Friday, September 3, 2021

Unlike hypertension, the widely used term Global Health has very different meanings depending on where one stands: United States, Switzerland or Malawi.  This highlights long standing differences in power and privilege, and the persistence of Global Health’s colonial roots.  We however find ourselves in a time of opportunity to push for greater accountability and true partnership on the part of privileged countries and institutions.  Doing so requires continuous self-study and the willingness to take personal and professional risks.  We will discuss a structural competency framing of Global Health, and the challenges and rewards of pursuing true allyship as part of the larger struggle for dignity for all.  

Sundeep K Gupta, MD, MPH, DTMTH, is a FCM faculty member at Natividad Medical Center; he is a past CDC Country Director for Uganda, Malawi and Zambia. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor in the Division of Infectious Diseases at UCLA.  Dr. Gupta completed his BS in Political Science, MD and MPH from Northwestern University, and went on to complete his residency in Family Medicine at Natividad Medical Center. After completing his DTMTH at Tulane University, Dr. Gupta joined CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service ‘disease detective’ program.  Over the subsequent 12 years, he worked for CDC in 12 countries in Africa, Asia and Central America, leading responses to HIV, Ebola and other epidemics, while working in partnership with host country colleagues to strengthen public health systems.  Dr. Gupta was subsequently seconded by UCLA to Partners in Hope, a local Malawian organization, to lead their efforts to fight the HIV epidemic.  Dr. Gupta is board certified in Family Medicine by the American Board of Family Medicine. He has published over 50 manuscripts and provided public health leadership across different cultures and types of public health systems across the globe. His professional interests include patient lived experience, HIV primary care, community medicine, equity and social accountability, applied epidemiology and public health.  His personal interests include hiking, biking and spending time with his family.

Professor Address Mauakowa Malata PhD, MSc, BSc, FAAN. is the Vice-Chancellor of Malawi University of Science and Technology, former President of Africa Honor Society of Nursing of Sigma Theta Tau International; former Vice President, International Confederation of Midwives, former Principal of Kamuzu College of Nursing and spearheaded it to become a World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Inter Professional Education and Leadership in 2016. A renowned international speaker, author and editor of various journals in the field of health, nursing, midwifery, and health workforce, she serves on various international, regional and national boards. Dr. Malata is an advocate for girls and women empowerment through education. Her research work focuses on maternal and newborn health, quality of care, health workforce and innovation and technology. She is a Virginia Henderson Fellow of Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI), an Adjunct Professor at Michigan State University, a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN); a Global Health Fellow at University of California San Francisco University; an Adjunct Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baylor College of Medicine. She was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa by University of Oslo in Norway, 2018 ECU Distinguished Alumni and ECU Honorary Award of Doctor of Nursing honoris causa, 2019 in Australia.