Global Health Seminar

The Global Health Seminar is a year-long, weekly elective course intended for students in the health professions to develop an understanding of key aspects of global health research and practice.  The objective of the course is for students to attain a good understanding of key issues upon which they may base future research, service, and clinical pursuits in the field of global health.  As the course involves students and faculty from all health professional schools, its participatory and collaborative nature provides a rich environment for interdisciplinary dialogue. 

The course features faculty from across the health professional schools and other global health experts from around the world.  The Global Health Seminar is a requirement for students in the Global Health Concentration at the Yale School of Public Health (YSPH) and for students in the Certificate in the Science and Practice of Medicine in the Global Context at the Yale School of Medicine (YSM). 

Historically, the Global Health Seminar has been led by strong student input and engagement.  In addition to faculty advisors from the School of Medicine and Public Health, a program manager from YSPH supports the Seminar.  The Global Health Seminar is also supported by the Global Health Working Group, a student-led organization representing all the health professional schools.

The course contains two components: thematic lectures and modules.  Over the course of the spring semester, lectures will focus on key actors in the international global health architecture.  The module will focus on global health and the environment.  For each class, 1 - 2 readings will be posted on classes V2 prior to each session.  Students are required to read the articles and articulate questions and ideas for class discussion.  After each session, students can learn more about the invited lecturer and their career path over an informal dinner.  The success of each session is dependent upon active participation and interaction. 

Modules are designed as a series of consecutive sessions, coordinated by a faculty member, that delve into a particular topic in greater detail.  These sessions require more engaged student participation and discussion and are meant to provide a more in-depth under the guidance of an expert in the field.  Each module concludes with student projects. The modules are requirements for students in the Global Health Concentration at YSPH and the Certificate in the Science and Practice of Medicine in the Global Context at YSM.  For other students it is optional. 

Lecture Day/Time: Mondays 5:30 – 7:00PM

Location: The Anlyan Center (TAC) N107

Faculty Advisors

YSM: Gerald Friedland, M.D., Professor of Medicine and Epidemiology; Director, AIDS Program

• gerald.friedland@yale.edu

YSM: Tracy Rabin, M.D., Instructor, Internal Medicine

• Tracy.rabin@yale.edu

YSM: Sheela Shenoi, M.D., Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, AIDS

• Sheela.shenoi@yale.edu

YSN: Patricia Ryan-Krause, Associate Professor, School of Nursing; Director, School of Nursing

• patricia.ryan-krause@yale.edu

YSPH: Michael Skonieczny, M.A., Executive Director, Global Health Leadership Institute

• michael.skonieczny@yale.edu

PA: Rosana Gonzalez-Colaso, Assistant Professor, Internal Medicine, PA Program

• rosana.gonzalez-colaso@yale.edu

Program Manager

Kwaku Ayebi-Awuah, Program Manager, Global Health Concentration at YSPH

• kwaku.ayebi-awuah@yale.edu 

Global Health Working Group

Abigail Taylor, YSPH

• abigail.taylor@yale.edu

Christina Lin, YSM

• christina.lin@yale.edu

Anirudh Sreekrishnan, YSM

• anirudh.sreekrishnan@yale.edu

Samantha Kaplan, YSM

• samantha.kaplan@yale.edu

Mikaela Davis, YSPH

• mikaela.davis@yale.edu 

Schedule - Spring 2013

Key Actors in Global Health – Part I

1/14    Private Sector Engagement in Global Health – Project Last Mile

• Kristina Talbert-Slagle, Associate Research Scientist and Lecturer, YSPH-GHLI

• Public-private partnerships (PPPs) have long played an essential role in global health.  Traditional PPPs often focus on service delivery, product development, or improved financing of global health initiatives, but new, innovative approaches continue to emerge.  In this talk, Dr. Talbert-Slagle will provide an overview of traditional PPPs in global health and then describe one novel approach, known as a "knowledge transfer partnership" that is currently underway in Tanzania, involving the transfer of supply chain management expertise from The Coca-Cola Company to the Tanzanian Medical Stores Department.  Dr. Talbert-Slagle will review implementation successes and challenges of this innovative effort to improve delivery of medicines down to the last mile, concluding with a discussion of possible opportunities for replication of the Knowledge Transfer PPP in other countries.

1/28   Nursing Programs in Global Settings

• Nancy Reynolds, Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, YSN
• In efforts to address complex global health care problems throughout the world, this lecture will highlight the different models of nursing care in addition to various training techniques utilized by nursing leaders to develop and implement evidenced based health care solutions to improve the care of people around the world.

Module: Global Health and the Environment

2/4      Unsafe Water and Sanitation

• Kristina Talbert-Slagle, Associate Research Scientist and Lecturer, YSPH-GHLI 

2/11    China and Air Pollution

• Tongzhang Zheng, Professor of Environmental Health Sciences, YSPH

2/18    Climate Change and Infectious Disease

• Jeffrey  Shaman, Columbia University School of Public Health – Invited

2/25    Student Presentations

3/4      Student Presentations

Key Actors in Global Health – Part II

3/25    Global Health Think Tanks

• Robert Hecht, Managing Director, Results for Development Institute (R4D) 

• This lecture will focus on R4D’s work in the areas of Global Education, Global Health, Governance, and Market dynamics to unlock solutions to tough development challenges for people in low-middle-income countries. 

4/1      Pharmaceutical Companies and Affordable Medicines

• Amy Kapczynski, Associate Professor of Law, YLS

• Expenditure on medicines accounts for a major proportion of health costs in developing countries. This means that access to treatment is heavily dependent on the availability of affordable medicines. This lecture will focus on the role of pharmaceutical companies in efforts to increase affordability of medicines.

4/8      Public Health Consulting

• Joel Lamstein, John Snow Inc. (JSI)

• JSI is one of the world’s leading global public health consulting firms, serving clients across five continents. This session will highlight JSI’s technical expertise in capacity building and finding solutions to the most challenging global health issues.   

4/15    Health System Development in Latin America & the Caribbean

• Keith Hansen, Human Development Director for Latin America &  the Caribbean, World Bank
• Sixteen out of the thirty countries with highest inequality are from Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). This lecture will focus on World Bank’s efforts to address the four core issues in LAC; inequality, inefficient investment, non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and underdeveloped insurance. The session will also highlight lessons learned from the LAC project.

4/22   Emergency Response and Preparedness

• International Medical Corps (IMC) – Invited

• This lecture will focus on IMC’s global efforts to save lives and relieve suffering through health care training, relief and development programs