Global Health

COURSES AND PROGRAMMES CAN BE SUBJECT TO CHANGE

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 a ‘friendly face’ – e.g., “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.

What: Trying to understand and perhaps improve the governance of global health requires an understanding of its history. During this course, we will:

1.      Explore the most common ‘frames’ or ‘framings’ of global health, and the normative thinking behind those frames;

2.      Analyse the history of global health, from its colonial roots until recent discussions on the Pandemic Agreement;

3.      Dig deeper into ‘background obstacles’, which prevent the evolution of a form of global health that pursues the common interest of states (and the interest of the most powerful states more than the interest of less powerful states) into a form of global health that truly prioritises “equity in health for all people worldwide”.

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? 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.