The past few years have seen the rise—long overdue—of conversations about how academic global health should look forward. Issues of decolonization, power sharing, community engagement among others, all suggest that there are difficult questions that merit discussion. This Conversation aims to challenge us to think about the ongoing challenges in global health while also looking to the future and considering the question: what should academic global health look like ten years from now?

Dr. William J. Bicknell endowed this annual lectureship to provide “a periodic but regular infusion of iconoclasts and original thinkers who will bring ideas…that stretch, upset, stimulate, and leave us with renewed energy and commitment.”

This event is cohosted with the BUSPH Department of Global Health.

For any questions or accommodation requests, please contact sphevent@bu.edu.

Speakers

Tammam Aloudat

President of the Board, Médecins Sans Frontières Netherlands

Tammam Aloudat

President of the Board, Médecins Sans Frontières Netherlands

Tammam Aloudat is a medical doctor who has worked in multiple humanitarian and global health organizations over the last 20 years. Active on health equity and reform in humanitarianism and global health, Tammam’s MSF experience started in 2012 as the Head of Public Health Department for OCA, Deputy Medical Director for OCG, and then Deputy Executive Director for MSF Access Campaign until 2021.

Tammam did assignments for the International Red Cross in Iraq, Tsunami, Haiti, Zimbabwe, and Libya/Tunisia, among others, and for MSF in Turkey/Syria, Yemen, and Niger.

He is a prolific writer and lecturer, and has recently published various pieces on Decolonising Humanitarianism and Humanitarian Aid.
Blessing Mberu

Senior Research Scientist and Head of Urbanization and Wellbeing, African Population Health Research Center

Blessing Mberu

Senior Research Scientist and Head of Urbanization and Wellbeing, African Population Health Research Center

Blessing is a Senior Research Scientist and Head of Urbanization and Wellbeing. Blessing works on migration, urbanization, adolescent reproductive behavior and poverty in sub-Saharan Africa under the Urbanization and Wellbeing research program. He holds a PhD in Sociology, Master of Arts degree in Sociology from Brown University (USA) and an MSc from the University of Ibadan (Nigeria).

Blessing joined APHRC in 2008 as a Post-Doctoral Fellow from Brown University (USA). He previously worked at APHRC as a Research Intern and Travel Scholar between August 2004 and June 2005. Prior to joining APHRC, Blessing worked at Abia State University, Nigeria since August 1988 as a Graduate Assistant in the Department of Sociology and promoted to a Senior Lecturer between 1999 and 2002.
Madhukar Pai

Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health, McGill University, Montreal

Madhukar Pai

Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health, McGill University, Montreal

Prof Madhukar Pai, MD, PhD, FCAHS is a Canada Research Chair in Epidemiology & Global Health at McGill University, Montreal. He is the Associate Director of the McGill International TB Centre. He is Editor-In-Chief of PLOS Global Public Health.

Madhu Pai did his medical training and community medicine residency in Vellore, India. He completed his PhD in epidemiology at UC Berkeley, and a postdoctoral fellowship at the UCSF.

Madhu serves on the WHO Strategic and Technical Advisory Group for TB in the South-East Asia Region, and the WHO Advisory group on Tuberculosis Diagnostics and Laboratory. He is a member of the Scientific Advisory Committee of FIND, Geneva. He serves as the Chair of the Public-Private Mix (PPM) Working Group of the Stop TB Partnership. He serves on the editorial boards of Lancet Infectious Diseases, PLoS Medicine, and BMJ Global Health, among others. He is Editor-In-Chief of PLOS Global Public Health.

Madhu’s research is mainly focused on improving the diagnosis and treatment of tuberculosis, especially in high-burden countries like India and South Africa. His research is supported by grant funding from the Gates Foundation, Grand Challenges Canada, and Canadian Institutes of Health Research. He has more than 400 publications. He is recipient of the Union Scientific Prize, Chanchlani Global Health Research Award, Haile T. Debas Prize, and David Johnston Faculty & Staff Award. He is a member of the Royal Society of Canada, and a Fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.
Jeanette Vega

Chief Medical Innovation and Technology Officer, Red de Salud UC-Christus

Jeanette Vega

Chief Medical Innovation and Technology Officer, Red de Salud UC-Christus

Dr. Jeanette Vega is the Chief Medical and Innovation Officer at Red de Salud UC-Christus, the main private health provider in Chile.

She started her career as a medical doctor in Chile specializing in Family Medicine. She has a master’s degree in Public Health from the Universidad de Chile and a Ph.D. in Public Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago

Dr. Vega has over 20 years of experience in international health with expertise in social determinants of health, health equity, and health systems. She served at the World Health Organization between 2003 and 2007 as Director of the Equity and Social Determinants of Health Department, where she led the equity in health agenda, looking at the social determinants of health and health systems, a position to which she resigned when she accepted the invitation of President Bachelet to act as Assistant Secretary of Health. Following that, she joined the Rockefeller Foundation as Managing Director of Health. She served at the Foundation between 2012 – 2014 when she resigned to join President Bachelet’s second term team as Director of the National Health Fund. Afterward, she joined the UC CHRISTUS Health Network as Manager of Medical Innovation and Digital Transformation.

Throughout her career, Dr. Vega’s goal has been to contribute to the transformation of Chilean and global health systems towards a patient-centered vision that guarantees access to quality health care with financial protection.
Rhoda Wanyenze

Professor and Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health 

Rhoda Wanyenze

Professor and Dean, Makerere University School of Public Health 

Dr. Rhoda Wanyenze, MBChB, MPH, PhD, is a Professor and Dean of Makerere University School of Public Health (MakSPH). She has vast experience in infectious diseases research, capacity building and program management, especially in HIV and TB and has also conducted several studies in maternal and child health. Prior to joining MakSPH, Dr. Wanyenze was the Program Manager for the Makerere University Joint AIDS Program.

Her work has been funded by the NIH, CDC, Global Fund, among others. She has developed and sustained several national and international research and service collaborations.

Dr. Wanyenze is very active in public health policy leadership in Uganda and globally, she has served on various technical committees of the MoH and other agencies, and boards of several organizations in Uganda and globally.
Alice Lakati

Director, Research and Community Extension, Amref International University (MODERATOR)  

Alice Lakati

Director, Research and Community Extension, Amref International University (MODERATOR)  

Dr Lakati is a seasoned epidemiologist and public health expert with more than 20 years of distinguished performance. She is the pioneer and current Director, Research and Community Extension at Amref International University, affiliate of Amref health Africa. She has led design and implementation of research and evaluations in multiple countries across Africa.  She has taught in private and public Universities in Kenya, Uganda, and Ethiopia. She has served in various expert committees including World Health Organization committee that reviewed safe water guidelines in 2005. At Amref International University, she has served in several capacities including acting Vice-Chancellor, founding Dean, School of Public Health, and Graduate School. She is a dynamic, strategic leader and mentor of many young scholars. Her academic qualifications include PhD in Epidemiology and a Master of Applied Epidemiology. She is passionate about education, public health nutrition, community health and the impact of climate change on health.