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Module 4: The Role of Universities in Global Health (GH)

4.1 Improving Access to Essential Medicines

“As major contributors to drug development, universities are uniquely positioned to influence the way lifesaving medical technologies are developed and deployed. Universities own patent rights in key pharmaceuticals to treat HIV/AIDS, cancer, Hepatitis B, and countless other diseases. In fact, a U.S. Senate report in 2000 found that 15 of the 21 drugs with the greatest therapeutic impact were developed using funded research, most of which occurs at universities. So far, however, drugs developed at universities remained largely out of reach for millions of the destitute sick in the developing world.” – Universities Allied for Essential Medicines(1)

Universities engage in basic research and develop drugs. However, unlike pharmaceutical companies, universities are often not profit-oriented. Because they own the patent rights to many drugs, universities are in a position to negotiate price concessions, improving access to drugs which are essential to safeguard the health of the developing world. 

4.2 Neglected Diseases Research

“The world’s destitute sick face a perilous disadvantage in accessing essential medicines. The crisis stems from 2 related problems. First, for the billion people affected by neglected diseases such as trypanosomiasis and cholera, few safe and effective treatment options exist. Because these neglected diseases predominantly affect the poor, they attract little research and development funding, leading to a paucity of therapies.”(2)

Universities also promote research and development for neglected diseases, identifying and developing new cures to benefit millions in the developing world.

4.3 Academia

Universities also contribute to the global health discourse through their academic research. Developing countries partner with research universities to bring the expertise of the latter to bear on development problems in low-resource environments. Some examples of academics in global health include:

• Kevin Frick (Economics) – An associate professor in Health Policy and Management at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Frick studies the cost-effectiveness of medical programs, which could influence whether policymakers adopt a particular healthcare intervention.(3)
• Jeffrey Sachs (Economics) – The professor of Health Policy and Management at Columbia University, as well as Special Advisor to United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, Sachs stands “in the forefront of challenges of economic development, poverty alleviation, and enlightened globalization, promoting policies to help all parts of the world to benefit from expanding economic opportunities and wellbeing. He is also one of the leading voices for combining economic development with environmental sustainability, and as Director of the Earth Institute leads large-scale efforts to promote the mitigation of human-induced climate change.”(4)
• Alfred Sommer (Public Health) – A professor at Johns Hopkins Medical School and Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Sommer found a link between Vitamin A deficiency and high levels of mortality in developing countries. Today, “the World Bank has judged the Vitamin A capsule one of the most cost-effective medical interventions of all time, and programs to dose children with it have now been rolled out in 70 countries.”(5)
• Jim Yong Kim (Medicine) – A former executive director Partners in Health, Kim is involved in various health initiatives to improve health in developing countries, supporting health programs in Haiti, Peru, Russia, Rwanda, Lesotho, Malawi and the United States. He is also an expert in tuberculosis, advising TB policy and conducting research into methods for treating strains of TB that are resistant to standard drugs. Affiliated with the Harvard School of Public Health, he specializes in economic and political change and its effects on health outcomes in developing countries and has taught courses at Harvard University.(6)
• Paul Farmer (Anthropology) – The founding director of Partners in Health, Farmer is a champion of health and human rights, challenging policymakers who claim that lower quality healthcare is unavoidable in low-resource settings. As a physician-anthropologist, he specializes in Infectious Diseases, and studies the role of social inequalities in the distribution and outcome of infectious diseases. He is also a faculty of Harvard Medical School, teaching courses in social medicine.

Go to Module 5: Multilateral & Bilateral Organizations >>

Footnotes

Global Health Careers Course

• Table of Contents
• Module 1
• Module 2
• Module 3
• Module 4
• Module 5
• Module 6
• Module 7
• Module 8
• Module 9