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GHI Mission

The Global Health Initiative (GHI) at Boston University Promotes Multi-Disciplinary Research, Education, Outreach and Policy Studies Across and Beyond the Boston University Community. GHI’s Goal is to Reduce Disparities in Health by Supporting the Generation and Application of Knowledge, Fostering "Global Literacy” Among our Students, and Developing Partnerships with International Health and Science Leaders, Scholars, and Practitioners around the World. More »

Global Health – A Bridge to the Future

From November 16–19, 2005, seventy-five leaders from around the world with diverse expertise and unique backgrounds gathered at Boston University to look at the future of global health. To provide a framework for action, the conference participants considered the meaning of health today and asked what should it mean by 2050, and then proceeded to explore broad issues including creativity, identity, urbanization and the adequacy of the institutions we have created to address global health status and disparities.

To insure wider dissemination of the proceedings and still preserve the small group environment to facilitate discussion, the entire conference was live web cast. Presentations by speakers and discussants and the open exchange and dialog among the participants, may now be accessed. Although the present version does not provide a link to individual presentations, we expect an edited version to be available soon, which will allow the viewer to click on specific presentations.

We are deeply interested in your comments on the conference in general, such as the themes we chose or those we could have chosen, or on any specific issues you care to address. Please send your comments to ghi@bu.edu and we will respond as quickly as we can. Please note, Boston University will be closed for intercession December 25, 2005 – January 2, 2006.

Session One: Plenary

"What does global health really mean? What will it mean in 2050?"

Introduction: Gerald T. Keusch, Director, Global Health Initiative at Boston University

Welcome: Robert Brown, President, Boston University
Presenters: Bernard Kouchner, Richard Carmona, Jerrold Michel, Julio Frenk, Pascale Brudon, John Abele, Mary Robinson * Solomon Benatar

• Click here to view session one presentations.

Session Two: Creativity

Introduction: David Fromkin
Moderator: David Campbell
Innovation and Science: Leroy Hood
Creativity and the Arts: Robert Pinsky, Samuel Kauffmann
Neuroscience: Steve Grossberg, Semir Zeki
Discussants: James Collins, Andre de Quadros, Mark Pagel

• Click here to view session two presentations.
• Click here to view session two discussion.

Keynote Presentation

Mitchell Kapor
President and Chair, Open Source Applications Foundation
Co-founder, Lotus Development Corp.

• Click here to view the Mitchell Kapor keynote presentation.

Session Three: Identity

Moderator: Robert Meenan
Genome Level: Alan Guttmacher
Individual Level: Peter Berger
Community Level: Zulfiquar Bhutta
Discussants: Ann Bernstein, Charles Delisi, Arthur Kleinman

• Click here to view session three presentations.
• Click here to view session three discussion.

Session Four: Urbanization

Moderator: Jonathon Simon
Population Growth: Mark Montgomery
Physical Environment: Farouk El-Baz
Habitat: Burt Singer
Discussants: Florence Baingana, Cutler Cleveland, Robert Costanza

• Click here to view session four presentations.
• Click here to view session four discussion.

Keynote Presentation

Jeffrey Sachs
Director, The Earth Institute at Columbia University

• Click here to view the Jeffrey Sachs keynote presentation

Session Five: Institutions

Moderator: Jim Dewar
Non-Governmental Organizations: Sima Samar
National Research Institutions: Nirmal Ganguly, Malegapuru Makgoba, Stephen Matlin, Jaime Sepulveda
Multinational Institutions: Maureen Law, Michael Merson
Discussants: Laurence Kotlikoff, Suwit Wibulpolprasert

• Click here to view session five presentations.
• Click here to view session five discussion.

Keynote Presentation

Fazel Hasan Abed
Chair, Bangladesh Rural Advancement Committee

• Click here to view the Fazel Hasan Abed keynote presentation.