Global Health Connections
May 2021
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Crisis in India: Alliance Members Mobilize
“This is a national, regional, and I would say, a crisis of global proportions,” said Bay Area Global Health Alliance board member Purnima Mane at the start of an emergency briefing on India on May 5 to identify the most effective emergency responses currently being undertaken. With real-time information from on the ground in India, provided by Mohammed Ameel, PATH India, and Anurag Mairal, Stanford University, viewers gathered valuable information regarding critical ways to support the global emergency effort. A rich resource list and more on the efforts of Alliance members, including Americares, Equalize Health, Friends of the Global Fight, Google, Hesperian Health Guides, MedShare, PATH, Public Health Institute, Stanford, UCSF and UNICEF, can be found here. Watch the recording.
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Bay Area Global Health Innovation Challenge Winners Selected
The Bay Area Global Health Innovation Challenge's “Final Pitch” on May 1 featured 16 teams vying for financing: a $10,000 grand prize from HealthRoots. The teams pitched their low-cost, scalable global health solutions, and Duke's Team SILO was deemed the winner by the panel of judges. Their innovation treats gastroschisis, a congenital disability affecting 1 in 2,000 live births in Africa. The "silo" device protects an infant's intestines, which protrude through an opening near its navel, until they can be medically returned to the abdominal cavity. For more on the high-impact innovations, the expert judging panel, and the runners-up, read here.
 In advance of the Challenge, Krista Donaldson, CEO of Equalize Health, chatted with Ben Plumley, host of A Shot in the Arm podcast, about the barriers and strategies for accessing financing for global health innovation. The Challenge is hosted by UC Berkeley and Stanford in partnership with the Alliance, UCSF, UC Davis, and HealthRoots. Watch here.
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Members Promote Vaccine Access & Confidence
“We want to do our part to help close gaps in vaccination rates by making it easier for people to raise awareness, get trusted information, and contribute directly to vaccine equity.”
–Nick Clegg, Facebook Vice President for Global Affairs
In the past few months, several of the Alliance's corporate members have launched initiatives to enhance vaccine equity and confidence.
- Mastercard has supported the global health response to the pandemic through a combination of technology, data resources, philanthropic grants, fundraising, and people. In early May, the company partnered with Global Citizen on its VAX Live campaign and committed $25 million+ to promote equitable vaccine access. Read more.
- Facebook launched several new global health initiatives at the end of April, including a number of efforts to promote reliable information and funding for campaigns to advance equity in the distribution of vaccines and decrease vaccine hesitancy. GHN interview. Read more.
- PSI is partnering with Facebook to enhance the public trust and confidence in vaccines in 30 countries through specialized social media messaging. The partnership includes a dedicated Facebook campaign specialist, technical training to leverage their social media strategies, and a carefully targeted campaign. Read more.
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Workplace Wellbeing in the Age of COVID
 A Shot in the Arm podcast host Ben Plumley catches up with Alliance board member and leading physician Dr. Huma Abbasi, General Manager Global Health and Medical and Chief Medical Officer at Chevron, to explore how the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic have impacted the emotional wellbeing of employees around the world, what we have learned from HIV workplace strategies, and what employers can do to support their workers and families, especially in environments where governments can't or won't. Watch here.
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Join Us! Virtual Tour of Zipline’s Ghana Distribution Center I Friday, May 14, 9 am PT
 Join us for a virtual tour of Zipline’s Distribution Hub in Vobsi, Ghana. Come see their drones (known as "Zips") take off and return, let their tour guide in Ghana show you firsthand how they operate a medical warehouse and fulfillment center that supplies products for hundreds of deliveries per day -- including Covid-19 vaccines! -- ask questions of Zipline staff, and chat with other Bay Area Global Health Alliance members on the Zoom. It will be fun! Learn more and register.
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Welcome to Our Newest Members
We are happy to extend a warm welcome to our newest Bay Area Global Health Alliance members Global Health Corps, Hopelab, Ipas and Upswell. We look forward to working together to promote equity and innovation in global health. Read more.
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Members in the media
“We believe early detection is an achievable goal—and a cost-effective way—to prevent threats from becoming pandemics.”
– Nomita Divi, Director, Ending Pandemics, in WIRED
- Ending Pandemics I Facebook I Google I Trinity Challenge: It's Already Time to Stop the Next Pandemic. Can a Prize Help? [WIRED]
- PATH: COVID-19 in India: Cases, Deaths & Oxygen Supply [BBC]
- UC Davis: As the US Moves Toward Post-Pandemic Life, COVID-19 Is Still Devastating the World—Especially India [Time]
- Stanford: India’s COVID-19 Crisis Is a Dire Warning for All Countries [Washington Post]
- UCSF: Mexico’s COVID-19 Policies Cost Huge Number of Lives [AP]
- Gilead I Merck Step Up Supplies as India Battles COVID-19 Surge [Reuters]
- UC Berkeley: Deadly Air Pollutant ‘Disproportionately & Systematically’ Harms Americans of Color, Study Finds [Washington Post]
- Pfizer: How It Makes Its Vaccine [New York Times]
- AbbVie I Chevron I Mastercard I Merck I Pfizer I UC Davis: America’s Best Employers for Diversity, 2021 [Forbes]
- PHI: DDT’s Toxic Legacy Can Harm Granddaughters of Women Exposed, Study Shows [LA Times] And here [PHI]
- Merck for Mothers: Leveraging Digital Solutions for Quality Maternal Health Care [Devex]
- PATH: What the Coronavirus Variants Mean for Testing [New York Times]
- UC Berkeley I UCSF: California Has Lowest COVID-19 Rate in America: Here’s Why [Mercury News]
- UCSF: This Is the Most Dangerous Moment to Be Unvaccinated [Washington Post]
- Google Launches Multimillion-Dollar Cloud Tech Push to Boost COVID-19 Vaccine Distribution [Computer Weekly]
- Merck's Safer Childbirth Cities Named Finalist, World-Changing Ideas Awards 2021 [Fast Company]
- UNICEF: Health Innovators Seek More Support as Maternal, Newborn Deaths Rise [Devex]
- Zipline: Scaling Drone Health Solutions in Africa [Devex]
- Stanford: Tiny Smoke Particles Could Make Wildfires Particularly Harmful to Human Health [NBC]
- UCSF: Four Ways HIV Activists Have Saved Lives During COVID [Newsweek]
- Pathfinder: Planning for the Next Pandemic Must Start Now. Here's How. [Devex]
- Google Adding COVID-19-Related Information to Searches for Travel [Verge]
- PATH: Keeping COVID Vaccines Cold Isn’t Easy. These Ideas Could Help. [MIT Technology Review]
- Pfizer: How a Single Pill Home Cure for COVID Could Be Available This Year [Telegraph]
- PSI Drives Equitable Access to AIDS Testing [Health Policy Watch]
- UNICEF: The Looming Waste Crisis That Will Follow COVID-19 Vaccinations [Devex]
- PHI: "Treated like Sacrifices": Families Breathe Toxic Fumes from California's Warehouse Hub [NBC]
- UCSF: Once on the Brink of Eradication, Syphilis Is Raging Again [NPR]
- Stanford: Income Inequality Tied to More COVID-19 Cases, Deaths [CIDRAP]
- UCSF: Coronavirus Infections Slowing Sharply Across California as Vaccines Take Hold [SF Chronicle]
- UC Berkeley: How Epidemiologists Are Planning to Vacation with Their Unvaccinated Kids [New York Times]
- UCSF: As Vaccine Demand Slows, Political Differences Go on Display in California Counties [KHN]
- Watch. SF Community Health Center: Tenderloin COVID Vaccination Site [ABC]
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Alliance Leadership on the Move
The Alliance welcomed several new board members recently: Nisha Deolalikar, Health Partnerships for Facebook; Dennis M. Israelski, Head of Medical Affairs for Global Patient Solutions at Gilead Sciences; and ex-officio member Maya Maravilla, who will serve as the organization's pro-bono legal counsel. We are grateful for their service to the Bay Area global health community. You can learn more about our newest board members here. Congratulations also to board member Jonna Mazet, who has been named Vice Provost, Grand Challenges, for UC Davis.
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ICYMI
Two Countries, One Border: COVID & the Future of Pandemic Prevention in Mexico & the US
 The Bay Area Global Health Alliance and UCSF Institute for Global Health Sciences presented an online panel highlighting the findings and recommendations of the Mexico and US reports for the World Health Organization’s Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness & Response. This webinar featured authors from both case studies and leading voices on the COVID-19 pandemic. Watch the recording here.
The Role of Mental Health in Supporting Frontline Health Workers & Workforce During COVID
 Mental health disorders are a leading cause of the global burden of disease—and one of the most overlooked and under-funded health concerns of our time. There is an urgent need to scale up mental health care locally and globally, as the majority of those who need it lack access to high-quality services. On May 11, Alliance members Americares, Chevron, and Facebook took part in a virtual conversation that offered views from different sectors and best practice strategies for how to improve mental health on the frontlines locally and globally. Watch the recording here.
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Upcoming events
- Virtual Tour of Zipline’s Ghana Distribution Center [BAGHA, May 14]
- International COVID-19 Conference: Lessons Learned [Stanford, May 14]
- AIDS Walk San Francisco [Gilead, May 16]
- Lives in the Balance: Equity in COVID-19 Recovery [Multiple, May 17–18]
- Town Hall: People Power—Developing Health Equity Leaders to Advance Systems Change [Global Health Corps, May 18]
- From Global Health Master’s to Medical School & Beyond [UCSF, May 18]
- Joint Research Workshop on Environmental Justice & Human-Planetary Health: Facilitated Breakout Sessions [Stanford, May 18]
- Women’s & Maternal Health During a Pandemic [Friends of the Global Fight I Merck for Mothers, May 19]
- Healthy Neighborhood Investments: Policy Convening for Advancing Health & Racial Equity [PHI, May 19–20]
- Joint Research Workshop on Environmental Justice & Human-Planetary Health, Facilitated Breakout Session [Stanford, May 19]
- Open Innovation for Global Health [Resonance Global, May 20]
- Twitter Chat: Exploring the Intersections of Faith, Global Development, & Equity [Devex, May 20, 6am PT]
- Aware for All, Northwest [CISCRP, May 20]
- Hindsight is 2020: Investing in the Health of Health and Care Workers [Seed Global Health, May 25]
- Preview of WHA 2021 [Devex, May 25–27]
- WomenLift Power Up Workshop [Stanford, May 27]
- Responding to the Impact of Climate Change on Children Series [ISSOP, May 27–28]
- National Health Equity Summit [Global Health Care, Jun. 7–10]
- Health Systems Summer Institute [Johns Hopkins, Jun. 7–19]
- A Day in the Life of Frontline Healthcare Workers [GAIA, Jun. 27]
- Energizing Global Health Innovation and Entrepreneurship [ISGlobal, Jun. 28–Jul. 15]
- 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]
- Rural ACEs Summit [PHI, Sep. 29–30]
- 2021 Annual Meeting [ASTMH, Nov. 17–21]
- Participatory Surveillance Conference, Cambodia [Ending Pandemics, Mar. 2022]
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Opportunities
- Call for Applications: Global Forum on Humanitarian Health Research [CRDF Global, May 28]
- Asia Pacific Rainbow Grant [Gilead, Jun. 1]
- Falcon Award for Disease Elimination [Global Institute for Disease Elimination, Jun. 13]
- Nominate a 2021 STAT Wunderkind [STAT, Jul. 30]
- Translations Needed for Health Fact Sheets [Hesperian]
- 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 (now includes Pediatrics & MIS-C) [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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What we're reading
- WHO 'Needs More Powers' Says Independent Panel Co-Chair Helen Clark [Devex]
- Foreign Aid Regulations, Donor Fatigue Stymie India COVID-19 Response [Devex]
- 'Pivotal in Our Fight': World Reacts with Hope over US Move to Waive Vaccine Patent Protections [Washington Post]
- Waiver of Patent Rights on COVID-19 Vaccines, In near Term, May Be More Symbolic Than Substantive [STAT]
- Gates Foundation Reverses Course on COVID-19 Vaccine Patents [Devex]
- I Run the WHO, & I Know That Rich Countries Must Make a Choice [New York Times]
- Growing Consensus Emerging at WTO: Strengthen Supply Chain & Tech Transfer to Expand Vaccine Access [Health Policy Watch]
- Global Shortage of Innovative Antibiotics Fuels Emergence & Spread of Drug-Resistance [WHO]
- Antibiotic-Resistant Bacteria Is Spreading from People to Chimpanzees [Word Economic Forum]
- In the Tales Told by Sewage, Public Health & Privacy Collide [Undark]
- Epidemics That Didn't Happen [Prevent Epidemics]
- Global Health & Its Discontents [Lancet]
- Inequality’s Deadly Toll [Nature]
- CDC Director Unveils Agency Initiative to Address Racism in Health [Time]
- AMA Issues Anti-Racism Plan for Itself, Field [AP]
- WHO, Germany Launch New Global Hub for Pandemic & Epidemic Intelligence [WHO]
- Global COVID-19 Vaccine Equity: US Policy Options & Actions to Date [KFF]
- Do Public Health Officials Need to Be Political Activists? A Fight Over an HIV Crisis Renews the Question [STAT]
- Acute Food Insecurity Soars to Five-Year High [United Nations WFP]
- The Four-Decade Quest for an HIV Vaccine Yields New Hope [National Geographic]
- In Fighting COVID-19, We Can’t Neglect Malaria [Health Policy Watch]
- How COVID Hurt the Fight Against Other Dangerous Diseases [Nature]
- Health Care’s Climate Footprint [Health Care Without Harm]
- US Setting Up $1.7B National Network to Track Virus Variants [AP]
- What America’s Vaccination Campaign Proves to the World [Atlantic]
- Medicine’s Privileged Gatekeepers: Producing Harmful Ignorance About Racism & Health [Health Affairs]
- Public Health Experts Worry About Boom-Bust Cycle of Support [KHN]
- How Do We Stop the Next Pandemic? Here's a New Strategy [NPR]
- A New Bird Flu Jumps to Humans. So Far, It’s Not a Problem. [New York Times]
- Military Programs Aiming to End Pandemics Forever [CBS 60 Minutes]
- Could the Pandemic Prompt an ‘Epidemic of Loss’ of Women in the Sciences? [New York Times]
- Western Warnings Tarnish COVID Vaccines the World Badly Needs [NY Times]
- Gordon Brown Calls for G7 to Act on COVID Vaccine ‘Apartheid’ [Guardian]
- How 'Vaccine Passports' Could Exacerbate Global Inequities [Devex]
- The First Billion Doses [Bloomberg]
- How the Rise of Digital Tools Could Help Improve Cardiovascular Health [Devex]
- Countries That Aimed for COVID ‘Elimination’ Instead of ‘Mitigation’ Fared Better in Pandemic [Health Policy Watch]
- Vaccine Refusal Will Come at a Cost—For All of Us [Atlantic]
- A Light at the End of the Tunnel: US COVID-19 Vaccine Administration [McKinsey & Company Insight]
- Neglected Tropical Diseases Are the Landmines of Global Health [Guardian]
- Internal Emails Reveal WHO Knew of Sex Abuse Claims in Congo [AP]
- Living in a Majority-Black Neighborhood Linked to Severe Maternal Morbidity [Penn Medicine News]
- White House Issues First-Ever Proclamation on Black Maternal Health [Axios]
- Community-Based Models to Improve Maternal Health Outcomes & Promote Health Equity [Commonwealth Fund]
- Clear Link Emerges Between COVID-19 and Pregnancy Complications [Science]
- GFF Launches $1.2B Campaign for Women's, Children's Health Services [Devex]
- The State of the World’s Midwifery 2021 [UN]
- Global Lack of Midwives Leads to 4.3 Million Deaths of Mothers & Babies Every Year [Telegraph]
- New VC Firm Aims to Boost Financing for Women's, Children's Health Tech [Devex]
- Tech Matters Partnership Leverages Tech for Global Child Helplines [Devex]
- Provisional Drug Overdose Death Counts [CDC]
- Biden Administration Eases Restrictions on Prescribing Treatment for Opioid Addiction [Washington Post]
- Doctors More Likely to Prescribe Opioids to Covid ‘Long Haulers,’ Raising Addiction Fears [KHN]
- Almost 5M People Now Waiting for Hospital Treatment in England [Guardian]
- State of the Air Key Findings [American Lung Association]
- Nepal Chokes on Smoke & Ash as Drought-Worsened Wildfires Rage [Thomson Reuters]
- Doctors Under Fire as Myanmar Military Targets Efforts to Aid Injured Protesters [Guardian]
- How COVID-19 Surged Again in India [New Yorker]
- Social Media as ‘Godsend’: In India, Cries for Help Get Results [New York Times]
- India’s COVID-19 Taskforce Did Not Meet in February, March Despite Surge, Say Members [Caravan]
- WHO Classifies Variant Found in India as Being of Global Concern [Washington Post]
- As COVID-19 Ravages India, a Slum Succeeds in Turning the Tide [Thomson Reuters]
- It’s Not Just India: New Virus Waves Hit Developing Countries [Bloomberg]
- WHO Urges Halt to Sale of Live Wild Animals in Food Markets [WHO]
- Red Cross Warns That Coronavirus Cases Are Exploding in Asia [AP]
- South Korea’s COVID-19 Success Story Started with Failure [Vox]
- Thousands of Cambodians Go Hungry in Strict Lockdown Zones [Guardian]
- Cambodia Bans Media Coverage from COVID Lockdown 'Red Zones' [France 24]
- Zeroing In on Malaria Elimination: Final Report of the E-2020 Initiative [WHO]
- Oxford Team Behind COVID Jab Develops 'Landmark' Malaria Vaccine [Telegraph]
- Global Roadmap for TB Vaccine Development [EDCTP I AIGHD]
- ‘We Are Being Ignored’: Brazil’s Researchers Blame Anti-Science Government for Devastating COVID Surge [Nature]
- COVID-19 Far from Under Control in Americas, Says PAHO [Reuters]
- After a Year of Loss, South America Suffers Worst Death Tolls Yet [New York Times]
- Poor Countries Need Billions in Aid to Avert COVID Catastrophe, Experts Warn [Guardian]
- UK Cuts Polio Funding by 95% [Devex]
- UK's Aid Cuts for Clean Water Projects Criticized [BBC]
- Nancy Reagan’s Real Role in the AIDS Crisis [Atlantic]
- Lost In Transition: Bulgaria’s HIV Fight [Politico]
- Overcoming Obstacles to Diagnosing & Treating Advanced HIV Disease [Devex]
- China Suspicion, ‘Foreign Plot’ Fears Hamper Africa Vaccine Plan [Bloomberg]
- Afghanistan’s COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout Plans Cross Conflict Front Lines [New Humanitarian]
- No Impact Assessment Ahead of Yemen Aid Cuts, UK Official Admits [Devex]
- Aid Agencies Warn of Closed Hospitals, Severe Testing Shortages in NE Syria [Washington Post]
- See Inside the World’s First Vaccine Clinic Housed in a Refugee Camp [National Geographic]
- Pakistan Quietly Suspends Vaccination of Healthcare Workers—Then Abruptly Resumes Following Media Queries [Health Policy Watch]
- Health Care for Afghani Women Hit by Aid Cuts [Human Rights Watch]
- How Senegal Stretched Its Health Care System to Stop COVID-19 [Vox]
- How Funders Can Drive More Money to African Entrepreneurs [Devex]
- Gambia Eliminates Trachoma [Reuters]
- 'The Situation in Tigray Could Not Be More Dire,' Says WHO [Devex]
- Sub-Saharan Meningitis Epidemics Could Be Signalled By Weather Forecasts [Guardian]
- Over 100M People in Africa Are Facing Catastrophic Levels of Food Insecurity [Relief Web]
- Africa's Drought Crisis: Zimbabwe Seeks Solutions, Madagascar Edges Toward Famine [Deutsche Welle]
- A Surprising Kind of First Aid for Mozambicans Fleeing Violence [NPR]
- Measles Cases Go Up in DRC [The East African]
- How COVID Spurred Africa to Plot a Vaccines Revolution [Nature]
- AU launches Partnership for African Vaccine Manufacturing [Devex]
- Inadequate Rollout Programs Force Some African Countries To Donate COVID-19 Vaccines [Health Policy Watch]
- Zimbabwe Reports Major Rise in Teen Pregnancies During Pandemic [VOA]
- Overcoming COVID Myths & Fears in Malawi [UN]
- TB on the Rise in Sudan [Dabanga Sudan]
- Key to Addressing Obesity in Africa Lies In Education, Food Systems [Devex]
- People in Kenya Say Lives at Risk as HIV Drugs Run Short [Al Jazeera]
- Listen. The Herd Podcast: Public Health Officials in Santa Cruz County [This American Life I KHN]
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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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