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Global Health Connections
March 2022

Responding to Ukraine's Humanitarian Crisis


"As we grieve for the people [of Ukraine], we also mourn the health of communities that have been stripped of their human right to thrive," wrote Nikolaj Gilbert, president and CEO of PATH, of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Bay Area Global Health Alliance members are responding to the worsening humanitarian crisis. Americares and UNICEF have teams on the ground. Gilead, Google, Mastercard, Merck, Meta, and Pfizer are among our members supplying funds and services to the relief efforts. The Stanford Center for Global Health Innovation has curated a list of organizations to support, and the Global Fund for Women, MedShare, UCGHI, UC Berkeley, UC Davis, UCSF, and the Washington Global Health Alliance (among others) have all issued statements of support for the people of Ukraine. Learn more about how our members are mobilizing here.
 

Paul Farmer: A Gift to Global Health Equity


"Paul [Farmer] was an extraordinary force for what was right in this world and a voice of truth, hope, and inspiration," wrote Vanessa Kerry, CEO of Seed Global Health, about the news that Paul Farmer, co-founder of Partners in Health, had unexpectedly died. "The world is forever better for his fight for justice and equity, his commitment to those in need, his compassion, his evidence-based persuasion, and his deep belief that anything is possible if we determine it can be so." It's a sentiment echoed by many and one which is felt keenly among his friends and colleagues in global health. UCSF physician Sriram Shamasunder's work was influenced by Farmer, whom he last saw just days before his passing. In an NPR article, Shamasunder wrote, "He brought deep sacredness to patient interactions, an awe of what might be possible if those who care about health equity work together, and a bold struggle for a more equitable world rooted in faith in others and in the universe. His life was a kind of embodied poetry of medicine." Many members had tributes to Dr. Farmer, including:

In Memory of Dr. Paul Farmer I Stanford
The Legacy of Paul Farmer I Friends of the Global Fight 
Mourning Dr. Farmer's Passing & Honoring His Legacy I Global Health Corps
 

Communities of Color Most Impacted by Sea-Level Rise and Air Pollution


Rachel Morello-Frosch, who is helping lead Toxic Tides, an initiative by UC Berkeley, PHI, and others that maps the communities near contaminated sites that are most at risk from sea-level rise, remarked, "The Bay Area is definitely a hot spot." California's coastline can expect to experience a sea-level rise of up to 21 inches in the next few decades. KQED recently spoke with Frosch and others about environmental justice, climate resilience, and how rising sea levels will most impact the health of the predominantly minority communities living in low-lying communities. Derek Ouyang, program manager and lecturer at the Stanford Future Bay Initiative, is also concerned. He works with community members in flood-prone areas where soil contamination harms the health of those who live nearby. Read more here and here.

Joshua Apte, assistant professor at the UC Berkeley School of Public Health, co-authored a recent study published in the Environmental Science and Technology Letters journal that details the health impact of decades of zoning that placed polluting industries like shipping ports, industrial plants, and highways in redlined neighborhoods. "We've known about redlining and its other unequal impacts, but air pollution is one of the most important environmental health issues in the U.S.," he said. Read more in the study here and in the Washington Post here.
 

Gilead's Sustained Effort to End Visceral Leishmaniasis


For the past three decades, Gilead Sciences has been at the vanguard of efforts to eradicate visceral leishmaniasis (VL), a nearly always-fatal parasitical disease that is spread via sand flies. Its efforts continue: through engaging local communities, embracing innovation, working in partnership, providing funding, and strengthening local health systems, Gilead pledges to treat and prevent VL and other neglected tropical diseases. Read more about their efforts here in Devex. 
 

Welcome, Maya Health Alliance


We are happy to extend a warm welcome to our newest Bay Area Global Health Alliance member, Wuqu' Kawoq (also known as the Maya Health Alliance). For 15 years, their indigenous health workers have been providing comprehensive care in Mayan languages and transforming healthcare delivery across rural Guatemala. We look forward to working together to ensure access to the highest quality health care for everyone. Read more.
 

Vax Up I Exploring Vaccine Messaging That Works


Listen to the latest episode of Vax Up, which explores an innovative partnership between new member Wuqu' Kawoq (the Maya Health Alliance), UCSF, and Stanford University. Together, they are developing digital and social media messaging for indigenous rural communities in local Mayan languages. Their findings are providing valuable lessons for vaccine implementers seeking to reach marginalized communities with messaging appropriate to their needs and languages. Their research was supported by the Vaccine Confidence Fund, an initiative of the Alliance for Advancing Health Online. Watch and listen here.

Additionally, the Sabin Vaccine Institute hosted a live engagement that examined the use of social listening data to promote vaccine acceptance featuring two other projects supported by the Vaccine Confidence Fund. Minority Rights Group uses data from social listening to improve efforts to drive vaccine confidence and access in Sri Lanka, and 19 to Zero uses natural language processing to develop effective messaging for vulnerable populations in Canada. Watch "Social Media Listening for Improved Vaccine Acceptance" here. 
 

Members in the media

More member news

Don't Miss: Harnessing Social Media & Digital Platforms to Strengthen Vaccine Confidence & Improve Health Outcomes on March 25 at CUGH 

 

Join the Bay Area Global Health Alliance and the Sabin Vaccine Insitute at an CUGH session on March 25, from 8 am–11 am PT. We will explore how social media can improve health outcomes, especially among vulnerable populations. Fireside chats featuring leading global health stakeholders (Andy Pattison, WHO Tech Task Force; Tina Purnatt, WHO Infodemic Management; Jennifer Siler, Sabin Vaccine Institute; and Estelle Willie, the Mercury Project, Rockefeller Foundation) will provide global context. Learn more and register here (free).

Academic Integration in Pandemic Preparedness Workshop: Live Streams, April 26 & 28


As we enter the third year of the pandemic, UC Davis Grand Challenges, Healthy Davis Together, and Bay Area Global Health Alliance are reflecting with pride on how our communities have jumped in to help mitigate the devastating consequences of COVID-19 locally, nationally, and globally. The pandemic response showed not only the power of universities to play vital roles in public health crises, but also the opportunity to do more. We know future health crises are on the horizon, and we are seizing the chance to overcome longstanding silos among government, academia, and the private sector through a working meeting that brings together diverse partners from these sectors. Together, we will develop a roadmap for academic integration in pandemic preparedness and response planning that influences the future of public health. Join the live-streamed plenary sessions to hear from leaders, changemakers, and cross-sector collaborators to begin charting the course for a healthier, safer future. Welcome Session & Case Study Presentations: April 26, 2022, 8:30 am – 1:00 pm PT;  Summary Session: April 28, 2022, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm PT.  Register here.

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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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