Domestic and Global Health are Intertwined

Domestic and Global Health are Intertwined

Global health issues have a direct impact on U.S. domestic public health via its direct impact on medical care in the U.S.  The more the connected the world becomes, the easier it is for disease to spread, thus increasing the potential for sickness. I believe that, s public health practitioners, we should be concerned with both domestic and global health as both are deeply intertwined.

PUBLIC HEALTH is a broad field that encompasses many disciplines.  One of the major disciplines in public health, which has also identified as a core discipline, is the field of epidemiology.  Epidemiology is concerned with the distribution and determinants of health-related states or events in humans, particularly human populations.  The discipline of epidemiology as it applies to public health has been around for many years, and has continued to evolve since its inception.

In a brief article by Dr. Jonathan Borak of Yale University entitled “5 Classic Articles in Public Health, five publications that had significant impacts on public health are discussed.  The first article is a publication by Bradford Hill outlining criteria recommended to be used when establishing a causal relationship.  Hill’s criteria for causation are well-known in the epidemiology world, any epidemiology student has inevitably had at least some exposure to it, and are thought to be especially important for observational epidemiological studies that try to establish a relationship between two conditions.   The second article describes how the analysis of cancer mortality statistics was used to generate the multistage theory of cancer and is a perfect example of how surveillance, a common tool used in the public health epidemiology field, can be used to generate further hypotheses and give further insight into diseases.

Two other articles, one dealing with the effect of lead on children’s neurobehavioral function and the other dealing with the health effects of air pollution, exemplify how epidemiological studies help to shape public health policy and actions.   The last article discussed was a review article that illuminated the importance of understanding the public’s perception of risk both in qualitative and quantitative terms when planning and promoting public health.  All of these articles have had great public health impacts and are just a few of many that have contributed to the advancement of the field of public health and epidemiology.

Public health is also closely tied with global health.  In the last decade global health has become increasingly important to the field of public health.  Dr. Cindy Howard of the University of Minnesota presented, in here Introduction to Global Health, why global health is important: humanitarian reasons, equity reasons, the direct impact on U.S. healthcare, and the indirect economic and political impact.  In terms of humanitarian reasons, many persons in underdeveloped countries, especially children, die from undernutrition, a health event that is easily preventable and is tied to a number of diseases and thus is of utmost concern to global health.  Global health is also important because it can help address the differences in health equity.

It is widely known that there is a big difference in the quality of care and the resources for addressing healthcare and that some countries bear a bigger burden of disease than others.  Global health issues also have a direct impact on U.S. domestic public health via its direct impact on medical care in the U.S.  As outlined, the more the connected the world becomes, the easier it is for disease to spread, thus increasing the potential for sickness.  The final reason for why global health matters is due to its impact on the economy in terms of the increasing cost of treating diseases and the role that adverse health conditions play in poverty and political instability.  These are but only a few reasons why global health truly matters.  As an emerging public health practitioner, I believe that, as public health practitioners, we should be concerned with both domestic and global health as both are deeply intertwined. I think all practitioners should understand and realize this connection in their work.


About the Author

Ms. Janna Murray is on a semester-long graduate internship with the Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., Washington, DC.  She is a candidate for the Master’s of Public Health in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, Florida, USA.  While on internship with GHEP, Janna is working on a number of public health tasks and will be completing final project exploring Under-5 mortality in 57 low and middle-income countries of the world. 

Domestic and Global Health are Intertwined

GHEP is Positioned for Worldwide Impact

No one organization can deal with public health alone; but by partnering with the community and other organizations, the Global Health and Education Projects (GHEP) positions itself to have a profound impact worldwide, says Janna Murray of the University of South Florida, USA.

PUBLIC HEALTH is a complex term that takes on a wide variety of definitions.  I believe that one of the best definitions of public health comes from the World Health Organization (WHO) which defines public health as “all organized measures (whether public or private) to prevent disease, promote health, and prolong life among the population as a whole” (WHO, 2015).  WHO further emphasizes that public health encompasses the total system, including the conditions and policies that can have an effect on the disease.

There are many organizations that deal with the field of public health field. If you google the term “public health organizations” you are given thousands of results. These organizations range from federal, state, and local entities and universities to non-profit organizations. Achieving a “healthy” world requires the input and work from all these players.  Global Health and Education Projects Inc. (GHEP) is one of these players. GHEP is a non-profit public health organization with a specific focus in global health with an emphasis on addressing and eliminating health inequalities as well as inequalities in education. The organization was founded by a group of experienced public health practitioners who are committed to aiding in the elimination of health disparities worldwide. GHEP has a number of programs that include both domestic and global public health and health research programs as well as youth education and development programs.

Based in Riverdale, Maryland the organization is heavily involved in the community, both locally and globally. A prime example of GHEP’s community involvement is the Health, Environmental Education and Awareness (HEEA) event that they are hosting on Saturday, June 13, 2015. Through its partnership with the local Riverdale community in Prince George’s County, Maryland, USA, and other partners, GHEP has organized a free community picnic and health educational event that is focused on increasing the community awareness of environmental health effects.

In addition to its health and educational programs, GHEP also publishes a peer-reviewed, free open access journal, the International Journal of MCH and AIDS (IJMA). IJMA focuses on maternal, infant, and child health and HIV/AIDS, especially in areas with significant health disparities such as low-income countries, and includes of variety of manuscripts types including original research, review articles, commentaries, etc. The journal’s editorial team is comprised of a number of experts in global health from all around the world from about 50 countries. One very interesting aspect of the IJMA is that it includes a mentoring program, the International Peer Mentoring Program (IPMP), which helps researchers and scientists from developing countries with manuscript development. Mentees are partnered with an experienced mentor that help them hone on their technical writing skills and address areas where they are lacking in order for them to be able to publish quality articles.

GHEP is an example of how complex the public health arena and how much work it takes to address the issue of public health.  No one organization can deal with public health alone and by partnering with the community and other organizations GHEP has positioned itself to have a profound impact worldwide.

About the Author

Ms. Janna Murray is a candidate for a Master’s of Public Health in the College of Public Health at the University of South Florida, Florida, USA. She graduated from Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, GA, USA, earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She was a research fellow at the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Her time at the CDC sparked an interest in public health and epidemiology.  At CDC, Janna learned the importance of public health, the impact of health disparities on a number of populations, and that collaboration across multiple institutions is key. On coming to GHEP, she says, “I am excited about my internship with GHEP because not only will it allow me to apply what I have learned during my studies to the real world, but I will be working with an institution with a focus on addressing health inequalities.“