Global Health

Leaving no-one behind

How can we effectively face the increasing global, complex, and multidimensional health challenges of our time? This is where global health comes into play -  a transdisciplinary area for study, research, and practice that places a priority on improving health and achieving health equity for all people worldwide. It aims to create equal opportunities to attain health and wellbeing (equity), for people in all countries and in all communities, making sure no-one is left behind.

Furthermore, global health focuses on the planetary crisis, wherein specific populations bear disproportionate burdens rooted in historical injustices. Despite the overarching goal of health equity, there persists a notable gap within the field in understanding and expertise regarding the implementation of principles of equity and justice within global health. These principles relate to the production, use and circulation of knowledge in the field of global health. 

Of all forms of inequality, health injustice is the most shocking and inhumane

Martin Luther King (1966)

Highlights

  • PhD Defense: Perinatal mortality in Suriname

    At her successful PhD defense on February 6th 2025, Zita Prüst gave a great laymen’s talk about her research on perinatal mortality. This global issue disproportionately affects women in low-income countries, resulting from and reinforcing socioeconomic disparities. Although the problem is evident, it is often underrepresented in national health strategies. In her research, Zita focused on Suriname, where the complexity of the issue is underscored and her findings highlight the need to create equitable healthcare. To learn more, read the summary of Zita’s laymen's talk here.

  • Global Health and Tropical Medicine lecture series

    Every second Wednesday of the month, UMC Utrecht/Utrecht University and University of Ghana jointly host a lecture in the series 'Global Health and Tropical Medicine'. This series, featuring experts from different countries and universities, promotes bi-directional knowledge exchange and equitable partnerships in Global Health education. The course is free, accessible, extracurricular, and designed to empower future global health leaders. Topics include for example, Global Health Ethics, Mental Health and Health in Humanitarian Crises. Anyone who is interested is free to join! Read more

  • 13th European Congress on Global Health (ECTMIH 2023)

    An important outcome of ECTMIH 2023 is the opinion piece 'Collective knowledge exchange through regional hubs: Local expertise, global platform', created by the ECTMIH 2023 regional hub leads and some of our colleagues from the Global Health flagship. The article highlights the importance of overcoming barriers to in-person attendance and creating an open-access environment to empower underrepresented voices. It also prioritizes sustainability, from travel policies to plant-based catering and reducing food waste, ensuring that future events can follow a greener path. Read the article here.

  • Catalysing Transformative Change in Planetary Health Education (CATA-Earth) project launch

    In 2015, the Rockefeller Foundation-Lancet Commission on Planetary Health defined planetary health as “the achievement of the highest attainable level of health, well-being, and equity throughout the world through judicious attention to the systems human rights (political, economic and social) that shape the future of humanity and the Earth’s natural systems that define the safe environmental limits within which humanity can thrive. Simply put, planetary health is the health of human civilization and the state of the natural systems on which it depends.” Read more

The global health flagship strives to contribute to three critical global health challenges:

  1. Health equity and justice;
  2. Fair knowledge practices (epistemic justice) in global health;
  3. Planetary health and climate justice.

Specifically, it serves as a collaborative space where UU and UMCU researchers, lecturers, students from all faculties, and national and international social partners can come together to exchange ideas and implement innovative strategies to address these challenges. These link to all Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and in particularly SDG 3 (Good health & wellbeing), SDG 4 (Quality Education), SDG 5 (Gender equality), SDG 10 (Reduced inequalities), SDG 13 (Climate Action) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

Meet our team:

Project leaders

Team members and collaborators

R. (Regien) Biesma Associate Professor
C. (Charisma) Hehakaya PhD
M. (Maria) van der Harst PhD
G.S. (George) Downward PhD
J. (Juliette) Matthijssen MD
L. (Lianne) Mulder MSc
R. (Rieke) van der Graaf PhD
M. (Megan) Milota PhD
E. (Eva) Stortelder MD
C. (Camilla) Alay Llamas MPH
J. (Jeffery) Arhin MD
J. (Julia) Addison MSc
N. (Noa) Kolpa BSc (Student assistant)

Partners

Educational partners

  • University of Sydney, (USYD), Australia
  • Anton de Kom University of Paramaribo, (ADEKUS), Suriname
  • Asian University for Women (AUW), Bangladesh
  • University of Ghana

Hospitals / medical faculties

  • Mulanje Mission Hospital (MMH), Malawi
  • St. Luke’s Medical Center, The Philippines
  • Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Ghana

NGOs

  • Kansrijke Start, Nederland
  • Kenniscentrum Global Health (KCGH)