Welcome to Geneva and a course in Global Health Leadership
Today, March 10th 2024, we welcome faculty and MHA-students from Indiana University to Geneva, Switzerland for a 5-day study abroad course in Global Health Leadership.
Swedish HealthCare Academy acts as both tour- and academic coordinator to ensure a valuable experience of learning, cultural immersion and personal memories to keep long after it's over.
In this article we offer an in-depth look at the international organizations and speakers we visit in our Geneva-course: including WHO, Campus Biotech at University of Geneva, Medecins sans frontiers/Doctors without borders and the Geneva office of the United Nations.
About this course
The rise to prominence of the term “global health” has occurred in parallel with the popularization of globalization, an enhanced awareness of common vulnerabilities, and a feeling of increased shared responsibility for inequities present in the world today (Macfarlane, Jacobs, & Kaaya, 2008). We have come to recognize how efforts to combat issues such as climate change, global pandemics, or food safety, just to name a few, will require substantial international collaboration.
Within academia, these processes have produced a rise in the usage of the term “global health” (Macfarlane et al., 2008). Public health students today are more eager and feel better equipped to tackle the issues that global health is typically associated with. The evidence base for solutions has grown, and technological advances have facilitated easier collaboration between countries.
Formed in 1948, the World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations’ system. The WHO provides leadership on matters critical to health and engaging in partnerships where joint action is needed; shapes the research agenda and stimulates the generation, translation and dissemination of valuable knowledge; sets norms and standards and promoting and monitoring their implementation; articulates ethical and evidence-based policy options; provides technical support, catalyzing change, and building sustainable institutional capacity; and monitors the health situation and assesses health trends.
The headquarters resides in Geneva, Switzerland, where the WHO addresses the needs of health systems, noncommunicable diseases, promoting health through the life course, communicable diseases, preparedness, surveillance and response, and corporate services.
This course aims to:
The course will include visitations to the World Health Organization, the United Nations bodies, non-governmental organizations, and private organizations in Geneva. There will be international and local speakers scheduled during the week. Students embark on their experience as a group, travelling to their selected locations. After completing each day’s required service activity, time will be allocated for students to reflect upon their daily experiences, knowledge gained and the possible implications for their future work.
Organization profiles
Campus Biotech is a Swiss center of excellence in biotechnology and life sciences research focusing on three domains: Neuroscience & Neurotechnology, Digital Health and Global Health.
Founded in 2013 by a Consortium composed by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Lausanne (EPFL), the University of Geneva (UNIGE), the Bertarelli Family and Hansj?rg Wyss, the Campus functions like a giant incubator and focuses on pure science and its translation into real solutions and practical outcomes that have an impact on society and the world.
The UNDP Geneva Office contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals through partnerships, advocacy and policy advisory work with International Geneva partners. The work across the themes of fragility, peace and crisis, human rights, climate action, global health and sustainable finance.
Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) is an international, independent, medical humanitarian organization that delivers emergency aid to people affected by armed conflict, epidemics, natural disasters and exclusion from healthcare. MSF offers assistance to people based on need, irrespective of race, religion, gender or political affiliation. MSF was founded in Paris, France in 1971. Its principles are described in the organization’s founding charter. It is a non-profit, self-governed organization.
Today, MSF is a worldwide movement of 21 sections, 24 associations and various other offices. They are bound together by MSF International, based in Geneva, Switzerland, which provides coordination, information and support to the MSF Movement. Thousands of health professionals, logistical and administrative staff – most of whom are hired locally – work on programmes in some 69 countries worldwide.
The United States Mission to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva advances U.S. policy on the front lines of multilateral diplomacy at over 100 international organizations in Geneva. U.S. Mission personnel engage daily on issues as diverse as refugee crises, global health, international law, economic development, trade, the environment, arms control and human rights.
the United Nations Office at Geneva (UNOG) serves as the representative office of the Secretary-General at Geneva. A focal point for multilateral diplomacy. Providing key infrastructure and support, UNOG contributes significantly to the Organization’s efforts to maintain international peace and security, to advance disarmament, to protect and promote human rights, to eradicate poverty, to implement sustainable development practices and to provide fast, effective humanitarian relief in emergencies. A large number of dignitaries and high-level delegations come to UNOG every year to participate in bilateral exchanges, intergovernmental meetings, conferences and other events, making UNOG a centre for information sharing and exchange.
UNAIDS is leading the global effort to end AIDS as a public health threat by 2030 as part of the Sustainable Development Goals. Since it started operations in 1996, UNAIDS has led and inspired global, regional, national and local leadership, innovation and partnership to ultimately consign HIV to history.
The organization provides the strategic direction, advocacy, coordination and technical support needed to catalyse and connect leadership from governments, the private sector and communities to deliver life-saving HIV services. Without UNAIDS, there would be no strategic vision for the AIDS response.
UNAIDS is a model for United Nations reform and is the only cosponsored Joint Programme in the United Nations system. It draws on the experience and expertise of 11 United Nations system Cosponsors and is the only United Nations entity with civil society represented on its governing body.
The HUG, the leading university hospital in Switzerland, includes 10 hospitals and 30 health care facilities. They fulfill their mission of treatment, teaching and research guided by four values: quality, service, innovation and responsibility. They are an international reference for excellence in cutting-edge medicine.
They guarantee access for everyone to the best care and provide each patient with care that’s at the leading edge of knowledge. They include 10 clinical, medical-technical and academic departments, 7 centers of excellence as well as 2 translational research laboratories. The university Hospitals of Geneva have a capacity of around 2,100 beds, provide more than a million ambulatory services per year and employ almost 13,000 staff.
WHO’s Constitution came into force on 7 April 1948 – a date we now celebrate every year as World Health Day. More than 7000 people working in 150 country offices, in six regional offices and at our headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. The World Health Organization (WHO) is the directing and coordinating authority on international health within the United Nations’ system.
They do this by:
The museum is situated in the heart of Geneva, Switzerland. This museum is a place where visitors can explore the impact of humanitarian action on our lives. It serves as a platform for artists and cultural partners to delve into the issues, values, and current state of humanitarian action.
The museum houses an exhibition called ‘The Humanitarian Adventure’ which presents three contemporary issues through three distinct spaces, each designed by a different architect. These spaces focus on defending human dignity, reconstructing family links, and reducing natural risks. This exhibition offers visitors an opportunity to engage in an awareness-building experience.
Speaker's profiles
Dr. Eric Comte is a Medical doctor with a speciality in public health. He has worked for 18 years in humanitarian medical organizations, notably as the Medical Director for MSF (Doctors Without Borders) in Geneva from 2010 to 2014. He has worked mainly in the Caucasus and Africa, addressing issues related to refugees, tuberculosis and tropical diseases.
He is currently working at the Institute of Global Health in Geneva (University of Geneva) as Director of the Geneva Health Forum. He is administrator of ASCRES (Association de Soutien aux Centres de Recherches, d’Enseignements et de Soins). ASCRES coordinates a research and training centre located in Cameroon that develops projects in partnership with local and international organisations. The main focuses are Wound care, Buruli, snake bite and gynaecological consultations (Female genital Schistosomiasis and cervical cancer).
Karin has been working at WHO Headquarters, Geneva, Switzerland since 2004. Her work focuses on methods and tools for assessing resource needs and costs related to health investments.
She has produced many high visibility global goods for WHO such as global price tags on SDG investments and Primary Health Care. She is a member of the UN Inter-Agency Working Group developing the OneHealth Tool for cost and health impact projections. She conducts training workshops and provides direct support to low- and middle-income countries in planning and priority setting to inform progress towards Universal Health Coverage, including economic evaluation and investment cases.
Dorine van der Wal is a Swiss and Dutch national and has worked for the World Health Organization in various departments since 1989: Expanded Programme on Immunization; Office of Director-General Dr Gro Harlem Brundtland; Office of Director-Genera Dr Jong Wook Lee; Partnerships and UN Reform; and currently in the department of Health and Multilateral Partnerships. In 2010, she took on the responsibility for the WHO Briefing Centre that engages with thousands of students, members of professional associations and public health practitioners from a variety of disciplines every year. The Briefing Centre is a window into the multi-faceted work of WHO, giving current and future global public health actors access to WHO experts and expertise through dedicated technical briefing sessions and interactive discussions.
Dorine is the focal point for youth engagement and strives for young people to be involved as partners, stakeholders and changemakers in the work of WHO. “It is our role to empower young people, support their action and ensure their recognition and visibility”. She also leads the WHO Youth Council and the Global Model WHO.
A warm welcome to Geneva!
PS. Is your faculty interested in traveling to Switzerland with Swedish HealthCare Academy in 2025? Don't hesitate to contact Mr. Nils Persson for more information!
+46-40-6118200
Navigating global health together cultivates a world where everyone thrives. - Aristotle hinted, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts." ????#GlobalHealthLeadership #TogetherWeCan