Our Goal: To promote equity in global health partnerships.
COVID-19 underscored the lack of equity in health and other measures within and between countries and regions of the world. Addressing complex global health problems requires new approaches that embrace a multidimensional vision of global health and aim to close the huge gaps in health outcomes and resources within and between countries. Critical for success is the decolonization of global health research and other activities and the pursuit of equity in partnerships –using methods that eschew a colonial approach and promote equality of partners, mutual respect, and shared benefit in bilateral and multilateral collaborations to address shared priorities. Partnerships that adhere to the principle of “nothing for us, without us.”
With over four decades of global health engagement, UAB currently has transdisciplinary collaborations with partners in over 50 countries. These partnerships involve multiple schools (including Arts and Sciences, Health Professions, Medicine, Nursing, and Public Health). As we emerge from the COVID pandemic and re-engage in global health, teams are eager to reflect on lessons learned during the pandemic and to pursue equity in collaborative global health educational, research, and practice programs.
We invited global health teams to pursue this goal with us through a two-day symposium held September 28-29, 2023.
Presented by the Mary Heersink Institute for Global Health (UAB Heersink School of Medicine), Sparkman Center for Global Health (UAB School of Public Health), PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centre for International Nursing (UAB School of Nursing), Center for Social Justice, Institute for Human Rights (UAB College of Arts and Sciences), UAB Graduate School & Global Affairs, UAB School of Health Professions, Africa Health Research Institute, and Centre for Infectious Disease Research in Zambia.
Specific Objectives
- Learn key principles and best practices for attaining equity in global health partnerships.
- Dialogue and prioritize actions to promote bilateral and multilateral global health collaborations grounded in equity among collaborative teams.
- Develop a white paper for best practices based on the symposium.
