Faculty, staff, students, doctors and community members gathered to share recent work and studies done in the field of global health with the community at the Global Health Symposium Tuesday.
This year’s theme, “One Planet, One Health,” emphasizes the idea of one worldly identity and the challenges of global health disparities across the planet, according to the Global Health Institute website.
Keynote speaker Jorge Osorio, Director of the Global Health Institute and a professor in the Department of Pathobiological Sciences in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Wisconsin, spoke about the different One Health Centers around the globe, what current research is going on at these centers and future opportunities of growth for the One Health vision.
Senior Class Office donates class gift to Center for Healthy Minds
The Global Health Institute (GHI) at UW is dedicated to collaborating and educating students while also researching how to improve well-being and health across the planet. It also serves as a resource for students interested in health disparities to further their learning through certificate programs and fieldwork.
There are four One Health Centers across the globe. Established in Wisconsin, Columbia and India with one planned in West Africa, these centers will offer learning opportunities for UW faculty and students, but also can build capacities and resources for these areas.
The Center is also focused on the early detection of important pathogens in preparation for the next global pandemic, as well as the development of vaccines to protect against them, according to their website.
The vision of the GHI is to advance equitable and sustainable health across Wisconsin and the World, according to their website.
There was also a panel discussion, featuring six panelists that discussed the impacts of a holistic global health vision on medical practices, research, and applications.
Pathobiological Sciences professor Lyric C. Bartholomay is researching America’s increased risk of vector-borne diseases and possible solutions.
Claudia Irene Calderon is an affiliated professor at Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala and a UW faculty member in the Department of Horticulture. Calderon emphasized the importance of including cultural diversity and perspective when researching and discussing the environment and its impacts.
Vascular Surgeon at UW Hospital Girma Tefera highlighted disparities in surgery accessibility, with only 3.5% (8 million) of surgeries occurring in low/middle-income countries, often with high mortality rates.
Director of Global Health for the UW Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Ann Evensen focused her discussion on change theory. She discussed how professionals and students alike can create change for a better community worldwide, supporting one another from all areas of the world.
Giri Venkataramanan is a professor of electrical and computer engineering. He discussed the human impact on the world and energy access equality across the globe.
All the speakers are looking to improve the world in small and large ways and feel that UW and One Health Centers are making those changes.
