College of Public Health to hold inaugural Global Health Day

The UNMC College of Public Health will mark its first annual Global Health Day, organized by the UNMC Center for Global Health and Development, on April 19.

The college will celebrate by sharing global health knowledge, expertise and experiences with UNMC communities in Nebraska and around the world. A series of events throughout the day will allow those engaged in global health work to come together, exchange knowledge across disciplines and make connections.

“UNMC’s inaugural Global Health Day recognizes that global health is as much addressing the needs of our immigrant communities here in the United States as it is addressing the needs of populations abroad,” said Ali Khan, MD, MPH, dean of the UNMC College of Public Health. “But it is even more about shared learning among equal partners worldwide of best practices and knowledge to help improve the health of the people and communities of wherever we chose to live, work, study and play. That is the true promise of our inaugural Global Health Day.”

Interdisciplinary by nature and collaborative in spirit, global health efforts encompass a range of academic fields, and scholars are committed to improving the health of humans, animals and ecosystems around the globe. The planned events will build on the work of global health practitioners from UNMC and beyond by bringing together partners, leaders and young career professionals for a day of collaborative discussions.

The first event will be a discussion at 10 a.m. on public health in Rwanda with Stephen Rulisa, MD, PhD, former dean of the College of Medicine at the University of Rwanda.

Also planned is a presentation at noon on progress and innovations in maternal and newborn health in low- and middle-income countries from Manpreet Singh, MB, BChir, deputy director of strategy, planning and management at the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. Dr. Singh also will lead a discussion at 1:15 p.m. on global health career pathways.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Singh and Dr. Rulisa as a first step in highlighting UNMC’s commitment to the health and wellbeing of people around the world,” said Abbie Raikes, PhD, director for the UNMC Center for Global Health and Development.

All events will occur in the Maurer College of Public Health building and will also be live streamed via Zoom. Visit the center’s website for full details.