A MESSAGE FROM OUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
April 16, 2020
Dear Colleague,

COVID-19 continues to wreck havoc around the world. Our deepest sympathies go to those who have lost loved ones to this pandemic, and we honor the front line healthcare and essential workers who are enabling us to survive.

As nations respond to this public health disaster, we are very concerned about those living in Africa, South Asia and Latin America. The threat to them is being exacerbated by high income nations outbidding low income countries for life saving medical supplies. We need to focus on massively expanding the production of this equipment, not elbowing each other out for what is available. We also need to advocate for strengthening the WHO and PAHO. Pandemics know no borders, and neither should our response.
President Trump’s withholding of funds to the WHO is an appalling act that will cost lives. It must be reversed immediately.

In addition to the standard global health news, this bulletin includes: our weekly COVID-19 newsletter, an accumulation of valuable sources of information about the pandemic; the recently released WHO Report on the State of Nursing and Midwifery; and our recent webinars on several important, global health topics.

Finally, we grieve the loss of our friend Maeve McKean and her 8-year-old son Gideon who drowned this month. Maeve led Georgetown University’s Global Health Institute and was on our Executive Planning Committee for our 2020 conference. She was a bright light who always uplifted those in her presence. Our condolences go to her husband David and their family. We will miss her deeply.

Thank you in advance for sharing this bulletin widely so others can benefit from the information enclosed.


Stay safe. We will get through this together.

Best wishes,




Keith Martin, MD, PC
Executive Director
Consortium of Universities for Global Health
CUGH Events & Updates

In a letter from CUGH's leadership to U.S. Congress, CUGH denounces President Trump's decision to halt funding to the World Health Organization. Cutting funding to the WHO will eviscerate its capacity to address the current pandemic and the many other public health challenges the world faces. This is the time to support the organization, not undermine it.

Also see the BMJ letter of support for WHO and its Director General, Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus we signed on to. Read it here .

We are sending weekly newsletters with resources specific to COVID-19. If you know of relevant guidelines, advocacy efforts, and other resources to share with our network, please send them to info@cugh.org . See the archive of past newsletters here . We hope these will be useful to you in your professional and personal capacities.

 See CUGH Executive Director, Dr. Keith Martin’s letter in the Globe and Mail calling on the U.S. and Canadian governments to collaborate and oblige their manufacturing sectors to meet transcontinental medical supply needs to address the pandemic. Read the letter here .

Tackling the COVID-19 Pandemic: Experiences from Asia | Thursday, April 16 at 8:30-9:30 PM ET.  The SARS-CoV-2 virus spilled over from an animal host to a person late last year in China creating a pandemic that is raging around the world. Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong responded decisively and effectively to curb the spread of the virus, saving thousands of lives. There are many lessons the international community can learn from them. This webinar features three leading global health experts from the region who will share what worked in their battle against the virus. They will also describe what we need to do to strengthen our collective ability to prevent, detect and respond to disease outbreaks. Click here to register.

Missed our past webinars?  Find recordings and materials in the "  Past Events  " section of our website. Recent ones include:


We are mobilizing our US based members to call and write to their local Congresspersons' offices and ask that they use their powers to call on the White House to:
  • Fully utilize the Defense Production Act to enable health care facilities and public health workers to access urgently needed PPE, ventilators and other medical supplies.
  • Use FEMA to coordinate and deliver these supplies with the assistance of the US military based on states' requests.
  • Fully mobilize the US military and National Guard to support the human resources needs of medical institutions.

The CUGH Capacity Building Subcommittee, part of the Education Committee, is recruiting new members. Their mandate is to help strengthen CUGH’s activities across global health research, education and service; make recommendations concerning improving CUGH’s activities; gather and disseminate information on good practices, training modules, opportunities and research; facilitate partnership development; improve articulation and coordination of GH activities between member institutions, and consider any additional matters requested by CUGH’s Secretariat and Board of Directors. Application deadline: June 15, 2020

Members of CUGH's Subcommittee on Master's and Undergraduate Degrees in Global Health (SMUDGH) recently co-authored two new papers on graduate global health education. One is on MPH concentrations in global health and the other analyzed non-MPH master’s degrees to understand how the programs define and operationalize global health.

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the importance of science. Here are tips to effectively communicate with your government officials. CUGH has gathered a variety of webinars, documents, and online training modules (free of cost) that center on best practices for effective communications.

CUGH along with over 99 organizations and individuals, signed onto a letter to call upon the heads of states and governments of G20 countries to ensure a robust, coordinated global response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic that is humane, equitable, based in the universality of human rights, and meets the needs of countries and people who are most vulnerable and have the fewest resources.
Member Highlight

BRAC University is taking an active role in carrying out critical research focusing on the most vulnerable groups in Bangladesh. To this end, they are launching a website that was specifically created to share urgent research and other resources to help those working during this time. See the website here:  http://jpg.bracjpgsph.org/

BRAC University also invites others to contribute and share important public health guidelines/articles/advocacy efforts related to the pandemic for posting on their website. The School also welcomes research partnerships and collaborations on COVID-19. Please email amreen.qaiyum@bracjpgsph.org  for more information.
News & External Events

Please join the Wilson Center and global health experts for a discussion on gender, the findings and recommendations found in the SoWN Report , and the unique role nurses play during the COVID-19 pandemic.   The webinar will take place on Thursday, April 16 at 10 - 11:30 AM EDT .

The global burden of gun violence accounts for more than 250,000 deaths worldwide, and half of these deaths occur in just six countries – all in the Americas. This public health and humanitarian crisis has significant challenges, requiring multiple policy and program approaches for making our respective nations healthy and safe. This multisectoral series of webinars is intended to convene public health, humanitarian, arms control, policy, legal, human rights and other leaders to focus on challenges ahead and finding solutions. The first webinar on Tuesday, April 21 at 1 - 2:30 PM EDT will focus on the tragedy of gun violence.

Help promote the event by downloading and sharing the flyer, available in English and Spanish .

Join the University of California on Saturday, May 2nd for this virtual conference which will include a two-hour Zoom session addressing the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic from multiple global health perspectives.

The year's conference marks the 10th anniversary of the UC Global Health Institute and will feature talks related to COVID-19 that highlight the One Health perspective, gender and socioeconomic disparities, and panelists from Africa, India, and South America.

This free virtual conference is open to the public.

PreventEpidemics.org by Resolve to Save Lives, an initiative of Vital Strategies, is the world's first website to provide clear and concise country-level data on epidemic preparedness and the ability to find, stop, and prevent epidemics. As the novel coronavirus spreads around the world, the site will serve as a hub of timely, accurate and easy-to-understand information on the virus and its global impact.
Funding Opportunities

Applications are open for the  SSI/ISID Infectious Diseases Research Fellowship Program, hosted by t he Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases.
 
The International Society for Infectious Diseases and the Swiss Society for Infectious Diseases jointly sponsor the SSI/ISID Fellowship to support physicians and scientists from under-resourced countries working in infectious diseases to receive clinical and laboratory training at select biomedical institutions in Switzerland.
 
This opportunity is open to residents of low- and middle-income countries who have either an MD or PhD in a relevant field and hold a position at a medical, research or public health institution.

Application is due April 24, 2020 .

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has issued a Call for Concept Papers due April 30, 2020 for “Expanding Access to Safe Surgery for Family Planning and the Reduction of Maternal and Neonatal Mortality and Morbidity”. The proposed work is focused on advancing the sustained awareness of, access to and quality of safe surgical care within maternal health and family planning programs specific to: 
  • voluntary long-acting reversible contraceptives and permanent methods of contraception; 
  • medically-indicated Caesarean delivery (CD) and childbirth-related hysterectomy, and
  • prevention and treatment of obstetric and iatrogenic fistula 

The Foundation for Food and Agricultural Research (FFAR)  is funding additional veterinary research into pandemics and zoonotic diseases. Because 75% of emerging infectious diseases are zoonotic, continued research on these pathogens is essential to understanding and preventing future pandemics.

The following three resources from JHU are continuously updated repositories of federal and private funding opportunities for individuals in various elements of their career.
Featured Reading
State of the World's Nursing Report 2020
This report provides the latest, most up-to-date evidence on and policy options for the global nursing workforce. It also presents a compelling case for considerable – yet feasible – investment in nursing education, jobs, and leadership. Read here .
'Covidisation' of Academic Research: Opportunities and Risks
The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has inspired a flood of research activities, special funding opportunities, and potential career paths. Dr. Madhu Pai discusses how this 'Covidisation' can come at the risk of undermining other areas of research and scholarship. Read here .
Adding a Personal Backstory Could Boost Your Scientific Credibility with the Public
From Nature , two science communicators explain how researchers who present themselves as curious, fallible humans might be perceived as more authentic. Read here .
Probabilistic Estimates of Prenatal Lead Exposure at 195 Toxic Hotspots in LMICs
Prior estimates of pediatric lead-related disease burden in LMICs used population estimates of maternal blood lead levels (BLLs). This approach may underestimate fetal BLLs by not considering potentially high prenatal lead exposure from toxic hotspots. This study developed a probabilistic approach to using the Adult Lead Methodology (ALM) to estimate fetal BLLs from prenatal exposure to lead-contaminated soil at hotspots in the Toxic Site Identification Program (TSIP). Read here .
Global Health Journals & Newsletters
Consortium of Universities for Global Health
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