The Forum at HSPH

Yesterday was the launching of the first-ever "Forum at HSPH" : a series that is looking to bring global health leaders together to engage in dialogue at the School of Public Health. To some of you, this may not seem like a big deal. But from my experience as a student here,  the school is always bringing Ministers of Health and other government officials but not the "sexy," high-profile people who impact the global health agenda as well.

The talk was focused on a conversation on "Vision for Global Health over the Next Decade." The informal conversation featured  Ted Turner (yes, the Ted Turner, founder of CNN, Cartoon Network, Captain Planet, and - oh wait - the UN Foundation as well) and Dean Julio Frenk (Dean of HSPH and former Minister of Health to Mexico), and was moderated by award-winning jounalist and author Abigal Trafford.  I volunteered as an usher for the event and was also one of the lucky 100 to get a seat in the main seating area.

While both participants have an impressive resume, it was Dean Frenk who was particularly captivating. He encouraged the audience "to think of health not as a separate sector but a shared social objective" and even gave an example of how health has been used as a tool for diplomacy and peace in Central America. He emphasized the need to focus on strengthening health systems and improving the role of women, and managed to plug in some of his own initiatives including the Millenium Development Goals and the Women and Health initiative.

There's no question that Mr. Turner is a very accomplished man, but I was slightly put off by his lack of "PC" dialogue. Perhaps with age comes an increased level of "frankness," but frankly, I wasn't a fan. Mr. Turner did, however, stir the audience with his promotion of the Voluntary One-Child Policy, which he suggests he will help the world reach its equilibrium population if followed for the next 100 years. He explained that an ideal population size for the globe is between 2 and 2.5 billion people if everyone were to live at U.S. standards; more will cause sub-standard living and less will not allow for the "Western" perks that exist today. Hmmm....

This question sparked my own interest in the role of culture in promoting sound health policies. No one wants to be told how many children they can have, myself included. In response to my question, Dean Frenk chose to focus more on the "social objective" of health while Mr. Turner didn't respond at all. Ah well, I guess this is all the more reason for my future doctor research...

For more information, see: The Forum at HSPH

Bon week-end!

Leadership should be born out of the understanding of the needs of those who would be affected by it. 

-From Marian Anderson