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Dear Friends and Colleagues,
Five years ago, when Global Health Sciences was formally launched as a UCSF program, our major challenge was explaining the concept of global health to a somewhat skeptical academic community. However, with time came understanding and enthusiastic support. We have just concluded a banner year for global health in the University of California, with GHS leading an increasingly large band of enthusiastic and committed faculty, students, and staff. With 92% of GHS funding coming from grants and gifts, and a charge from President Yudof to continue to plan a systemwide School of Global Health, our vision within academia is now broadly shared.
The year just ended saw the initiation, continuation and fruition of many interesting and dynamic activities, all of which posed a welcome dilemma for me: What to report to you in a short update? I decided to shine a light on those activities that best illustrate GHS’s development, scope, and guiding principles.
In a year of good news for GHS, let me begin with the story that is very close to my heart. In November we were notified that the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation awarded GHS and Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences (MUHAS) in Tanzania a $7.5 million grant to develop a replicable model of academic
twinning in health sciences education. Many African institutions have for decades found themselves in a no-win situation: they are charged to train the health workforce their countries need, but have been starved of the resources to do so. In its analysis, the Gates Foundation concurred with the position that GHS took five years ago: A patchwork of projects driven by individuals has not significantly ameliorated this problem. Gates decided to actively seek a new approach, represented by this grant. What is different about the design of this project and what makes it exciting are four elements. First, it is a full partnership between our two institutions. Parity and transparency are essential elements to its success. Second, its major purpose is to develop a model of partnership and collaboration between northern and southern institutions that can be replicated. Third, the programs comprising the collaboration will be simultaneously developed, implemented, and studied, allowing for course corrections as needed. Fourth, a longer term proposal for a sustainable partnership will be prepared during this time. Jointly led by Associate Professors Sarah
Macfarlane (UCSF) and Ephata
Kaaya (MUHAS), this program realizes an original objective of and raison
d’être for GHS – capacity building through true partnership.
A founding objective of GHS and a milestone in formal academic training in global health was attained in September 2008 when the first UC
master’s students in global health sciences were enrolled at UCSF. Our seven scholars are drawn from the UCSF schools of medicine, nursing, dentistry and the Center for AIDS Prevention Studies. They are medical and nursing students, a dental faculty member, and a postdoctoral scholar. Applications for the 2009-2010 class close on January 31st and we expect once again to be challenged to limit our acceptances by the impressive credentials of the applicant pool. The MS will provide the foundation for a PhD program in global health.
PREVENTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH GROUP
The Prevention and Public Health Group continues to enjoy steady growth in funding as 2009 begins. The group anticipates an increase of 38% over funding from the previous year, from $12.2 million in 2007-2008 to $32.4 million in 2008-2009. The bulk of that increase comes from CDC, NIH and the California Department of Public Health. PPHG currently supports research projects in Botswana, Uganda, Kenya, and Cambodia, and has also developed surveillance modules to guide in-country public health officers in conducting surveillance activities in their countries. Many of the modules have been tailored to specific geographic regions such as the Caribbean, Sub-Saharan Africa, the Middle East, and South/South East Asia.
Professor Sir Richard Feachem’s “action tank,” The
Global Health Group (GHG), moved into high gear this past year. The GHG translates new paradigms and approaches to global health challenges into large-scale action. Established and funded by the Gates Foundation in 2007, the GHG launched two major initiatives: supporting elimination of malaria in key countries around the world, and seeking an enhanced role for the private sector in strengthening health systems in developing countries. The Malaria Elimination Group—comprising 43 researchers, policy makers and country program managers from 17 countries—met twice this year and in early 2009 will publish “A Prospectus on Malaria Elimination” to provide guidance and decision-making support to policy makers and country leaders. Working with governments and the Clinton Foundation in southern Africa, the GHG is providing active support to seven countries that have declared a goal of eliminating malaria by 2015. A $3.5M grant from ExxonMobil will support malaria elimination efforts in southern Africa. Sir Richard’s vision and program beautifully illustrate our credo: discovery to action or, more colorfully, from
bench to Burkina Faso.
LEADERSHIP IN GLOBAL HEALTH
Two activities under this rubric are noteworthy. As most of you know by now, the University of California is planning a School
of Global Health that will be the first systemwide school in UC’s history, and that GHS has been asked to lead this effort. What may be news, though, is that this fall the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation gave a two-year grant of almost $4M for Phase II planning. The overall structure for the school was developed during Phase I. This second phase will flesh out Phase I to the level of detail required for submission of a proposal to The Board of Regents and enrollment of the first class of students in 2011. More information
We have also been asked to lead the Consortium
of Universities for Global Health, a national effort formally launched in September. Members represent some 20 universities from across North America along with individuals from leading foundations. Still in a nascent phase, the Consortium’s ultimate goal is to develop global health as an academic discipline and to form the international networks and partnerships that will support global health professionals. The initiative has been supported by both the Gates and Rockefeller Foundations. UCSF Global Health Sciences will serve as the secretariat for the consortium for the next three years.
LOOKING TO 2009 AND BEYOND
While many saw money and finance as the low point in 2008, GHS experienced an important turning
point in that regard with the December kick-off meeting of our Advisory Council. This key group will guide the campaign to generate private philanthropic support for GHS and the School of Global Health. Bob Burke, Co-Founder and Director, AMB Properties, and Bill Rutter, Chairman and CEO, Synergenics, and Chairman Emeritus and Co-Founder, Chiron Corporation, co-chair this group of community and business leaders. Expect to hear more about the Advisory Council and our sustainability plans in 2009.
In these perilous economic times, I remain hopeful that GHS’s mission of actively working to improve the health of our world’s populations will continue to inspire support and partnership.
I wish each of you a healthy and happy new year.
Haile T. Debas, M.D.
Executive Director, UCSF Global Health Sciences
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