international health at bsms

Latest update: 17 January 2005

October 2004:

International Health is firmly on the agenda at BSMS, running as a vertical theme throughout the curriculum. Its Falmer location has granted BSMS welcome opportunities to forge relationships with a number of other faculties within the Universities of Brighton and Sussex, and with other allied institutions. One such link is evolving with IDS (the Institute of Development Studies: www.ids.ac.uk) an internationally-renowned centre for research and teaching on development which was established in 1966. Health is obviously an important focus for development and thus well represented at IDS, providing several ways in which IDS and BSMS can connect.

The most recent interactions focused around an IDS workshop on ‘Future Health Systems: challenges for development’ which was attended by Dr Melanie Newport, Professor Jon Cohen and Mark Packer from BSMS. The workshop brought together leading figures from a range of countries and research and policy backgrounds to debate new thinking about health system developments.

The presence of such high calibre international health experts in Sussex presented a unique opportunity for BSMS students to learn about health care systems in other countries and a special session at BSMS took place on the 20 October 2004. A stimulating programme, chaired by Dr Gerry Bloom from IDS, featured Dr Heng Leng Chee (National University of Singapore) Dr VR Muraleedharan (Indian Institute of Technology, Madras) and Dr Fang Jing (Kunming Medical College, China and IDS) giving personal views on health care systems in Malaysia, India and rural China respectively.

Kate Brinklow, Information Manager for the Health Systems Resource Centre at IDS, gave the students an overview of International Health resources available both at IDS and more widely via the internet, and Katie Setchell, a medical student from Leeds University, gave an informative and entertaining account of her elective in The Gambia.

Much interest was generated and discussion continued well into the evening over drinks in the BSMS teaching building foyer. The establishment of a joint seminar programme in 2005 will further strengthen links between IDS and BSMS. Facilities at IDS that may be of interest to BSMS staff and students include the library and a diverse seminar programme featuring both internal and guest speakers.

For further information, consult Yellow Monday, a weekly bulletin covering IDS news, events and diary listings, which is available via the IDS website www.ids.ac.uk.

It is hoped that the October special seminar was the first of many on International Health organised for BSMS students. BSMS students with a particular interest in International Health have formed the Donald Henderson Society, named in honour of the man who led the successful World Health Organization's Global Smallpox Eradication Campaign.

Update 17 January 2005:

Professor Brian Greenwood kindly agreed to speak at the inaugural meeting of the Society on Monday 17 January 2005.

His lecture on Malaria in 2005 was well-attended by both students and staff and provided an excellent springboard for the society.

Professor Greenwood is the director of the Malaria Centre at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Director of the Gates Malaria Partnership and has been at the forefront of malaria research for three decades.

His lecture, entitled “Malaria in 2005”, gave the audience an intriguing and insightful overview of the issues surrounding malaria, its treatment and control today. He discussed the important issues of increasing drug resistance, the possibility of eradicating malaria, social and environmental changes and the risk of epidemics in populations made increasingly vulnerable in areas such
as those devastated by the Asian Tsunami.

The timely discussion was a perfect start for the Donald Henderson Society, which hopes to promote interest in medicine, public health and health care internationally; to advance the study, control and prevention of disease in man and other animals; to encourage an understanding of international health; to encourage discussion and the exchange of information and to facilitate the exchange of students between developing countries and the UK.

Donald Henderson Society Team:
James Fallon, Gary Leggatt, Katherine Maple, Camille Lallemant

You can contact the team by email on:
donaldhendersonsociety@yahoo.co.uk