Global Health Connections
June 2021
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Global Health Leaders Form Alliance for Advancing Health Online, RFP Announced
 Leaders from the technology, healthcare, global development, and academic sectors recently announced the Alliance for Advancing Health Online, a new initiative to advance public understanding of how social media and behavioral sciences can be leveraged to improve the health of communities around the world.
The first project of this multi-year initiative, the Vaccine Confidence Fund, will support research on how social media and online platforms can inspire confidence in and uptake of vaccinations. The fund, which is now seeking RFPs, will have a strong focus on historically excluded or marginalized communities.
Facebook and MSD (tradename of Merck & Co., Inc., Kenilworth, N.J., USA (NYSE:MRK)) have each committed $20 million. The Bay Area Global Health Alliance will serve as a convener, facilitating a series of community discussions and sharing research findings. The Alliance for Advancing Health Online will additionally bring together the CDC Foundation, the MIT Initiative on the Digital Economy, the Sabin Vaccine Institute, the Vaccine Confidence Project at the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, the World Bank, and the World Health Organization Read more here, here, and here.
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Mastercard Foundation Donates $1.3B to Boost Africa’s Coronavirus Response
Working through the Africa CDC, the Mastercard Foundation will fund a variety of services across the continent. In addition to boosting vaccination programs, funding will support workforce training, community engagement, drug safety efforts, and genomic sequencing. Mastercard has additionally committed $100m to support global coronavirus efforts. Read more here.
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Coronavirus Variants Have Nowhere to Hide
“From a global perspective, it’s absolutely necessary to do what we can to make sure we have a good grip on the virus and its mutations,” said Neha Agarwal, Bay Area Global Health Alliance board member and associate director of the PATH Diagnostics Program, in a recent interview with The Atlantic. The article explores the likelihood that SARS CoV-2 test manufacturers will have to reconfigure their initial tests as the virus continues to mutate. PATH's efforts to track the myriad tests and their performance against new variants provide an essential overview of the evolving testing situation. Read more here.
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COVID 19: Are We at a Change Moment?
 "We need more diversity and inclusion in global health decision making … an architecture and investment approach to global health that is very much building stronger systems of health for more people, that is more driven at the community level, but which keeps some of the best attributes of donor-funded approaches to global health," said Chris Collins, executive director and president of the Friends of the Global Fight, during a policy briefing hosted by the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Georgia Global Health Alliance on June 8. Collins further discussed COVID's immediate impact and its knock-on effects on health systems and economics, and he reviewed how the global health community moves forward after this year of great transition. Watch the recording here.
Following the briefing, Friends of the Global Fight released a report detailing metrics on the scale of the disruption caused by the pandemic to global efforts to eliminate AIDS, malaria, and TB. Read the report here.
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Curbing the Spread of Misinformation Is Essential to Moving Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic
UC Berkeley's Alexandre de Siqueira is a "data scientist working with social scientists to help sort fact from fiction." Using AI, he works across disciplines to get in front of the virulent spread of misinformation on social media. Watch Alex describe his work here.
The anti-vax industry generates income of $36 million annually, according to the Center for Countering Digital Hate. And just 12 people are behind most of the misinformation that is spread on social media. If your research helps combat misinformation, consider applying for the Vaccine Confidence Fund's new RFP, which closes on August 6. See story above.
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COVID-19 Origin Story
"A credible investigation should address all plausible scenarios in a deliberate manner, involve a wide variety of expertise and disciplines, and follow the evidence," said microbiologist David Relman, Senior Fellow at the Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies at Stanford University, in a recent interview about the controversy surrounding the origin of SARS CoV-2. Relman was one of 18 signatories to an open letter in the May 14, 2021 issue of Science Magazine calling for further investigation into the origins of COVID-19.
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Welcome to Our Newest Members
Welcome to our newest Bay Area Global Health Alliance members, ETR and PRC (formerly Positive Resource Center). We now have close to 60 member organizations working together to promote equity and innovation in global health. Read more.
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International AIDS Society (IAS) 2021 I July 18–21
Gilead, MSD, Chevron, and Abbvie Sponsors
The 11th biennial IAS Conference on HIV Science will take place July 18–21, 2021. The conference features more than 60 sessions, including keynote presentations by German Chancellor Angela Merkel, NIAID's Dr. Anthony Fauci, and other international global health leaders and allies. This year's virtual meeting on the latest developments in HIV research is sponsored by Alliance members Gilead, MSD, Chevron, AbbVie, and others. Learn more and register here.
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Alliance events
June 24
Borrowing Approaches from the Private Sector to Tackle
Challenges in Global Health
With members Medicines360 and PSI
July 1
Leveraging Technology to Scale Outcomes in Global Health
With members Resonance, Mastercard, and Zenysis
 ICYMI
On May 20, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance, the San Francisco Community Health Center, and other Bay Area groups held a briefing—the second in a series—on India's COVID crisis. This briefing addressed the crisis' impact on LGBTQI communities in India and South Asia. Viewers heard directly from affected community members and allies who identified existing, effective responses that are reaching LGBTQI communities, in keeping with India's foreign contributions laws. Learn more and watch the briefing here. BAGHA convened the first in the series, an emergency briefing on the burgeoning crisis in India, earlier in May. To learn more about that briefing, watch here and visit here.
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More events
- Hesitancy, Equity & Transparency: A Conversation on the COVID-19 Vaccine Roll Out [PHI, Jun. 17]
- Biotech: Where Are We Now? [STAT, Jun. 17]
- Secretary Ban Ki-Moon: Uniting Nations in a Divided World [Commonwealth Club, Jun. 22]
- Transforming the WHO by Strengthening Its Science, Data, Funding & Governance [CUGH, Jun. 23]
- Harnessing Digital Technologies to Advance Global Precision Health & Development [Stanford, Jun. 23]
- IGHS Grand Rounds: Partnerships to Advance Global Surgery [UCSF, Jun. 24]
- Climate Change & Childen: Greening Practices & Health Systems [ISSOP, Jun. 24–25]
- Conversation on Decolonizing Global Health [UCSF, Jun. 24]
- A Celebration of Great Ideas [Trinity Challenge, Jun. 25]
- A Day in the Life of Frontline Healthcare Workers [GAIA, Jun. 27]
- Energizing Global Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship [ISGlobal, Jun. 28–Jul. 15]
- Exploring the Impact of COVID-19 on Women in Bangladesh, Kenya, & Nigeria [JHU, Jun. 29]
- Rx One Health Field Institute [UC Davis, Jul. 11–24]
- Breakthrough Science Summit [STAT, Jul. 13–14]
- IAS Conference on HIV Science [IAS, Jul. 18–21]
- Climate Change & Childen: Global Political & Economic Impact of Climate Change—Advocacy and Action [ISSOP, Jul. 29–30]
Climate Change & Childen: Leadership in a New World. Planetary Pediatrics & One Health [ISSOP, Aug. 26–27]
- Merck for Mothers 10-Year Anniversary Virtual Event [Merck, Sep. 14]
Climate Change & Children: COP 26 (UN Climate Change Summit) & the Child Health Community [ISSOP, Sep. 23–24]
- Rural ACEs Summit [PHI, Sep. 29–30]
- Climate Change & Health in Small Island Developing States (Caribbean) [CUGH, Oct. 5–8]
- Global Health Impact Award Ceremony [Washington Global Health Alliance, Oct. 14]
- 2021 Annual Meeting [ASTMH, Nov. 17–21]
- Participatory Surveillance Conference, Cambodia [Ending Pandemics, Mar. 2022]
- CUGH 2022 [CUGH, Apr. 21-23, 2022]
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Opportunities
- Call for Submissions, Advances in Global Health [UC Berkeley I UCGHI]
- Introduction to Public Health Course [UCGHI]
- Call for Nominations, Kenneth C. Frazier Award for Maternal Health Equity [Merck for Mothers, July 30]
- "Global Challenges in Health" Photo Contest [RSTMH I ECTMIH, July 30]
- Nominate a 2021 STAT Wunderkind [STAT, Jul. 30]
- Harnessing Social Media to Increase Vaccination Confidence & Uptake RFP [Vaccine Confidence Fund, Aug. 6]
- Call for Nominations, 2022 Tyler Prize [Tyler Prize, Sep. 22]
- Global Health Impact Award Nominations [Washington Global Health Alliance, Jul. 16]
- Watch. Centering Racial Equity in Social Emotional Learning Tips [ETR]
- Watch. Social Media & Emotional Health: 10 Tips for Teens [ETR]
- Translations Needed for Health Fact Sheets [Hesperian]
- Training Capacity-Building Site [CUGH]
- Survey on COVID-19 & Women's Health [Univ. British Columbia]
- Online Scientific Writing Course [CDC]
- JHU Funding Opportunities [Johns Hopkins University]
- NIH Global Health Funding [NIH]
- Various Fellowships [PHI]
- Palliative Care Course, Coursera [Stanford]
- COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers, Coursera [Stanford]
- COVID-19 Training Course in Spanish [Stanford]
- COVID Resources in Spanish [UC Berkeley]
- Graduate Program Opportunities, Various [UCGHI]
- Fellowships, Various [UCSF]
- Fellowships, Various [CDC]
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Publications
Looking for more peer-reviewed news?
Or peer reviews of COVID-19 research preprints?
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What we're reading
- Monitoring Health for the SDGs [World Health Organization]
- COVID-19 Response Team & Public Health Officials, Press Briefing [White House]
- The Fundamental Question of the Pandemic Is Shifting [Atlantic]
- A UN Declaration on Ending AIDS Should Have Been Easy. It Wasn't. [New York Times]
- 74th WHA: Historic or Business as Usual? Experts Weigh In [Devex]
- WHO 'Needs More Powers' Says Independent Panel Co-Chair Helen Clark [Devex]
- The COVID Lab-Leak Hypothesis: What Scientists Do & Don't Know [Nature]
- The Delta Variant Is a Rising Threat in the US. We Have to Redouble Vaccination Efforts. [Washington Post]
- Emergency COVID Vaccination Scheme in Legal Jeopardy [New Humanitarian]
- Hundreds of Former Leaders Urge G7 to Vaccinate Poor Against COVID-19 [CNN]
- G7 Vaccine Pledge Is Just a Drop in the Ocean, Campaigners Say [Reuters]
- G-7 Summit Panned as 'Missed Opportunity' on COVID-19 & Climate [Devex]
- Vaccine Makers Project a Global Total of 12 Billion Doses of COVID-19 Vaccine in 2021 [Launch & Scale Speedometer]
- The Pandemic Is Getting Worse, Even When It Seems like It's Getting Better [Washington Post]
- Tedros: Support 10% Vaccination Push by September [Devex]
- COVID-19 Digital Tools Map & Match [USAID]
- How CEPI Is Preparing for the Next Pandemic [Devex]
- WHO Reveals New Global Antibiotic Resistance Data, More Concerns [CIDRAP]
- Historical Trends in US Funding for Global Health [KHN]
- Novavax's Coronavirus Vaccine Is 90 Percent Effective, Study Finds [Washington Post]
- 3 Lessons from COVID-19 to Rethink Global Health Innovation [Devex]
- Tracking SARS-CoV-2 Variants [WHO]
- Urgent Lessons from COVID 19: Why the World Needs a Standing, Coordinated System & Sustainable Financing for Global Research & Development [Lancet]
- Invest in Health or Face Credit Ratings 'Stick'—WHO’s Expert Panel [Reuters]
- New International Panel to Address the Emergence & Spread of Zoonotic Diseases [WHO]
- Healthier Environments Could Halve Global Disease; 'Nature Summit' Needed to Highlight Linkages [Health Policy Watch]
- Risk Expert Heidi J. Larson on Vaccine Hesitancy [Undark]
- Nearly 80% of Vaccine-Hesitant Americans Won’t Get the Shot, Poll Finds—But US Can Still Hit Biden’s 70% Goal [Forbes]
- Excluding Refugees, Migrants & Other 'Uprooted People' from COVID Vaccine Campaigns Undermines Global Health & Safety [Health Policy Watch]
- German Researchers Tie Cold Viruses Used to Deliver COVID-19 Vaccine to Rare Blood Clot Risk [Reuters]
- WHO Issues New Guidance for Research on Genetically Modified Mosquitoes to Fight Malaria & Other Vector-Borne Diseases [UN]
- A Pivotal Mosquito Experiment Could Not Have Gone Better [Atlantic]
- Children with Asymptomatic Malaria a 'Hidden Risk' to Disease Control Efforts [LSHTM]
- Genetically Modified Mosquitoes & Africa [SciDevNet]
- New Initiative to Prevent Malaria in South Sudan [Médecins Sans Frontières]
- Community-Based Mental Health Services Can Outperform Traditional Services—WHO Guidance [Health Policy Watch]
- With Roots in Civil Rights, Community Health Centers Push for Equity in the Pandemic [KHN]
- Political Declaration on HIV/AIDS: Ending Inequalities & Getting on Track to End AIDS by 2030 [United Nations]
- World Has Missed All Targets for Tackling AIDS by 2020, UN Report Reveals [Telegraph]
- Ending AIDS Is Achievable with Progressive Laws and Policies, Says New UNAIDS Report [Health Policy Watch]
- A Pandemic Anniversary: 40 Years of HIV/AIDS [Lancet]
- Why the Controversial Needle Exchange That Quelled a Massive HIV Outbreak Was Voted Out [Louisville Carrier Journal]
- As COVID-19 Collides with HIV/AIDS, the Pandemic May Be Taking an Ominous Turn [LA Times]
- Monoclonal Antibody Prevents HIV Infection in Monkeys, Study Finds [Science Daily]
- South Africa Has 'Obligation' to Better Address Domestic Violence [UN]
- From Suicide to 'Eco-Anxiety,' Climate Change Spurs Mental Health Crisis [Thomson Reuters]
- More Than a Third of Heat Deaths Are Tied to Climate Change, Study Says [New York Times]
- A Multibillion-Dollar Plan to End Polio, and Soon [New York Times]
- 'I Had to Step Up': Child Labour in Poorest Countries Rose During COVID, Says Report [Guardian]
- Global Report on Internal Displacement 2021 [Relief Web]
- Enough Fentanyl to Kill San Francisco: The New Wave of the Opioid Crisis Sweeping California [Guardian]
- How the Virus Unraveled Hispanic American Families [New York Times]
- As India’s Pandemic Surge Eases, a Race Begins to Prepare for a Possible Next Wave [Washington Post]
- Why India's Digital Divide Is Hampering Vaccine Access [Devex]
- Remote Tribal Village Shows How to Fight Vaccine Hesitancy [India Spend]
- After India: The Countries on the Brink of Another COVID Oxygen Crisis [Bureau of Investigative Journalism]
- Malaysia Warns of Rising Number of COVID-19 Deaths, Cases Among Children [Reuters]
- Doctors Without Borders Ordered to Stop Work in Myanmar City [France 24]
- In Peru's Hinterland, a Town Battles World's Worst COVID-19 Outbreak [Reuters]
- Why Is Covid Killing So Many Young Children in Brazil? Doctors Are Baffled [New York Times]
- 'It’s Really Bad.' COVID Urgency in Haiti Has Biden Administration Working on Vaccines [Miami Herald]
- COVID-19 Continues to Exacerbate Poverty & Exert Pressure on African Economies [Health Policy Watch]
- Third Wave Sweeps Across Africa as COVID Vaccine Imports Dry Up [Guardian]
- A 'Landmark' Trial to Test mRNA Vaccines Against COVID-19 in Africa Can’t Get the Coveted Shots [Science]
- Over 90 Percent of People in War-Hit Tigray Need Food Aid [Al Jazeera]
- UN Official Accuses Eritrean Forces of Deliberately Starving Tigray Region [Independent]
- In Boost for Africa, Senegal Aims to Make COVID Shots Next Year [Reuters]
- Fake COVID-19 Vaccines Pose New Threat in Africa [Wall Street Journal]
- 'On a Rampage': The African Women Fighting to End FGM [Guardian]
- The Risks Zimbabwean Women Take When Pressured Into Home Births [Devex]
- Vaccines & Oxygen Run Out as Third Wave of COVID Hits Uganda [Guardian]
- Greece Starts Vaccine Campaign at Asylum-Seeker Facilities [AP]
- Gaza's Health System Buckling Under Repeated Wars, Blockade [AP]
- Staggering Health Needs Emerge in Gaza, Following Israel-Hamas Conflict [UN News]
- Syria Bombs Hospitals. Now It Will Help Lead the WHO [NPR]
- Attacks Target Polio Teams in East Afghanistan, 5 Killed [AP]
- Complacency Let COVID Erode Taiwan's Only Line of Defense [Bloomberg]
- Watch. What Makes mRNA Technology a Potential Game Changer for Global Health? [Devex]
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Let us know your news for our next issue and your thoughts on this issue. Please write to communications@bayareaglobalhealth.org. Thanks!
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