Monthly Archives: March 2010

Reading List 3/31/2010

Africa, Global Development, Global Health, Haiti, Latin America and the Caribbean, NTDs, Public Health, reading list, , , , , , , , meli, , , , sa, Andrew Hoffman

Today we’re reading a letter to the editor in the New York Times on the importance of defeating NTDs in Haiti, and the latest updates about what the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Gates Foundation, and our founding ambassador Alyssa Milano are doing.

A Project for Haiti: The Eradication of Two Diseases, Donald Hopkins, New York Times

Sabin Vaccine Institute holds one day symposium with lawmakers, Liberia Broadcasting System

Melinda Gates: Foundation investing more in mothers and newborns, Kristi Heim, Seattle Times

American Red Cross Adds Eight New Members to its Celebrity Cabinet, American Red Cross

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Global Pulse 2010: Day 2

Global Development, Global Health, National Security, NTDs, Obama Administration, policy, Politics, poverty, Public Health, U.S Government, Vaccine Diplomacy, Water and Sanitation, , , , , , , , ,

(Note: to read any of the Global Pulse discussions, you need to register here first.)

 Today marks the second day of Global Pulse, the ongoing online collaborative event focused on global issues. In the last day, we’ve seen the global health discussion include some very interesting conversations, such as if the expansion of information technology and basic health capability are competitive or cooperative goals, what the role of communities is in health systems, and about the reasons for the uneven distribution of public health education opportunities. Perhaps the two most interesting threads are the welcome thread created by Amie Batson, USAID Director of the Global Health Initiative, which has turned into a sort of open discussion on global health, and a thread with many proposed answers taken from the Human Resources and Health document recently published by USAID.

 We’re also seeing a discussion of NTDs and NTD issues begin to emerge. In global health, the importance of NTD control was brought up, while in the separate “Fostering Science, Technology, and Innovation” discussion, the topic of promoting innovation in the face of a limited market was discussed.

Here were some great NTD related questions posed on one thread that we’d like to post here as well and are open for discussion:

  1. What have been your experiences with the delivery of a package(s) of services or commodities through community-level platforms? What lessons have you learned about effective integrated programming? How much can we build onto a single platform and continue to see efficiency gains?
  2. How can we best utilize and motivate community-level health workers and volunteers as we extend the health system to reach rural populations?
  3. What changes to the targeting / approaches to water and sanitation would strengthen the impact on NTD control, in both the short and long term? What else can the NTD control community do to strengthen the sustainability of its control efforts?  

With 28 hours left in the event, we’ll see if these conversations continue to develop. Check back in tomorrow for further discussion of Global Pulse.

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US Government kicks off Global Pulse 2010 Day: 1

Africa, Global Development, Global Health, grassroots, National Security, NTDs, Obama Administration, policy, Politics, poverty, Public Health, Tuberculosis, U.S Government, Vaccine Diplomacy, Water and Sanitation, , , , , , , , , , , ,

As a communications associate for a nonprofit organization, I believe that one of the most important things an international aid agency can do is open the lines for effective two-way communication so that individuals like me can educate myself and ask questions about the world’s most pressing issues as well as get some clarity on what exactly the US government is doing to alleviate them. So, I’m happy to see that USAID, in partnership with the Departments of State, Education, Commerce, and Health and Human Services, has kicked off Global Pulse 2010.

 Global Pulse is a three day online collaborative event that allows individuals for around the world to make comments, share opinions, and add ideas about important issues in the global community.

 According to the website:

 Global Pulse 2010 will provide an opportunity to voice opinions, share ideas, and create innovative solutions to social issues facing the global community within the fields of science and technology, entrepreneurship, and human development. This is a unique opportunity to influence a global conversation that will build partnerships across borders, strengthen understanding among cultures, and unite the human race in an effort to create innovative solutions to the most pressing social issues of our time.

 Even though the event is less than a day old, we’re already seeing some very active and interesting global health discussions on topics such as prioritizing health needs, bioinformatics, and how mobile phones can be used for health services. Participants from over 130 countries have been logging in all day and most of the posts in the global health arena have settled into one of three developing themes: increasing access to health care, utilizing technology to improve health, and figuring out how to distribute health care effectively.

 There have been posts by global health luminaries as John Monahan, Counselor to the Secretary of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Amie Batson, leader of USAIDs work with the Obama administration’s Global Health Initiative, and Ami Tsui, a Director with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and professor at Johns Hopkins School of Public Health. Click here to read about other featured guests.

 By time the event ends on the 31st, this should be a valuable source of information and ideas moving forward in global health. If you want to find out more, go to the Global Pulse 2010 portal page or check back here for more info on how the conversation is developing.

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