Global Health Initiatives

Catalog description

Global Health Initiatives (GHIs) such as the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria (Global Fund), the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), and the World Health Organization (WHO) among others, have been instrumental in the rapid acceleration of programs targeting specific diseases such as HIV, TB, malaria, malnutrition, maternal and child health in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC). At the same time, other non-communicable diseases such as cancer, mental health, substance use, diabetes and cardiovascular disease have been relatively neglected in LMICS, even as the global burden such diseases create is growing. The purpose of this course is to critically examine the GHIs’ roles in addressing public health emergencies and the effects of these efforts on the health care system and health of populations living in LMICs. The first part of the course provides an overview of the major political, financial, and social structural organizations involved in global health policy. These include international development and financial organizations and institutions, national governments, nongovernmental organizations rooted in civil society, and private sector entities. In the second half of the course students explore specific case studies in global health policy that illustrate policymaking and implementation successes and challenges.