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Global Health Connections
October 2021

Merck Breakthrough Offers Second Line of Defense Against COVID-19

Merck was the first to report promising news for a pill to treat COVID-19 with its recent announcement that molnupiravir reduced the risk of hospitalization and death by roughly half among higher-risk people diagnosed with mild or moderate illness. The results were so positive that they halted the international clinical trial and quickly applied for federal approval in the US. Other companies, like Gilead Sciences and Pfizer, are not far behind—increasing the likelihood that we will soon have a range of treatment options as a second-line defense against COVID. Read more in the Washington Post, Axios, Nature, STAT and NPR.

First Malaria Vaccine Approved by WHO

For 20 years, member PATH worked with partners to bring the first malaria vaccine to the world. On October 6, the World Health Organization (WHO) recommended the RTS,S vaccine against malaria for broader use. "Not only is this the first malaria vaccine to earn such a recommendation, it’s also the world’s first vaccine against a parasite," said Dr. Ashley Birkett, Director of PATH’s Malaria Vaccine Initiative. Learn more.

UCSF Study Links Air Pollution to Nearly 6M Preterm Births Around the World

A global burden of disease study conducted in 2019 by UC San Francisco and the University of Washington linked six million preterm births (and three million underweight babies) with air pollution. The finding, which for the first time accounted for indoor air quality levels, held on every continent. "Air pollution should now be considered a major driver of infant morbidity and mortality, not just of chronic adult diseases," said Rakesh Ghosh, PhD, prevention and public health specialist at the Institute for Global Health Sciences. "Our study suggests that taking measures to mitigate climate change and reduce air pollution levels will have a significant health co-benefit for newborns." Read more here. And in The Guardian

Alliance Members Participate in White House's Global COVID-19 Summit

Alliance members Friends of the Global Fight, the Global Health Council and Seed Global Health all participated in the White House's recent COVID Summit. Watch the Global Health Council's remarks here. Read Seed Global Health and Friends of the Global Fight's statements here and here.

Alliance for Advancing Health Online Awards $7M in Grants Through Vaccine Confidence Fund

Researchers at UC Berkeley, UCSF and Stanford are among the 33 recipients of grants totaling over $7 million from the Vaccine Confidence Fund (VCF). The fund is the first flagship program of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online (AAHO). Representatives from the technology, health, global development and academic sectors (including members Merck and Facebook) comprise the AAHO, which is charged with exploring the role social media platforms can play in increasing vaccination confidence and vaccine uptake. Learn more about the VCF and grantees here.

Did you miss out on the VCF RFP? Here's a new RFP for social amplification, offered by the World Health Organization (with an October 29 deadline).

Join Us on Oct. 19 for a Policy Briefing with Global Health Council's New Leader

Join Elisha Dunn-Georgiou, the new president and CEO of the Global Health Council, for a conversation and update on policy and funding issues on Capitol Hill, at UNGA and following President Biden's recent COVID Summit—where she joined leaders in committing to end the COVID-19 pandemic. She will give her observations from DC and answer questions on the political state of global health. The briefing on October 19 is hosted by the regional global health alliances: Bay Area Global Health Alliance, Georgia Global Health Alliance, Washington Global Health Alliance and the Triangle Global Health Alliance. Learn more and register here.

Vax Up Podcast Debuts

"When you are thinking about vaccine demand and acceptance, the more local you get, the better it is," said Jennifer Siler, VP of Global Community Engagement at Sabin Vaccine Institute, on the inaugural Vax Up podcast, which explores the power of social media to strengthen vaccine confidence and shape health behaviors. The first episode profiles CALPEP, an Oakland organization. Episode Two looks at Girl Effect, an international nonprofit dedicated to empowering young women and girls through media, and their efforts in India to promote vaccination uptake among young mothers. Watch and listen here. The podcast is brought to you by the team behind A Shot in the Arm podcast, the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and Sabin Vaccine Institute, as a project of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online.

There Is an Upside to Screen Time, Study Finds

A recent article written by Hopelab's Danielle Ramo, senior director of research (and adjunct faculty member at UCSF), examined the impact of screen time in teens' lives. Research conducted during the pandemic by UC Berkeley and others demonstrated that teens' online experiences were more often positive than negative. "There has been this negative discourse about screen time causing loneliness and depression. But our findings provide more nuance and show that, when used positively, online interactions are actually associated with less loneliness," wrote the study's primary author Lucia Magis-Weinberg. Learn more about how to support positive online experiences here.

Members in the media

More member news

Deadline Soon: AbbVie's Golden TIcket

Are you an early-stage company developing novel, transformational therapies in immunology, oncology, neuroscience, eye care or aesthetics?

Apply now (deadline is October 19) for AbbVie's Golden Ticket!

Coming Soon: Preventing Burnout for Health Equity Leaders: Cultivating Resilience & Addressing Moral Injury

Join the Alliance and Circles International on October 28 for a workshop-style webinar that will explore how leaders can recognize moral injury, cultivate resilience and prevent burnout to sustain their impact for the long run. Come ready to think about your unique context and reflect upon the life you hope to create for yourself and your leadership. Learn more and register here.

Upcoming events

Policy Briefing with Elisha Dunn-Georgiou [Global Health Council I BAGHA, Oct. 19]
Understanding the Contribution of Social, Economic & Environmental Drivers in the Spread of Antimicrobial Resistance in Ecuador [UC Berkeley, Oct. 19]
From Commitment to Action: What Will It Take to Vaccinate the World? [PATH, Oct. 20]
How Can We End Malaria? Lessons from Around the World [Friends of the Global Fight, Oct. 20]
Systems Thinking & Mindsets at APHA 2021 [PHI, Oct. 23]
How to Talk with Teens About Vaping [ETR, Oct. 26]
Pandemic Puzzle #3: Tracking & Mitigating a 21st Century Pandemic [Stanford, Oct. 28]
Preventing Burnout for Health Equity Leaders: Cultivating Resilience & Addressing Moral Injury [Circles International I BAGHA, Oct. 28]
2021 CSHA Health Conference [CSHA, Nov. 2–4]
2021 Virtual Annual Conference [Triangle Global Health Consortium, Nov. 4]
Mighty Real Gala [PRC, Nov. 5]
Innovation, Equity & Cross-Sector Solutions in Overdose Prevention, Justice & Treatment [PHI, Nov. 9–10]
Save the Date: Malaria Elimination Initiative: An Overview of Our Work [IGHS I UCSF, Nov. 12]
Reimagining Leadership: Courage, Collaboration & Compassion [WomenLift Health I Stanford, Nov. 15–16]
STAT Summit 2021 [STAT, Nov. 16–18]
2021 Annual Meeting [ASTMH, Nov. 17–21]
Pandemic Puzzle #4: Agile Discovery & Innovation: Advancing Tomorrow’s Vaccines, Treatments, & Cures [Stanford, Nov. 19]
Save the Date: Global Digital Health Forum [Global Health Development Network, Dec. 6–8]
From Security to Solidarity: Diverse Perspectives Against Global Health Threats [Global Health Council, Dec. 9–10]
2022 Stanford Global Health Research Convening [CIGH I Stanford, Jan. 19]
Save the Date: Show of Hope [SF Community Health Center, Jan. 22]
CUGH 2022 [CUGH, Mar. 21–Apr. 1, 2022]
Save the Date: UC Global Health Day 2022 [UCGHI, May 7, 2022]
Participatory Surveillance Conference, Cambodia [Ending Pandemics, Late 2022]

ICYMI: Building COVID-19 Confidence Through Social Media Campaigns

To coincide with the 2021 UN General Assembly, Population Services International pulled together a panel to explore how social media campaigns, often a key approach to building COVID-19 vaccine confidence among connected consumers at scale, can combat vaccine misinformation and hesitancy. Ben Plumley, A Shot in the Arm podcast, examined the impact of multi-sectoral partnerships (United Nations Sustainable Development Goal #17) with Lu’chen Foster, director, Health Partnerships, Facebook; Martin Dale, director, Digital Health and Monitoring, PSI; Jessica Kirkwood of CARE; and Lateefah Mosley, project manager, Scaled Support Program, UNICEF. Watch and listen here.

Jobs

Ass't. Professor, Public Health Data Science I UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Oct. 28
Program Research & Design Consultant I Global Health Corps, Oct. 30
Development Associate I Global Health Corps, Oct. 31
Senior Program Manager for Global Health Education I CIGH I Stanford
Nigeria Program Director I WomenLift Health I Stanford
Product Manager (SF or NYC) I Zenysis
Senior Software Engineer I Zenysis
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Emerging Infectious Disease Epidemiology I UC Davis, One Health Institute
Health Financing Data Analyst I PHI
Lecturer Pool, Residential & Online Instruction I UC Berkeley School of Public Health, Feb. 14
Postdoc, Infectious Diseases, Environmental & Planetary Health, Global Health & Epidemiology [Stanford]
Doctoral Student, Quantitative Researcher, Population Health I Stanford
Doctoral Student, Population Health Analysis & Convolutional Neural Networks I Stanford
Doctoral Student, Population Health Analyses, Electronic Health Record Data I Stanford
Postdoc Fellowship, Medication Effectiveness, Health Services Research & Population Health I Stanford or Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
Postdoc Fellowship, Causal Inference, Electronic Health Records Data I Stanford or Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
Postdoc Fellowship, Deep Learning in Satellite Imagery to Monitor Health Indicators in LMICs I Stanford or Heidelberg Institute of Global Health
Research Assistant I I Stanford
Research Assistant II I Stanford
Fellowship Admissions Coordinator, Africa I Global Health Corps
Various Openings I AbbVie
Various Openings I CUGH
Various Openings I ETR
Various Openings I IDEO.org
Various Openings I JSI
Various Openings I PATH
Various Openings I Pathfinder
Various Openings I PHI
Various Openings I Seed Global Health
Various Openings I Triangle Global Health
Various Openings I UC Berkeley
Careers in Global Health I UCSF
Various Openings I UNICEF USA
Various Openings I Zenysis
Various Openings I Zipline

Opportunities

Golden Ticket Application [AbbVie, Oct. 19]
Abstracts for Stanford Global Health Research Convening [CIGH I Stanford, Oct. 20]
Call for Nominations, CUGH 2022 Board [CUGH, Oct. 20]
RFP: Amplifying Health Messages on Social & Digital Media Channels [WHO, Oct. 29]
2022 Global Health Leadership Awards Nominations [CUGH, Oct. 31]
All4Liver Grant Application, Asia Pacific [Gilead Sciences, Oct. 31]
Global Health Equity Scholar Fellowship [Stanford, Nov. 1]
NYC Marathon Team UNICEF [UNICEF USA, Nov. 7]
New Public Health AmeriCorps Seeks Proposals to Build a New Generation of Public Health Leaders [AmeriCorps I CDC, Nov. 8]
2022 US Leadership Journey Application [WomenLift Health I Stanford, Nov. 19]
CUGH 2022 Satellite Session Submissions [CUGH, Dec. 15]
A Book for Midwives (code MIDWIVES WEEK through Oct. for 20% off) [Hesperian]
Resilience & Wellbeing Resource Library [Circles International]
Invitation to Sign, São Paulo Declaration on Planetary Health [CUGH]
Healthtech Dialogue Hub [Devex]
Call for Submissions, Advances in Global Health [UC Berkeley I UCGHI]
COVID-19 Training for Healthcare Workers in Portuguese [Stanford I Coursera]
Training Capacity-Building Site [CUGH]
Digital Medic Training [Stanford]
Palliative Care Course, Coursera [Stanford]
Advocacy Training for CHWs [CHW Advocates I Stanford]
COVID Resources in Spanish [UC Berkeley]
Fellowships, Various [PHI]
Fellowships, Various [UCSF]
Fellowships, Various [CDC]
How to Be Prepared to Serve, Online Module [ASTHO]
Online Scientific Writing Course [CDC]
JHU Funding Opportunities [Johns Hopkins University]
NIH Global Health Funding [NIH]

Publications

Looking for more peer-reviewed news?

Or peer reviews of COVID-19 research preprints?

UC Berkeley's RR:C19

What we're reading

WHO Endorses Use of First-Ever Malaria Vaccine [Washington Post]
Malaria Vaccine Implementation Programm e [WHO]
A Second, Silent Pandemic: Antibiotic Resistance [Global Health Now]
John Nkengasong, of the Africa CDC, Will Lead PEPFAR [New York Times]
WHO Unveils New 26-Member Panel to Restart Study of the Pandemic's Origins [Science]
Progress Report Shows Resilience in Childhood Vaccinations Despite Impact of COVID-19 Pandemic [Gavi]
Aid Agency Actions on Racial Justice 'Inadequate,' Aid Workers Say [The New Humanitarian]
WHO 'Needs More Powers' Says Independent Panel Co-Chair Helen Clark [Devex]
The Inescapable Dilemma of Infectious Disease [Boston Review]
'Critical Mass' of Scientists Launches Institute to Tackle Infectious Diseases [Imperial College of London]
Where Are We on COVID-19 after a Year of TRIPS Waiver Negotiations? [Devex]
How COVAX Failed on Its Promise to Vaccinate the World [Bureau of Investigative Journalism]
Biden's Plan to Vaccinate the World Won't Work. Here's a Better One. [Washington Post]
After Biden's COVID-19 Summit, Questions on Whether World Will Deliver [Devex]
New Evidence Undermines the COVID Lab-Leak Theory—But the Press Keeps Pushing It [LA Times]
China PCR Purchases Spiked in Months Before First Known Covid Cases, Firm Says [Bloomberg]
Long COVID Now Has a Formal Definition [NBC]
Covid Is Killing Rural Americans at Twice the Rate of Urbanites [KHN]
More than 120,000 US Kids Had Caregivers Die during Pandemic [AP]
WHO Says Key Air Pollutant Levels Should Be Cut by One-Half [Health Policy Watch]
Global Prevalence & Burden of Depressive & Anxiety Disorders in 204 Countries & Territories in 2020 Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic [Lancet]
Global Tuberculosis Report 2020 [WHO]
2021 May Be Worse for TB [Devex]
Tackling Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis, One Patient at a Time [Médecins Sans Frontières]
Discrimination Deprives Indigenous San People of Right to Health as TB Poses Serious Risk to Their Lives [Amesty International]
New Global Targets to Prevent Maternal Deaths [WHO]
First Drug for Dengue May Be On the Horizon [Science]
Clean Environment Could Become UN Human Right. Not So Fast, Say US, Britain [Reuters]
Can a New Effort End 'Equipment Graveyards' at Neonatal ICUs? [Devex]
English Schools Drop Mask Mandates, but Questions Rise Along With Cases [New York Times]
COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates Should Avoid Colonial & Controlling Pitfalls [The New Humanitarian]
Moderna Plans to Build mRNA Vaccine Manufacturing Plant in Africa [Devex]
'It Has Fallen Out of the Spotlight': Aid Workers Demand Focus on Myanmar [Devex]
By Boat, by Motorbike, by Foot: The Journey to Vaccinate Colombia's Remotest Communities [Washington Post]
UN Chief Tells Ethiopia's Abiy He Does Not Accept Staff Expulsions [Reuters]
More than 50 Women Accuse Aid Workers of Sex Abuse in Congo Ebola Crisis [The New Humanitarian]
More than 90 Children Have Died in the Past Two Months from an Unknown Illness in the DRC [Actualité, in French]
WHO Plans to Eliminate Bacterial Meningitis Epidemics by 2030 [Reuters]
Only 17% of Key Health Facilities in Afghanistan Are Functional [Devex]
Half of Afghanistan's Children Under Five Expected to Suffer from Acute Malnutrition as Hunger Takes Root for Millions [UN]
Watch: Fauci Documentary: Don’t Shoot the Messenger [Disney+]
Listen: WASH Works Podcast [Devex]

Let us know your news for our next issue and your thoughts on this issue. Please write to communications@bayareaglobalhealth.org. Thanks!

Global Health Connections October 2021