Global Health: Developing Leaders
These seminars aim to enthuse and educate healthcare professionals about ways in which they can get involved in global health. They set out to provide insight and guidance on how to develop policy positions and influence decision-makers, equipping individuals to be future leaders in global health advocacy. The seminars are designed to be interactive, with a Question-Time format that relies on questions from, and engagement with, members of the audience. A drinks reception or social event afterwards provides an opportunity for ongoing discussion and further questions, and of course for like-minded individuals to network, exchange ideas, and facilitate collaborations. They are free to attend and open to all.
We recently published a letter in the Lancet about these seminars, in which we outlined the importance of educating tomorrow’s UK global health leaders so that they can realise lasting change, by providing them not only with knowledge but also the skills to assess need and subsequently identify, engage with, and influence key policy makers, politicians, and the public.
We are grateful to our partners at the Royal College of Physicians International Office and the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine for their support with these events. If you have any feedback on previous seminars or suggestions for future titles or speakers, please get in touch: dannikirwan@yahoo.com.
The Rohingya Crisis: Voices from the Field
Venue: John Snow Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
Date: Thursday 18th October 2018
Time: 6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
It’s been over a year since almost 700,000 Rohingya fled to Bangladesh from the neighbouring country of Burma to escape persecution. This was one of the largest exodus of refugees in recent decades, and many arrived exhausted, sick, and hungry. They now reside in Cox’s Bazaar, which has almost a million refugees and as such is the largest refugee camp in the world. This on-going humanitarian crisis requires meeting the short-term needs of the Rohingya such as immediate medical care and shelter, but also long-term assistance such as clean water and sanitation, disease prevention and care, preventing malnutrition, and mental health concerns.
Health workers and researchers who have worked in Cox’s Bazaar on the history of the camp shared their experiences on the ground, the risk of disease outbreaks, and what the key advocacy issues and avenues for this vulnerable population are.
This event was co-organised with the Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre and the Catastrophes and Conflict Forum.
Chair:
Dr Jennifer Palmer – Deputy Director, Health & Humanitarian Crises Centre, LSHTM.
Speakers:
Dr Afsana Safa – GP and Clinical Commission Group Governing Body member, London. Overview of the crisis: history and background
Dr Vanessa Yarwood – GP Trainee, London. Dr Yarwood has worked in Greece with the Syrian American Medical Society, and volunteered as a supervising clinician in Bangladesh with Medical Teams International. First hand experience of working in the refugee camps for Rohingya.
Dr Kerrie Holloway – Overseas Development Institute
Ronan Lee – School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Alfred Deakin Institute for Citizenship and Globalisation, Deakin University. He researches the history, identity, and political attitudes of Myanmar’s Rohingya muslims and will discuss the legal aspects of the crisis
The event is available online here.
Migrants and the NHS: Should they pay, and how?
Venue: John Snow Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
Date: Thursday 3rd May 2017
Time: 6:15 – 7:45 p.m.
The NHS was created based upon three core principles: that it met the needs of everyone; was free at the point of delivery; and was based on clinical need and not ability to pay. There was no inbuilt mechanism for charging anyone for its use.
Seventy years later, the country’s needs and expectations are different: healthcare costs have magnified, and migration has risen. This has led to questions such as, ‘we don’t get free treatment overseas, so why should we treat everyone free of charge here?’.
Since the 2000s, a system for charging overseas visitors has been introduced. This started with the exclusion of a number of vulnerable groups from being eligible for free healthcare, including failed asylum seekers, undocumented migrants and those who had overstayed their visa. This has been gradually extended and since October 2017 ineligible patients with non-urgent conditions are now legally obliged to pay for their care upfront. To determine eligibility, everyone must be asked for ID. Care for treatment that is urgent or immediately necessary remains chargeable but must be provided whether or not the person can pay. This system and its implementation have been criticised.
Discussion included: how can we have a fair and transparent system that is non-discriminatory and acceptable to all? What should this look like?
Chairs:
Dr. Miriam Orcutt, Institute for Global Health, University College London and Affiliate, Health in Humanitarian Crises Centre, LSHTM
Professor Richard Sullivan, Kings College London
Speakers:
Dr Jessica Potter, Clinical Research Fellow, Barts Institute of Population Health Science, Queen Mary University London
Dr Mark Stevenson, ex lead analyst at NHS improvements (he is no longer a representative of the organisation)
Anna Miller, UK Policy & Advocacy Manager, Doctors of the World
Sue Collins, TB specialist case worker, Homerton Hospital.
Event available online here.
LSHTM Series: 2016/2017
Forced displacement: Health and human rights in a challenging environment
Venue: John Snow Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
Date: Thursday 19th October 2017
Time: 6:15 – 7:45 p.m. Followed by a drinks reception at the Pump Handle Bar, LSHTM.
In 2016, 25.6 million people, or one person in 113, had been forcibly displaced worldwide, both internally within national boundaries (40.8 million) and across borders (24.5 million). Not only are the numbers of those forcibly displaced increasing but these populations are also experiencing a rise in preventable diseases, deterioration in mental health and neglect of chronic diseases.
This seminar explored important health issues for these populations, including provision of healthcare to populations in different migration phases and the responsiveness of receiving health care systems. Broader political and legal barriers, such as protectionist policies and legal status and restrictions were also discussed. This seminar challenged perceptions and raise awareness of some of the complex issues involved in providing healthcare for forcibly displaced people globally.
Chair:
Dr. Laura Nellums, Research Associate, Imperial College London
Speakers:
Dr. Natasha Howard, Assistant Professor, Global Health & Conflict, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Susan Elden, Department for International Development (DfID)
Dr. Anna Miller, UK Programme Policy & Advocacy Manager, Doctors of the World, UK/Medecins du Monde
The event is available online here.
Crisis in the NHS: What is the way forward?
Venue: John Snow Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
Date: Thursday 27th April 2017
Time: 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
This seminar asked, “Is the NHS in crisis?” How is the NHS coping with increased demand and pressures to deliver excellence, in a context of increasingly limited resources and ongoing structural change? Is our current model of healthcare sustainable in the current political climate? What are the alternatives?
Chair:
Professor Nicholas Mays, Professor of Health Policy, LSHTM
Speakers:
Professor Neena Modi, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, and Professor of Neonatal Medicine, Imperial College London.
Dr. Ben White, Bring Back The NHS/Justice4Health
Dr. Jeeves Wijesuriya, Chair, BMA Junior Doctors Committee
You can listen to the seminar here.
The Changing Face of the Sex Trade
Venue: Manson Lecture Theatre, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London WC1E 7HT
Date: Thursday 8th December 2016
Time: Registration from 6:00 p.m. Seminar 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.
Held in conjunction with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine.
Amid growing advocacy to decriminalise the sex industry on public health and other grounds, this seminar brought speakers from different perspectives to explore the potential public health impacts, risks and benefits of different legislative models relating to the sex industry.
Chair:
Dr Lucy Platt, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
Speakers:
Alex Feis-Bryce, CEO, UK Network of Sex Projects
Laura Watson, spokeswoman, English Collective of Prostitutes
Dr. Belinda Brooks-Gordon, reader in psychology and social policy, assistant dean for equality from Birkbeck University.
Heather Brunskell-Evans, Nordic Model Now!
Regional Seminars Series 3: 2014/2015
Gain or Drain: Migration and the NHS
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar will discuss the interaction between migration and the NHS, in terms of both usage and the delivery of healthcare in the UK. To what degree is the NHS dependent on migrants who comprise a significant proportion of its workforce? What does charging for healthcare mean in regards to human rights, public health and economic terms? And, what are the healthcare implications for the UK of the current refugee crisis?
Speakers:
Dr. Philipa Mladovsky, Assistant Professor in International Development, LSE
Forces of Nature: Climate change migration and the role of health professionals
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This event discussed the effects of climate change on population movement and the subsequent impact on health. Should the term ‘climate refugee’ be established, and would this be helpful to those affected? How can healthcare systems address the problems and opportunities that climate change and environmental migration bring?
Chaired by:
Contagion of Fear: Ebola and global health security responses
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This event addressed the current Ebola crisis in West Africa and analysed the international community’s response to the outbreak. What caused the delayed response by the WHO/UN, and what triggered individual state responses? How might travel bans affect control efforts? How can health professionals in the UK contribute to the global response, and will this outbreak affect future global health security responses?
Chaired by:
Liverpool: Global attitudes to dying
Date: 15 October 2014, Liverpool Medical Institution
This seminar in Mersey aimed to examine attitudes to death and end of life care around the world. The discussion explored different perspective to dying and how these shape end of life and palliative care. What are the models for palliative care worldwide? Who delivers this care and what barriers exist to access?
Speakers:
Patient safety in low and middle income countries: Ethics and the junior doctor’s responsibilities
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar explored ethical issues and challenging scenarios that doctors may encounter whilst working in low resource settings. A panel of speakers discussed their personal experiences, present ethical arguments, and reviewed existing guidance to support doctors working abroad.
Chaired by:
Apps, maps and cyber chats: how technology can be harnessed for global health
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
How can technological innovations be employed in low-resource settings to address global health issues? Are these tools diverting resources from ensuring sustainable health systems and can they really hold value for money in global health settings? How can the developed world learn from innovations taking place elsewhere and incorporate them into existing health systems?
Chaired by:
Responding to Emergencies: The challenges of NGO competition
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar explored the immediate response to emergency situations requiring humanitarian or healthcare intervention. What challenges arise from having multiple agencies arriving simultaneously? Is there a balance of power at play, and how do they interact with each other and with pre-existing health systems? The discussion considered examples of emergency situations where the response has been effective, and of situations that have been less successful.
Chaired by:
Annie Devonport – Head of Programmes and Accountability, Disasters Emergency Committee
Dr. Aula Abbara – Hand in Hand for Syria
Series 2: 2013
Travellers and other minority communities: navigating the NHS and alternative approaches to health
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar aimed to build awareness of communities that use the NHS in a limited way, or have difficulties with accessing NHS services, such as some Gypsy and Irish Traveller communities. It also looked at whether there are other mechanisms for managing health within these communities and what role mainstream health services should play.
Chaired by:
Speakers:
Yvonne MacNamara, The Travellers Movement
Prof Volker Scheid, University of Westminster
Kathryn Finlay, Ezer Leyoldos
Sex, contraception and HIV – a global perspective
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar addressed key issues around sexual health such as growing levels of STIs, late presentation for HIV and high teenage pregnancy rates. The panel examined these issues using various international examples and perspectives.
Chaired by:
Austerity and Health – costing lives?
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar considered potential adverse effects on population health of austerity measures and aimed to provide potential advocates with insight into the different arguments surrounding this issue and give guidance on how to influence decision-makers.
Chair:
Seeking refuge – effective advocacy for refugees and asylum seekers
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
This seminar aimed to build awareness of the key issues that refugees and asylum seekers may face and how best we can protect and promote their health and wellbeing. After brief introductory speeches from the panel, the audience were led through a Question Time-style plenary discussion of the various perspectives of key organisations in the field.
Chair:
Series 1: 2011/2012
Under the influence: Alcohol and Advocacy
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
A variety of stakeholders shape the health of populations. Industry is recognised to play a key part in health policy, but their level of involvement is the subject of wide debate. Using the example of alcohol, this seminar looked at how advocacy works at many levels, from patient behaviour to legislation. After brief introductory speeches from the panel, Sir Ian Gilmore led the audience through a plenary discussion about the various perspectives on how to reduce the harm caused by alcohol.
Chaired by:
Policy and politicians: How to engage
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
Looking at health policy development and implementation, this seminar provided potential advocates with insight and guidance on how to reach policy positions and influence decision-makers. With speakers including former NHS chief executive Nigel Crisp, it aimed to enable those working in health partnerships to engage effectively in the UK, EU and internationally.
This event was supported by the Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET).
Chaired by:
Advocacy in partnership: bringing voices together
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
Global health improvements are often brought about by collective voices making powerful cases on specific issues. Advocacy works best in partnership through the joint efforts of individuals and organisations working together across disciplines and countries. This seminar explored practical examples of collective advocacy.
This event was supported by the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Speakers:
Non-Communicable Diseases and the 2011 UN summit: Future trends in global health
Venue: Royal College of Physicians, 11 St Andrews Place, Regents Park, London NW1 4LE
The rise in levels of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) across the world was recently highlighted at the UN summit. This inaugural seminar aimed to explain the roles of the multinational agencies in this agenda and look how the summit could influence the focus of global health. Learning objectives included: Appreciation of the current burden of NCDs globally; Identification of the type of multinational agencies that may be involved in this shaping the policy agenda, and exploring the reasons behind their involvement; Contrasting the different advocacy strategies of these agencies, and evaluating the summit outcomes with relation to their role; and Discussing this summit’s influence on the global burden of NCDs as a result of these outcomes.
Chaired by:
