Thursdays

1:30 pm-3:00 pm

Online

1/21, 1/28, 2/4, 2/11, 2/18, 2/25

Six Sessions

This course is offered online via the easy-to-use Zoom program.

Nearly a year into the COVID pandemic, awareness of the need for global institutions to combat disease is high.  Topics will include: 

• Institutional players addressing global health including inter-governmental, non-governmental, businesses, and national actors. 

• Successful campaigns to end disease, from smallpox to river blindness and rinderpest (two diseases endemic to Africa). 

• The campaign against polio and why final eradication has been difficult.

• The constantly evolving threat of flu and related viruses, where global coordination is critical. 

• What will be needed to address global health issues in our increasingly connected world.

Suggested Reading: 

The instructor will provide a list of resources for each week of the class.   

The website naturemicrobiologycommunity.nature.com provides a wide range of recommended books by experts in the field.  

These three books could serve as an introduction for OLLI members new to this topic: 

Mountains Beyond Mountains, Tracy Kidder.  [Random House, 2014].  An informative and uplifting biography of Paul Farmer, founder of Partners in Health.

To Repair the World, Paul Farmer. [University of California Press, 2013].  A call to service for the next generation. 

Betrayal of Trust, Laurie Garrett.  [Hachette Book, 2001]. An award winning critique of global health efforts from 2000.  Her analysis is excellent and many issues continue to the present. 

Katherine Kidd earned her PhD in international relations at the University of Pennsylvania.  She directed the programs and taught in international studies at Sacred Heart and Fairfield Universities.  International public health has been a longtime interest especially as issues of AIDS and TB affected countries in Central America, East Africa, and Russia where she fostered academic partnerships for decades.    

Course Materials for Session One, 1/21/21: OLLI Global Public Health Session One.pptx

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