The Yale Institute for Global Health (YIGH) hosted its Second Annual Global Health Symposium on April 11, 2025, at the Yale School of Public Health. Topics included the important role academic institutions play in advocating for global health amidst the current policy environment, and how multidisciplinary academic and research partnerships at Yale support global health.

Faculty and students shared their global health projects, learned about grant opportunities, and networked with Yale’s global health community. The Symposium was supported by the George Herbert Walker Jr. Lecture Fund at the Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale.

Global health strategies for improving the lives of people everywhere

Director-General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, gave the keynote address. He said his relationship with Yale went back to when he was the minister of health in Ethiopia, where he collaborated with Yale partners in health care quality improvement projects.

“Our driving force today is the highest attainable standard of health – not as a luxury for some, but a right for all,” said Tedros. “That is the right for which I and the dedicated, committed people I am honored to call my colleagues will continue to work toward every day.”

Tedros praised Yale’s initiatives to expand opportunities for students around the world and was enthusiastic about future collaborations between the WHO and YIGH. His speech was followed by a faculty panel that responded to his remarks and provided forward-looking insights into recent policy changes that have impacted the global health field.

Global health programs and solutions

“The Global Health Symposium brings together the global health community at Yale – to listen, learn, and be inspired, and to discuss the most important issues in global health,” said Mike Skonieczny, YIGH deputy director.

Participants discussed a range of global health programs including home-based palliative care in Ethiopia, and the clustering of HIV and non-communicable diseases in populations where malaria is endemic.

The “New Frontiers in Global Health at Yale” panel featured faculty who received YIGH-supported seed grants, including the Global Health Spark Award, Hecht Global Health Faculty Network Award, and the CIRA-YIGH Joint Pilot Call for research on the syndemics of HIV and noncommunicable diseases.

• 2023 Spark Awardee Eleanor Reid, assistant professor of emergency medicine, spoke about her project focused on home-based palliative care in Ethiopia.
• 2024 Hecht Awardee Nicky Hawley, associate professor of epidemiology (chronic diseases) described her project focused on adolescent mental health in American Samoa.
• Sunil Parikh, professor of epidemiology (microbial diseases) and infectious diseases discussed his CIRA-YIGH Award on HIV and non-communicable diseases in malaria-endemic areas.
• Robert Hecht, professor in the practice (microbial diseases), described his work establishing a health economics program in Cambodia funded by awards from the MacMillan Center.

YIGH also welcomed two speakers from the Association of Schools and Programs of Public Health (ASPPH). Tim Leshan, chief external relations and advocacy officer, gave a talk titled, “U.S. Global Health Policy Update and Outlook.” Laura Magaña, president and CEO, gave a talk on “Global Collaboration: A Necessity for Advancing Health and Well-Being.” Leshan and Magaña emphasized the critical role of academic institutions in advocating for public health amidst the current policy environment.

Building Bridges to Tackle Global Health's Biggest Challenges

During a Fireside Chat with YIGH Faculty Networks, panelists spoke about bringing together Yale faculty to form collaborative academic and research partnerships based on shared thematic or regional interests. Panelists highlighted examples about how their networks build bridges across campus.

The panelists were:

• Jeffrey A. Wickersham, associate professor of medicine (AIDS), Yale Global HIV/AIDS Research Network (GARNER)
• Suzi Ruhl, senior research scientist, Child Study Center, Yale Biological Embedding, Global Research & Intervention Network (BEGIN)
• Melanie Sion, assistant professor of surgery (general, trauma & surgical critical care), Yale Global Surgery Network
• Brian Weiss, senior research scientist in Epidemiology (microbial diseases), Yale Vector-Borne and Zoonotic Diseases Network

Focusing on their work building bridges around campus, the panelists discussed current and ongoing efforts within each of their Networks. Highlights included career development events and international fellowship programs, a student-faculty hackathon in collaboration with a partner in Malawi, an annual research symposium, and a collaborative effort to transform a Bridgeport landfill into a wellness and food justice hub.

The panelists also touched on how this is a critical time for global health research, emphasizing the growing need for cross-campus and international partnerships in a time of uncertainty. This emphasis was paired with an optimistic interest in continuing partnerships with other local universities, such as Historically Black Colleges and Universities, and working within local communities, including rural areas.

"As global health faces disruption and reinvention, Yale faculty are not just weathering the storm—they're working together to shape what comes next," said Melanie Sion, assistant professor of surgery, and co-lead of the Yale Global Surgery Network.

Student voices in global health

The Global Health Symposium ended with student panelists speaking about their experiences with YIGH, moderated by Program Manager Abigail Smith. The panelists described their involvement in the Global Health Case Competition, Sustainable Health Initiative, Leadership in Global Health Fellowship, and U.S. Global Health Policy and Advocacy Study Tour.

The panelists were:

• Jack Carew, PhD ’28
• Christina Pantzer, PMHNP ’25
• Shankeri Vijayakumar, MPH '25
• Mohamed Ahmed Ramy, MD ‘28

Carew (epidemiology of microbial diseases) recently won a pitch competition sponsored by the Yale Sustainable Health Initiative Venture Development Program.

The pitch by Respond Crisis Translation was selected for its innovativeness, quality, and impact.

“Throughout the program we think about tailoring our mission to a granting agency’s needs,” Carew said. He has also served as a member of the Global Health Case Competition Case Writing Team for the past two years.

Pantzer is pursuing her Masters in Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing at Yale Nursing School. Her interests include community health, cultural humility, and removing barriers to health care equity. She was a member of the first-place team at the 2025 Global Health Case Competition in February.

Shoa Moosavi, MS ’25, is a YSPH student in the Department of Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases. Communications Officer Jane E. Dee contributed to the article.