START Center Participates in UW Global Health Celebration

On February 8, 2017, the Department of Global Health at the University of Washington celebrated its ten-year anniversary with the Global Health: Next Decade, Next Generation symposium. The event featured talks from top global health leaders, including:

• Margaret Chan, Director-General, World Health Organization
• Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Bernice Dahn, Minister of Health for Liberia
• Patricia Garcia, Minister of Health of Peru
• Ala Alwan, Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean, World Health Organization

Discussions focused on Pandemic Disease Preparedness and Response, Prevention and Care for Non-Communicable Diseases, the Impact of Global Environmental Change on Human Health, and Innovative Approaches to Global Health Education and Training.

The day closed with a celebration event commending the success of the Department of Global Health over the last ten years and honoring the future Population Health Initiative, a collaborative effort between the University and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

At the evening session, START Research Assistants (RAs), Lola Arakaki and Luwam Kidane, presented a poster highlighting their project on neglected tropical diseases and gender. For this research request, START RAs conducted literature reviews, presented evidence summaries, and prepared a summary report for the Uniting to Combat Neglected Tropical Diseases: Women and Girls in Focus convening in London.

Governor Jay Inslee, UW President Ana Mari Cauce, and Melinda Gates spoke about the successes in global health, fostered by the University of Washington, Washington state, and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Attendees left engaged, inspired, and ready to tackle the next ten years in global health. START is excited to contribute towards these efforts by training the next generation of global health leaders to respond to pressing public health questions.