GLOBAL

HEALTH
INTRODUCTION 2023
AIMS

To examine population health

risks in the context of
globalization and the strategic
response to this at the global
level 
 LEARNING
OUTCOMES
After completing the module, the
student should be able to:
1 Critically analyze the relationship
between globalization, health transition
and risk
2 Critically analyze the idea of global
health governance
3 Critically evaluate international
strategic responses to global health risks
 ASSESSMENT 1
• Online test
• Worth 30% of total mark
• You will be tested on content from the first 6 weeks of teaching
• Test will open on Thursday 9/3/23 at 7am and will close at 23-
59 on the same day
• Although the test is open for several hours you will only have
2 hours to complete the test once it is opened
• 2 hours is generous and most of you will not require this
amount of time
• You will have the opportunity to practice on a non-assessed
quiz before the test and get some feedback on request
ASSESSMENT 2

• Essay: 2000-2500 words

• Choice of 2 questions but topic
of choice
• Canvas upload
• Deadline 2 May 2023
• Anonymous marking – no
names on papers or file
• Guidance and rubric on Canvas
ANY
QUESTIONS ?
VEVOX
• https://vevox.app/#/m/153684870
• ID: 153684870
GLOBAL HEALTH
Koplan et al (2009, p.1995)
“an area for study, research &
practice that places a priority on
improving health & achieving
equity in health for all people
worldwide”
Emphasises
“transnational issues,
determinants & solutions;
involves many disciplines within
and beyond health sciences”.
 GLOBAL HEALTH
Beaglehole & Bonita (2010,
p.1)
“collaborative transnational
research & action for
promoting health for all”.
 GLOBAL HEALTH
Linked to Public Health concept:
• Focus on populations
• Emphasis on prevention
• Goal of social justice and equity
• Importance of evidence
• Multi-sectoral
• Strategic responses to the ‘big issues’

See Koplan et al (2009)

GLOBAL
HEALTH
Health risks that
• Concern all/most/many
countries
• Affected by
transnational
determinants
GLOBAL HEALTH

• What do you consider the most

pressing global health issues?
• Identify key global health risks/
issues/problems
• Think of at least 3
 Join: vevox.app ID: 153-684-870 Enter Text
and Press

GLOBAL HEALTH Send

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WHAT MAKES THEM and Press

Send

GLOBAL?

Data Captured
GLOBAL HEALTH

• Increasingly important topic at the

United Nations
• Key International Governmental
Organisations (IGO’s) are critical to
global health governance
• Plus a mass of Non-Governmental
Organisations (NGOs) - charitable
and philanthropic activity
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Name as many international/global and Press

Send

organisations as you can

GLOBAL HEALTH
• Importance of understanding globalization and how
it operates
GLOBALIZATION

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3oTLyPPrZE4&li
st=TLM16_8tKDuR4
• Take notes on the key terms 
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and Press

WHAT IS GLOBALIZATION  Send

Data Captured
4 PRIME MOVERS

Economic 

Culture Political 

Technological 
GLOBALIZATION
• No one definition
• Agreement that it represents key
social, political and economic trends
over the past 3-4 decades
• Many refer to interconnections &
mass movement of people, goods
and services
• Trade is a key aspect
• As are common global health risks
(see Hanefeld & Lee 2015)
GLOBALIZATION

• Definitions diverse but common premise

“that it involves the increasing
interconnectedness of different parts of
the world, such that physical distance
becomes less of a barrier to exchanges &
movements of ideas, goods, people and
money" (Willis 2005, p.173).
GLOBALIZATION
• Globalization is an extension of
‘modernization’
• An aspiration towards complete
human development and
satisfaction of all needs, wants
and desires

• Pro-globalizers believe that

inequalities will gradually reduce
 ANTI -
GLOBALIZATION
Anti-globalizers like Khor
(1995) challenges this view in
his statement that
“globalization is what we in
the third world have for
several centuries called
colonization” (cited Lee, 2005,
p.4)
ANTI-
GLOBALIZATION
• Recent anti-globalisation movements
related to protests against ‘big business’
viewed as ‘left wing’ = ‘Occupy
movement’ 2011 onwards with a focus
on fighting inequality and injustice
• More recent it has been taken up by the
‘right wing’ protesting against the
international system seen in Trump’s
America and UK Brexit = with a focus on
individual freedom and sovereignty of
nationhood
ANTI-
GLOBALIZATION
• Exacerbated more recently related to COVID-19
and the role of key players in the pandemic like
‘Big Pharma’, WHO and individuals like Bill
Gates
• Combines a mixture of groups globally
influenced by social media and key individuals
which at best questions restrictions created by
the pandemic and at worst undermines the
science and the very heart of public health
knowledge and practice
• Vaccines come in for specific criticism
GLOBALI
ZATION
AND
PUBLIC
HEALTH
https://www.youtube.com/wat
ch?v=cBOe1YBQZwU
CRITIQUES OF GLOBAL
HEALTH
• Important to question the role of
global organisations and domination
of high income countries in
international decision making
• Important to consider if organisations
are doing enough to reduce structural
inequalities at the global level
• Check out the paper by Buyum et al.
(2020)
https://gh.bmj.com/content/bmjgh/5/
8/e003394.full.pdf
 
 SUMMARY
• Increasing globalization
• Nature of health, health
determinants and ill-health
increasingly transnational
• Increasing global risk factors
• Importance of global
solutions & partnerships