Today, we face increasingly complex and interconnected global challenges—from public health crises to climate change, from poverty eradication to sustainable development. Addressing these issues effectively requires robust international cooperation and sound global governance. In this context, international organizations play an essential role by serving as key platforms for advancing multilateralism, pooling global expertise, and fostering shared development.
Co-organized by the Global Health Research Center and the Student Career Development Office, this event brings together distinguished experts to share insights into career pathways within international and philanthropic organizations. Professor Shenglan Tang (former senior program coordinator of WHO) and Professor Fujie Xu (former Deputy Director of the Gates Foundation China Country Office), along with Dr. Di Dong, a young professional and senior economist at the World Bank, will offer DKU students firsthand perspectives on talent recruitment and professional development across a diverse range of global institutions.
Symposium Agenda
Time: 18:00-19:15, September 29 (Monday), 2025
Venue: Academic Building 3109
18:00–18:05 Welcome and opening remarks
Prof. Fujie Xu, Co-Director of GHRC, Former Deputy Director of Gates Foundation China Country Office
18:05–18:30 Keynote Speech
Topic: Young Professional Program and the Career Pathway in the World Bank
Dr. Di Dong, Senior Health Econnomist, the World Bank
18:30–19:10 Panel DiscussionTopic: Pursuing a career at international organizations
Moderator: Somya Jhamb, Head of the Model United NationsPanelists:
19:10–19:15 Wrap-up
Moderator:Tracy Xu, Director of Career Services, Duke Kunshan University
Dr. Di Dong
Senior Health Economist, the World Bank
Di Dong is a senior Health Economist in the Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice of the World Bank. She works on health financing, health service delivery, and hospital management in the Middle-east, Africa, and Asia, covering high-income countries, low-income countries, and fragile states. Di received her Ph.D. in Health Economics and Bachelor in Biomedical Sciences from the National University of Singapore.
About “This is Global Health! Monthly Symposium Series”
Since 2014, the Global Health Research Center (GHRC) at Duke Kunshan University has organized a series of global health symposium events, inviting leaders, scientists, and industry experts in the global health field to exchange information on the latest research progress, international and domestic development trends, and global health education and practice. By August 2025, GHRC had successfully hosted 201 seminars. Starting in Fall 2024, the series has been renamed and restructured from the “Aegon-Industrial Global Health Seminar Series” to the “This is Global Health! Monthly Symposium Series,” featuring a new format of panel talks and a vision for greater impact.
