26 November 2014
Global health leaders from around the world gathered for the Third second Global Health Institutional Partnership Network Meeting held by Fudan University, Duke Kunshan University and Duke Global Health institute last week in Kunshan, where Duke Kunshan University is located. Building on the charge from the inaugural Network meeting in the fall of 2012 ‘ improving health and reducing health disparities worldwide while advancing global health education and fostering global health research collaborations ‘ network partners reported on progress on a number of fronts from the past two years .
Shenglan Tang, DGHI associate director for DKU and China Initiatives and director of DKU’s Global Health Research Center, served as chairman of the meeting that brought together partners from 18 institutions and organizations in 10 countries including China. Professors and scholars from Chinese universities and institutions together with those from Africa and other parts of Asia, including Laos, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Vietnam, as well as representatives from DGHI partners in Peru and The Netherlands actively participated in the discussions concerning global health development.
Members provided updates on partnership projects funded with seed grants from DGHI and Fudan University that were made available following the first Partnership Network Meeting. Those projects include an examination of diabetes treatment costs in China, Ghana and Malaysia; a study of injuries in Sri Lanka and Rwanda; and a primary health care project between Laos and China’s Fudan University. Many Network partners secured funding through the United Kingdom’s Department for International Development (DFID) program and reported on the progress of those collaborative projects. These presentations were followed by group discussions on the broader research and education collaboration being undertaken by network members.
DGHI Deputy Director Randy Kramer moderated a discussion among partners about how to accelerate the development of undergraduate and graduate-level education programs in China and other countries. Peking University Professor Guo Yan chaired the subsequent roundtable discussion titled ‘Post 2015 Health Development Agenda and the Role of China’. Zhang Yang, deputy director of Department of International Cooperation, China National Health and Family Planning Commission (NHFPC) gave a keynote speech on MDG goals and China’s domestic and global efforts. This topic was of particular interest to attendees and they had heated and inspiring discussions over the related issues.
‘I am delighted with the progress made since the first Network Meeting in advancing global health through collaborations in education and research,’ said Tang. ‘This meeting served to bolster existing relationships and foster collaboration between new partners. It was exhilarating to witness the energy in the room for this important work.’
