Global Health

Paul Edward Farmer, MD, PhD, passed away at the age of 62 in Butaro, Rwanda on February 21, 2022. He was the co-founder and chief strategist of Partners In Health, chair of the Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School, chief of the Division of Global Health Equity at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Kolokotrones University Professor at Harvard. Within the MGH Center for Global Health he was not only a colleague, but a mentor and friend to many. In the months since his passing, members of our community have shared their thoughts and reflections on [...]

In January 2022, a published Lancet study found that in 2019, nearly 5 million deaths were due to antimicrobial resistant infections. Klebsiella pneumoniae is one bacterium that can develop antimicrobial resistance and as a result has become an increasing global threat. The bacteria, which is normally harmless in the gut, can cause a series of life-threatening illnesses including pneumonia, sepsis, meningitis, and wound or surgical site infections when introduced to other parts of the body. Sridhar (second from left) with colleagues in Bangladesh K. pneumoniae joins Eschericia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis as part of a group [...]

Nuriat Nambogo, MMS, DPPM, BDS, a Research and Grants Manager at the Consortium for Affordable Medical Technologies (CAMTech) Uganda was recognized by CNN Africa for her role in developing MobiCare, the company responsible for the MobiCare app. Nuriat Nambogo, MMS, DPPM, BDS Mobicare allows patients to search for and directly interact with local healthcare providers to schedule appointments and ask medical questions. Nambogo developed the app in response to difficulties in accessing medical care. By streamlining contact between patients and providers, the app closes access gaps and helps patients get much needed care. Nambogo and her team created [...]

We are pleased to announce the recipients of the 2021 MGH Global Health Service Awards. The Global Health Service Awards are an annual tradition of the Center for Global Health and serve to recognize individuals who are committed to advancing healthcare equity. The awards were established with three goals in mind: to encourage innovation, dedication, and commitment in the field of Global Health; recognize individuals who inspire, advance, and improve the clinical care and capacity for underserved populations; and emphasize the importance and benefits of global collaboration in healthcare. The three categories of Global Health Service Awards include Excellence in [...]

On August 14, 2021 a magnitude 7.2 earthquake—causing 2,207 deaths, another 12,268 injuries, and the destruction of 129,929 homes—struck Haiti and was soon followed by Tropical Storm Grace which directly interfered with earthquake response efforts. These natural disasters came amid years of political instability, marked by the assasination of President Jovenel Moïse on July 7 of this year.These interlocking crises placed a spotlight on migration from Haiti which has increased over the past decade, especially in the aftermath of the 2010 earthquake that struck the country. However, many Haitians now presenting at United States borders have in actuality spent months [...]

“Most of the history of medicine was palliative care,” according to Mark Stoltenberg, MD, MA, a faculty member of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatrics at MGH. Before the dawn of modern medicine, much of healthcare was not actually curative. “We couldn't fix, or cure or anything,” Stoltenberg continues. “We didn't have safe surgery. We didn't have antibiotics.” Mark Stoltenberg, MD, MA, (left), and Bethany Rose Daubman, MD, (right), Co-Directors of the MGH Global Palliative Care Program Over time, scientific advancements and improvements in technology changed the face of medicine. In 1948, Cicely Saunders, a British physician, [...]

Over the last year, at least 17,000 health workers have died from COVID-19. A July 2020 investigation found that workers in 63 countries faced shortages of personal protective equipment (PPE) even as they treated COVID-19 patients. These shortages combined with the inequitable distribution of COVID-19 vaccines—low-income countries have vaccinated 1.9% of their populations—means that health workers in low-income countries face greater risk of infection and death than those in high-income countries. “This pandemic has not really been easy for health workers in our city [Mbarara, Uganda],” Stephen Asiimwe, MBChB, MS, DrPH, Program Director of the Mbarara University of Science and [...]