remains deeply intertwined with broader socioeconomic, cultural, legal and political factors. The multidisciplinary field engages on issues broader than those directly linked to health, transcending borders to address political, social and commercial determinants of health.

While often presented with the ‘friendly face’ of “an area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving equity in health for all people worldwide”,[1] global health cannot be divorced from its relationship with globalisation in the broad sense, including the latter’s worst embodiments such as colonisation and imperialism, pursuit of profit at all cost, protection of national interest at the detriment of people living elsewhere. Despite being an ever-growing area of work, global health seems unable to address persisting health and wellbeing inequalities. Global health governance, often challenged by non-state actors, has in itself been criticised for its lumbering approach to decision making. However, there is inspiration in movements and efforts to collaborate with multiple stakeholders including social justice movements.

Today, humanity is confronted with multiple crises that impact global health. Political, social and financial instability; climate and biodiversity crises; conflict, displacement and forced migration, alongside demographic and epidemiological changes and emerging diseases. In this era of global crises, perhaps even a global polycrisis, global health is faced with unprecedented challenges, impacting international and national systems and therefore affecting the vulnerable disproportionately.

What: Trying to improve global health governance requires an understanding of its history. That requires a multidisciplinary approach, as well as concerted and responsive actions by actors from many backgrounds and sectors, towards a safer, healthier and more sustainable future.

The three-week course on global health in times of crises illustrates how health (and global health) is intertwined with social, political and economic factors. In an increasingly interconnected world, global health crises can reflect and demonstrate global dynamics, cooperation and power structures, highlight inequities, and reveal their influence on the strengths and weaknesses of systems. Understanding these complex dynamics can inform preparedness and response to future crises, and therefore strengthen systems at global and national level at large, keeping in mind health equity, human rights, and planetary boundaries.

For whom: Are you a health or a development professional, a researcher, or a policymaker? Are you eager to engage on interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral issues to understand the wider dynamics of global health to prepare health systems which sustain and improve health in times of crises? Then this course is for you!

By whom: ITM teaching staff and guest lecturers bring expertise from different disciplines, such as public health, political, and social sciences. Our staff and lecturers bring experiences from a broad array of countries, from their experience in different local, national and international organisations, as well as civil society organisations.

Together with teaching staff and a diverse group of course participants, you will engage in discussions, illustrations and case studies from various contexts, fostering international exchange and comparative analysis.

[1] Koplan, J.P., Bond, T.C., Merson, M.H., Reddy, K.S., Rodriguez, M.H., Sewankambo, N.K. and Wasserheit, J.N., 2009. Towards a common definition of global health. The Lancet, 373(9679), pp.1993-1995.