Transforming global health education during the COVID-19 era: perspectives from a transnational collective of global health students and recent graduates

Abstract

Inspired by the 2021 BMJ Global Health Editorial by Atkinset alon global health (GH) teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of GH students and recent graduates from around the world convened to discuss our experiences in GH education during multiple global crises. Through weekly meetings over the course of several months, we reflected on the impact the COVID-19 pandemic and broader systemic inequities and injustices in GH education and practice have had on us over the past 2 years. Despite our geographical and disciplinary diversity, our collective experience suggests that while the pandemic provided an opportunity for changing GH education, that opportunity was not seized by most of our institutions. In light of the mounting health crises that loom over our generation, emerging GH professionals have a unique role in critiquing, deconstructing and reconstructing GH education to better address the needs of our time. By using our experiences learning GH during the pandemic as an entry point, and by using this collective as an incubator for dialogue and re-imagination, we offer our insights outlining successes and barriers we have faced with GH and its education and training. Furthermore, we identify autonomous collectives as a potential viable alternative to encourage pluriversality of knowledge and action systems and to move beyond Western universalism that frames most of traditional academia.

Case studies in adaptation: centring equity in global health education during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond

“… 38 39 A recent opinion from a global health trainee collaborative highlighted the many ways in which the global health community has failed to, or too slowly responded to the needs of trainees. 40 The need to change is critical and is voiced by global health trainees, educators, leaders and partners alike. 41 To this end, the global health education community should consider the important learning points highlighted by the four case studies presented.…”

Human-centred mentorship in global health research: are we ready to give what it takes?

“…13 While the current western model of academia entails elements that are useful, it is largely driven by and for power and privilege. 14 There are mentorship approaches from other cultures that can significantly contribute towards strengthening the current model. An example is the Gurukul system of education in India, dating back to centuries and embedded in core values of fraternity, discipline and humanity.…”

“…We call for global health academia to pause and reflect on existing mentorship practice where the larger emphasis is on academic productivity and publishing12 and neglecting the big picture thinking 13. While the current western model of academia entails elements that are useful, it is largely driven by and for power and privilege 14. There are mentorship approaches from other cultures that can significantly contribute towards strengthening the current model.…”

Educational approaches to teach students to address colonialism in global health: a scoping review

“… 5 The topic of decolonising global health is not new, 6 but recent discourse has been motivated by a series of more recent publications and related student movements. 7 …”

“…5 The topic of decolonising global health is not new, 6 but recent discourse has been motivated by a series of more recent publications and related student movements. 7 Discussions on how to decolonise global health have focused on building equitable local and Global North-South partnerships and research. 3 4 8-10 Practically, this can mean substantial changes in how we practice global health including-but certainly not limited to-community or country-driven prioritisation of issues, more equitable geographical distribution of resources and bidirectional flows of human resources.…”