Health Inequities
November 7, 2023
Rewriting the Script of Global Health
In the heart of Rwanda, a pharmaceutical revolution is unfolding, disrupting a global health order long dominated by high-income nations. This bold move by a nation determined to chart its own course in healthcare sovereignty embodies the spirit of decolonizing global health. It serves as a testament to the possibility of a world where equity…
October 16, 2023
Gaza: The Past Nine Days for Me
Rahmeh is a Palestinian-Jordanian living in Amman, and was our MPH Graduation speaker in 2022 The past nine days have been an excruciating journey through time, immersing me in the anguish and fury of my ancestors who lived the Nakba [catastrophe]. They served as a potent reminder of my childhood, prompting a fundamental…
October 13, 2023
[BOOKS] on Medical Appartheid
Medical apartheid refers to the systemic discrimination, segregation, and unequal treatment of individuals or groups based on their race or ethnicity within the healthcare system, leading to disparities in access, quality of care, and health outcomes. Book recommendations on medical appartheid: “Medical Apartheid: The Dark History of Medical Experimentation on Black Americans from Colonial…
October 6, 2023
Could you patent the sun? How vaccine patent waivers would save lives
The world had the chance to truly treat COVID-19 as a common problem and respond to it in an equitable and just manner. At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, politicians, mainstream media and celebrities in the West declaring the disease the “great equalizer” – implying that this novel virus would affect everyone regardless of their position, wealth,…
September 13, 2023
Substandard medicines blamed for 285,000 childhood malaria, pneumonia deaths
VIdya Krishnan, an Indian Journalist writes about a “dirty secret in global health:” that rich countries get quality medicines and that the poor countries often get poison. Her op-ed in the Sept 11 New York Times describes the regulatory inequities between rich and poor nations. and how these inequities fail to prevent manufacture and export…
August 11, 2023
Are we training students to be white saviors in global health?
Ananya Tina Banerjee and co-authors just published an excellent piece in The Lancet on white saviorism in global health. They remind us that global health leadership and power continues to be dominated by the global north – and that 85% of all global health organizations are headquartered in Europe and North America. They point out…
April 25, 2023
Sudan’s Ongoing Crisis: Unpacking the Root Causes of Violence and the Elusive Pursuit of Peace Amidst Global Inequities
The violence in Sudan, particularly in Khartoum, is partly the fault of the international community. Sudan is still struggling to build a civilian-led government after decades of military rule, and tensions between different military factions have erupted into violence. The exploitation of resources, economic disparities, and political power imbalances have fueled grievances and conflicts within…
November 10, 2022
African scientists say Western aid to fight pandemic is backfiring. Here’s their plan
Global health inequities are inevitable, according to virologist and former president of the Nigerian Academy of Sciences Oyewale Tomori. “The WHO is,” says Tomori, “well, I know the W stands for World, but sometimes I think it stands for White.” Dr. Tomori shared that he was not surprised that high-income countries were buying up monkeypox vaccine…
