Global Health Learning Symposium – Going Global in a Virtual Learning Environment
Global Health program’s capstone project is an intense two-week international symposium which offers a deep dive into various pressing global health issues and brings together more than 300 students and 20 faculty from McMaster and its partner universities in the Netherlands, India, Sudan, Norway, Colombia and Thailand. Prior to the pandemic, the symposium took place in Karnataka, India at Manipal Academy of Higher Education. Due to the pandemic, for the second year, it will be held online as a unique opportunity for global engagement and internationalization in a multicultural, international, and digital learning environment.
This learning experience driven by educational innovation starts next week and has been adapted to a digital offering that aims to involve and engage students and faculty in collaborative and creative ways. The objectives are many: to provide students with an experiential international learning experience; to provide and receive feedback from peers and experts on individual research projects; to network with fellow students; and, to critically learn about cultural diversity. Throughout the symposium, students work in multilingual, transdisciplinary, and transcontinental teams and present abstracts of their research focusing on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s). Simulating a scientific conference experience, the symposium offers an opportunity for students to formally present their thesis research proposals and scholarly paper abstracts and to receive critical feedback from peers and faculty. Student presentations have been divided thematically using the SDG’s and a range of global health issues including refugee health, Indigenous health, technology and innovation, and the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students will also participate in system mapping, working in groups to compare healthcare systems at the country-specific level, paying particular attention to issues such as COVID-19, infectious disease surveillance, and traditional health care practices. The culmination of the group work is a panel discussion where students respond to moderated questions and demonstrate their understanding of system mapping – an essential approach for tackling complex global health problems. Furthermore, there will be a Speaker Series addressing existing issues such as evolving and emerging challenges facing healthcare systems worldwide: Rethinking Vaccine Hesitancy; No Profiteering in a Pandemic; Neighbourhood Effects on Health; Climate Change and Health; and Epidemic Illusions on the Coloniality of Global Public Health.
For students, one of the main highlights of the symposium was the cultural immersion experience that took place in India. In lieu of an in-person experience, a global student planning committee has coordinated several optional activities, including a networking event with program alumni, documentary series discussions, and a cultural showcase. This offers students from all partnership universities an environment to establish the basis for collaboration and to mimic elements of the cultural immersion experience. Students will also communicate and connect through social media platforms and participate in fun and creative challenges such as a local landscape picture contest.
“Our objective has been to bring as many elements as possible online in an interactive and engaging way,” says Dr. Baumann, director of the Global Health program at McMaster. “Many global health students, from McMaster and across our partner universities, are defining global health in action, working on the front lines and in research specific to this pandemic, and it’s been important to us to continue to keep everyone connected in a meaningful way”.
The symposium highlights the university’s commitment to the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and is an example of an innovative international event which is a key part of the McMaster University’s priorities.
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