June 15, 2007
MGH
Center for Global Health: Care in all corners of the world
MGH caregivers have long been bringing health care far beyond the walls
of the hospital, providing medical attention and expertise to the world's
most disadvantaged people — the poverty-stricken, the displaced,
and the victims of civil war and global disasters. Until now, there have
been few formal initiatives or training programs to guide this type of
work. The hospital recently created the MGH Center for Global Health (CGH)
— one of the only hospital-based centers for global health in the
country — to assist MGHers in addressing the medical needs of the
world's most vulnerable populations.
The center, directed by Thomas F. Burke, MD, will serve as a vital resource
for MGH clinicians working in the humanitarian field. A seminar series
set to launch in January 2008 will explore key areas affecting global
health — such as epidemiology, preventive health, public policy
and human rights — to help students appreciate the priorities and
challenges of international health care. The series is a component of
a program designed to award participating students a Certificate in Global
Health. Other specialized training and education programs will prepare
caregivers to implement health care delivery systems in countries where
such infrastructure is underdeveloped or nonexistent — all with
an emphasis on creating sustainable change.
The CGH also is spearheading two of its own international health projects
— the Maternal and Infant Health Initiative and the Initiative Against
Human Trafficking. Based in the African country of Zambia, the Maternal
and Infant Health Initiative strives to upgrade the health care system
for mothers and babies through advocacy, improved health care access at
the local level and advanced training programs for Zambian midwives and
other health care providers. Through the Initiative Against Human Trafficking,
the center is exploring collaborations with world business and government
leaders to create global strategies for change.
Other members of the GGH team are Roy Ahn, SD, senior administrative manager,
and Lydia Mann Bondat, MS, MPH, senior project manager. For more information
about the center, visit www2.massgeneral.org/globalhealth.
Burke meets with Maureen Mwanawasa, the First Lady of Zambia, to discuss the Maternal and Infant Health Initiative.