2021 Global Health Symposia
DECOLONIZING
GLOBAL HEALTH
Coloniality has been defined as “the organization and systemic distribution of power through the control of access to knowledge, [and] moral and artistic resources by the dominant group.” Our collective Global Health efforts are well-intentioned to improve healthcare capacity and quality in resource-limited settings. However, if we do not address and effectively destabilize the power dynamics reinforced by our actions, we are bound to perpetuate unequal and oppressive narratives and practices, while maintaining unwanted historical legacies.
The 2021 Global Health Symposia Series will provide a forum to consider how we as a community may inadvertently preserve coloniality in our Global Health programs while also exploring potential remedies. We will discuss how to build mutually beneficial collaborations with global partners—forged on an equal footing—that promote reciprocal learning. Keynote speakers will present unique insights on developing these collaborative relationships.
On Friday, March 26 - 28, 2021, student group Global Health Spaces On Campus (Storrs, CT) hosted international experts for keynotes and panel discussion focusing on the impact of colonialism and its manifestations in current local and global health disparities, and how to amplify the voices of communities we seek to serve.
On Wednesday, May 5, 2021, Connecticut Children's (Hartford, CT), will host four panel discussions that will present and consider several aspects of coloniality: the inherent coloniality of US-led global health activities; the under-representation of women, especially women of color in global health leadership; our ignorance and lack of absorption of the knowledge, skills and wisdom available from the “Global South;” and, the lack of reciprocity in providing experiential learning opportunities to students, residents and scholars from our partner institutions.
On Wednesday, May 7, 2021, UConn Health (Farmington, CT), will continue the Symposia with additional Keynote speakers as well as interactive group discussions with panel members and event attendees to inform specific requests for actions to foster decolonization of global health activities at the University of Connecticut.
We hope you join us to learn how colleagues in Connecticut are addressing these issues and to participate in the subsequent discussion on developing effective practical strategies for Decolonizing Global Health.
Decolonizing Global Health: Practical Means for Implementing Changes Locally
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. EDT
Connecticut Children's, Hartford / Virtual
REGISTER
This virtual event is free and open to the public. Registration is required to receive CME credit. The virtual platform software used for this session will be Zoom--join through this participation link. Please register for the May 7th sessions here to receive a link for that day.
Please join us to reflect and discuss issues regarding the coloniality of global health and how we as a community and University can address these issues. Our keynote speakers and panelists will discuss and identify core issues during this session. On May 7th please join us as we break into Workgroups to develop solutions to the issues.
8:30 a.m.
Introduction - Framing the Conversation
David Henderson, MD
Associate Dean, Multicultural and Community Affairs, UConn School of Medicine
9:00 a.m.
Keynote Address
Nathan Nickerson, RN,MSN, DrPH
Strategic Advisor, Konbit Sante Cap-Hatien Health Partnership
10:00 a.m.
Overcoming Inherent Coloniality
Global Health organizations must adapt their missions, programming and structures to account for the fact that their activities cannot be extracted or isolated from broader systems of coloniality and have the potential to perpetuate ongoing inequalities. This session will address how our systems in the USA and Connecticut can address these inequalities.
11:00 a.m.
Addressing Gender Disparity
Gender disparities in global health leadership persist. In many global health institutions, women, especially women of color, are under-represented. This session will address how our institutions can address and remedy these inequities.
1:00 p.m.
Keynote Address
Renée Alcé MD
Director, Critical Care Unit, St. Damien Pediatric Hospital, Haiti
2:00 p.m.
Lessons from the Global South
Lessons from the ‘Global South’ driving discussions and practice, both locally and globally; a twofold knowledge shift. This includes teaching students about inequitable global disease burdens. This session will address how our institutions can promote and encourage equitable contributions to global health collaborations by our global partners.
3:00 p.m.
Reciprocal Learning in Global Environments
Students and resident learners benefit from immersive clinical experiences and exposure to novel and challenging environments. Learners from the USA benefit from learning experiences in locations outside of our systems, but this is often not reciprocated to learners from foreign countries. Further, inclusion of visiting learners would promote global perspectives in local clinical settings, create an environment of mutual respect, and increase innovation. This session will identify current barriers to reciprocal learning and explore how to encourage and develop appropriate bilateral student exchanges and other mutual learning experiences with global educational partners.