Dean Buekens presides over organization hosting global health conference

When School of Public Health & Tropical Medicine Dean Pierre Buekens travels to Washington, D.C., this week to a leading international global health conference, some of the top academics in the field will be making the case for why global public health funding matters.

Buekens is chair of the Consortium of Universities for Global Health (CUGH). The group’s eighth annual Global Health Conference, which will be held in Washington, DC, from April 6-9, takes place as the Trump administration has proposed massive budget cuts for global health research and programs.

“Only a global approach will allow us to find common solutions to health issues which ignore borders and affect us all,” Buekens said. “Addressing global health concerns when and where they occur benefits all countries, including the United States. These efforts make the world safer, reduce human suffering and promote peace as major health emergencies can serve as destabilizing forces.

Dr. Pierre Buekens

The CUGH Annual Conference has become the world's leading academic global health conference. The meeting brings together committed leaders, professionals, educators, students from diverse fields of study including engineering, business, law, policy, natural sciences, nursing, public health, medicine, and environmental studies to explore, discuss and critically assess the global health landscape.

This year’s theme, Healthy People, Healthy Ecosystems: Implementation, Leadership and Sustainability in Global Health, reflects the growing realization that our physical and planetary health are inextricably linked. World-class speakers will address topics that include: planetary health; governance and political decision-making; health systems and human resources; women’s health; non-communicable diseases and social determinants of health; and infectious diseases.