At a Crossroads: Choosing Hidden Paths in Global Health

As we experience an era of global financial crisis, funding and implementation of global health programs are being questioned by individuals and institutions. What will our priorities be, and what factors will shape those priorities? This conference seeks to engage the global health community in prioritizing global health programs, not based on the current funding trends of institutions, rather on the health needs of people around the world, particularly those whose voices are seldom heard. This year’s conference will center around three key points of focus in order to catalyze health care professionals and community members to challenge existing paradigms in global health.

Politics of the Global Health Agenda:

Whether through funding, media attention or professional training, certain health issues are de-emphasized or ignored all together. What factors constitute what is hot and what is not in global health? How are our larger health systems responding to cuts in government funding, debates on health-coverage, and heightened defense spending in numerous countries?

Training of Health Care Professionals:

What innovative training/education models are being implemented in the field that is relevant to the needs of communities? What are current gaps in training/education, and how can these gaps be discussed and remedied?

Realities in the Field:

Which populations are we not responding to and why? How can these populations be better served considering a) constraints of normative paradigms b) limited resources c) building on work already being done in local communities?

The conference will frame these three key themes within six tracks:

• Global Mental Health
• Marginalized Populations
• Organizing & Funding of Global Health
• Clinical Issues in Global Health
• Communications and Technology in Global Health
• Environment & Global Health