Bridging the Gap in Global Health Education: Launching an Institute of Global Health Equity in Latin America

Abstract

Currently, there is a lack of global health education and research opportunities in low- and middle-income countries in comparison to high-income countries. There is a critical need to address this gap because of the current intractable health problems — like climate change, antibiotic resistance, noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) and infectious outbreaks — which disproportionally affect more poor people in any country, but especially those living in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). These global health problems tend to be the result of complex and unprecedented global forces such as globalization, ageing populations, and capitalism that require creative, transdisciplinary, and trans-sectoral responses. In response to these problems, “Global Health Education” (GHE) and “Global Health Research” (GHR) were developed as part of the global citizenship education movement. GHE and GHR aim to aid students in understanding global forces affecting their communities and encourage them to adopt a self-critical approach and use their agency to achieve equity and mitigate national and transnational risks through a health and research lens. However, while LMICs account for 84% of the world’s population, only 19% of the 195 affiliated global health institutions within the Consortium of Global Health Universities are located in LMICs. Likewise, only 10% of health-related research addresses problems faced by 90% of the world’s population – a phenomenon known as the 10/90 gap. Therefore, there is a need for more institutions promoting GHE and GHR in LMICs to equip local professionals with the tools they need to address global health challenges. The purpose of this doctoral project was to address the gap in global health education and global health research in LMICs by generating the theoretical bases and momentum for launching an Institute of Global Health Equity (IESG in Spanish) in a well-renowned university in México, a middle-income country experiencing myriad global health challenges like NCDs, infectious outbreaks, and climate change effects and with only one formalized academic global health institution. The aims of this doctoral thesis were to:

Assess the internal and external conditions and forces that enable, restrict, or facilitate the creation of a global health institution in Latin America, with a focus on México. Codify the strategy, structure, pedagogy, resources, and processes for the IESG. Develop and implement a community organizing effort and strategic action plan for the IESG that resulted in a proof of concept. To achieve these aims, I drew on a 10-month full-time immersion in my host institution as an academic professor, coordinator, and researcher. During my time there, I performed a critical analysis of the literature to assess the need and value of GHE and GHR, conducted qualitative research to explore and understand the perceptions of key stakeholders, interviewed and gathered advice from managers of other global health institutions, designed and taught global health courses, organized students and professors to convince the host institution leadership, and developed a summarized business plan for the IESG. This project is the first known in-depth application of research methods, full immersion and community organizing practices to create the basis to launch a global health institution in a LMIC. Furthermore, it provides a roadmap to advocates, students, professors or administrators interested in launching institutions to promote GHE and GHR in LMICs.