Meeting Global Health Challenges

Professor Gu Binglin 顾秉林Dean, Institute for Advanced Study

President Emeritus, Tsinghua University

Outline

Identifying Challenges

China and Global Health

Tsinghua University and Global Health

Implications for Research Universities

Call of Duty

Identifying Challenges

• Health Challenge

• Technical Challenge

• Leadership Challenge

• Health System Challenge

• Social & Cultural Challenge

Health Challenge

Impact of infections, under-nutrition, and reproductive health problems continues.

Rising burden of non-communicable and chronic diseases as well as population aging.

Impact of globalization, such as the effects of climate change and trade policies upon health.

Large disparities in health outcomes and in access to health care between rich and poor nations.

Technical Challenge

Grand Challenges in Global Health as an Example

Improve VaccinesControl Insect Vectors

Improve NutritionLimit Drug Resistance

Cure Infections

Measure Health StatusImprove Reproductive

Health

A commitment of $450 million by the Gates Foundation

David Hilbert 1862-1943 

Grants Map, 2014

www.grandchallenges.org

Leadership Challenge

• WHO - governed by 194 member states - is charged with organizing responses to worldwide health challenges.

• Once the sole authority over issues of global health, WHO is now surrounded by many diverse actors.

Source: Murray, C., Anderson, B., Burstein, R., Leach-Kemon, K., Schneider, M., Tardif, A., & Zhang, R. (2011). Development Assistance for Health: Trends and Prospects. The Lancet, 378 , 8–10.

Health System Challenge

• A wide spectrum of health systems in the world.

• Each country’s health system has its particular history that shapes the ways in which the cost of health care is covered.

• In many developing countries, health systems should set up to deal with chronic diseases associated with lifestyles and aging.

• No consensus on the question of how our work on global health should be linked with individual nations’ health systems.

Social & Cultural Challenge

To improve people’s health, certain behaviors and lifestyles need be changed as well.

Global health challenges occur within a multifaceted and dynamic global context characterized by great diversity among societies in norms, values, and interests.

China’s Aging

Half a century ago:

China’s 500 million people were very young…

35% ＜ 15 years old

4.4% ＞ 65 years old 

By 2010:

China has a population of 1.3 billion...

17% ＜ 15 years old

13% ＞ 60 years old 

life expectancy

less than 40 years old 1949

76 years old2013

China and Global Health

• China played a major role in the promulgation of the Alma-Ata Declaration.

• China firmly supports setting up comprehensive systems to deliver primary health care and of integrating health into socioeconomic development goals.

• 20,000 Chinese doctors have been sent to Africa since 1963 . From 2006, its aid to Africa has been used to build 30 hospitals and malaria control centers.

• Through the Bricks Summit and the China-Africa Forum, multilateral health cooperation between China and developing countries increases dramatically.

“A general chart of the integrated world,” a copy made in 1763 of a Chinese seaman’s map dated 1418. ( 天下全舆总图）

China’s Health AID

Of 1,700 Chinese aid projects identified, more than 1/10 is health-related, comprised of medical staff, donations of medicine, and hospital construction.

In Africa, China has invested $75bn on aid and development projects in the past decade. The US committed $90bn during the same period, but China had started from a low base: Its aid to Africa, Latin America and South Asia combined in 2002 was less than $1bn.

China Can Play a Bigger Role

China has demonstrated that even a poor country can deliver basic health services.

China has transformed itself from a recipient of international health aid to a major provider of health aid to various nations.

China’s national immunization program has worked very well.

China can provide effective and low-cost medical technologies to countries in need. 

Tsinghua University: History

Established as Tsinghua School

1911 1928

Developed as National Tsinghua University

1937

Moved to Kunming and emerged as Southwest Associate University

1946

Moved back Beijing and renamed as Tsinghua University

1952

Modified into the multi-disciplinary university of engineering

1978

Reconstructed into the comprehensive university

2000

Implemented to be leading research-oriented university

2011

100 Year Celebration

Tsinghua University: Students and Faculty

Students

Faculty Members and Staff Total 6,059

Professors 1,377

Associate Professors 2,108

Postdoctoral Researchers 1,353

Faculty Members

Full-time Students Total

37823

Undergraduate Students

10285

Master’s Students 12130Doctoral Students 15408

International Students

2661

Undergraduate Students

1428

Master’s Students 998Doctoral Students 235

Tsinghua University: Schools and Departments

Arts and DesignAerospaceArchitectureCivil EngineeringEconomics and ManagementEnvironmentFinanceHumanitiesInformation Science and TechnologiesJournalism and CommunicationLawLife ScienceMaterials Science and EngineeringMechanical EngineeringMedicinePublic Policy & ManagementSciencesSocial Sciences

Schools 19

Departments 55

Tsinghua University: International Partnership

OCEANIA 14

Australian 11

New Zealand 3

ASIA 61

India 2

Indonesia 1

Israel 4

Japan 27

Malaysia 4

Philippines 2

Saudi Arabia 2

Singapore 2

S. Korea 15

Thailand 2

AMERICA 59

United States 45

Canada 7

Mexico 1

EUROPE 94

Belgium 2

Czech 1

Denmark 4

Finland 1

France 25

Germany 9

Italy 2

Netherlands 3

Norway 1

Poland 1

Portugal 1

Russia 8

Slovak 1

Spain 2

Sweden 5

Switzerland 3

United Kingdom 19

AFRICA 1

Egypt 1

Over 200 universities in 33

countries

Tsinghua University and Global Health

• Research on HIV as a spearhead

•University center for interdisciplinary coordination

•Public health scholarships for Asia and Africa

•Scope of research from China to the world

A forum on SARS and HIV-AIDS organized by Tsinghua in 2003

Tsinghua Univ.’s Global Health Research and EducationTwo special programs:• A Developing Country Scholarship for Chinese students to engage in global studies leading to a doctoral degree

• An International Master’s of Public Health Program for foreign students to take global health courses at Tsinghua

Tsinghua University and South-South Health Cooperation

Ministerial Forum of China-Africa Health Development

August 16, 2013, Xinhua News Agency Photo

Implications for Research Universities

•Passion among faculty and students in global health

•Interdisciplinary cooperation in teaching and research

•Needs-based professional training to cultivate future leaders

•Partnership building between research universities

•Address the ‘brain drain’ problem for developing countries

•Support advocacy and innovative approaches to policy

Call of Duty

Thanks for attention!