Global Health and Care Systems Society

The Green Templeton College Global Health and Care Systems Society is a student academic project.

Over a slice of pizza, a new group at Green Templeton began a series of interesting discussions about global health. Some brought experiences of working as healthcare workers in low- and middle-income countries. Others are developing skills through their academic work to look at healthcare problems through a policy lens. And perhaps a few came for the pizza, but were bowled over by the enthusiasm of the conversations about health equity!

A first highlight following the establishment of the society was the discussion about ‘Diffusion of Innovation in Healthcare’. Research Fellow Dr Nick Fahy presented about the theory of diffusion of innovation, and how we can use it to guide strategies to scale up successful ideas. College student Dr Koot Kotze told us about healthcare innovations he encountered working as medical doctor in a rural hospital in South Africa – which included nurse-initiated antiretroviral treatment and patient held records. Smaller groups mulled over how these small success stories can spread to different settings!

The second highlight was a talk presented by Professor Fred Were, a visiting academic from Kenya. He outlined how medical student training has expanded in Kenya in the past decade and how specialty training is evolving away from a university-based model as professional colleges are being established to serve the East Africa Region. He also reflected on the challenges of professional regulation in a setting with weak systems of governance, a growing private sector and a public sector that has experienced prolonged nationwide health worker strikes.

We have hosted smaller presentations about analysing MSF global surgery data and a realist review about community engagement in Malaria research. And we are running a global health book club outside term.

The society is supported by Annual Fund donations.

• Co-organizer Helene-Mari Van Der Westhuizen, DPhil in Primary Health Care

Past events

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Confronting cancer among Africa’s rural poor through implementation research
Thursday 21 November 2019 16:30 to 17:30
 Dr Neo Tapela, Equality & Diversity Fellow, Green Templeton College will provide an overview of trends in cancer burden in the African region and contributors to poor survival, and describe implementation research examples from her work addressing some of these contributors from Rwanda and Botswana.

‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’ book club discussion
Sunday 10 November 2019 12:30 to 13:30
Our book club discussion focused on ‘Mountains Beyond Mountains’. This was the book we read over the summer break.

Doc-U-Mentally film screening
Friday 18 October 2019
This screening and panel discussion explored the impact of working hour regulations of doctors on patient safety. The critically acclaimed documentary ‘Doc-U-Mentally’ follows five young, motivated South African doctors from different cultural backgrounds through a 30-hour shift at two rural hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.  The Safe Working Hours campaign film was followed by an interactive discussion including a panel of three junior doctors from South Africa who led the Safe Working Hours advocacy campaign.

Diffusion of innovation in healthcare
Thursday 23 May 2019

Dr Nick Fahy, Research Fellow and Senior Researcher at Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, provided a theoretical framework for this discussion, which was open to all students working or interested in global health. The group spoke about how innovations in healthcare can spread from one setting to another. The talk was followed by an informal pizza evening in the Stables Bar.

Progress and challenges in developing the medical workforce in Kenya and the emergence of professional colleges to provide specialty training
Wednesday 26 June 2019

Fred Were, Professor of Perinatal and Neonatal Medicine at the University of Nairobi, outlined how medical student training has expanded in Kenya over the last decade as new universities have emerged, and the challenges this has posed in maintaining quality and absorption / retention in the public sector. He also spoke about how specialty training is evolving away from a university-based model as professional colleges are being established to serve the East Africa Region.

Contact

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For more information about the Global Heath and Care Systems Society, please contact: student.soc-oghcs@gtc.ox.ac.uk.

Join the society

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